Why We’re Saying "No" to Make-up Work This Week

The TGD

When Ed is struggling to grade lab reports, he remembers his identity as a supportive Dad!

Trusted Tip: Take 60 seconds this evening to help your student name three "Non-Academic Wins" from their week. It could be a great rehearsal, a kind word to a friend, or even just keeping their cool during a long bus ride.

Grow Your Mindset: When a student ties their self-worth strictly to achievement, a missing assignment feels like a broken soul. By protecting their passions—like drama or sports—we help them build a resilient self-concept that can survive a difficult semester without collapsing.

When Tabitha is struggling to run payroll taxes, she remembers her identity as an animal lover and doggie gma to Oaty!

The extra hour of evening sun is finally here, and Team TGD is soaking up every bit of that golden "spring forward" energy! Even for us, "decoupling" is a daily practice: when Ed is wading through lab reports, he anchors into his identity as a supportive Dad, and when I’m (Tabitha) navigating the headache of payroll taxes, I reset by leaning into my role as a dog-lover and "Doggie Gma" to Oaty.

Lately, we’ve been reflecting on a student who was spiraling under the "burden of excellence." We made a firm agreement: we will never sacrifice his drama rehearsals for makeup work. That stage is where he feels capable and whole—it’s the "anchor" that allows him to access school at all. If we let our students put their entire identity into the "Single Bucket" of grades, they lose the very parts of themselves that provide the resilience to keep going.

Remember... we have to be careful not to let our students put their entire identity into the "Single Bucket" of academic performance.

Throughout our sessions, as we work to build life and academic skills, we also help them build a self-concept resilient enough to survive a missing assignment or a difficult semester without collapsing under the weight of the burden of excellence.

DIVE: Want to learn more?

Explore why "maladaptive perfectionism" leads to shutdowns and how to build a resilient self-concept in our latest ​Deep Dive blog.