The Ceiling

There is a point in every student’s academic career when they hit a ceiling. In other words, all students can coast by and rely on their sheer intellect to muscle through assignments up to a certain point. That point, or ceiling, is different for each student and can come at different grade levels, but high school is a common time for it.

When a student hits that ceiling, they have to re-evaluate things. They have to re-examine their study habits and their approach to learning. This usually happens in one particular class or when the demands of a group of classes exceed the workload a student is used to.

This is quite an alarming thing to happen to a young person and their parents, particularly when that young person is used to achieving at a high level. For many families, the knee-jerk reaction is to hit the panic button. “We have to drop this class, it’s too hard,” or “We just can’t understand this teacher’s style, we need a different one.” are typical responses.

I hear those often, but I shudder when I do. I believe those families are missing out on one of the most valuable experiences a student can have. That experience is the chance to learn how to overcome a mental challenge, how to think to solve a problem, how to manage one’s time, and how to break through the ceiling.

That ability to persevere mentally, when the going gets tough, is something that we will all need at some point in our lives and high school is the perfect time to learn that. Indeed, there might be a scenario in which a child earns B instead of an A or some other drop in accustomed grades. But, isn’t it far better to take those hits in high school than in college, career, or adult life?

There is more to high school, and adolescence, than learning about algebra and world history. Part of that time needs to be spent learning how to be an adult and an effective member of society. Learning how to navigate the tough times is essential to that and avoiding the problems by dropping classes or trying to change teachers doesn’t teach a young person anything. If a message is sent by avoiding problems it’s, “Don’t worry about solving your problems, just remove yourself from them.”  That approach won’t always work in life and if that is all a person knows they won’t be prepared to solve problems when doing so is the only option.

If your child finds a class or teacher that is harder than what they are used to, parent them. Talk to them about how you can work together as a family to make changes in habits that will get them through the challenge, even if that means they take a little hit in their grade. I’m quite certain that years from now that life experience will mean far more to your child than a few hundredths of a point in their high school GPA.