Nico was in tears, his cheeks crimson with frustration.

“I’m overwhelmed,” he said, wiping his eyes. “I don’t know if I can finish this essay about cell phones.”

The first time I met Nico, he already had tons of things going on – baseball, tennis, writing, and advanced math. He was an über busy 5th grader, always with a serious and determined look on his young mug. However, on this day, it seemed as if all the balls from his delicate juggling act came crashing to the ground.

“I just have so much work. How can I get it all done?” he sobbed.

Calmly, I said, “Just like how we approach writing, let’s tackle one task at a time.” I reminded him of how we break down a big assignment  – such as writing an essay – into manageable chunks. I urged him to list down all his jobs into a familiar structure: an outline. 

“Check things off when you complete them, and you’ll feel accomplished. Before you know it, you’ll have written your essay or conquered that project.”

Nodding, he left the room, a little more relaxed than before. I wondered if he would follow my advice, or simply slow down and advocate for a reduced workload.

Fast forward to today, Nico is now entering high school. Just recently, his proud mom sent me an update about this busy bee. On top of finishing middle school with straight As, he wrote a graduation speech. He led his club volleyball team, The Academy, to a top-7 finish in the nation. His pickleball and baseball teams were featured in the news. 

Most importantly, he followed his passion – technology – and joined the Dry Ice Robotics Team, taking responsibility for coding software. With him thriving even as he juggles more balls, it looks like he did follow my advice after all. 

We’re proud of how Nico has been able to balance all these activities and continue to be an excellent writer as well. Who knows – perhaps one day we’ll see his writing published in Wired Magazine.