How to Motivate an Underachiever
In this article, you will find:
Teacher sensitivity
Teacher SensitivityIf Dino is underachieving, it might be because he is a teacher-sensitive learner. Some kids get good grades even if their teacher has one eye, spits when he talks, and rides a red wagon. For some kids, however, there is a direct correlation between their feelings about the person standing in front of that classroom and the grade they get in that subject.
Though with middle schoolers every teacher will be a one-eyed monster at one time or another, listen closely to the nature of Dino's remarks. If you're hearing a negative theme repeated over a period of weeks, or if it seems, even to you, that he's being singled out or reprimanded unfairly, make a conference with that teacher and bring Dino. As you sit face to face with his teacher, listen first to the other side of the story, and then be forthcoming about Dino's role in the current dynamic. Strategize ways to refresh the relationship. Set a conference date for two weeks later and reassess their progress.
Periodic clashes between teachers and kids can put a hitch in the achievement flow even if a kid is not the teacher-sensitive type. If you are aware, or Dino makes you aware, that an uncharacteristic personality tangle is contributing to underachievement, set a conference but don't bring Dino. Sit down, look the teacher in the eyes, and say, in your gentlest voice, "Look, I know you're having a problem with my kid right now. Sometimes I have a problem with him, too. How can we work through this together?" This is an icebreaker better than any axe. With honesty and openness paving the way, you can swap comradely war stories and strategize ways to pry Dino off the sofa. You've also just gained an important ally at school.