"Finally a good planner for high school students who need more overview!"
"Thanks to the planners
I have more time to design games."
Bing, 14 years old
How my son gained more perspective and had time left for fun things
My son Bing was diagnosed with ADHD in the eighth grade—just before summer vacation. It wasn't a surprise. All the signs were already there. For me, it simply confirmed what I'd suspected for a while.
Bing is a very sociable, intelligent, and creative little boy who often loses track of time or gets distracted during an activity. He can easily lose himself in time. Minutes, sometimes hours. In the bathroom, for example. But also in class. Or when he's busy with something he really enjoys. He loses things or forgets them. What he "was supposed to do," for example. Especially when he's given several tasks at once.
After the summer holidays, he started in a combined pre-university secondary education (HAVO/VWO) bridge class. At a school with a teaching method very similar to that of my own secondary school—34 years ago.
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I relived my school days in my mind, which, in retrospect (despite all the then-unknown characteristics of ADHD), I endured with difficulty and frustration. I struggled to gain an overview and maintain focus. I tried to perform at the same level as my classmates, despite the chaos in my head. An exhausting and invisible struggle. The pace was actually too fast, given my "disabilities." I went from 2nd year of grammar school to 3rd year of senior general secondary education. I wasn't stupid, but I often felt stupider than others. I'd read the same piece of text eight times and still not understand what it said. So much time was wasted on studying and doing homework.
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Less chaos, more freedom
Let's be honest. Secondary school is a big transition for almost every child. It goes from a little homework to a lot. For different subjects, from different teachers. Classes in different classrooms. Your brain is developing rapidly, and you're starting to hit puberty. Suddenly, you have to hold your own in a completely new environment and are expected to excel.
Often, some time is spent in the first year of secondary school on "learning how to learn." For some, that's enough to thrive. For others, it remains a challenge to keep everything organized and ready on time.
Homework should ideally be included in a planner. Either in a paper notebook or on a phone. For children who lack clarity, that's "too much effort"—too many layers to navigate to where the information is.
An overview you literally run into works so much better. You immediately see what you have to do. For all subjects at once. That gave me an idea.
I wanted to spare my son that frustration. I wanted to help him gain more perspective, so he would ultimately experience less chaos and have more time for other things.
People with ADHD often have lower intrinsic motivation to do something than others. That's why an extra push often works so well for them. But even if you don't have ADHD, you can use this principle.
It is important to consciously build in a reward.
Directly linking homework to being rewarded for it motivates. So, don't delay a reward too long.
For example, a grade works less well as a reward because it takes too long to get it. (source: Geraldina Gaastra)
Weekly planner
As a graphic designer with plenty of personal experience dealing with chaos and frustration from school, I created an "XL weekly overview" (whiteboard) for Bing. On it, we'd write down the homework for the coming week together on Friday afternoons. We'd discuss which day(s) this homework was due and mark it off on the same whiteboard.
He literally couldn't avoid it and found it comforting to have it out of his system (he didn't have to bother retrieving all the information from his planner). Moreover, there was something to be earned when the homework was done. That seems to work well with young people, especially those with ADHD.
Planner per subject
To supplement the weekly overview, I created an A5-sized "test planner" on which he could divide the assigned material for a single subject into manageable chunks. For tests, this meant he knew exactly on which days he had to prepare/review which part of the total material.
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Test week planner
Exam weeks followed, and that called for an extra overview: a four-week plan. Four weeks to organize on a single sheet. That gives you peace of mind. You know exactly what to expect and how to manage your time each day to save time for other things.
Time for yourself. Time for exercise. Time to hang out with friends.
For all children
Bing and I have been experimenting a lot these past few months. We discussed what was and wasn't useful. We made adjustments to the format and content. After a few practice versions, I developed a weekly overview, a subject overview, and a test week planner for Bing.
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Bing has moved on to grade 2 and is enthusiastic about the method. He'll have a smooth start to the next school year!
As a parent, you want to help and support your child, especially when they're struggling. What if these planners could provide clarity and peace of mind for many more children? With a little dedication and time (you'll fill them in and maintain them together with your child), school will be a success for your child too.
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