Nine: Your Child And School Adjustment Problems

If your child is getting all A’s and B’s, is involved in school activities, has gotten into no trouble in school and is usually happy and positive about school, she is doing quite well. But you already knew that. Here is what you may not know. The number of children who are doing quite well in school is about the same as the number who are having serious problems. Generally, about 20% of children are very successful in school and about 20% are in serious trouble academically or because of behavior problems. The other 60% or so are somewhere in between.

What about the 20% at the top? Check back in twenty or thirty years. Most of them will be teachers, doctors, scientists, business people and leaders in the community. In short, they continue to succeed.

What about the 20% at the bottom? It is sad but true most of them will still be at the bottom. Sure, some succeed but most do not. It is easy to spot these children when they are teenagers dropping out of school, getting into trouble and headed nowhere. These high risk children are harder to spot when they are five and six and seven. Nonetheless, they are alive and failing in your community today.