Developing a Student's Potential Starts with Belief and Motivation.

We live in a hyper-competitive world. We are constantly being told that we have to be better than everyone else, because otherwise in this "dog-eat-dog" society we will fall behind, and someone else will take "our" place. And we are telling our children this, from a very young age we are driving them to be obsessed with grades, performance, trophies, medals, awards, and all the other knickknacks that we have devised to adorn achievement.

This has become an unhealthy obsession. One that is leading increasing numbers of children to suffer from performance-related anxiety, testing anxiety, and an overall feeling of stress. According to the most recent CDC data, over 40% of high school students report feeling hopelessness and depression, and while much of this is unrelated to academic performance and more closely linked to social and emotional issues, grades and test performance plays a role in that feeling.

Now, we can stay here and over diagnose an already over diagnosed problem, or we can ask ourselves what we can do about it. The answer does not begin with a new program, a new curriculum, or another test-preparation strategy. The first step is surprisingly simple: believe that students have the potential to be successful and motivate them. When we as adults believe in a child, he or she is more likely to share that belief and develop confidence in his or her own ability to grow, because after all we are the models that they are trying to emulate. This is a very important first step, because many times children become convinced that they are not good enough because we as adults use words that sound perfectly normal, and even harmless, to us but that may be interpreted by the child as a criticism of their abilities.

When we are constantly telling students: "I know this subject is just not your thing," or even more common "no surprise there, you got a bad grade. What are we going to do about it?" As stated earlier, these messages may not seem problematic to most adults, because they are mostly intended to comfort, encourage, motivate, or explain a student's struggles. The problem is that children often hear a different message, and instead support, they hear limitations. Instead of hearing "you are facing a challenge," they hear "you are not capable of overcoming it."

Over time, students internalize these messages and turn them into a part of their identity. A child who is constantly hearing that "she is not a math person" may eventually stop trying to improve in Mathematics. A child who is told he is a poor writer may come to believe that this is just something he can't do, instead of a skill that can be nurtured and developed. When students stop believing growth is possible, they start to feel that all of their efforts are pointless, and this is what we call "learned helplessness."

If we want to turn this around and give our students their confidence back, we have to change the language we use when talking about learning and achievement. Instead of framing mistakes and errors as failures, or shortcomings, they must be seen as learning tools; instead of saying "that's wrong" say "what can we do to improve that answer?" or instead of saying "wrong, try again" ask "what makes you say/answer that?" thus opening a door to an inquiry that leads to learning. These small changes will help the student understand that mistakes should not be sources of embarrassment, or something to be shunned because they'll get penalized for it, but instead they are opportunities for real reflection and growth.

Believing in students does not mean pretending that every answer they give is correct or lowering academic standards. On the contrary, genuine belief requires high expectations. When teachers believe students can grow, they hold them accountable for that growth while providing the support, feedback, and guidance necessary to achieve it. I have seen first-hand the impact that you as a teacher, or parent, can have when you tell a student "I believe you can do this."

I have seen the power of belief firsthand. Years ago, I worked with a student who had received special education services since Pre-K. Throughout much of her academic career, she had been told, directly and indirectly, that struggling with English was understandable because it was simply harder for her. Over time, she accepted that narrative and came to see English as something she would never truly master.

As a junior in high school, she enrolled in AP English Language and Composition. Before we talked about essays, rhetorical analysis, or exam strategies, I told her something that she had not heard often enough: "I believe you can do this."

That statement alone did not earn her a passing score. What followed were months of hard work, revision, feedback, setbacks, and persistence. But the journey began with belief. For the first time, she started to see herself not as a student defined by her limitations, but as a student capable of growth. By the end of the year, she passed the AP English Language and Composition exam.

Every student will face challenges. Not every student will earn an AP score, win an award, or finish at the top of the class. But every student deserves adults who see potential instead of limitations, growth instead of labels, and possibilities instead of excuses. Sometimes the most powerful thing a teacher or parent can say is also the simplest: "I believe in you." So, my invitation to you this week is to add this question to your repertoire: "What makes you think that?"

What is one way you encourage growth and confidence when a student is struggling? Comment below.