If you have been thinking, “My kid really needs help with social skills next year,” you are not the only one. I am hearing this from parents in my DMs every single week right now. Teachers are telling me the same thing in private. So are school administrators. The kids are struggling, and everyone can see it. May and June are the planning windows. Whether you homeschool, send your child to private school, are eyeing a curriculum change for your classroom, or are an administra

A few years ago, I had a fifth grader join my class mid-year. Let’s call her Maya. Her family had just moved from another state, and she walked in on a Tuesday morning in February, which is possibly the worst time to join a new class. Friendships were already set. Lunch tables were already claimed. She sat at her desk that first week and barely spoke to anyone. Her mom emailed me by Friday. She was worried Maya was depressed. She had stopped eating breakfast. She said her sto