Pulling the Scholar out of the Mediocre Student

I knew that I possessed academic potential, I just didn’t know how to pinpoint it, and apparently neither did many of my teachers. I was always branded as the student who was lazy, refusing to put forth the extra effort, but honestly, I was not. Lost would be a more fitting description. I didn’t know what I wanted to be nor what I wanted to study in college. Occasionally, I would go through seasons of motivation, but these brief moments were usually overshadowed by a negative comment or being overlooked. A high Grade Point Average seemed the only way to gage a successful student, and since I was only a B/B- student, it was highly unlikely for me to be labeled as gifted. I knew that I could be a scholar if I really tried, but where would I begin? I lacked the stage and the confidence needed to display the gifts within me. Lost in mediocrity, I would feel isolated in my own academic abyss. It even got to the point where a teacher suggested to my parents that I be taken off of college-prep course curriculum. It would take a stream of relentless English teachers to finally unveil what my passion really was, English and Writing. Unfortunately, many students similar to me reside in our classrooms today. The hierarchy in the class room must be shifted in order to meet the needs of all students, not just those performing well. To focus the majority attention on the stellar performers puts the average student at a severe disadvantage. Just as praise and accolades motivates the scholars to continue to achieve, indifference and neglect pushes the average student more into their own world. It got to the point where I would only academically perform for the teachers who met my need as a student. I can never forget my first time during my English class in 9th grade, when I asked Mrs. Cradle how to spell a word. She called me up to the front of the class, handed me a dictionary, and in the friendliest, sternest voice she said, “look it up.” I spent the entire year “looking up” words I didn’t know how to spell, but her insistence and sternness landed me with the highest score on our spelling final exam. I had finally outdone the so-called smart kids, and for that brief moment, I felt like the smartest student on the planet. It wasn’t just the 98% that moved me, it was the recognition which I received. It did wonders for my confidence and it reiterated to me that it takes extraordinary methods to reach extraordinary students.