| Untapped
Potential
How to help your underachiever soar.
by Jacqueline Bodnar
PARENTGUIDE NEWS FEBRUARY 2006
Each school year, many parents are faced with trying
to figure out what to do about a child not working up to their potential.
This can be one of the most frustrating academic ordeals for parents.
Knowing why some kids work below their potential and the best way to handle
the situation may help you make it a smoother semester.
What is Underachievement?
“Underachievement is a very complex phenomenon and may be due to
a number of factors,” says Colleen Harsin, a licensed clinical social
worker and the director of services at the Davidson Institute for Talent
Development in Reno, NV. “Researchers have yet to agree on a definition
of underachievement, although the term generally refers to a student not
performing in a way that is consistent with his or her potential, as determined
by past performance and/or test reports.”
Underachievement is a behavior and usually a problem of attitude toward
the tasks at hand. Making it even harder to define, it’s in the
eye of the beholder. While one person may find a grade of a B unacceptable,
another person may think a C and above is great. Trying to determine if
your child is an underachiever can be difficult. Some children may not
work to their potential in one subject and still be doing great in other
subjects. Those believed to be underachievers are diverse. Some of these
students are even believed to be gifted.
When it comes to which gender is more often thought to be underachievers,
there is a lot of misconception. According to the International Journal
of Inclusive Education, the media, research and classrooms have primarily
focused only on boys. The Journal reports that this is so common that
“the identity and needs of the underachieving girl have been rendered
indivisible.” It also states that underachievement has become so
much believed to be an issue with just boys, that the idea of girls being
underachievers has become virtually inconceivable. This information brings
to light the fact that the focus should be on addressing underachievement
as being a complex situation, and avoid it being about the underachievement
of boys.
The journal Theory Into Practice recently reported that “On a daily
basis, teachers, school counselors and administrators are troubled by
the unfortunate reality that a significant number of students of color
(e.g., African American, Hispanic American and Native American), including
those identified as gifted, are not reaching their academic potential
in school settings.” Until social and psychological barriers are
addressed for this group of students, there will likely continue to be
an achievement issue.
Common Reasons
There isn’t just one reason why students don’t reach their
potential. It would be great if that were the case; fixing the problem
would be simple. But complex issues call for more varied solutions. In
the following list of common reasons that students don’t do well
academically, try to see if one or more fits your child. If you can identify
the reason, you will have an easier time finding a solution.
• Time management. Many students are not good with managing their
time in order to complete their work or to study. They keep putting off
their work, and then at the last minute, if they remember at all, have
to scramble to get work done. This leads to decreased effort and usually
shows in the grade they receive. Lacking time management skills leads
to missing due dates, deadlines, turning work in late and being unprepared.
• Not participating. Some students become a little more concerned
with what’s going on around them, than what the lesson of the day
may be. If this is your child, you may have seen them transition from
being a great participator in school, to being a social butterfly that
puts chatting before school work.
• Lacking challenge. “Often, gifted students develop a pattern
of underachievement when they have not been appropriately challenged in
school,” says Harsin. She explains that taking an assessment of
students’ interests, abilities and skills is essential. That needs
to be followed by implementing appropriate learning opportunities in order
to reverse underachievement in these students.
• Not relating. Some students do poorly in specific classes because
they can’t relate to the teacher. Their teacher may use a teaching
method that is not sparking their interest. They may just not mesh with
the personality of a particular teacher. Another reality for some students
is that they may need help or explanations on particular topics and for
various reasons they refrain from speaking up.
Reinforcement
If you have a child that isn’t working to his potential, it’s
important not to label him. If he hears it enough, he will see himself
as an underachiever and the behavior will continue. Using positive reinforcement
will always have superior outcomes over making someone feel bad about
what they could do better. Getting students to reach their academic potential
involves team effort. The students, parents, teachers and society need
to work together to teach the next generation how to soar.
Jacqueline Bodnar is a freelance writer living in
Las Vegas with her husband and daughter. She can be reached through JacquelineBodnar.com.
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