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Nine things I’ve learned about students who underachieve
Filed Under "At-risk" students, Behaviour Management, motivating students, Special Education, underachieving students
photo by R. Duran
Teaching students who underachieve can be very frustrating, but I’m sure you know that already. Underachievers seem to have so much potential, and yet they’re not using it. They come across as perfectionists, having poor work habits, hyperactive, poor focusing ability, disorganized, and/or poor organization skills. Often they’ll exhibit behaviour problems. What’s going on with these students and why? I’d like to share with you what I’ve learned about students who underachieve from my years in the classroom.
1. Many underachievers do not having learning disabilities, although some do.
2. Many students who have learning disabilities or are gifted learners and get support they need work to their potential, but many continue to underachieve.
3. Some students will underachieve if they aren’t being challenged.
4. Experts believe that underachieving is a learned behaviour and that some kids actually come to school having learned that behaviour.
5. Kids have been taught either to be dominant underachievers or dependent underachievers by the way parents or caregivers interact with them when resolving issues like illness, parents’ marital problems, absent parents, sibling rivalry, unusual ability left unchallenged.
6. Dominant underachievers have been given either too much power by their parents or care givers and feel they should always call the shots.
7. Dependent underachievers haven’t been given the opportunity to try to resolve issues for themselves and too often have been rescued by their over-involved parents or care givers and now are totally dependent on others.
8. Dependent underachievers need to be weened from their attention addiction.
9. Dominant underachievers need to be weaned from their need to be in control of all situations.
In my next post, I’ll share an approach teachers can use in their classroom to support dominant underachievers and dependent underachievers. The support they need is quite different, as you would expect.
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This is a really interesting post and I guess it depends on the definition of “underachiever” and the grade level.
I think for some kids it is a matter of what motivates them. In high school I was motivated to take classes I could sleep through and have the most time to go out and party with my friends. I wasn’t motivated to make my parents and teachers proud or get a scholarship or any of that.
Chelle,
Good point. Thank you for making it. Underachieving could be in the eye of the beholder. But, since I’m a teacher I’m thinking in terms of trying to get kids to do their best academically given their strengths and weaknesses. Some kids choose not to achieve academically because they want to make a point with their parents. It’s complicated. That’s for sure.
I read your observations with great interest. My boyfriend of 10 years has a daughter (she is now 20) who is a terrible underachiever. Her ADD doesn’t help, either.
It’s frustrating and hearbreaking to see this.
Hi,
Thanks for stopping by my library blog.
Gotta go now.
The grandbaby is fussing.
He looks sleep-deprived!
There’s nothing like grandbabies. They are magical.