Underachieving kids

This article is right on the nose! I was an underachieving child for many years and can completely identify with the definition of coasters:

"Coasters make up 40 per cent of all underachievers, equal among both girls and boys. They come from all kinds of families. Coasters procrastinate at home and at school. They give up easily, get low marks, and lose interest without concern for the consequences. They have selective memories, forgetting things they deem unimportant, and while they may have good intentions, they rarely follow through. These kids seem unfazed by their lack of academic achievement."

Personally as long as I was able to maintain a passing grade I coasted. It was not until high school that I experienced failure and decided that it was in "my best interest" to try. Eventually I became an advocate of education.

"The resource teacher told me that you sometimes have to let your kid become "ready to learn" at his own pace, and although I believed her, I found it really hard to let go. You feel like you'd be a terrible parent if you don't prevent your kid from failing. But I can see that she's right, and that sometimes kids have to fall on their faces so they can find out for themselves that they actually want to succeed and find it worthwhile to do the work."

Programs like "second chances" maintain coasting and prevent the all important experience of failure which is necessary for success.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/03/10/f-barwick-underachievers.html#ixzz0i4ne8Wqi