Leo’s Journey to Independent Success Through Project-Based Learning
Student Profile
Leo is a rising ninth-grade student entering high school in Rockville, Maryland. Although academically capable, Leo historically struggled with organization, planning ahead, and follow-through, especially when tasks felt tedious or overwhelming. He often needed significant prompting from his parents to manage his time effectively and tended to avoid longer-term responsibilities until they became urgent. Concerned about how he would handle the increased independence and workload in high school, Leo’s parents sought executive function coaching to help him build better systems for managing tasks, staying motivated, and completing work independently.
Coaching Process
Launching a Business: Planning from the Ground Up
Leo’s summer coaching experience was built around a project-based learning model, allowing him to practice executive function skills in a real-world, non-academic setting. Together with his coach, Leo brainstormed possible summer projects tied to his interests and landed on starting his own small lawn-mowing business—a venture that combined his love of being outdoors with the opportunity to earn his own spending money.
The project naturally integrated essential executive function skills. Leo worked with his coach to develop a full business plan: researching equipment needs, budgeting for supplies, setting service prices, designing a flyer to advertise locally, and creating a simple scheduling system to track his clients. Using a task analysis process, Leo and his coach broke down each step of the business into manageable weekly goals. They built a visual project timeline using a planner and a checklist system to support time management, goal setting, and follow-through.
Taking Ownership: Shifting from Support to Independence
At the beginning of the summer, Leo was enthusiastic about the idea of the business but initially underestimated how much planning and structure it would require. With support, he learned to map out weekly goals, prioritize tasks (like creating marketing materials before booking clients), and set aside time for upkeep responsibilities like refueling equipment and tracking payments.
Over the course of the summer, Leo began taking more ownership of the project. He proactively reached out to neighbors, scheduled his own appointments, and managed cancellations with flexibility. When challenges arose—such as scheduling conflicts or equipment malfunctions—Leo practiced problem-solving independently, often brainstorming options with his coach and then taking action on his own.
The gradual shift from externally prompted effort to intrinsic motivation was a major milestone. Leo discovered pride in running something he had built from the ground up, and this sense of agency began to extend beyond the business project into other areas of his life.
Student Outcomes
By the end of the summer, Leo had successfully launched and operated a small lawn-mowing business, serving seven clients and earning enough money to purchase his own upgraded equipment. More importantly, he significantly strengthened his executive function skills through real-world practice. Leo learned to break large tasks into manageable steps, plan ahead for weekly goals, maintain a consistent schedule, problem-solve when unexpected challenges arose, and reflect on successes and setbacks with a growth mindset.
As he entered ninth grade, Leo felt more prepared to handle multiple long-term academic projects, balance extracurriculars, and advocate for his own needs. His summer project gave him firsthand experience with independence, time management, and perseverance—skills that will serve him well throughout high school and beyond. Leo’s experience shows that when executive function coaching is embedded in something meaningful and motivating, students can build critical life skills naturally, gaining both competence and confidence in the process.
*Identifying information has been modified to ensure student confidentiality.
