Why students experience success

I've had the opportunity to see many students achieve success. Over the years some important trends/patterns have emerged that I think explain why success was possible. An understanding of the success factors that have helped students in the classroom is an important part of deciding how you should move forward. Below are some of the characteristics of parents and students who have been triumphant in overcoming an academic weakness.

• Coming to an awareness of the “correct” problem: The ability of a student, and the parents, to recognize and acknowledge a distinct problem is key to moving past that problem. Too often parents will make a diagnosis that is incorrect and only serves to perpetuate the lack of confidence in their child. (e.g. “It’s just laziness” or “There is something wrong with my child’s ability to think”)
• Immediately deciding to take action: Parents who move quickly once a problem is identified will have a huge advantage as they begin to help bring their child back on track. Standing idly by or “hoping it will get better” will not properly convey the urgency of the situation to the student. Parents who are decisive will see better results.
• Seeking out an unbiased professional: Having a third party involved in the diagnosis and follow-on instruction of the academic problem is crucial to gaining buy-in from the student. There are often many relationship and emotional considerations that will stand in the way of the parent’s ability to successfully tutor or instruct their child. The bottom line is that a student will respond to a teacher in a way that is very different from their parent.
• Assisting and reinforcing throughout the process: True success is driven by consistent support from the home. Nothing can compare to a parent that cares enough about their child to sit down and talk with them about their struggles and achievements. Parents may not be doing the actual “tutoring”, but they play an integral part in providing the assistance that is so often missing from within the four walls.

What is motivating your kids?

Most students I've worked with do not share the urgency their parents feel regarding grades and performance. This is because the motivation for receiving an education is very different for parents vs. students. Parents desire students to do well so they will succeed in adulthood. (College, job, etc...) However, students usually want to do well so as to enjoy a shorter term benefit. (Money for good grades, acceptance among their peers, sports, etc...) This perceived benefit is different for every student; however, it must be present if the student is going to expend the proper amount of energy doing well in school. Problems occur when there is no perceived benefit for the student.

Let's be honest - you're no different than your kids. Do you work harder if your boss is promising a big raise or promotion as a result of your effort? Maybe you should be working hard because that's your responsibility and that's what would be best for the company; I'm willing to bet that those motivators aren't as effective as an extra $500 in your paycheck. Hopefully most of you are now thinking about how to better motivate your kids. We'll talk later about how you can do this but first I want to cover some of the things that have made academic success difficult for our students.

• Most students have been performing without adequate guidance and motivation (benefit) since beginning their formal education.
• Addressing this problem is best solved with one-on-one attention.
• Learning may not be “fun” for students. They are bored because their heart and minds are not excited by the challenges.
• Many students are generally very bright; this can make it difficult to understand the need for scholastic assistance.
• Students need to work with someone they respect. The teacher who works with them should possess a tutoring background and excellent rapport.
• If there is not perceived value from the student tutoring can be ineffectual.

Why students struggle and how to fix it

Every parent wants to know and be able to identify the challenges that their students face; in my experience they've also been very interested in how to help in overcoming these challenges. Bottom Line - Academic struggles are not unique and your kid is not the only one who is struggling. There are many students in all grades that struggle to simultaneously learn and be consistent with their work both in and out of the classroom. While there are many things children can do to improve I think the below three bullets are an excellent start.

• Helping students understand the importance of their education: Many students do not know that learning and doing well in school is quite simple. Once they understand the ultimate purpose of their education, to learn and have fun at the same time, they will begin to achieve significant progress.
• Instilling in students the confidence necessary for successful academic study: Studies show that part of acheiving superb academic scores is a healthy confidence in personal ability. Students need confidence in themselves and their teachers in order to perform at the highest levels.
• Giving students the tools necessary to be a more effective student: Students are often not taught the strategies necessary to overcome an obstacle. Practical education strategies and “best practices”, to include study skills, need to be given to them as soon as possible.