Summary
Elijah was an eighth-grade student who had trouble getting his assignments turned in on time. His parents brought him to Signet because they knew that his grades were suffering and he was performing far below his potential. Though they had tried to work with him to get his homework in on time, they did not have much success.
Challenge
Elijah was a competent and intelligent student. In fact, he had excelled in many activities in school. Given this, his parents and teachers were perplexed at the simplicity, yet difficulty, of his problem. Though he knew of his assignments and often completed them on time, he did not turn his work in to his teachers consistently. As he was progressing towards high school, his parents wanted to ensure that Elijah was not underperforming because of a seemingly simple logistical issue.
The Signet Solution
Elijah and his academic coach stepped back to map out the entire homework process, from the moment it was assigned to the moment it was turned in. Together, they drew a flowchart detailing each stage and discussed the different possibilities along the way. By comparing Elijah’s process to this ideal homework process map, Elijah and his coach identified a few significant issues: Elijah was not consistently noting down what he had to do, he had no way of keeping track of his school papers, and he was not able to remember when assignments were due.
Over multiple sessions, Elijah’s coach set to work with him to brainstorm different solutions for each problem area, addressing one at a time. Together, they implemented specific tools at each step, like an assignment book, designated notebooks and binders for each class, and reminder systems, to help Elijah stay organized and on top of his deadlines. They also established several routines around each task, like making regular use of his assignment book, reorganizing class binders every night, and checking reminders and upcoming due dates on a regular basis. Elijah and his coach then worked together to design and evaluate each tool and process. By the end, Elijah had transformed into a responsible and punctual student. After a few weeks of meetings between Elijah and his Signet coach, Elijah’s teachers and parents were both impressed by the remarkable turnaround in Elijah’s ability to turn work in on time.
