Habits of Highly Unsuccessful Students

An article from Inc.com caught my eye this morning: "Three Habits of Highly Unsuccessful Businesses." The article, written by Karl Stark and Bill Stewart, managing directors of the strategic advisory firm, Avondale (Chicago, IL), suggested that rather than look at the Successful Habits of businesses, it might also be useful to look at the unsuccessful, so as to tack away from harm. The deadly three are, according to Start and Stewart:

1. Unsuccessful businesses believe that their circumstances are unchangeable and therefore don't act.
2. Unsuccessful businesses do not set milestones for their journey.
3. Unsuccessful businesses do no re-evaluate along the way.

I agree with these observations. I have had quite a bit of business experience, and recognize that these three mind games trap well-meaning managers and owners. As I thought more about the unsuccessful three, I recognized that they are also the habits of unsuccessful students. Let me explain.

1. Unsuccessful students believe their circumstances are unchangeable and therefore don't act. Too often, students have come to believe the negative things that others say about them. You are too young (or old), you can't study, you can't write, you can't read, you can't concentrate, and, finally, you are not college-material. Students hear these voices so often that they believe them and remain stuck in one place. Henry Ford once said, "Whether you believe you can, or whether you believe you can't, you're right." Successful teachers work to persuade student that their circumstances can change, but only if they believe in themselves. Students need to act in order to have change.

2. Unsuccessful students do not set milestones. We try to celebrate every victory in the Basic Skills lab: a good score on a math pre-test, breaking 500 on the GED Social Studies predictor, grasping the idea of factoring fractions. These are mini-steps taken every day. Each student also needs to have a larger goal in mind in order to drive them through the days when they don't want to be studying. A student who does not have an end in mind, soon drifts away from the lab and from the promise that he or she might have in their future. As someone once said, "If you don't have a goal, how will you know when you get there."

3. Unsuccessful students do not re-evaluate. When I went to college, I changed my mind on majors at least a half-dozen times in the first couple years. After taking a class, I would decide economics is not for me, philosophy is not for me, biology is not for me. Since I seemed to be more of a generalist than a specialist, journalism seemed the best option and the choice has done well for me. When my students begin their study, they have one goal in mind. Too, too often when that goal becomes unlikely, they give up rather than reassess what they have learned about themselves. Goals change in life.

Usually, like colleagues, I promote the good habits of successful students, but, as the Inc.com article suggests, it is useful to examine what might not be working, as well as what is. Keeping the habits of unsuccessful students in mind, keeps a critical eye on the curriculum and direction that students are taking. It makes teachers more aware of course corrections that we can suggest along the way.