The average student is often taken for granted at school! Is this good or bad?

At least 50 percent of kids in every classroom are learners with average intellectual abilities, average wants to learn and average willingness to follow rules and teacher commands.

Basically, they are good kids who do the right thing just getting on with it. They do not normally get into trouble, but no child is perfect of course, the unexpected trouble happens, even in the case of the average students. Good kids at any age can make poor choices.

They basically come from good homes with good parents.

The other 50 percent of students are either kids who are highly academically bright or the kids at the other end of the continuum who have some difficulties learning needing extra help and time to understand concepts. It is both these groups that get the extra attention, teacher planning and specialist support comprising of gifted programs, learning support programs and behaviour management programs.

As rewards and positive reinforcement are put into place for the second group of kids for gifted programs or for the kids who do not want to learn or who frequently break the rules, it is the average plodders who are often ignored, taken for granted. The expectation is that they will continue to be good kids.

Teachers and specialists often forget that giving an award to a kid who is a big time non-conformer over a consistent average hard worker kid is wrong and not fair. The problem is that they loose perspective of the bigger picture.

It is important to encourage the kids with the misbehaviours but it is also a must that all average students are recognised and patted on the back for their good behaviours and achievements.

These students are the backbone of the school, just like Trent.

Trent was in his last year of high school, he consistently studied and was achieving very good grades, was exceptionally popular with his classmates and teachers demonstrating excellent communication skill. He was nominated for Captain of the school and was the best student for this position. But, the principal gave a struggler with learning and behaviour issues the captaincy over Trent believing that this was going to be the making of this lad.

Naturally Trent was highly disappointed and let down. But, regardless Trent continued to give support to the school's incentive program. He was named the most popular student in the school at graduation and assigned the honour of giving a speech to the parents on behalf of the graduating students.

It was near the end of the year that the principal rang Trent's mother to inform her that Trent was being awarded the "Platinum Level of Achievement." Of course his parents were very pleased, the mum's reply to the principal was, "Why did it take you so long?"

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I believe that schools can do more to acknowledge the constant good work and behaviour of the average kids. But in the end these kids are more than likely to be the winners. Throughout the school years they are quietly developing excellent abilities with resilience and social emotional skills.

Average kids learn to be the doers and achievers, they have the want to succeed.



Cheers and Blessings