What can I do to make my smart underachiever do better in school?
117307
Obviously something has changed somewhere with your daughter's life.  Children don't suddenly change drastically in their behavior and in their approach to school.  Neither do children suddenly become "lazy".  We need only watch children playing to realize they are not lazy.  \n\nSome things you might check out are whether she is being bullied at school, for example.  Is she happy at school?   How does she get along with her teacher?  Her classmates?  Has she changed schools?  Has there been a change in her life at home?  A separation?  A new baby?  In order to address this problem, you need to find the cause of it.  \n\nAnother area to think about is that there is often quite a jump academically from third grade to fourth grade.  Children are expected to be much more mature in their apporach to school and learning in general in fourth grade.  She may be having a difficult time adapting to that change and to the different expectations.\n\nI tend to disagree with those who have suggested ADD, though it is often not identified in girls because the signs in girls are often quite different than with boys.  Keep in mind that if you do pursue the question of ADD/ADHD that there is no actual "test" that identifies ADD - it is identified by using questionaires.  However, if she were my daughter I would certainly get her a good physical check up, and make sure everything is ok medically.\n\nMy gut reaction is that there is something going on that you don't know about ... what you have described is not typical, and you should get to the bottom of it and find the cause.  The change in your daughter seems too drastic to me to just be underachievement if all was well until this school year.
844819
You probably don't need to get smarter(not sure if anybody really can); you probably need to be a little more efficient in your studying.\nTry asking the teachers for a little more help and if that isn't doing it, try some of those learning centers...It's probably that you learn in a certain way and what's being taught just isn't clicking for you.
446106
Don't let the child play or watch tv or whatever until homework is finished. Make it firm and clear that there is no fun until after work is done. Give him/her rewards when he/she does well on homework or tests. Nothing big, just a small token for doing a good job and getting their work done. You can search study habits on the internet, and will also get a lot of good strategies. Like make sure it is in a quiet room, no disturbances, and things like that. Good luck.
262690
Sometimes a teacher will let you come into their classroom and study during lunch, before or after school. Or, you can go to the school library. You might also want to talk to your favorite teacher and let him/her know what's going on at home. Sometimes it really helps to have someone you can talk to, and they might have some study suggestions for you.\n\nYou can improve your reading skills by reading a lot. Read different things...books, magazines, signs, anything you see with words. I'd say read the questions and answers on here, but the spelling and grammar is so bad in some of them that I don't think they will be a tremendous help to you. When you read, stop after a paragraph and ask yourself what you read (in your own words). If you can't do it, you aren't comprehending the words.\n\nIf you are having a lot of trouble reading, you might be dyslexic. If you think that might be the case, ask your teacher or counsler if you can be tested.\n\nGood luck.
928783
Well, I would recommend talking to your teacher. He or she may let you re-do assignments or do extra projects for more credit.\n\nAlso, ask them what areas you need to improve on. Then work on those things - get extra help with them, look them up on the internet, do more homework that uses them.\n\nYour teacher really is the place to start. Also, do you have any friends who are doing well in the class? You can ask them to help you too.\n\nAnd MOST IMPORTANTLY, always do your homework, and make sure that you understand all of the problems. Don't skip the problems that are hard, figure them out or ask for help. It will all pay off on your next test! Good luck!
548564
Not everyone can be first.  The most important thing is to do your best.  Be happy with who you are.\n\nTo improve your grades to a degree, take notes in class, listen closely, use  highlighters when studying, make special note of important vocabulary, and ask your teacher for copies of class notes if that is allowed.  If you are already doing these things, don't agonize so much about being first.  Some people can just naturally be first without studying at all.
1027631
Do things that no one wants to do. Mow a lawn, paint someone's room (wall, bathroom, etc.), run errands, etc.\n\nIf you r really smart, tutor students that r in a low math level and that r taking summer school.\n\nBest thing to do at your age, though is community service. It will look really good on you college application
1017242
How about this one: "I'm O.K., You're O.K.". It's an old book but many times underachieving is caused by low self-esteem. Good luck.
1166683
Don't bluff or lie or pretend.  Ask their advice, make it clear you understand they are more knowledgeable than you.  Be their student, try to learn everything they know.  Say things like "wow, i didn't know that" or "thanks, now i can do it by myself" or \n"Gosh, you really know this well" and stuff when they help you.\nTry to keep quiet and listen to them and learn.
911602
~ Do your homework right when you get home before turning on the TV or computer.\n~ Find out if your school offers an elective that teaches study skills, or see if there is a tutoring program you can join.\n~ If a teacher offers a study group for a test go for it, he/she will know exactly what you need to study and you won't be wasting time memorizing the wrong stuff.\n~ Pay attention in class and take notes.  If a teacher writes something on the board copy it down, the teacher wouldn't waste his/her time writing down something unimportant or irrelevant to the topic.\n~ Use a planner or some type of organizing book to write down homework and *check it every night*.\n~ Once the teacher tells you the scheduled date for a test start studying, even 15 minutes a night will make a difference.\n~ If possible, study with friends, this can help a lot because different people might have ideas you never would have thought of for remembering certain topics. (Just don't waste time fooling around or getting off-topic until the studying is done.)\n~ Eat a good breakfast, get lots of sleep, and participate in sports. ( The brain needs food, rest, and a stress relief.)\n~ good luck : D
1086548
I would suggest tutoring as well.  It's possible that he had trouble with some sort of concept, then fell further and further behind, which may have contributed to his stubbornness and laziness.  \n\nPrivate schooling isn't necessarily better, but some one on one attention might help him out to make sure he's comprehending what he is learning in class.
663562
Find ways to make it fun like suggest ideas to the teacher for different learning methods. It also helps to be happy. Try thinking of upbeat songs or just dance. If you mope around all day, school will probably seem worse than it already is.
697233
here are some tips:\n\ntry teaching someone the areas you aren't good at--you'll be forced to understand the rules and practice them.\n\nwrite any word you don't know and look it up in the dictionary.\n\npractice your homework problems and memorize the lists that the teacher asks you to memorize. \n\nin class, ask questions when you don't really understand. if you're shy, ask the teacher after class or have study groups with your friends who are good in english.\n\nwish you luck :)
45859
BY studing and doing homework. Try hanging out with people that make great grades. If You always do what you always have done you will always get what you always got.
816425
All of us find some things difficult.  One thing you could do is see if you can find a tutor, possibly even another student.  A good tutor can help you find ways to do better - there may be all kinds of little strategies a tutor who gets to know you can help you with.  Your teacher probably has to teach at that speed in order to cover the material he has to cover.   Even if you don't like your teacher you have to find ways to cope with him.  He may even be quite willing to help you if you ask him.   As a previous poster said, don't use your ADD as an excuse.  that is also something you have to learn to live with and cope with, so do some research about it on line and you might find suggestions that will help you.
5777
In the words of my favorite poster\n\nSit Down\nShut Up\nPay Attention\nDo Your Work\n\nOther than that, school will always need effort.  If you want to pass exams effortlessly, you need to pay attention to the clues your teacher is sending you about what's going to be on the test.  Trust me, as a teacher, I always leave clues to what's on the exam.
117415
yeah, i can help.  i can help you be a better parent by giving you some advice:  don't do your son's homework for him.  you are sending him to school to learn, aren't you?  how is he going to ever learn how to do anything if you spend days doing his work for him?  \n\nsure, he might end up with an A in first grade, but who cares about what you got in first grade?  you could make an argument that grades are important to his future if they are high school grades, but it's far more important that he actually *learn* things at this age.\n\nsheesh.