If there’s one thing teaching intermediate students has taught me over the past five years, it’s this:

It’s rarely the content that’s the problem.

It’s the management of the content.

As someone who has specialized in Grade 7 and 8 (both straight and split classes), and who is currently teaching Grade 8 online, I see it constantly. Students understand the lesson. They participate thoughtfully. They can explain the concept out loud.

But then:

• The assignment doesn’t get submitted.
• The wrong file is uploaded.
• The due date is missed.
• The instructions weren’t read fully.
• The work is half-completed.

And it’s not laziness.

It’s executive functioning.

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What Are Executive Functioning Skills?

Executive functioning skills are the mental processes that help students:

• Plan and prioritize
• Organize materials (physical and digital)
• Manage time
• Initiate tasks
• Monitor progress
• Self-regulate emotions
• Follow multi-step directions

In intermediate classrooms, these skills become more visible — and more necessary.

High school expects them.
The workplace requires them.
But we often assume they develop naturally.

They don’t.

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The PD That Changed My Perspective

A few years ago, I attended a professional development session focused specifically on explicitly teaching executive functioning skills.

Up until that point, I thought of organization, time management, and task initiation as things students either “had” or didn’t.

The PD reframed everything.

The facilitator said something that stuck with me:

“If it’s a skill, we can teach it.”

That shifted my mindset completely.

Executive functioning isn’t personality.
It isn’t motivation.
It isn’t intelligence.

It’s a set of teachable, coachable skills.

And once I began teaching them intentionally, everything changed.

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Why Executive Functioning Matters in Intermediate Grades

In Grades 7 and 8, students experience:

• Multiple teachers
• Multiple deadlines
• Larger assignments
• Digital submission platforms (like D2L)
• Increased independence

Without executive functioning skills, students quickly become overwhelmed.

And when students feel overwhelmed, they often:

• Shut down
• Avoid tasks
• Become frustrated
• Appear disengaged

When in reality, they don’t know how to manage the workload.

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What Explicit Teaching Looks Like

After that PD, I stopped assuming students knew how to manage their work.

Instead, I started modeling it.

Here are some changes I made:

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1. Modeling Planning Out Loud

Instead of saying, “You have two weeks,” I model:

“If I start this tonight and complete one section per day, I’ll finish early.”

I show them how to break assignments into chunks.

Planning is taught — not implied.

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2. Building Weekly Reset Routines

Especially teaching Grade 8 online, digital organization is critical.

Every week, students:

• Check missing assignments
• Review feedback
• Organize files
• Confirm upcoming deadlines

We treat it as a skill-building session — not a punishment.

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3. Teaching Task Initiation

Many students don’t struggle with completing work.

They struggle with starting it.

So we practice:

• Reading instructions fully
• Highlighting key expectations
• Writing a first sentence immediately
• Setting a 5-minute timer to begin

Starting reduces anxiety.

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4. Making Time Visible

Executive functioning thrives on visibility.

I now:

• Post weekly calendars
• Use checklists
• Provide visual countdowns
• Repeat due dates consistently

Predictability reduces cognitive load.

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5. Normalizing Struggle

We openly discuss:

• Procrastination
• Overwhelm
• Forgetfulness

And then we discuss strategies.

When students understand that executive functioning is a skill — not a flaw — they become more open to support.

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The Connection to Digital Learning

Teaching Grade 8 online has amplified how important executive functioning is.

Without:

• Physical reminders
• Peer cues
• Teacher proximity

Students rely heavily on:

• Self-monitoring
• Digital organization
• Time awareness
• Communication

And when those skills aren’t there, the digital environment feels chaotic.

But when they are?

Students thrive.

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Executive Functioning Builds Confidence

When students learn to:

• Plan independently
• Submit correctly
• Monitor deadlines
• Advocate when confused

Their confidence grows.

They begin to say:
“I’ve got this.”

And that’s powerful.

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Preparing Students for High School

High school assumes executive functioning competence.

Teachers expect:

• Independent tracking of assignments
• Professional communication
• Deadline management
• Organization across subjects

If we wait until Grade 9 to teach these skills, we’ve waited too long.

Intermediate is the perfect training ground.

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Final Thoughts

That PD session shifted my perspective permanently.

Executive functioning skills are not optional.
They are not personality traits.
They are not “just maturity.”

They are teachable.

And once we begin teaching them explicitly, our classrooms become calmer, our students become more confident, and transitions to high school become smoother.

Sometimes the most important lessons we teach aren’t in the curriculum.

They’re in the systems behind it.