 Mad, bored, or just plain brokenhearted You've seen them before: The bright child totally zoned out in class. The insolent know-it-all who drives his teachers nuts. These kids did fine in lower grades, so why are they failing now? According to child psychologist Richard Selznick, these are classic examples of demoralized learners on the path to an academic meltdown. But don't panic: Learn the expert's top seven strategies for opening shut-down minds. |
Understanding shut-down learners
Seven strategies to help your child climb from struggles to success.
Throughout preschool and her early elementary grades, Emma was sunny, confident, and engaged in school. Now 12 and in sixth grade, her teacher’s comments paint a different picture: “Emma enters class pleasantly, and she seems to get along nicely with the other kids. During class, however, Emma never participates, and it seems that her mind is elsewhere. Emma’s work reflects a general lack of effort. It’s almost as if she doesn’t care.”
What happened to the sunny, confident, and engaged Emma?
Jacob, age 9, loves playing with Legos and other hands-on materials. Building elaborate cities and complex scenes, he is confident and very capable. In class, though, Jacob is unenthusiastic. An observer watching Jacob’s lack of connection and energy would probably think his light bulb was dim. Often he looks pained in class — particularly during open-ended writing assignments.