3 Lies You Need To Unlearn If You Were A ‘Bad Student’

Don’t let your grade six report card define you.

I know my parents are proud of me and love me unconditionally (here comes the but) but I know they wish I was a more dedicated student throughout my youth. As immigrants, they would love to see their daughter achieve a level of success that would make their struggles worth it and earn them infinite bragging rights amongst their friends. To them, success has always meant sky-high grades and a professional job but in school, I struggled to focus on coursework that sparked no interest in my little heart. So, most times, my grades were average. Sometimes, they were above average but I never mastered the art of being an outstanding student.

Earning good grades not only facilitates the attainment of a student’s career goals but it can contribute to a positive sense of self. For that reason, doing the best you can in school is undoubtedly a good idea. There’s a set of attributes our society assigns to studious individuals — smart, hard-working, dependable. So naturally, we make negative assumptions about those who were less than amazing in school. Even though I learned to be a more effective student during my post-secondary studies and I’m pretty sure I’m a relatively intelligent person, some negative ideas about myself from school persist. As a result, I’ve struggled with expecting failure from myself even in situations where I’ve proven to be perfectly capable. Letting go of these ideas has lead me to a host of new beginnings.

As a result, I’ve struggled with expecting failure from myself even in situations where I’ve proven to be perfectly capable.

There are 3 lies I’ve internalized from my childhood that have adversely affected my self-confidence and motivation into my twenties. Maybe you’ve struggled with the same dilemmas.

1. “I’m Lazy.”

Believing I was lazy caused me to stop looking for motivation. I thought my lack of initiative was an inherent trait that would follow me to my grave — a rather unproductive approach, I’d say. Of course, this is not the case. Inertia can be the result of many different fears and obstacles according to this article in Psychology Today. Identifying motivation blocks and planning accordingly is a much more constructive approach than simply accepting one’s supposed laziness.

Identifying motivation blocks and planning accordingly is a much more constructive approach than simply accepting one’s supposed laziness.

It may just take a few adjustments in the way you approach tasks to discover that you are actually bursting with ideas and willpower. Learn what it takes to awaken the curious child in you and watch your energy levels soar. Following one’s natural curiosity is an enchanting part of learning that is absent in most school settings, leaving many of us feeling deeply flawed for losing the motivation to focus on dull coursework and graduate into wonderless lives.

2. “I’m Stupid.”

Intelligence is a complex trait that should not be treated as a fixed characteristic. It is changeable and though it’s about fifty percent predetermined by genetics, intelligence is also affected by environmental factors. Intelligence is also difficult to measure and the tools we employ to measure it are flawed.

In school, standardized testing is used to determine the ability of students. In many parts of the world, the results often determine one’s future career based on the idea that those who score higher are more capable and intelligent. If you’ve never had the best memory, suffered from test anxiety, or had trouble focussing, you may have found that your test scores didn’t always correspond with your understanding of a subject. That’s because test scores do not present a complete picture of a person’s intelligence or ability. Creativity, hands-on skill, and many more brain-powered competencies are often ignored in the curriculum.

Remember that intelligence can evolve and there are ways to increase it.

Since there are so many different factors that can affect a student’s grades, we shouldn’t be so quick to assume that low intelligence is always the culprit in a lackluster report card. If you still feel dumb, remember that intelligence can evolve and there are ways to increase it.

3. “I’m Socially Inept”

There’s a social component to being a great student. Good grades will get you a long way but being a social butterfly affords students a similar power.

I never fit in during school. I’m grateful for the friendships I did have but still fought the feeling that I was not worthy of love. Each school has its own unique culture and inevitably, some won’t be able to conform to this culture (nor be willing to do so). I never felt acceptance from my peers and to this day, I have noticed my tendency to assume others don’t like me. This self-doubt has stopped me from approaching friendships that could have blossomed into the support system I’ve always dreamed of.

Underlying this fear is the belief that I always do the wrong thing in social situations. I’ve had to work with my social skills for a long time and continue to put forth an effort but in my experience, the biggest changes occurred when I finally found like-minded people who accept me for who I am.

Even if you didn’t do that well in school, you have the ability to position yourself amongst infinite career options. The exact course of action you take will depend on your desires and the amount of effort you’re willing to dedicate but the first step is abandoning harmful lies that are fed to children who fall through the giant holes in the modern mass schooling system.