Has this ever happened in your home? The child’s
report card arrives. The parent looks at the grades recorded
and sees mostly good scores. Also on the sheet are one
or two classes in which the student did not do as well.
Does the parent focus attention on the several classes
where the student did well, or on the one or two that showed
weakness? In thinking back over the years, this writer
must admit to focusing on the weak areas and hardly noticing
the strong ones. After all, you have to help the student
understand the importance of improving shortcomings don’t
you?
In his book called, Building Engaged Schools (Gallup Press,
2006), Gary Gordon promotes the opposite. He recommends helping
young people discover and focus on their strengths rather
than forcing them to fixate on their weaknesses.
Such a strategy helps all young people come to prize the
gifts with which they have been born. It helps them to develop
these aptitudes and utilize them to find fulfilling work.
It also helps young people utilize these preferences to learn
and improve the areas of weakness.
Gordon makes one more point that is important to mention.
If we force young people to spend inordinate amounts of time
in areas of weakness, we force them to see learning as drudgery.
We likely will prevent them from becoming excited about the
learning process. Unless corrected, this will have a life-long
impact on the young person who sees learning as a distasteful
medicine to be avoided or, at best, tolerated rather than
a desirable potion that will lead to the fulfillment of their
dreams and potential.
The author’s basic message is to work with students
to develop competence in their weak areas while giving great
emphasis in helping them gain expertise in their strong ones.
After all, Gordon tells us, it is the strong areas that they
will gravitate to in life avocations. No one in his or her
right mind chooses a career that requires extensive skill
in an area of weakness.
To do this, he recommends two things. First, help children
get through the subjects in which they struggle, but do not
drive them to try to seek excellence in these areas. This
expectation likely is not possible. Second put great emphasis
on taking advantage of opportunities to use and develop their
talents.
Helping students develop and use their strengths will help
young people find the purpose for which they were created.
It will also lead to life-long satisfaction.
So the next time your child or grandchild brings home a report
card, remember it is the strong subjects that are most important
to his or her future. Sure, straight A’s are great,
but most important is to make sure the child is doing well
in the areas that will be essential for his or her future
success and happiness. Come to think of it, focusing on the
positives rather than the negatives in others is pretty good
advice for dealing with all people!
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