Finding a good planner is a challenge, especially for students with ADHD or executive function issues. Many go through several different types of planners from the office supply store, trying to find one that is a good fit. I highly recommend the 360 Thinking Academic Planner. I’ve never seen another planner like it. What makes it special?  A “homework to do” section, including prompts to fill out what the student needs to accomplish the task, when the assignment is due, an estimate of how long it will take, and what the student needs to do to turn it in.A “commitments” section for things like tutoring, music lessons, or sports practice.Fully customizable date and day, so it can be used when needed. No wasted space.A “chill” section so students can plan their down time as well.Room for notes.A section that looks like a typical planner with hours marked off from 7 am until 10 pm (a much bigger time range than most planners!) If you click the link above, you can see what a sample page looks like. This kind of planner works well with the kind of coaching my team does with students to help them not only record their assignments, but also plan ahead with all the details needed to be successful. By the way, this is not an affiliate post or an advertisement; it’s a genuine endorsement for an excellent planner. Give it a look.  Photo by Emma Matthews Digital Content Production on Unsplash​

Here is a short, easy breathing technique that can help students calm down, ease their anxiety, and come back to the present moment. It's called window breathing. The idea is to breathe and focus to soothe the nervous system. It works like this: 1. Find a door or window in the room.2. Look at the top left corner. Start taking a breath in, and as you do so, trace your eyes along the top of the door or window.3. When you reach the top right corner, start to slowly breathe out, tracing your eyes down the right side.4. When you reach the bottom right corner, start to breathe in, and trace your eyes along the bottom of the door or window.5. When you reach the bottom left corner, slowly breathe out until you are back at the top left corner.6. Do a few rounds until your breathing slows, you feel calmer, or you feel more present on your body. Keep the movements and breath slow, and connect the eye movements and the breath. It may take several rounds before reaching a calmer space; don't rush it. This works well when students reach an overwhelm point and need to find a calmer, clearer mindset. It would be good to practice it a few times when the student is calm so they understand how it works. Photo by Rob Wingate on Unsplash​

The Katrina Dreamer Tutoring team is growing again. Today we welcome Matthew Foster, our new study skills and writing tutor. Matthew comes to us after graduating from McGill University, where he studied linguistics and history. He gained teaching experience as a tennis and ski instructor. Matthew has a passion for critical reading and textual analysis and a working knowledge of a variety of spoken and computer languages. He loves to ask questions both as a learner and as a teacher and tries to instill as much independence in his students as possible. A former college athlete, Matthew enjoys skiing as much as possible during the winter, and tennis in the spring and summer. He likes to cook and make cocktails and is always looking for new and interesting recipes. ​