smart boy essay

How To Write An Eagle Scout Statement of Ambition & Life Purpose

Before you can begin Eagle Scout rank requirement 7 and hold your final board of review, you’ll be tasked with writing a comprehensive essay that discusses your long-term goals and values. This piece of writing, which must be submitted with your Eagle rank application, is called a Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose!

What is an Eagle Scout Statement of Ambitions And Life Purpose? An Eagle Scout Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose is a short essay, written by an Eagle Scout candidate, that describes their goals, values, and mindsets. Often, these statements are about 500 words in length and are broken into 4 parts: Intro, short-term goals, long-term goals, and life purpose.

PS. This article is based on the experiences and research of Eagle Scout, Kevin A and Cole  🙂

While most Eagle Scouts (myself at the time, included!) usually aren’t aware that they even need to write this essay until the last minute, it’s actually an incredibly important thing to do. Why? Well, the Chair of your final Eagle Scout Board of Review will be reading your Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose and asking you questions, accordingly!

Additionally, writing a Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose gives you the chance to start thinking about your life’s vision. What do you hope to give to the world? Where do you see yourself in 3 years? These are all very important questions, and this essay might be one of the first times in your life where you’re directly asked to critically think about what you want your future to hold!

Plus, your Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose is a great foundation upon which you can write an amazing Eagle Scout college application . (Click the link for my ultimate guide to getting Eagle Scout college acceptances) Kill two birds with one stone by using this statement to outline your thoughts for college and beyond! Trust me, my own Eagle Statement of Ambitions really set my sights in the right direction. I promise it’ll help you too if you put a lot of thought into it, dig deep, and keep an open mind.

With all that being said, you’re probably wondering how to write a great essay of your own. Not to fear! In this article, I’ll be using my own Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose essay as an example to get your writing juices flowing! Then, I’ll give you some questions to reflect on, so you can make your essay even better than mine was. 😉

My Example Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose Essay

First, take a second to read through my example essay. This is a bit shorter than the typical essay of 500 words (2 double-spaced pages), but it should give you a good idea of what’s required. Then, in the following sections, we’ll be reviewing each component, from the introduction to your life vision, so that you can create an incredible statement of your own!

Without further ado, here’s Kevin and my example Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose:

1. Introduction: “Reflecting back, as I’m now applying for Eagle, the highest rank in Scouting, I realize just how far I’ve come. Not only have I learned how to light a fire with a single match, tie a bowline around myself with one hand, and sell ungodly amounts of Trail’s End popcorn — no, Scouting had given me much more. Scouting has given me the core values and principles that I now carry with me through my life.”  2. Short Term Goals: “In my high school life, I am planning on taking two Advanced Placement courses: AP Environmental Science and AP English Language and Composition. These courses, though challenging, will hopefully help me expand my knowledge into areas that I may be interested in pursuing while at college.”  “My next big hurdle comes in the form of college applications. Between club responsibilities, AP classes, Scouting, and friends, I’ll be hard-pressed to find the time. However, like earning Eagle, nothing worthwhile comes easy. To achieve my short term goals I’ll set a schedule, make a plan, and check things off one requirement at a time.” 3. Long-Term Goals “Upon graduating from high school, I want to attend a four-year college within the University of California system. I have not decided what studies to pursue in college, but I am leaning towards majoring in the chemistry field.”  “In college, I hope to develop the skills and connections to land a chemical engineering job where I can directly help others. I want a comfortable salary, and the expertise to have my ideas be heard within the workforce. I won’t be satisfied simply remaining a follower in my field and intend to lead others to help bring about breakthroughs that improve human wellbeing.” 4. Life Purpose “My ultimate vision for life is to become an individual who lifts others up. Growing up an only child, I always felt best whenever I was able to contribute to the people around me. Whether it’s making scientific breakthroughs, leading a team, or even teaching scouts, my life’s purpose will always be to do good for others.” “Although my specific goals will probably change as I grow older and experience the world from a different perspective, I know that the values I learned from Scouting will forever remain in my mind and heart. Regardless of what I end up doing, while I’m doing it I’ll be physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.” 

If you’ve read through our essay, by now you should have a few ideas bouncing around your head about what to write in your own Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose. Write them down ASAP! Those ideas will serve as your essay’s foundations. 🙂

Now if you’re like most teens, you might instead be thinking, “I’m worried that I won’t be able to stick to my goals and ambitions that I wrote down because I’m not sure what I truly want to do with my life!” Yup, I’ve been there too. However, if this is something you’re worried about, don’t fret! 

• Firstly, your Eagle Board of Review team won’t be making you promise to fulfill every single goal you set in your essay, as they realize that most Eagle Scout applicants (and most teens in general) don’t have everything figured out in terms of their life goals.
• Secondly, in the following sections, I’ve prepared some questions for you that might give you a better idea of your actual ambitions and life purpose!

Here’s a tip: When reading the questions we pose, take your time. Try to think critically and come up with any answer. Then, ask yourself, “is my answer true, for me?” If it isn’t, question why you thought of it. Ask if it’s true in any way.

Doing this exercise will help you succeed in one of the most important areas of your life: knowing yourself . Now, it’s time to read through a detailed breakdown of our essay and answer the questions we’ve posed so that you can create an amazing statement of your own! Let’s go!

Introducing Your Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose

Your introductory paragraph should go over some of the most impactful experiences you’ve had in Scouting thus far, as well as what you’ve learned from those experiences. Some experiences you can highlight are times when you acted as a leader, times where you learned an important value, or even things that you learned in Scouting that you’ve applied to a situation outside of Scouting. 

The important part here is to consider what you’ve learned from your Scouting career (Hopefully, a lot). The Eagle Rank is the highest rank in Scouting, and with it comes a wealth of experiences and wisdom that you’ve had to learn along the way. Here is how I chose to tie in what I learned from Scouting: 

“Reflecting back, as I’m now applying for Eagle, the highest rank in Scouting, I realize just how far I’ve come. Not only have I learned how to light a fire with a single match, tie a bowline around myself with one hand, and sell ungodly amounts of Trail’s End popcorn — no, Scouting had given me much more. Scouting has given me the core values and principles that I now carry with me through my life.” 

Your introduction shouldn’t be long-winded, as you’ll have many other parts of your essay to get into more detail. Keeping it brief and to the point will likely be the most effective approach to completing your introduction. When writing your intro, here are a few questions you could ask yourself:

Introductory Questions to Consider

• What part of the Scout Oath and Law means the most to you? How have you lived by it in your Scouting and non-Scouting life? 
• What is a specific Scouting experience you’ve had where you’ve learned something of great value? What did you learn? How did you end up learning it? 
• How have you most changed from when you were a new Scout?  Think back to who you were, as a person, when just entering Scouting.
• When you hear the word “Scouting,” what comes to mind? Why?

Short-Term Goals for High School 

The focus of your next section should be the goals you’d like to complete before finishing high school. These short-term goals can be academic (like getting all A’s), extracurricular (Like making varsity), or even personally-related (such as a hobby, interest, or side-business).

This section can also be used to describe how to plan to achieve these goals. Success comes from making solid plans and then executing on them, so make sure you think about how to achieve your goals. This way they won’t just be dreams! Here’s how I wrote about my high school goals:

“In my high school life, I am planning on taking two Advanced Placement courses: AP Environmental Science and AP English Language and Composition. These courses, though challenging, will hopefully help me expand my knowledge into areas that I may be interested in pursuing while at college.”  “My next big hurdle comes in the form of college applications. Between club responsibilities, AP classes, Scouting, and friends, I’ll be hard-pressed to find the time. However, like earning Eagle, nothing worthwhile comes easy. To achieve my short term goals I’ll set a schedule, make a plan, and check things off one requirement at a time.”

While I highly encourage you to talk about your extracurricular or personal goals as well, I’d highly recommend that you mention your high school academics in some way when writing this section.

Even if you don’t have plans to continue your education after high school, the main point of this part of your life is likely to become educated and graduate with your high school diploma. As such, a portion of this section should be dedicated to discussing your academics (it could even be one sentence stating that you plan on finishing high school!). 

Short-term Questions to Consider 

• Are there any classes you want to take before you graduate, such as any AP or IB classes? Why do you want to take these classes? How do you think they could help in your future?
• Do you have any goals you want to complete in your extracurricular activities? How can you take on more leadership in your teams, clubs, and community service groups?
• Are there any personal interests you’ve developed while in high school that might steer you towards a certain career?  Consider things you’re good at, love doing, and might make you money.

Long-Term Goals For After Graduation

This section focuses on your long-term plans after graduating from high school. There are many avenues you could pursue after your graduation! Will you be going to a trade school? The military? Continuing your education by attending a four-year university or a community college? Heading straight to the workforce? The possibilities are endless! 🙂

I’d recommend considering how you want your life after high school to look (especially since it’ll be happening eventually). Think not just about continued education, but also the values and jobs you’ll be taking on. Here’s how I discussed my own plans in this section of my Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose:

“Upon graduating from high school, I want to attend a four-year college within the University of California system. I have not decided what studies to pursue in college, but I am leaning towards majoring in the chemistry field.”  “In college, I hope to develop the skills and connections to land a chemical engineering job where I can directly help others. I want a comfortable salary, and the expertise to have my ideas be heard within the workforce. I won’t be satisfied simply remaining a follower in my field and intend to lead others to help bring about breakthroughs that improve human wellbeing.”

This section gives you a lot of freedom to express yourself; you can go into as much detail as you’d like when explaining your post-graduate plans. For example, if you’re sure that you want to enter a trade school, feel free to talk about the steps you’re going to take in order to get trained, certified, and hired for the trade of choice! 

Since you’ll be earning your Eagle Rank soon, it’s vital that you learn how to Properly List Eagle Scout On Your Resume . Not only does this improve your odds of landing a job and getting into a good school, it’ll also help you to more effectively describe your Scouting experiences (and learn from them, too)!

Here’s a Tip: Be realistic, but also dream big! Since in this section you can talk about your desired career, feel free to set a big, hairy, audacious goal (I call this a BHAG). Setting a huge, motivating goal for your future can spur you into action and help you to accomplish anything!

With your BHAG in mind, here are a few questions to consider that can point you in the right direction when writing this section:

Long-term Questions to Consider 

• If you’re planning on entering the workforce, what type of job are you looking for? What steps might you take to increase your chances of being hired for the position you’re interested in? 
• If you’re planning on joining the military, what branch of the military are you interested in joining? Why do you want to join this section of the military? 
• If you’re planning on going to trade school, what type of trade interests you? Do you know any schools that excel in teaching this trade? Do you want to start your own business with this trade or join an existing company? 
• If you’re planning on continuing your education, will you be going to a community college or a four-year university? What do you want to get out of your continued education, and how will you make it happen?
• If none of these options apply to you, what will you be doing? Do you have plans to do one of the previous options eventually or are you planning on sticking to your original plans for a long time? 
• In a perfect world, where do you see yourself in 5 years? What do you want to (and not want to ) be doing?

Your Life’s Purpose and Values

The final section of your Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose should be used to describe your ultimate life’s vision. What do you really want out of life? Good topics to consider for this section could include plans about a future family, community involvement, and bucket-list experiences.

One thing you should try to mention in this section is how you plan to use the lessons you’ve learned from Scouting when you’re older. You don’t have to promise to return to Scouting in the future (although if you do see yourself volunteering, be sure to mention it), but you should try to discuss how you’ll use what you’ve learned to better the world.

Here is how I chose to describe my life’s purpose and values: 

“My ultimate vision for life is to become an individual who lifts others up. Growing up an only child, I always felt best whenever I was able to contribute to the people around me. Whether it’s making scientific breakthroughs, leading a team, or even teaching Scouts, my life’s vision will always be to do good for others.” “Although my specific goals will probably change as I grow older and experience the world from a different perspective, I know that the values I learned from Scouting will forever remain in my mind and heart. Regardless of what I end up doing, while I’m doing it I’ll be physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.” 

If you’re having trouble figuring out how to write this last section, keep in mind that your goals are only half of the question. Consider what values you feel are most important to you as well. What brings purpose and meaning to your life? There’s no right or wrong answer here, so feel free to expand on these points as much as you’d like! 

You can honestly take any direction you’d like when writing about your life’s purpose, but I’d recommend asking yourself the following questions to first gain some clarity:

Life Purpose Questions to Consider 

• Think about when you’ll be 30-40 years old. What do you picture your life will be like at that age? What will you have accomplished? What part of doing that will make you happy?
• How will you stay involved with your family when you’re older? Do you have plans on eventually having a family of your own? 
• What would you most like to do in your free time? Do you plan to travel, volunteer, or maybe even do something else?
• How will you stay involved in your community when you’re older? How close do you want to be with others in your community? Do you want to be a mentor? 
• If you could assign yourself a life ‘theme,’ what would it be? Some ideas include creativity, integrity, resourcefulness, or anything else you can come up with. How will you embody this theme in your life purpose?

Conclusion 

Although the ideas you’ll cover in your Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose will likely change as you get older, I really encourage you to be as detailed as possible when writing your essay. Believe me, when you’re older you’ll look back on this essay and appreciate the glimpse it gives you into your life right now!

Your Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose is essentially a time capsule of your teenage self, so it’s vital to do it right. By using the structure we covered in this article, and asking yourself important questions about how you want your life to look, I’m sure you’ll create an awesome essay! 🙂

Chances are this won’t be the last essay you write. In fact, your Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose may just be the start of an awesome college application essay! To make your college goals a reality, check out my complete guide to Writing An Eagle Scout College Essay That Gets You Accepted .

Congrats on making it to the end of this article, as well as for your upcoming Eagle Rank! Hope to see you back at ScoutSmarts again soon and, until next time, be the best individual you can be!

I'm constantly writing new content because I believe in Scouts like you! Thanks so much for reading, and for making our world a better place. Until next time, I'm wishing you all the best on your journey to Eagle and beyond!

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Main male character description

I've been asked to write a story as an assignment. It should have as the main male character an unusually smart, clever, insightful and thoughtful guy who is somewhat reserved and mysterious. The point is that I cannot figure out how to draw a good, lively and convincing description without being stereotypical or boring. I guess that this kind of character is quite common: can you suggest me some examples of good descriptions that can be found online so that I get an idea about how to proceed? Thank you.

• creative-writing
• short-story
• character-development

• 3 Isn't this exactly the point of your assignment? To learn how to create such a character on your own, without copying someone else's work? –  Lauren-Clear-Monica-Ipsum Commented Jun 20, 2014 at 18:32
• Lauren, I agree, but this is a borderline situation. If people vote-to-close, it'll show the community agrees with you. –  Goodbye Stack Exchange Commented Jun 20, 2014 at 19:17
• 1 @LaurenIpsum you're right, but I don't want to copy "someone else's work": I just want to learn how to do my work more effectively by reading some examples that you professional writers find good enough to reccomend –  user9933 Commented Jun 20, 2014 at 20:05
• 4 You don't need an example of the exact same character you are supposed to create on your own. That would be cheating (and we don't want to help you with that) and you would not learn anything (which we want to help you with). What you might want to do is pick up any book, read the character descriptions, define for yourself what kind of character that description makes him, and then observe how this was done. Then you try that with your character. Failing is part of the learning process, and if you are afraid to fail, you'll never learn anything of value. –  user5645 Commented Jun 21, 2014 at 12:46
• 1 You might also be interested in watching some of the older renditions of Sherlock (e.g. not Elementary or the movie with Robert Downey Jr.), or the more recent BBC adaptation. –  drusepth Commented Jul 22, 2014 at 14:22

9 Answers 9

Smart, clever, insightful, thoughtful, reserved, and mysterious are all abstract qualities. They are summaries. And the summaries lack all of the juicy details that lead people to attribute those qualities.

Instead of describing such abstract characteristics, demonstrate them. Show the character doing clever things, or mysterious things. Let the reader reach the conclusions.

You might benefit from some ideas:

I explain more here: How to describe your point of view character in a first person novel?

If you want your character to be:

unusually smart clever, insightful and thoughtful guy who is somewhat reserved and mysterious

then Let your character develop as you write. You can do some pre-work. For each description in your list, ask this question

What is your character doing or going to do that is (smart)?

Keep these tag lines around and as you write, just make the character act these ways. I don't know what your character will do. So here is an example from my book:

My character is also smart. I don't actually ever say he is smart. I do say he is a Jeek, half jock half geek. He plays chess. He is watches the some college videos on chemistry just before his high school senior senior year to help prepare himself for AP chemistry. He talks about getting a scholarship either with sports or grades.

What I would focus on is the character's backstory. You're correct that the combination of traits that you describe could be pretty common, but what is unique is the why behind it. What happened in the character's past that has caused him to be so reserved? What sorts of influences did he have that nurtured his cleverness and insight? Different answers to those sorts of questions will yield vastly different characters, even though those core traits are still present.

• Hi @Roger. Thank you for your answer. I will surely focus on your suggestion. However, I still need to give a first "basic description" of the character, and I would like to offer something more elaborated that "he is an unusually smart, clever, insightful and thoughtful guy who also happens to be inscrutable". I just want to be somewhat more lively in this first stage of description. What can I do? –  user9933 Commented Jun 20, 2014 at 17:41
• Also, I forgot to mention an important thing which is also causing trouble: the first part of the story should (according to the requirements I've received form my teacher) be presented from the perspective of two characters (our guy and another student) and each one should describe himself (not the other one or no-one!). Here comes the question: how do I make the guy describe himself in a lively way, but without sounding self-righteous or arrogant (which I think he should not be, according to his attributes)? –  user9933 Commented Jun 20, 2014 at 17:57
• Why should he necessarily be lively when describing himself, if he's meant to be reserved? "So, ever since I scored 2250 on my SATs, everyone's going on about how smart I am. I don't know if that's true; I just see how things go together. Things that other people struggle with tend to seem, I don't know, obvious to me. If you want to call that smart, that's your thing." So, in a few sentences, we establish that he's intelligent and has a gift for insight, but is at the same time introspective about it and too reserved to be boastful. –  Roger Commented Jun 20, 2014 at 18:08
• 1 The point is to demonstrate those traits to the reader rather than just say that he has them. It's sort of like how if you have to tell people that you're cool, you're not cool. :) –  Roger Commented Jun 20, 2014 at 18:11
• Well. That is a good idea. Personally, I like that mixture of laziness and "devil-may-care attitude" in your example (maybe because I'm that way), although it could seem somewhat too blunt. Anyway, in general I like this way of presenting abstract qualities with facts to back them up. Thanks. :) –  user9933 Commented Jun 20, 2014 at 20:11

So you've got a few adjectives for the character, to start off with. Some people are a fan of the figure-your-character-out-as-you-write approach, and some prefer outlining the character first. Since this is an assignment, and you don't want the character who spontaneously appeared as you wrote to differ from the one described in the assignment, I'd have to recommend the latter approach.

What makes a "good" or "lively" character:

• Details! What are his quirks? Does he wrinkle his nose when something disgusts him, or wipe his right hand on his pants?
• What does the world look from his point of view? What's his job? Does he like it? Any best friends? How'd he grow up? Since he's smart, insightful, and thoughtful, how did this shape his philosophy? You need to know to write him well, and we as readers find difficulty relating to him unless we can get inside his head a little. This will also be crucial for your self-description.
• Give him flaws. Up until now he seems a little Gary-Stu-ish. He's smart, thoughtful, insightful, clever--he's most likely gone far in whatever he's done. Reserved and mysterious? Even better, the girls are swarming and we're all jealous of him and wondering what he's up to. Now balance that out. Is he arrogant because of this? Or is he eager to make people like him and bends over backwards for them? Or does he not have this success at all and is angry at the world for not giving him what he thinks he ought to get? This and the point above will most likely determine how he reacts to others.
• Last but not least: We don't see his biography, we see him in action. Specific to your situation it seems like you're forced to give a little biography, but my general advice would be not to make it too long, and intersperse the rest of your biography in with the action, if you need to add it at all.

You've got a character, you know how he thinks, now it's time to throw him in a situation. Roll dice if you have to: 1 for getting mugged, 2 for being fired, 3 for meeting with an ex, so forth and so on. And build the situation such so that you can show most of his character traits in the situation. Think about what he might do to show the qualities you want to highlight.

For instance getting mugged: Your main character stops/talks down the attacker, maybe makes some comment about the mugger's motivation that obviously hits the nail on the head (because he's smart and insightful) , and lets him get away with a "dummy wallet" with only a few dollars (clever, well-prepared) and continues on his way. This scene is observed by an acquaintance who is following the main character and wondering what he's doing in that part of town at night, without having told anyone (mysterious and reserved) .

To add to @roger's answer, another thing that can make a character unique is giving them an atypical profession or hobby. Since these things will influence what the character will do everyday they are a part of who he is. A good example is Walter Mitty, a typical shy guy but works in negative assents for Life magazine. Interesting enough his job also defines a fresh context for a story that has been told a thousand times.

• Thank you @aperl. However, in the story I've in mind, the guy is a college student (the whole thing is set in college, actually) about 21-2 years old. –  user9933 Commented Jun 20, 2014 at 17:44
• @user9933 In that case he could be part of a club or team. But if that doesn't fit with in the scope of the story I understand. Nevertheless thinking about such things might open up possibilities about why he might make certain decisions. We as people make decisions based on of our experience and our environment. –  aperl Commented Jun 20, 2014 at 18:49

1) unusually smart,

I presume by "smart" you are not saying the same thing as "clever", "insightful" or "thoughtful", which IMO leaves an academic understanding of how things work. You show this by finding an opportunity to have the character explain something others (including the reader) may not understand very well. Of course as an author you can "cheat" by doing an hour of research on some question relevant to the storyline, and learning something surprising that your smart character can toss out in a paragraph or so.

2) clever: You show this by the character being inventive on the spot, coming up with a solution to a problem that seems like a good idea. This can be a solution to somebody else's stated problem, or a problem of his own.

3) insightful: Being insightful is usually understanding a problem or situation in such detail that conclusions can be drawn that were not stated or obvious. This is particularly true in relationship issues; an insightful person not only understands another's situation as stated, but understands the person well enough to know what they are not saying, or how they feel about the situation, and uses that. In fiction, they might state that, and elicit agreement from the person they are talking about.

4) thoughtful: This is somebody that thinks ahead to what WILL be needed, or what others will appreciate or need when the time comes. It is related to memory, but also to caring for others. For example: Joan is coming tomorrow, I know Joan, so I will shop today for Darjeeling tea because that is what she will want. Thoughtful involves thinking about others, thinking about the near term future, and taking action in the present to make the near term future better in someway.

5) somewhat reserved: Many highly intelligent people are also insecure and feel a need to show off their intelligence and receive praise or accolades for it. But not all of them. Some highly intelligent people know they are intelligent, and know that braggadocio and constantly reminding others they are the smartest person in the room, alienates them. In a way, it is applying their intelligence to understanding the patterns of social interaction. So they ARE somewhat reserved, willing to help but not insisting they know best or should be in charge or that all the stupid people should listen to them.

In fact, some smart people, besides knowing they are smart, also know that being a "know it all" is a pejorative; it can be threatening or off-putting to the 99% of people that are not as smart as they are. And knowing that, and being insightful, they will only assert their intelligence when it is really going to matter, when they anticipate significant negative consequences of failing to speak up.

In this way, most exceedingly intelligent people portrayed in fiction as socially awkward or lonely are actually be portrayed as stupid or defective , for all their brains they cannot figure out how to make friends, woo a romantic partner, or learn to use humor to relieve tension. All of these are learnable skills.

6) mysterious. Highly intelligent people can take actions on opportunities or threats that others do not perceive. Intelligence is about being able to predict the probable future (or for detectives what most likely happened), and the highly intelligent do this better than others. Thus what they are doing can be mysterious; if they don't explain it, we can't figure it out. You show this just by having them do things that seem significant, but are not explained.

I know I am not giving you examples; I think the point of this StackExchange is to provide instruction on how to accomplish what you wish in writing.

There is a lot the supplied description does NOT tell us about this character . It does not tell us how old he is. It does not tell us his race. It does say whether or not he has a handicap. It doesn't tell us if he is living now, in the past, or in the future. It doesn't say what kind of clothes he likes to wear. It doesn't tell us if he is short or tall. It doesn't say if he's ugly or handsome. It doesn't tell us what his native language is. It doesn't tell us if he's married or single. It doesn't tell us whether he rejects gender norms or exemplifies them. Figuring out those kinds of details will help give you a less generic character who can lend himself to a more interesting description --particularly if we see him in action, not in repose.

I watched, fascinated as books seemed to appear and disappear all by themselves on the counter over by the scanner. When I went around to the other side of the desk, I saw him, an African-American boy so short he had to reach up over his head to check out the books. He was dressed all in black, with thick glasses, and just as he caught me looking at him, he disappeared into the stacks like a ninja, bearing several thick tomes under his arm.

As others here have mentioned, you want to show, not tell--have your smart, clever, insightful and thoughtful guy do smart, clever, insightful and thoughtful things, rather than just dictating a description.

That said, if you can't think of smart, clever, insightful and thoughtful things for your character to do, here's a way to cheat: think of some people you actually know who are smart, clever, insightful or thoughtful, and model your character after them. This is an easy and effective way to add detail and realism to your characters. The adage "good artists borrow, great artists steal" applies to real-life experiences as well as other artists!

As others have said, show, don't tell. Because that advice is rather vague, however, allow me to explain. The way I understand 'show, don't tell' is 'let the reader form his own conclusions. Just make sure they are the ones he is supposed to form.' For example, you don't need to say that someone rolled their eyes in exasperation. The fact that they rolled their eyes alone will usually make the reader deduce that they did it in exasperation. The same thing can go for characters. If they are smart, clever, insightful, and show it, you won't need to tell the reader that. He'll already know it.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged fiction creative-writing short-story characters character-development or ask your own question .

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10 Personal Statement Essay Examples That Worked

What’s covered:, what is a personal statement.

• Essay 1: Summer Program
• Essay 2: Being Bangladeshi-American
• Essay 3: Why Medicine
• Essay 4: Love of Writing
• Essay 5: Starting a Fire
• Essay 6: Dedicating a Track
• Essay 7: Body Image and Eating Disorders
• Essay 8: Becoming a Coach
• Essay 9: Eritrea
• Essay 10: Journaling
• Is Your Personal Statement Strong Enough?

Your personal statement is any essay that you must write for your main application, such as the Common App Essay , University of California Essays , or Coalition Application Essay . This type of essay focuses on your unique experiences, ideas, or beliefs that may not be discussed throughout the rest of your application. This essay should be an opportunity for the admissions officers to get to know you better and give them a glimpse into who you really are.

In this post, we will share 10 different personal statements that were all written by real students. We will also provide commentary on what each essay did well and where there is room for improvement, so you can make your personal statement as strong as possible!

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized. 

Personal Statement Examples

Essay example #1: exchange program.

The twisting roads, ornate mosaics, and fragrant scent of freshly ground spices had been so foreign at first. Now in my fifth week of the SNYI-L summer exchange program in Morocco, I felt more comfortable in the city. With a bag full of pastries from the market, I navigated to a bus stop, paid the fare, and began the trip back to my host family’s house. It was hard to believe that only a few years earlier my mom was worried about letting me travel around my home city on my own, let alone a place that I had only lived in for a few weeks. While I had been on a journey towards self-sufficiency and independence for a few years now, it was Morocco that pushed me to become the confident, self-reflective person that I am today.

As a child, my parents pressured me to achieve perfect grades, master my swim strokes, and discover interesting hobbies like playing the oboe and learning to pick locks. I felt compelled to live my life according to their wishes. Of course, this pressure was not a wholly negative factor in my life –– you might even call it support. However, the constant presence of my parents’ hopes for me overcame my own sense of desire and led me to become quite dependent on them. I pushed myself to get straight A’s, complied with years of oboe lessons, and dutifully attended hours of swim practice after school. Despite all these achievements, I felt like I had no sense of self beyond my drive for success. I had always been expected to succeed on the path they had defined. However, this path was interrupted seven years after my parents’ divorce when my dad moved across the country to Oregon.

I missed my dad’s close presence, but I loved my new sense of freedom. My parents’ separation allowed me the space to explore my own strengths and interests as each of them became individually busier. As early as middle school, I was riding the light rail train by myself, reading maps to get myself home, and applying to special academic programs without urging from my parents. Even as I took more initiatives on my own, my parents both continued to see me as somewhat immature. All of that changed three years ago, when I applied and was accepted to the SNYI-L summer exchange program in Morocco. I would be studying Arabic and learning my way around the city of Marrakesh. Although I think my parents were a little surprised when I told them my news, the addition of a fully-funded scholarship convinced them to let me go.

I lived with a host family in Marrakesh and learned that they, too, had high expectations for me. I didn’t know a word of Arabic, and although my host parents and one brother spoke good English, they knew I was there to learn. If I messed up, they patiently corrected me but refused to let me fall into the easy pattern of speaking English just as I did at home. Just as I had when I was younger, I felt pressured and stressed about meeting their expectations. However, one day, as I strolled through the bustling market square after successfully bargaining with one of the street vendors, I realized my mistake. My host family wasn’t being unfair by making me fumble through Arabic. I had applied for this trip, and I had committed to the intensive language study. My host family’s rules about speaking Arabic at home had not been to fulfill their expectations for me, but to help me fulfill my expectations for myself. Similarly, the pressure my parents had put on me as a child had come out of love and their hopes for me, not out of a desire to crush my individuality.

As my bus drove through the still-bustling market square and past the medieval Ben-Youssef madrasa, I realized that becoming independent was a process, not an event. I thought that my parents’ separation when I was ten had been the one experience that would transform me into a self-motivated and autonomous person. It did, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t still have room to grow. Now, although I am even more self-sufficient than I was three years ago, I try to approach every experience with the expectation that it will change me. It’s still difficult, but I understand that just because growth can be uncomfortable doesn’t mean it’s not important.

What the Essay Did Well

This is a nice essay because it delves into particular character trait of the student and how it has been shaped and matured over time. Although it doesn’t focus the essay around a specific anecdote, the essay is still successful because it is centered around this student’s independence. This is a nice approach for a personal statement: highlight a particular trait of yours and explore how it has grown with you.

The ideas in this essay are universal to growing up—living up to parents’ expectations, yearning for freedom, and coming to terms with reality—but it feels unique to the student because of the inclusion of details specific to them. Including their oboe lessons, the experience of riding the light rail by themselves, and the negotiations with a street vendor helps show the reader what these common tropes of growing up looked like for them personally. 

Another strength of the essay is the level of self-reflection included throughout the piece. Since there is no central anecdote tying everything together, an essay about a character trait is only successful when you deeply reflect on how you felt, where you made mistakes, and how that trait impacts your life. The author includes reflection in sentences like “ I felt like I had no sense of self beyond my drive for success, ” and “ I understand that just because growth can be uncomfortable doesn’t mean it’s not important. ” These sentences help us see how the student was impacted and what their point of view is.

What Could Be Improved

The largest change this essay would benefit from is to show not tell. The platitude you have heard a million times no doubt, but for good reason. This essay heavily relies on telling the reader what occurred, making us less engaged as the entire reading experience feels more passive. If the student had shown us what happens though, it keeps the reader tied to the action and makes them feel like they are there with the student, making it much more enjoyable to read. 

For example, they tell us about the pressure to succeed their parents placed on them: “ I pushed myself to get straight A’s, complied with years of oboe lessons, and dutifully attended hours of swim practice after school.”  They could have shown us what that pressure looked like with a sentence like this: “ My stomach turned somersaults as my rattling knee thumped against the desk before every test, scared to get anything less than a 95. For five years the painful squawk of the oboe only reminded me of my parents’ claps and whistles at my concerts. I mastered the butterfly, backstroke, and freestyle, fighting against the anchor of their expectations threatening to pull me down.”

If the student had gone through their essay and applied this exercise of bringing more detail and colorful language to sentences that tell the reader what happened, the essay would be really great. 

Table of Contents

Essay Example #2: Being Bangladeshi-American

Life before was good: verdant forests, sumptuous curries, and a devoted family.

Then, my family abandoned our comfortable life in Bangladesh for a chance at the American dream in Los Angeles. Within our first year, my father was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. He lost his battle three weeks before my sixth birthday. Facing a new country without the steady presence of my father, we were vulnerable — prisoners of hardship in the land of the free. We resettled in the Bronx, in my uncle’s renovated basement. It was meant to be our refuge, but I felt more displaced than ever. Gone were the high-rise condos of West L.A.; instead, government projects towered over the neighborhood. Pedestrians no longer smiled and greeted me; the atmosphere was hostile, even toxic. Schoolkids were quick to pick on those they saw as weak or foreign, hurling harsh words I’d never heard before.

Meanwhile, my family began integrating into the local Bangladeshi community. I struggled to understand those who shared my heritage. Bangladeshi mothers stayed home while fathers drove cabs and sold fruit by the roadside — painful societal positions. Riding on crosstown buses or walking home from school, I began to internalize these disparities. During my fleeting encounters with affluent Upper East Siders, I saw kids my age with nannies, parents who wore suits to work, and luxurious apartments with spectacular views. Most took cabs to their destinations: cabs that Bangladeshis drove. I watched the mundane moments of their lives with longing, aching to plant myself in their shoes. Shame prickled down my spine. I distanced myself from my heritage, rejecting the traditional panjabis worn on Eid and refusing the torkari we ate for dinner every day. 

As I grappled with my relationship with the Bangladeshi community, I turned my attention to helping my Bronx community by pursuing an internship with Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda. I handled desk work and took calls, spending the bulk of my time actively listening to the hardships constituents faced — everything from a veteran stripped of his benefits to a grandmother unable to support her bedridden grandchild.

I’d never exposed myself to stories like these, and now I was the first to hear them. As an intern, I could only assist in what felt like the small ways — pointing out local job offerings, printing information on free ESL classes, reaching out to non-profits. But to a community facing an onslaught of intense struggles, I realized that something as small as these actions could have vast impacts. Seeing the immediate consequences of my actions inspired me. Throughout that summer, I internalized my community’s daily challenges in a new light. I began to stop seeing the prevalent underemployment and cramped living quarters less as sources of shame. Instead, I saw them as realities that had to be acknowledged, but could ultimately be remedied. I also realized the benefits of the Bangladeshi culture I had been so ashamed of. My Bangla language skills were an asset to the office, and my understanding of Bangladeshi etiquette allowed for smooth communication between office staff and its constituents. As I helped my neighbors navigate city services, I saw my heritage with pride — a perspective I never expected to have.

I can now appreciate the value of my unique culture and background, and of living with less. This perspective offers room for progress, community integration, and a future worth fighting for. My time with Assemblyman Sepulveda’s office taught me that I can be a change agent in enabling this progression. Far from being ashamed of my community, I want to someday return to local politics in the Bronx to continue helping others access the American Dream. I hope to help my community appreciate the opportunity to make progress together. By embracing reality, I learned to live it. Along the way, I discovered one thing: life is good, but we can make it better.

This student’s passion for social justice and civic duty shines through in this essay because of how honest it is. Sharing their personal experience with immigrating, moving around, being an outsider, and finding a community allows us to see the hardships this student has faced and builds empathy towards their situation. However, what really makes it strong is that they go beyond describing the difficulties they faced and explain the mental impact it had on them as a child: Shame prickled down my spine. I distanced myself from my heritage, rejecting the traditional panjabis worn on Eid and refusing the torkari we ate for dinner every day. 

The rejection of their culture presented at the beginning of the essay creates a nice juxtaposition with the student’s view in the latter half of the essay and helps demonstrate how they have matured. They use their experience interning as a way to delve into a change in their thought process about their culture and show how their passion for social justice began. Using this experience as a mechanism to explore their thoughts and feelings is an excellent example of how items that are included elsewhere on your application should be incorporated into your essay.

This essay prioritizes emotions and personal views over specific anecdotes. Although there are details and certain moments incorporated throughout to emphasize the author’s points, the main focus remains on the student and how they grapple with their culture and identity.  

One area for improvement is the conclusion. Although the forward-looking approach is a nice way to end an essay focused on social justice, it would be nice to include more details and imagery in the conclusion. How does the student want to help their community? What government position do they see themselves holding one day? 

A more impactful ending might look like the student walking into their office at the New York City Housing Authority in 15 years and looking at the plans to build a new development in the Bronx just blocks away from where the grew up that would provide quality housing to people in their Bangladeshi community. They would smile while thinking about how far they have come from that young kid who used to be ashamed of their culture. 

Essay Example #3: Why Medicine

I took my first trip to China to visit my cousin Anna in July of 2014. Distance had kept us apart, but when we were together, we fell into all of our old inside jokes and caught up on each other’s lives. Her sparkling personality and optimistic attitude always brought a smile to my face. This time, however, my heart broke when I saw the effects of her brain cancer; she had suffered from a stroke that paralyzed her left side. She was still herself in many ways, but I could see that the damage to her brain made things difficult for her. I stayed by her every day, providing the support she needed, whether assisting her with eating and drinking, reading to her, or just watching “Friends.” During my flight back home, sorrow and helplessness overwhelmed me. Would I ever see Anna again? Could I have done more to make Anna comfortable? I wished I could stay in China longer to care for her. As I deplaned, I wondered if I could transform my grief to help other children and teenagers in the US who suffered as Anna did.

The day after I got home, as jet lag dragged me awake a few minutes after midnight, I remembered hearing about the Family Reach Foundation (FRF) and its work with children going through treatments at the local hospital and their families. I began volunteering in the FRF’s Children’s Activity Room, where I play with children battling cancer. Volunteering has both made me appreciate my own health and also cherish the new relationships I build with the children and families. We play sports, make figures out of playdoh, and dress up. When they take on the roles of firefighters or fairies, we all get caught up in the game; for that time, they forget the sanitized, stark, impersonal walls of the pediatric oncology ward. Building close relationships with them and seeing them giggle and laugh is so rewarding — I love watching them grow and get better throughout their course of treatment.

Hearing from the parents about their children’s condition and seeing the children recover inspired me to consider medical research. To get started, I enrolled in a summer collegelevel course in Abnormal Psychology. There I worked with Catelyn, a rising college senior, on a data analysis project regarding Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Together, we examined the neurological etiology of DID by studying four fMRI and PET cases. I fell in love with gathering data and analyzing the results and was amazed by our final product: several stunning brain images showcasing the areas of hyper and hypoactivity in brains affected by DID. Desire quickly followed my amazement — I want to continue this project and study more brains. Their complexity, delicacy, and importance to every aspect of life fascinate me. Successfully completing this research project gave me a sense of hope; I know I am capable of participating in a large scale research project and potentially making a difference in someone else’s life through my research.

Anna’s diagnosis inspired me to begin volunteering at FRF; from there, I discovered my desire to help people further by contributing to medical research. As my research interest blossomed, I realized that it’s no coincidence that I want to study brains—after all, Anna suffered from brain cancer. Reflecting on these experiences this past year and a half, I see that everything I’ve done is connected. Sadly, a few months after I returned from China, Anna passed away. I am still sad, but as I run a toy truck across the floor and watch one of the little patients’ eyes light up, I imagine that she would be proud of my commitment to pursue medicine and study the brain.

This essay has a very strong emotional core that tugs at the heart strings and makes the reader feel invested. Writing about sickness can be difficult and doesn’t always belong in a personal statement, but in this case it works well because the focus is on how this student cared for her cousin and dealt with the grief and emotions surrounding her condition. Writing about the compassion she showed and the doubts and concerns that filled her mind keeps the focus on the author and her personality. 

This continues when she again discusses the activities she did with the kids at FRF and the personal reflection this experience allowed her to have. For example, she writes: Volunteering has both made me appreciate my own health and also cherish the new relationships I build with the children and families. We play sports, make figures out of playdoh, and dress up.

Concluding the essay with the sad story of her cousin’s passing brings the essay full circle and returns to the emotional heart of the piece to once again build a connection with the reader. However, it finishes on a hopeful note and demonstrates how this student has been able to turn a tragic experience into a source of lifelong inspiration. 

One thing this essay should be cognizant of is that personal statements should not read as summaries of your extracurricular resume. Although this essay doesn’t fully fall into that trap, it does describe two key extracurriculars the student participated in. However, the inclusion of such a strong emotional core running throughout the essay helps keep the focus on the student and her thoughts and feelings during these activities.

To avoid making this mistake, make sure you have a common thread running through your essay and the extracurriculars provide support to the story you are trying to tell, rather than crafting a story around your activities. And, as this essay does, make sure there is lots of personal reflection and feelings weaved throughout to focus attention to you rather than your extracurriculars. 

Essay Example #4: Love of Writing

“I want to be a writer.” This had been my answer to every youthful discussion with the adults in my life about what I would do when I grew up. As early as elementary school, I remember reading my writing pieces aloud to an audience at “Author of the Month” ceremonies. Bearing this goal in mind, and hoping to gain some valuable experience, I signed up for a journalism class during my freshman year. Despite my love for writing, I initially found myself uninterested in the subject and I struggled to enjoy the class. When I thought of writing, I imagined lyrical prose, profound poetry, and thrilling plot lines. Journalism required a laconic style and orderly structure, and I found my teacher’s assignments formulaic and dull. That class shook my confidence as a writer. I was uncertain if I should continue in it for the rest of my high school career.

Despite my misgivings, I decided that I couldn’t make a final decision on whether to quit journalism until I had some experience working for a paper outside of the classroom. The following year, I applied to be a staff reporter on our school newspaper. I hoped this would help me become more self-driven and creative, rather than merely writing articles that my teacher assigned. To my surprise, my time on staff was worlds away from what I experienced in the journalism class. Although I was unaccustomed to working in a fast-paced environment and initially found it burdensome to research and complete high-quality stories in a relatively short amount of time, I also found it exciting. I enjoyed learning more about topics and events on campus that I did not know much about; some of my stories that I covered in my first semester concerned a chess tournament, a food drive, and a Spanish immersion party. I relished in the freedom I had to explore and learn, and to write more independently than I could in a classroom.

Although I enjoyed many aspects of working for the paper immediately, reporting also pushed me outside of my comfort zone. I am a shy person, and speaking with people I did not know intimidated me. During my first interview, I met with the basketball coach to prepare for a story about the team’s winning streak. As I approached his office, I felt everything from my toes to my tongue freeze into a solid block, and I could hardly get out my opening questions. Fortunately, the coach was very kind and helped me through the conversation. Encouraged, I prepared for my next interview with more confidence. After a few weeks of practice, I even started to look forward to interviewing people on campus. That first journalism class may have bored me, but even if journalism in practice was challenging, it was anything but tedious.

Over the course of that year, I grew to love writing for our school newspaper. Reporting made me aware of my surroundings, and made me want to know more about current events on campus and in the town where I grew up. By interacting with people all over campus, I came to understand the breadth of individuals and communities that make up my high school. I felt far more connected to diverse parts of my school through my work as a journalist, and I realized that journalism gave me a window into seeing beyond my own experiences. The style of news writing may be different from what I used to think “writing” meant, but I learned that I can still derive exciting plots from events that may have gone unnoticed if not for my stories. I no longer struggle to approach others, and truly enjoy getting to know people and recognizing their accomplishments through my writing. Becoming a writer may be a difficult path, but it is as rewarding as I hoped when I was young.

This essay is clearly structured in a manner that makes it flow very nicely and contributes to its success. It starts with a quote to draw in the reader and show this student’s life-long passion for writing. Then it addresses the challenges of facing new, unfamiliar territory and how this student overcame it. Finally, it concludes by reflecting on this eye-opening experience and a nod to their younger self from the introduction. Having a well-thought out and sequential structure with clear transitions makes it extremely easy for the reader to follow along and take away the main idea.

Another positive aspect of the essay is the use of strong and expressive language. Sentences like “ When I thought of writing, I imagined lyrical prose, profound poetry, and thrilling plot lines ” stand out because of the intentional use of words like “lyrical”, “profound”, and “thrilling” to convey the student’s love of writing. The author also uses an active voice to capture the readers’ attention and keep us engaged. They rely on their language and diction to reveal details to the reader, for instance saying “ I felt everything from my toes to my tongue freeze into a solid block ” to describe feeling nervous.

This essay is already very strong, so there isn’t much that needs to be changed. One thing that could take the essay from great to outstanding would be to throw in more quotes, internal dialogue, and sensory descriptors.

It would be nice to see the nerves they felt interviewing the coach by including dialogue like “ Um…I want to interview you about…uh…”.  They could have shown their original distaste for journalism by narrating the thoughts running through their head. The fast-paced environment of their newspaper could have come to life with descriptions about the clacking of keyboards and the whirl of people running around laying out articles.

Essay Example #5: Starting a Fire

Was I no longer the beloved daughter of nature, whisperer of trees? Knee-high rubber boots, camouflage, bug spray—I wore the garb and perfume of a proud wild woman, yet there I was, hunched over the pathetic pile of stubborn sticks, utterly stumped, on the verge of tears. As a child, I had considered myself a kind of rustic princess, a cradler of spiders and centipedes, who was serenaded by mourning doves and chickadees, who could glide through tick-infested meadows and emerge Lyme-free. I knew the cracks of the earth like the scars on my own rough palms. Yet here I was, ten years later, incapable of performing the most fundamental outdoor task: I could not, for the life of me, start a fire. 

Furiously I rubbed the twigs together—rubbed and rubbed until shreds of skin flaked from my fingers. No smoke. The twigs were too young, too sticky-green; I tossed them away with a shower of curses, and began tearing through the underbrush in search of a more flammable collection. My efforts were fruitless. Livid, I bit a rejected twig, determined to prove that the forest had spurned me, offering only young, wet bones that would never burn. But the wood cracked like carrots between my teeth—old, brittle, and bitter. Roaring and nursing my aching palms, I retreated to the tent, where I sulked and awaited the jeers of my family. 

Rattling their empty worm cans and reeking of fat fish, my brother and cousins swaggered into the campsite. Immediately, they noticed the minor stick massacre by the fire pit and called to me, their deep voices already sharp with contempt. 

“Where’s the fire, Princess Clara?” they taunted. “Having some trouble?” They prodded me with the ends of the chewed branches and, with a few effortless scrapes of wood on rock, sparked a red and roaring flame. My face burned long after I left the fire pit. The camp stank of salmon and shame. 

In the tent, I pondered my failure. Was I so dainty? Was I that incapable? I thought of my hands, how calloused and capable they had been, how tender and smooth they had become. It had been years since I’d kneaded mud between my fingers; instead of scaling a white pine, I’d practiced scales on my piano, my hands softening into those of a musician—fleshy and sensitive. And I’d gotten glasses, having grown horrifically nearsighted; long nights of dim lighting and thick books had done this. I couldn’t remember the last time I had lain down on a hill, barefaced, and seen the stars without having to squint. Crawling along the edge of the tent, a spider confirmed my transformation—he disgusted me, and I felt an overwhelming urge to squash him. 

Yet, I realized I hadn’t really changed—I had only shifted perspective. I still eagerly explored new worlds, but through poems and prose rather than pastures and puddles. I’d grown to prefer the boom of a bass over that of a bullfrog, learned to coax a different kind of fire from wood, having developed a burn for writing rhymes and scrawling hypotheses. 

That night, I stayed up late with my journal and wrote about the spider I had decided not to kill. I had tolerated him just barely, only shrieking when he jumped—it helped to watch him decorate the corners of the tent with his delicate webs, knowing that he couldn’t start fires, either. When the night grew cold and the embers died, my words still smoked—my hands burned from all that scrawling—and even when I fell asleep, the ideas kept sparking—I was on fire, always on fire.

This student is an excellent writer, which allows a simple story to be outstandingly compelling. The author articulates her points beautifully and creatively through her immense use of details and figurative language. Lines like “a rustic princess, a cradler of spiders and centipedes, who was serenaded by mourning doves and chickadees,” and “rubbed and rubbed until shreds of skin flaked from my fingers,” create vivid images that draw the reader in. 

The flowery and descriptive prose also contributes to the nice juxtaposition between the old Clara and the new Clara. The latter half of the essay contrasts elements of nature with music and writing to demonstrate how natural these interests are for her now. This sentence perfectly encapsulates the contrast she is trying to build: “It had been years since I’d kneaded mud between my fingers; instead of scaling a white pine, I’d practiced scales on my piano, my hands softening into those of a musician—fleshy and sensitive.”

In addition to being well-written, this essay is thematically cohesive. It begins with the simple introduction “Fire!” and ends with the following image: “When the night grew cold and the embers died, my words still smoked—my hands burned from all that scrawling—and even when I fell asleep, the ideas kept sparking—I was on fire, always on fire.” This full-circle approach leaves readers satisfied and impressed.

There is very little this essay should change, however one thing to be cautious about is having an essay that is overly-descriptive. We know from the essay that this student likes to read and write, and depending on other elements of her application, it might make total sense to have such a flowery and ornate writing style. However, your personal statement needs to reflect your voice as well as your personality. If you would never use language like this in conversation or your writing, don’t put it in your personal statement. Make sure there is a balance between eloquence and your personal voice.

Essay Example #6: Dedicating a Track

“Getting beat is one thing – it’s part of competing – but I want no part in losing.” Coach Rob Stark’s motto never fails to remind me of his encouragement on early-morning bus rides to track meets around the state. I’ve always appreciated the phrase, but an experience last June helped me understand its more profound, universal meaning.

Stark, as we affectionately call him, has coached track at my high school for 25 years. His care, dedication, and emphasis on developing good character has left an enduring impact on me and hundreds of other students. Not only did he help me discover my talent and love for running, but he also taught me the importance of commitment and discipline and to approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running. When I learned a neighboring high school had dedicated their track to a longtime coach, I felt that Stark deserved similar honors.

Our school district’s board of education indicated they would only dedicate our track to Stark if I could demonstrate that he was extraordinary. I took charge and mobilized my teammates to distribute petitions, reach out to alumni, and compile statistics on the many team and individual champions Stark had coached over the years. We received astounding support, collecting almost 3,000 signatures and pages of endorsements from across the community. With help from my teammates, I presented this evidence to the board.

They didn’t bite. 

Most members argued that dedicating the track was a low priority. Knowing that we had to act quickly to convince them of its importance, I called a team meeting where we drafted a rebuttal for the next board meeting. To my surprise, they chose me to deliver it. I was far from the best public speaker in the group, and I felt nervous about going before the unsympathetic board again. However, at that second meeting, I discovered that I enjoy articulating and arguing for something that I’m passionate about.

Public speaking resembles a cross country race. Walking to the starting line, you have to trust your training and quell your last minute doubts. When the gun fires, you can’t think too hard about anything; your performance has to be instinctual, natural, even relaxed. At the next board meeting, the podium was my starting line. As I walked up to it, familiar butterflies fluttered in my stomach. Instead of the track stretching out in front of me, I faced the vast audience of teachers, board members, and my teammates. I felt my adrenaline build, and reassured myself: I’ve put in the work, my argument is powerful and sound. As the board president told me to introduce myself, I heard, “runners set” in the back of my mind. She finished speaking, and Bang! The brief silence was the gunshot for me to begin. 

The next few minutes blurred together, but when the dust settled, I knew from the board members’ expressions and the audience’s thunderous approval that I had run quite a race. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough; the board voted down our proposal. I was disappointed, but proud of myself, my team, and our collaboration off the track. We stood up for a cause we believed in, and I overcame my worries about being a leader. Although I discovered that changing the status quo through an elected body can be a painstakingly difficult process and requires perseverance, I learned that I enjoy the challenges this effort offers. Last month, one of the school board members joked that I had become a “regular” – I now often show up to meetings to advocate for a variety of causes, including better environmental practices in cafeterias and safer equipment for athletes.

Just as Stark taught me, I worked passionately to achieve my goal. I may have been beaten when I appealed to the board, but I certainly didn’t lose, and that would have made Stark proud.

This essay effectively conveys this student’s compassion for others, initiative, and determination—all great qualities to exemplify in a personal statement!

Although they rely on telling us a lot of what happened up until the board meeting, the use of running a race (their passion) as a metaphor for public speaking provides a lot of insight into the fear that this student overcame to work towards something bigger than themself. Comparing a podium to the starting line, the audience to the track, and silence to the gunshot is a nice way of demonstrating this student’s passion for cross country running without making that the focus of the story.

The essay does a nice job of coming full circle at the end by explaining what the quote from the beginning meant to them after this experience. Without explicitly saying “ I now know that what Stark actually meant is…” they rely on the strength of their argument above to make it obvious to the reader what it means to get beat but not lose. 

One of the biggest areas of improvement in the intro, however, is how the essay tells us Stark’s impact rather than showing us: His care, dedication, and emphasis on developing good character has left an enduring impact on me and hundreds of other students. Not only did he help me discover my talent and love for running, but he also taught me the importance of commitment and discipline and to approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running.

The writer could’ve helped us feel a stronger emotional connection to Stark if they had included examples of Stark’s qualities, rather than explicitly stating them. For example, they could’ve written something like: Stark was the kind of person who would give you gas money if you told him your parents couldn’t afford to pick you up from practice. And he actually did that—several times. At track meets, alumni regularly would come talk to him and tell him how he’d changed their lives. Before Stark, I was ambivalent about running and was on the JV team, but his encouragement motivated me to run longer and harder and eventually make varsity. Because of him, I approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running.

Essay Example #7: Body Image and Eating Disorders

I press the “discover” button on my Instagram app, hoping to find enticing pictures to satisfy my boredom. Scrolling through, I see funny videos and mouth-watering pictures of food. However, one image stops me immediately. A fit teenage girl with a “perfect body” relaxes in a bikini on a beach. Beneath it, I see a slew of flattering comments. I shake with disapproval over the image’s unrealistic quality. However, part of me still wants to have a body like hers so that others will make similar comments to me.

I would like to resolve a silent issue that harms many teenagers and adults: negative self image and low self-esteem in a world where social media shapes how people view each other. When people see the façades others wear to create an “ideal” image, they can develop poor thought patterns rooted in negative self-talk. The constant comparisons to “perfect” others make people feel small. In this new digital age, it is hard to distinguish authentic from artificial representations.

When I was 11, I developed anorexia nervosa. Though I was already thin, I wanted to be skinny like the models that I saw on the magazine covers on the grocery store stands. Little did I know that those models probably also suffered from disorders, and that photoshop erased their flaws. I preferred being underweight to being healthy. No matter how little I ate or how thin I was, I always thought that I was too fat. I became obsessed with the number on the scale and would try to eat the least that I could without my parents urging me to take more. Fortunately, I stopped engaging in anorexic behaviors before middle school. However, my underlying mental habits did not change. The images that had provoked my disorder in the first place were still a constant presence in my life.

By age 15, I was in recovery from anorexia, but suffered from depression. While I used to only compare myself to models, the growth of social media meant I also compared myself to my friends and acquaintances. I felt left out when I saw my friends’ excitement about lake trips they had taken without me. As I scrolled past endless photos of my flawless, thin classmates with hundreds of likes and affirming comments, I felt my jealousy spiral. I wanted to be admired and loved by other people too. However, I felt that I could never be enough. I began to hate the way that I looked, and felt nothing in my life was good enough. I wanted to be called “perfect” and “body goals,” so I tried to only post at certain times of day to maximize my “likes.” When that didn’t work, I started to feel too anxious to post anything at all.  

Body image insecurities and social media comparisons affect thousands of people – men, women, children, and adults – every day. I am lucky – after a few months of my destructive social media habits, I came across a video that pointed out the illusory nature of social media; many Instagram posts only show off good things while people hide their flaws. I began going to therapy, and recovered from my depression. To address the problem of self-image and social media, we can all focus on what matters on the inside and not what is on the surface. As an effort to become healthy internally, I started a club at my school to promote clean eating and radiating beauty from within. It has helped me grow in my confidence, and today I’m not afraid to show others my struggles by sharing my experience with eating disorders. Someday, I hope to make this club a national organization to help teenagers and adults across the country. I support the idea of body positivity and embracing difference, not “perfection.” After all, how can we be ourselves if we all look the same?

This essay covers the difficult topics of eating disorders and mental health. If you’re thinking about covering similar topics in your essay, we recommend reading our post Should You Talk About Mental Health in College Essays?

The short answer is that, yes, you can talk about mental health, but it can be risky. If you do go that route, it’s important to focus on what you learned from the experience.

The strength of this essay is the student’s vulnerability, in excerpts such as this: I wanted to be admired and loved by other people too. However, I felt that I could never be enough. I began to hate the way that I looked, and felt nothing in my life was good enough. I wanted to be called “perfect” and “body goals,” so I tried to only post at certain times of day to maximize my “likes.”

The student goes on to share how they recovered from their depression through an eye-opening video and therapy sessions, and they’re now helping others find their self-worth as well. It’s great that this essay looks towards the future and shares the writer’s goals of making their club a national organization; we can see their ambition and compassion.

The main weakness of this essay is that it doesn’t focus enough on their recovery process, which is arguably the most important part. They could’ve told us more about the video they watched or the process of starting their club and the interactions they’ve had with other members. Especially when sharing such a vulnerable topic, there should be vulnerability in the recovery process too. That way, the reader can fully appreciate all that this student has overcome.

Essay Example #8: Becoming a Coach

”Advanced females ages 13 to 14 please proceed to staging with your coaches at this time.” Skittering around the room, eyes wide and pleading, I frantically explained my situation to nearby coaches. The seconds ticked away in my head; every polite refusal increased my desperation.

Despair weighed me down. I sank to my knees as a stream of competitors, coaches, and officials flowed around me. My dojang had no coach, and the tournament rules prohibited me from competing without one.

Although I wanted to remain strong, doubts began to cloud my mind. I could not help wondering: what was the point of perfecting my skills if I would never even compete? The other members of my team, who had found coaches minutes earlier, attempted to comfort me, but I barely heard their words. They couldn’t understand my despair at being left on the outside, and I never wanted them to understand.

Since my first lesson 12 years ago, the members of my dojang have become family. I have watched them grow up, finding my own happiness in theirs. Together, we have honed our kicks, blocks, and strikes. We have pushed one another to aim higher and become better martial artists. Although my dojang had searched for a reliable coach for years, we had not found one. When we attended competitions in the past, my teammates and I had always gotten lucky and found a sympathetic coach. Now, I knew this practice was unsustainable. It would devastate me to see the other members of my dojang in my situation, unable to compete and losing hope as a result. My dojang needed a coach, and I decided it was up to me to find one.

I first approached the adults in the dojang – both instructors and members’ parents. However, these attempts only reacquainted me with polite refusals. Everyone I asked told me they couldn’t devote multiple weekends per year to competitions. I soon realized that I would have become the coach myself.

At first, the inner workings of tournaments were a mystery to me. To prepare myself for success as a coach, I spent the next year as an official and took coaching classes on the side. I learned everything from motivational strategies to technical, behind-the-scenes components of Taekwondo competitions. Though I emerged with new knowledge and confidence in my capabilities, others did not share this faith.

Parents threw me disbelieving looks when they learned that their children’s coach was only a child herself. My self-confidence was my armor, deflecting their surly glances. Every armor is penetrable, however, and as the relentless barrage of doubts pounded my resilience, it began to wear down. I grew unsure of my own abilities.

Despite the attack, I refused to give up. When I saw the shining eyes of the youngest students preparing for their first competition, I knew I couldn’t let them down. To quit would be to set them up to be barred from competing like I was. The knowledge that I could solve my dojang’s longtime problem motivated me to overcome my apprehension.

Now that my dojang flourishes at competitions, the attacks on me have weakened, but not ended. I may never win the approval of every parent; at times, I am still tormented by doubts, but I find solace in the fact that members of my dojang now only worry about competing to the best of their abilities.

Now, as I arrive at a tournament with my students, I close my eyes and remember the past. I visualize the frantic search for a coach and the chaos amongst my teammates as we competed with one another to find coaches before the staging calls for our respective divisions. I open my eyes to the exact opposite scene. Lacking a coach hurt my ability to compete, but I am proud to know that no member of my dojang will have to face that problem again.

This essay begins with an in-the-moment narrative that really illustrates the chaos of looking for a coach last-minute. We feel the writer’s emotions, particularly her dejectedness, at not being able to compete. Starting an essay in media res  is a great way to capture the attention of your readers and build anticipation for what comes next.

Through this essay, we can see how gutsy and determined the student is in deciding to become a coach themselves. She shows us these characteristics through their actions, rather than explicitly telling us: To prepare myself for success as a coach, I spent the next year as an official and took coaching classes on the side.  Also, by discussing the opposition she faced and how it affected her, the student is open and vulnerable about the reality of the situation.

The essay comes full circle as the author recalls the frantic situations in seeking out a coach, but this is no longer a concern for them and their team. Overall, this essay is extremely effective in painting this student as mature, bold, and compassionate.

The biggest thing this essay needs to work on is showing not telling. Throughout the essay, the student tells us that she “emerged with new knowledge and confidence,” she “grew unsure of her own abilities,” and she “refused to give up”. What we really want to know is what this looks like.

Instead of saying she “emerged with new knowledge and confidence” she should have shared how she taught a new move to a fellow team-member without hesitation. Rather than telling us she “grew unsure of her own abilities” she should have shown what that looked like by including her internal dialogue and rhetorical questions that ran through her mind. She could have demonstrated what “refusing to give up” looks like by explaining how she kept learning coaching techniques on her own, turned to a mentor for advice, or devised a plan to win over the trust of parents. 

Essay Example #9: Eritrea

No one knows where Eritrea is.

On the first day of school, for the past nine years, I would pensively stand in front of a class, a teacher, a stranger  waiting for the inevitable question: Where are you from?

I smile politely, my dimples accentuating my ambiguous features. “Eritrea,” I answer promptly and proudly. But I  am always prepared. Before their expression can deepen into confusion, ready to ask “where is that,” I elaborate,  perhaps with a fleeting hint of exasperation, “East Africa, near Ethiopia.”

Sometimes, I single out the key-shaped hermit nation on a map, stunning teachers who have “never had a student  from there!” Grinning, I resist the urge to remark, “You didn’t even know it existed until two minutes ago!”

Eritrea is to the East of Ethiopia, its arid coastline clutches the lucrative Red Sea. Battle scars litter the ancient  streets – the colonial Italian architecture lathered with bullet holes, the mosques mangled with mortar shells.  Originally part of the world’s first Christian kingdom, Eritrea passed through the hands of colonial Italy, Britain, and  Ethiopia for over a century, until a bloody thirty year war of Independence liberated us.

But these are facts that anyone can know with a quick Google search. These are facts that I have memorised and compounded, first from my Grandmother and now from pristine books  borrowed from the library.

No historical narrative, however, can adequately capture what Eritrea is.  No one knows the aroma of bushels of potatoes, tomatoes, and garlic – still covered in dirt – that leads you to the open-air market. No one knows the poignant scent of spices, arranged in orange piles reminiscent of compacted  dunes.  No one knows how to haggle stubborn herders for sheep and roosters for Christmas celebrations as deliberately as my mother. No one can replicate the perfect balance of spices in dorho and tsebhi as well as my grandmother,  her gnarly hands stirring the pot with ancient precision (chastising my clumsy knife work with the potatoes).  It’s impossible to learn when the injera is ready – the exact moment you have to lift the lid of the mogogo. Do it too  early (or too late) and the flatbread becomes mangled and gross. It is a sixth sense passed through matriarchal  lineages.

There are no sources that catalogue the scent of incense that wafts through the sunlit porch on St. Michael’s; no  films that can capture the luminescence of hundreds of flaming bonfires that fluoresce the sidewalks on Kudus  Yohannes, as excited children chant Ge’ez proverbs whose origin has been lost to time.  You cannot learn the familiarity of walking beneath the towering Gothic figure of the Enda Mariam Cathedral, the  crowds undulating to the ringing of the archaic bells.  I have memorized the sound of the rains hounding the metal roof during kiremti , the heat of the sun pounding  against the Toyota’s window as we sped down towards Ghinda , the opulent brilliance of the stars twinkling in a  sky untainted by light pollution, the scent of warm rolls of bani wafting through the streets at precisely 6 o’clock each day…

I fill my flimsy sketchbook with pictures from my memory. My hand remembers the shapes of the hibiscus drifting  in the wind, the outline of my grandmother (affectionately nicknamed a’abaye ) leaning over the garden, the bizarre architecture of the Fiat Tagliero .  I dice the vegetables with movements handed down from generations. My nose remembers the scent of frying garlic, the sourness of the warm tayta , the sharpness of the mit’mt’a …

This knowledge is intrinsic.  “I am Eritrean,” I repeat. “I am proud.”  Within me is an encyclopedia of history, culture, and idealism.

Eritrea is the coffee made from scratch, the spices drying in the sun, the priests and nuns. Eritrea is wise, filled with ambition, and unseen potential.  Eritrea isn’t a place, it’s an identity.

This is an exceptional essay that provides a window into this student’s culture that really makes their love for their country and heritage leap off the page. The sheer level of details and sensory descriptors this student is able to fit in this space makes the essay stand out. From the smells, to the traditions, sounds, and sights, the author encapsulates all the glory of Eritrea for the reader. 

The vivid images this student is able to create for the reader, whether it is having the tedious conversation with every teacher or cooking in their grandmother’s kitchen, transports us into the story and makes us feel like we are there in the moment with the student. This is a prime example of an essay that shows , not tells.

Besides the amazing imagery, the use of shorter paragraphs also contributes to how engaging this essay is. Employing this tactic helps break up the text to make it more readable and it isolates ideas so they stick out more than if they were enveloped in a large paragraph.

Overall, this is a really strong essay that brings to life this student’s heritage through its use of vivid imagery. This essay exemplifies what it means to show not tell in your writing, and it is a great example of how you can write an intimate personal statement without making yourself the primary focus of your essay. 

There is very little this essay should improve upon, but one thing the student might consider would be to inject more personal reflection into their response. Although we can clearly take away their deep love and passion for their homeland and culture, the essay would be a bit more personal if they included the emotions and feelings they associate with the various aspects of Eritrea. For example, the way their heart swells with pride when their grandmother praises their ability to cook a flatbread or the feeling of serenity when they hear the bells ring out from the cathedral. Including personal details as well as sensory ones would create a wonderful balance of imagery and reflection.

Essay Example #10: Journaling

Flipping past dozens of colorful entries in my journal, I arrive at the final blank sheet. I press my pen lightly to the page, barely scratching its surface to create a series of loops stringing together into sentences. Emotions spill out, and with their release, I feel lightness in my chest. The stream of thoughts slows as I reach the bottom of the page, and I gently close the cover of the worn book: another journal finished.

I add the journal to the stack of eleven books on my nightstand. Struck by the bittersweet sensation of closing a chapter of my life, I grab the notebook at the bottom of the pile to reminisce.

“I want to make a flying mushen to fly in space and your in it” – October 2008

Pulling back the cover of my first Tinkerbell-themed diary, the prompt “My Hopes and Dreams” captures my attention. Though “machine” is misspelled in my scribbled response, I see the beginnings of my past obsession with outer space. At the age of five, I tore through novels about the solar system, experimented with rockets built from plastic straws, and rented Space Shuttle films from Blockbuster to satisfy my curiosities. While I chased down answers to questions as limitless as the universe, I fell in love with learning. Eight journals later, the same relentless curiosity brought me to an airplane descending on San Francisco Bay.

“I wish I had infinite sunsets” – July 2019

I reach for the charcoal notepad near the top of the pile and open to the first page: my flight to the Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes. While I was excited to explore bioengineering, anxiety twisted in my stomach as I imagined my destination, unsure of whether I could overcome my shyness and connect with others.

With each new conversation, the sweat on my palms became less noticeable, and I met students from 23 different countries. Many of the moments where I challenged myself socially revolved around the third story deck of the Jerry house. A strange medley of English, Arabic, and Mandarin filled the summer air as my friends and I gathered there every evening, and dialogues at sunset soon became moments of bliss. In our conversations about cultural differences, the possibility of an afterlife, and the plausibility of far-fetched conspiracy theories, I learned to voice my opinion. As I was introduced to different viewpoints, these moments challenged my understanding of the world around me. In my final entries from California, I find excitement to learn from others and increased confidence, a tool that would later allow me to impact my community.

“The beauty in a tower of cans” – June 2020

Returning my gaze to the stack of journals, I stretch to take the floral-patterned book sitting on top. I flip through, eventually finding the beginnings of the organization I created during the outbreak of COVID-19. Since then, Door-to-Door Deliveries has woven its way through my entries and into reality, allowing me to aid high-risk populations through free grocery delivery.

With the confidence I gained the summer before, I took action when seeing others in need rather than letting my shyness hold me back. I reached out to local churches and senior centers to spread word of our services and interacted with customers through our website and social media pages. To further expand our impact, we held two food drives, and I mustered the courage to ask for donations door-to-door. In a tower of canned donations, I saw the value of reaching out to help others and realized my own potential to impact the world around me.

I delicately close the journal in my hands, smiling softly as the memories reappear, one after another. Reaching under my bed, I pull out a fresh notebook and open to its first sheet. I lightly press my pen to the page, “And so begins the next chapter…”

The structuring of this essay makes it easy and enjoyable to read. The student effectively organizes their various life experiences around their tower of journals, which centers the reader and makes the different stories easy to follow. Additionally, the student engages quotes from their journals—and unique formatting of the quotes—to signal that they are moving in time and show us which memory we should follow them to.

Thematically, the student uses the idea of shyness to connect the different memories they draw out of their journals. As the student describes their experiences overcoming shyness at the Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes and Door-to-Door Deliveries, this essay can be read as an Overcoming Obstacles essay.

At the end of this essay, readers are fully convinced that this student is dedicated (they have committed to journaling every day), thoughtful (journaling is a thoughtful process and, in the essay, the student reflects thoughtfully on the past), and motivated (they flew across the country for a summer program and started a business). These are definitely qualities admissions officers are looking for in applicants!

Although this essay is already exceptionally strong as it’s written, the first journal entry feels out of place compared to the other two entries that discuss the author’s shyness and determination. It works well for the essay to have an entry from when the student was younger to add some humor (with misspelled words) and nostalgia, but if the student had either connected the quote they chose to the idea of overcoming a fear present in the other two anecdotes or if they had picked a different quote all together related to their shyness, it would have made the entire essay feel more cohesive.

Where to Get Your Personal Statement Edited

Do you want feedback on your personal statement? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

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Intelligence

Girls are more intelligent than boys, hint: girls mature faster than boys..

Posted October 3, 2010 | Reviewed by Kaja Perina

The male advantage in general intelligence does not emerge until after puberty , because girls mature faster than boys.

In an earlier post , I discuss the new consensus in the intelligence research in the 21st century that men on average are slightly (but significantly) more intelligent than women, by about 3-5 IQ points. However, in the same post , I also note that it is not because they are male that men are more intelligent but because they are taller. Taller individuals are more intelligent than shorter individuals, and men just happen to be taller than women. In fact, once we control for height, women on average are more intelligent than men. It still remains true, however, that, without controlling for height or anything else, if you simply compare men and women, men on average are slightly more intelligent than women.

Another little-known fact is that, because girls on average mature faster than boys, the male advantage in intelligence does not appear until after puberty, when boys and girls finish maturing and growing. Until then, girls are on average always more mature than boys at any given chronological age. So comparing boys and girls, say, at age 10, is like comparing boys at age 10 and girls at age 12. Naturally, older and more mature children have greater cognitive capacity than younger and less mature children. So if you compare boys and girls at the same chronological age, girls on average are more intelligent than boys. In other words, the sex difference in the rate of maturity masks and drowns the sex difference in general intelligence.

Here’s a perfect demonstration, using data from the National Child Development Study (NCDS) in the United Kingdom. The NCDS contains a population (not a sample) of all babies born in Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland) in one week in March 1958 ( n = 17,419), and has followed them throughout their lives for more than half a century. The NCDS also has one of the best measures of general intelligence in all of survey data. They measure intelligence at age 7 (with four different cognitive tests), at age 11 (with five different cognitive tests), and at age 16 (with two different cognitive tests). Note that the respondents are largely before puberty at ages 7 and 11, but largely after puberty at age 16.

Here are the graphs that chart the mean IQ of the NCDS respondents by sex at ages 7 and 11, before puberty. You notice that girls are slightly but (given the large sample size) statistically significantly more intelligent than boys at both ages. At age 7, the mean IQ for girls is 100.6 while the mean IQ for boys is 99.4. At age 11, the mean IQ for girls is 100.4 while the mean IQ for boys is 99.6.

However, the sex difference is reversed at age 16, as the following graph shows. Post puberty, the mean IQ for girls is 99.2 while the mean IQ for boys is 100.8. Remember, these are the same individuals who are tested at three different ages in their lives. (And, no, it does not mean that girls become less intelligent after puberty in any absolute terms. The IQs are calculated and normed at each age separately. It only means that girls become less intelligent relative to boys after puberty.)

Because of their faster rate of maturity, girls are more intelligent than boys until puberty, but the male advantage in intelligence emerges when boys are fully mature and become taller than girls. (You notice that girls tend to be taller than boys at any given age until puberty.) Now the next evolutionary question is: Why do girls mature faster than boys? If you have been a regular reader of my blog, if you have been keeping score at home, you should be able to figure out the answer. (Hint: It’s the same reason that women are on average shorter than men.) But I will leave it for another post.

Satoshi Kanazawa is an evolutionary psychologist at LSE and the coauthor (with the late Alan S. Miller) of Why Beautiful People Have More Daughters .

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Get an insight into the minds of our academics and team of educational creatives here at Oxbridge Essays. From expert guidance and practical advice on essay and dissertation writing, to commentary on current academic affairs, our blog covers all things student-related, with the goal of helping you do better during your time at university.

Are girls smarter than boys?

With all the furore over the ever improving A level and GCSE results, the questions raised about the purpose and efficacy of the new A* grade and the heated debate over the roles of teachers, students and examination boards in determining the level of results achieved, one surprising statistic seems to have been largely overlooked this year. Yet again, for the twentieth consecutive year, girls have outperformed boys in both major sets of exam results, achieving 8.3% of their A levels at A* grade (compared to 7.9% for boys).

As shown by the graph, the gender gap for the percentage of entries awarded at A* to C grade is even greater still, yawning at an amazing 8% difference. So the question must be; what can be causing this steady and undeniably clear trend? Is our schooling system biased towards methods of education more beneficial and effective to teaching girls than boys? Are boys, as some theorists have argued, simply less motivated and less mature than their female peers? Or are girls just smarter than boys?

If so, then surely we need to ask ourselves what on earth is happening in between school examinations and the graduation to professional jobs. Whilst women simply outstrip men in the examination tables, the only formal evidentiary comparison we have of male vs. female intellect, they occupy a shockingly small percentage of the top managerial, corporate, political and executive jobs in the UK.

Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that just one third of corporate managerial and senior official positions are occupied by women, whilst the percentage of women in the survey sample who were senior officials in national government or directors and chief executives of major organisations was officially classified as “too small” even to produce a “reliable estimate”.

Some theorists argue that whilst the gender gap in examination results would appear to reflect superior levels of female intelligence, this does not translate to the job market and the professional world because women and men tend to prioritise differently, with men putting career and business ahead of a family and women focusing on their home life and their children.

Yet it seems over-simplistic to suggest that girls are simply smarter than boys, especially when statistics show that the examination performance of girls in single-sex education is generally higher than the results of those in mixed schools, whereas boys at single-sex schools perform considerably lower than those experiencing co-education.

These figures are surely the strongest evidence for the theory that girls simply mature earlier than boys and show stronger academic motivation and consciousness of future implications at the time when examinations are taken.

If it is the female attitude rather than the female intellect that is boosting exam results then it certainly stands to reason that mixing with girls would improve boys’ grades as their concentration and attitude towards exams have a positive impact on their male peers. Similarly, it stands to reason that girls in single-sex schools might outperform their co-ed counterparts as they are free of the distraction and influence of the more relaxed and irresponsible male attitude.

In light of the evidence it seems sensible to conclude that girls aren’t really smarter than boys. It is their sense of responsibility and their work ethic that seems more likely to be responsible for their exam success. Yet this still doesn’t account for the shocking figures of the gender gap in top UK employment, not to mention the enormous gender pay gap that still exists between the sexes at the highest echelons of business, law and politics and many, many other areas of employment.

If it is girls’ determination, hard work and conscientiousness that is putting them ahead of boys at school, why on earth is our employment system failing to reward these qualities too? It is quite clear that not nearly enough is being done from the top levels down to rectify this blatant yawning inequality. And if it is true that women are failing to occupy these positions due to their prioritisation of home, family and children, then why on earth isn’t our society encouraging the combination of these values and ethics with the capacity to occupy important and high ranking positions?

So is the education system failing boys? Not so much, it would seem, as they may be failing themselves. And the message to parents seems to be clear – for goodness sake get your son into a mixed school with the highest girl: boy ratio you can muster! Then again, you may find yourself coping with a different kind of distraction before lo

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• Aug 23, 2021

1-Minute Psychology: Are boys smarter than girls?

Updated: May 26, 2022

How we think about others can influence how we behave in society. There is a common stereotype that men are smarter than women. We see this evidence everywhere around us; from how women are represented in media to the language used in our daily lives. When do these thoughts fill our heads? And how do they affect us?

Dr. Lin Bian in the Department of Psychology at the University of Chicago, along with Drs. Andrei Cimpian and Sarah-Jane Leslie , looked at when gender stereotypes about smartness form in children. In their experiment, they told stories about a “really, really smart” person and a “really, really nice person” and asked children between the ages of 5-7 years old who was the boy in the stories. To follow up, they did another experiment asking children to pick a game between one for kids who were “really, really smart” and the other for kids who tried “really, really hard.” At a younger age, children picked their own gender, but girls between the ages of 6-7 started saying that the boys were smarter.

The impact of these stereotypes, in the long term, will steer many young women away from careers that are thought to require brilliance. You may wonder why these beliefs occur in the first place. It does not have to do with the actual ability of what a girl can do. At this age, girls tend to surpass their male peers in terms of school performance, and the girls in Dr. Bian and her colleagues' study knew this. When asked, both girls and boys agreed that in school, girls tend to do better. However, this did not seem to matter.

Ultimately, this research suggests that stereotypes related to brilliance with males seem to be acquired at an early age and are related to the activities that boys and girls are interested in.

To understand the development of these stereotypes, there needs to be more investigation, but we can see that perhaps parents, teachers, or the books and movies children are exposed to can help instill more positive views in young girls' minds.

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English 2100 Fall 2021: Language, Identity, and Representation

A blogs@baruch site.

Sherman Alexie, “Superman and Me”

Sherman Alexie’s short essay is both a very personal story about the author’s development as a reader and writer and a broader exploration of how race, class, and ethnic identity shape our experiences of education and our assumptions about ourselves and others.  In a short (200-300 word) response to Alexie’s essay, shared as a comment to this post, please address the following:

— How do you see race/class/ethnicity as forces in Alexie’s story? Include at least one quote from the story in formulating your response.

–Choose one moment or detail in Alexie’s story that you personally could relate to, describe the element from “Superman and Me” and its significance, and share its relevance to your own story.

32 thoughts on “ Sherman Alexie, “Superman and Me” ”

Following Sherman Alexie’s short essay ” Superman and Me ” he writes about the importance of an Indian to succeed, to save his and other’s Indian lives. Race, class, and ethnicity are forces in Alexie’s story because it was the main foundation for his success. Unfortunately, Your race, class, ethnicity, and skin color play a huge role in how you are looked upon and treated. In the text, he states ” A smart Indian is a dangerous person, widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and non-Indians alike. I fought with my classmates on a daily basis. They wanted me to stay quiet when the non-Indian teacher asked for answers, for volunteers, for help”. For an Indian in school, he wasn’t treated like a student. Being smart as an Indian was different from being smart as a non-Indian. Because of his ethnicity, his talents were looked down upon. Instead of encouraging and helping him pursue his substantial talent, it was chosen to be ignored. He wasn’t white and didn’t fit the stigma placed on him as an Indian, which caused resentment towards him. Therefore this was his motivation for saving his life, afraid the way he was depicted would lead his life to a downfall.

Mia, What do you mean when you write: “Being smart as an Indian was different from being smart as a non-Indian”? What do we learn from Alexie’s essay about what it was like to grow up as a smart and motivated student? What about the second question I asked – you haven’t shared your own personal response to the essay. Was there anything in Alexie’s essay that you could relate to?

In “Superman and Me”, Alexie focuses on the many racial/ethnic norms that are created by society and how it has impacted his life. He is Indian and he says, “A smart Indian is a dangerous person, widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and non-Indians alike. I fought with my classmates on a daily basis. They wanted me to stay quiet when the non-Indian teacher asked for answers, for volunteers, for help. We were Indian children who were expected to be stupid.” In his scenario, he was tired of other Indians following the general norm of staying quiet, and not speaking up. He sees himself as someone who is breaking this norm, putting himself out there and being seen. He grew up reading books and it has shaped him as a person, to value the importance of being smart and using his intelligence to combat racial injustice. He mentions that he fought his classmates regularly to imply that because he was “expected to be stupid” many couldn’t or didn’t want to accept that he was the opposite. Alexie’s persistence stood out to me and when he says, “I refused to fail. I was smart. I was arrogant. I was lucky. I read books late into the night until I could barely keep my eyes open.” He continues to read and use the resources he has to better himself and his community. It was never the easiest for me to speak up for myself and those that I care about the most. I value community and change just as much as Alexie does and hope that one day I can feel extremely proud to be me, Asian. Unfortunately, in the world we live in, race, class, and ethnicity play a large role in how people view you. Alexie’s moral of the essay is that it is extremely important to not let society’s norms on your race, class, and ethnicity bring you down and away from your potentials.

Thanks for this response. What do you think makes it difficult for you to speak up? Can you think of an example of a time when this was the case?

After reading “Superman and Me”, my understanding of race in the classroom was enhanced much further than it already was. Alexie talks about how reading was important to his life when growing up, and it could affect someone’s life if looked deeper. As seen in Alexie’s short essay, “A little Indian boy teaches himself to read at an early age and advances quickly. He reads “Grapes of Wrath” in kindergarten when other children are struggling through “Dick and Jane.” If he’d been anything but an Indian boy living on the reservation, he might have been called a prodigy. But he is an Indian boy living on the reservation and is simply an oddity.” In this quote from the short essay, he mentions how this Indian boy was far intelligent than most of his peers but due to the race difference in him, he was looked down upon because he wasn’t a non-Indian. He mentions non-Indians looked at the Indian boy as a liability in the classroom, but he refused to believe that because he knew that he, himself was far intelligent than anyone else anticipates. Due to the world’s twisted mind, he was undermined for most of his life until he later became a writer who would write to inspire others to pursue an enthusiastic education of books.

Thanks for these comments. Sherman Alexie is talking here about his own upbringing on a Native American reservation, so his classmates and peers are also Native American, so their attitude towards him is not shaped by racism, but by something else. Also, you haven’t responded to my second question. What is there in this essay that you can relate to your own life experience?

In Sherman Alexie’s short essay Superman and me, Alexie discusses the impact of reading on his life and how it saved his life and can save the lives of others within his community as minorities. Race, class, and ethnicity are potent forces in Alexie’s essay because they are the root of his ambition. As Alexie describes his childhood and his passion for reading and learning, he mentions that his intelligence as an Indian child growing up on a reservation makes him a “dangerous person” whose intelligence may be “widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and non-Indians alike.” (Alexie, pg 2). Alexie explains that his community feared being overly ambitious and instead were submissive and complacent. Non-Indians feared intelligent minorities for the simple fact that minorities are not supposed to have been more intelligent than those deemed superior. Thus, we witness race/class/ethnicity playing essential roles in the essay because Alice does not fear his passion for learning or commit to societal roles that state he shouldn’t be as intelligent as he is. Instead, breaking the classist and racist stereotypes are significant factors that motivate Alexie to read more. Furthermore, One moment I can relate to Alexie’s essay is the part mentioned where he does not want to be submissive or complacent to what society expects of him and his intellect. I can relate this part of the essay to myself because I am very independent and don’t appreciate relying on people. As a woman of mixed race, it’s vital that I always push myself to work ten times harder than the last person and now fit any stereotypes people may have placed on women of color.

Destiny, Thanks for this response. You write that “Alexie explains that his community feared being overly ambitious and instead were submissive and complacent.” Why do you think that’s the case? How do you make sense of the community’s fear? In connecting Alexie’s essay to your own experience, can you think of a specific example of how you have tried to respond to or subvert stereotypes? Try to make your response more concrete.

Sadly, race, ethnicity, and class are all deciding factors in our society. In Sherman Alexie’s short essay, “Superman and Me,” he elaborates on what it was like to be growing up as an Indian and attending school. Alexie, like many other Indians, was looked down upon and ridiculed at school because of their race. Indian children grew up thinking that they shouldn’t be able to read at a high level or participate in class just because they were Indian. The text stated, “If he’d been anything but an Indian boy living on the reservation, he might have been called a prodigy. But he is an Indian boy living on the reservation and is simply an oddity.” Alexie would’ve been looked at as a prodigy due to his reading level being very high for his age. But that was not the case since he wasn’t non-Indian. Unlike some of his other Indian classmates, Alexie did not let the other kids stop him from being intelligent. He knew how smart he was and was arrogant about it. One moment that I could relate to Alexie’s experiences would be when I attended kindergarten knowing little to no English. Other kids looked at me funny when I spoke to them in Spanish and sometimes made me feel embarrassed about it. I was never silent though. Like Alexie, I did let the other kids stop my growth and I became determined to continue to learn.

Thanks for this response. Alexie actually went to school on a reservation, so his classmates are also Native American. Why do you think they reacted negatively to his academic abilities?

After reading Sherman Alexie’s “Superman and Me” I can conclude that Alexie became an avid reader and writer because of two driving influences, His fathers obsession’s with books and his desire to no fail in the non-Indian world. This is told to the reader when he says “As Indian children, we were expected to fail in the non-Indian world.” I do see race/class/ethnicity as driving forces in Alexie’s story because often at times when your background ,status and culture is different from what’s considered to be the norm, you are underestimated and are expected to perform a certain way. I have fell victim to this when I was younger because of my race and how I used to speak English kids and a few adults never thought that I would be able to be successful in school. One moment from “Superman and Me” that I can connect with would have to be when it mentions “Then there are the sullen and already defeated Indian kids who sit in the back rows and ignore me with theatrical precision…..They stare out the window. They refuse and resist.” Before I never liked learning and found no enjoyment in it that’s why this connects with me because I once was defeated.

What do you think Alexie’s take is on the kids who sit in the back row? What does he mean when he says, “They refuse and resist”? What are they resisting?

In Sherman Alexie’s short essay, he discusses how the younger him is treated in school and in society just because of who he is. Race, class and ethnicity are all vital forces in this essay because of the many disadvantages and hardships he faces for being a smart Indian boy. It shows here when he states “A smart Indian is a dangerous person, widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and non-Indians alike. I fought with my classmates on a daily basis. They wanted me to stay quiet when the non-Indian teacher asked for answers, for volunteers, for help. We were Indian children who were expected to be stupid”. While being a young Indian boy in school he was often faced with racism and unethical treatment. People assumed for him to be non-educated and unintelligent. Because of his race, he was never acknowledged of his intelligence but often ridiculed and looked down upon. His classmates often treated him poorly and never let him participate in any of the class actives. Even thought through all his mistreatment he chose to not fail and continue pursing himself. I relate to that because I choose to never take the easy way out of stuff and have the want to strive and never give up.

Fatima, what do you think Alexie means when he says that a smart Indian is dangerous??? Also, can you think of a specific example of what you mean when you say that you “never take the easy way”? The connection would be much richer if you could ground it a specific memory.

Sherman Alexie’s portraits his race/ethncity/ and class to be seen as very high class and well educated. He mentions in his short story how Indians do try their hardest to get to what they want to be, meaning being as successful as possible. When Alexie was a young kid, he was already introduced to the english speaking world and had so much knowledge compared to kids his age. He was seen as a genius. In the text it mentions that, “If he’d been anything but an Indian boy living on the reservation, he might have been called aprodigy. But he is an Indian boy living on the reservation and is simply an oddity.” This quote goes to show his outlook to everyone else in the Indian community and out of it. One moment that I can relate to that is mentioned in Sherman’s short essay is how he loved to read. As a kid and growing up reading was my get away thing. Whenever I wanted to be alone, it was because I wanted to read. There is never a right or wrong answer in reading nor writing which is why I can see that it was so significant in Alexie’s life as well as mine.

Yousra, If you go back to Alexie’s essay, you’ll see that he suggests that he and his classmates were raised with the expectation that they would NOT be successful. Why do you think that’s the case? I like your assertion that there’s never a right or wrong answer with reading and writing, and that that’s part of its appeal. What kinds of things did you like to read when you were young?

My take on “Superman and Me” is there is a variety of racial and ethnic norms that most people feel inclined to follow, but no one is forced to follow these norms. Alexie’s story and experiences demonstrate how no one is subjected to follow social norms. We’re able to create our own path and future. Your future isn’t decided by the color of your skin or the country you are from. It’s decided by the choices you make. “As Indian children, we were expected to fail in the non-Indian world. Those who failed were ceremonially accepted by other Indians and appropriately pitied by non-Indians.” During Alexie’s childhood, he found himself often picked on and ridiculed by his classmates because he refused to stay ignorant and abide by the social construct of Indians being a failure in the “non-Indian world” Alexie’s grew up in an environment where being a failure as an Indian was okay. Just like Alexie, I sometimes hear and see people of my ethnicity be okay with being a failure. They think it’s something that was meant to happen and they had no control over it. After seeing that many times, I too decided to be different from those people and not follow the social norms that people create.

Thanks for these interesting observations about Alexie’s essay. I wonder how free we really are to control our own destinies however. Can you think of a specific example that would illustrate your own experience of choosing NOT to conform to stereotypes or to other people’s expectations for you?

In the short essay “Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie the narrator focuses on how stereotypes and racism have impacted his life. He was a young Indian boy who enjoyed reading a lot. His father would get piles of books from pre owned stores. At the time the narrator was a child, racism was a normal thing. Anyone who was not white would be seen as a minority and not equal to a human. It states “A smart Indian is a dangerous person, widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and non-Indians alike. I fought with my classmates on a daily basis. They wanted me to stay quiet when the non-Indian teacher asked for answers, for volunteers, for help. We were Indian children who were expected to be stupid. Most lived up to those expectations inside the classroom but subverted them on the outside. They struggled with basic reading in school but could remember how to sing a few dozen powwow songs.” It is shown that he doesn’t want to be like the other children in the reserve. This explains why he likes reading so much to be more intelligent and wanting to participate and fighting with his classmates for this. I can relate to Sherman Alexie because when I was younger I didn’t know much English so I was put in a class specifically for children to learn English. I was considered weird for being in this class and would get made fun of for not knowing. After some time I was able to speak English better by using this encounter as my motivation.

When you include a quotation, be sure to explain what you think the quotation means or what is significant about it. What would make a smart Indian “dangerous” and why “to non-Indians and Indians alike”? How do we explain this? Was there something specific about your experience in school that you can connect to Alexie’s essay?

Upon reading “Superman and Me”, Alexie shares the norms of society and how that has impacted his experience. In the essay, It states“As Indian children, we were expected to fail in the non-Indian world. Those who failed were ceremonially accepted by other Indians and appropriately pitied by non-Indians.” This quote shows how it was a serotype and a norm for Indian children to not be successful in a non-indian world. It shows how race and ethnicity plays a role in Alexie’s story. It shows growing he was also surrounded by other Indian children that choose to stay in the norm and stereotype of being quiet and not speak up. That’s where it was different for him, He grew up reading and was confident in his skills, and wanted to change something. A quote that stood out to me was “I refused to fail. I was smart. I was arrogant. I was lucky. I read books late into the night, until I could barely keep my eyes open. I read books at recess, then during lunch, and in the few minutes left after I had finished my classroom assignments.” By reading almost everywhere he went to accumulate more knowledge, showed his determination to prove that he was not following the norms and was going to create his own “fate” and was not going to be bothered by society. I think his determination really left an impact on me because growing up a female Asian American I think its difficult to not want to follow the norms of society and leave an impact. This made me realize in order to achieve my dreams and not be bothered by what society thinks I need to be more determined and hungry to achieve my dreams.

Janice, I think you are right that Alexie’s path led him to resist the dominant stereotypes about Native Americans and to set himself apart from his peers. When you say that you have found it difficult not to want to follow the norms of society as an Asian American woman, what exactly do you have in mind? What do you think society expects of you? How have you reacted to those expectations? Be more concrete and specific.

Race/Class/Ethnicity are shown as factors of prejudice interactions within the Indian community. Supported by the Story, “Superman and Me”, written by Sherman Alexie explains how being an Indian boy in a reservation wasn’t the most pleasant time, especially doing school. Sherman was able to read around the age of 3. With his dad going to school and having to buy worn out books at pawn shops and other stores, he was able to buy novels with the spare cash he would have occasionally. That was his kick start to his literature world. When he beings Kindergarten, he exceeds at reading with early age that he is. Although, “If he’d been anything but an Indian boy living in a reservation, he might have been called a prodigy.” as said by Mr. Alexie himself, he believed due to his background they are limiting his potential and general learning experience. The classmates beside him also did not like he was smart for what his background is. “I fought with my classmates on a daily basis. They wanted me to stay quiet when the non-Indian teacher asked for answers, for volunteers, for help. We were Indian children who were expected to be stupid.” Another prejudice interactions within his own classmates. It was similar to the non-Indian kids being jealous of Mr. Alexie for being smart just by starting to read at an early age. This did not demote his mentality as it only grew his arrogance by reading significantly throughout the day, during activities. As to speak for myself in comparison to the experiences of “Superman and Me”, I never felt discouraged because of my race/class/ethnicity during my academic life. I would put the blame on myself for not capitalizing on the opportunities to become successful as I should’ve.

Julian, You have included a lot of details from Alexie’s essay, but I’m not sure I understood you fully. Just to be clear, Sherman Alexie grew up on an Indian reservation, so his classmates are Indian, just like he is. The second part of the assignment was asking you to connect some aspect of Alexie’s story to your own life experience. Try to do that in a concrete and specific way, rather than simply generalizing about your life or about Alexie’s.

After reading Sherman Alexie’s essay “Superman and Me” Alexie describes his early life growing up as native American in a reservation in Washington state and his devotion to reading books from an early age. His background as an Indian by race, class and ethnicity has been looked down upon by society and norms. He stated this in the text “If he’d been anything but an Indian boy living on the reservation, he might have been called a prodigy. But he is an Indian boy living on the reservation and is simply an oddity.” This shows that whatever he does he will not be seen as being smart because non-Indian ethnocentrism made them believe that being this certain race makes you smart. Defying out of the odds Alexie didn’t let his background of being Native American hinder his achievements. He quoted “I refused to fail. I was smart. I was arrogant. I was lucky. I read books late into the night, until I could barely keep my eyes open. I read books at recess, then during lunch, and in the few minutes left after I had finished my classroom assignments.” He read as much as he could and improved his knowledge spreading to his Indian community. Something that was significant to me and that I could relate to was that he was not just satisfied with failure and wanted to outperform the norms and that resonated with me. Because I don’t settle with just failure.

Andrew, Can you think of a specific example that illustrates your not being satisfied with failure or wanting to outperform norms? It’s hard to know what you mean when you stay at such a general level.

Sherman Alexie’s essay, “Superman and Me,” included race, ethnicity, and social class and how it all affected him while growing up. His social class was directly stated as “poor by most standards.” Regardless, his father continuously bought books which was a great source of entertainment and knowledge for the kids. He definitely followed his father’s footsteps of being an avid reader especially since he loved his father too. Race and ethnicity play into Alexie’s story because he believed he wouldn’t be able to succeed as an Indian kid unless he was book smart and put work into his studies. This was clearly stated when Alexie says, “We were Indian children who were expected to be stupid.” But he refused to live up to those expectations because he knew he was smart. When Alexie says “I was trying to save my life.” I believe he is referring to his future. He read so much anytime he could when he was young so that he wouldn’t be stereotyped. He did not want to live up to the expectations that people had for him. He wanted to be successful and studious. As for me, I do not get discouraged by my ethnicity or race. If anything, it encourages me to work harder and be successful.

Stefany, Thanks for these comments. In connecting Alexie’s essay to your own life, can you think of something specific that is an example of you not being discouraged because of your race or ethnicity. Rather than generalizing, try to come up with a specific example or detail.

–Choose one moment or detail in Alexie’s story that you personally could relate to, describe the element from “Superman and Me” and its significance, and share its relevance to your own story.

Unfortunately in the shorty story “Superman and Me” written by Sherman Alexie, it is well depicted that ethnicity, race and class are barriers for the Indian children when it comes to their education. As we can see in the short story Sherman goes into detail to reveal to us how it was growing up as a Spokane Indian boy in the eastern side of Washington state. In the first two pages he goes on to explain how his love for books began and what he read. He became very bright at a young age. He mentions ” If he’d been anything but an Indian boy living on the reservation, he might have been called a prodigy. But he is an Indian boy living on the reservation and is simply an oddity.” Sherman goes on by saying that being a smart Indian was no good because you’d be ridiculed by your own people since they never focused on education as much as they did with survival.He would get into small altercations with his classmates at times because he would ask for help when it wasn’t normal for them because they were always the quiet Indian kids who were expected to have a very limited amount of knowledge , they were expected to fail as Indian students and some lived up to those expectations but Sherman refused to fail, he spoke out and on top of that he was very smart. It’s also mentioned that the kids were only like this is school but when they were at home in their reservations that they would be the opposite of what they acted like in school. So, when Sherman said that he refused to be part of those students who were satisfied with the expectations given to them on how they were going to fail regardless because they were Indians is something i encountered a couple years ago where i was told by an adult “if you graduate high school i’d be very surprised because i mean you are Mexican”, once they said this i remember this feeling of anger and disappointment because it made me realize the society we live in today and it to this day it has motivated me.

Rachelle, Thanks for sharing an example from your own life. In the story you share here, it seems like the negative stereotype actually acts as a motivator for you in your drive to excel. I think that desire to prove people wrong is also present for Alexie.

Race, class and ethnicities are prominent topics in Sherman Alexis’s short essay. These topics are important because the story revolves around his experience being an Indian. In his story, he describes to us the certain assumptions, expectations and stereotypes put in place by other races for an Indian. Growing up, he excelled academically and was a smart boy for his age. But, he found himself on a reservation, where he didn’t find many opportunities to grow. He felt like non-Indians hindered Indians from becoming intelligent and created this environment where it would be best for an Indian to stay stupid, “We were Indian children who were expected to be stupid. Most lived up to those expectations inside the classroom but subverted them on the outside.”. This quote enforces the expectations of an Indian by a non-Indian. They want them to act in certain ways and Sherman realized this. So he took up the mantle of being the one to bring change, and dissolve this concept of differences in race that the non-Indian had created for them. He wanted Indians to realize their full potential. Something that I can relate to is the arrogance that Sherman displays. He truly believes in his capabilities. When I was younger, I had the same arrogance and cockiness because I truly believed that I was capable of accomplishing anything that I wanted. This is relevant to my story because it really shaped who I am and fueled my “never give up” attitude towards things that I was very passionate about. Similarly, Sherman’s arrogance helped him truly believe in the fact that he can be the wake up call for Indians.

In Sherman Alexie’s, “Superman and Me”, as readers, we are able to take a closer look at how Alexie taught himself how to read. The reason why getting a deeper understanding of how he taught himself how to read and how he got to where he is now is so significant is that he is an Indian boy. The author depicts race, class, and ethnicity as a way to show how Indians are perceived by non-Indians. Hence the quote, “If he been anything but an Indian boy living on the reservation, he might have been called a prodigy. But he is an Indian boy living on the reservation and is simply an oddity.” This clearly shows how belittled he was based on his race, class, and ethnicity; because of this, his talents weren’t praised as much which is truly unjustified. To add on, “We were Indian children who were expected to be stupid”, the non-Indian’s viewpoints demonstrated that due to their background and class they had no intellectual expectations for them. The element of “Superman and Me” illustrates how Alexie himself, used Superman and many books to teach himself how to read, but its significance is that he was able to strive through his determination like two heroes in a comic book. I can connect with “Superman and Me” in which I have decided to use the amount of grit and energy to persevere.

Comments are closed.

How To Deal With A Smart, Disruptive School Kid

Category: Personal Thoughts , Top Posted on August 1, 2013 by Nathan Lustig

Or how to deal with a kid like me.

Growing up, I was a teacher’s worst nightmare. I was really smart. I got high standardized test scores. I read books. I went to a top public high school, so I had all of the advantages. But I “never realized my potential” in school.

I got bad grades. I disrupted class. I challenged teachers’ authority. I slept through class. See preferred technique above. I got the right answers but refused to show my work. I got my first detention in 1st grade music class for tripping a friend, but skipped it to play in the intramural soccer championships. In second grade, I refused to learn cursive because “we’ll never need to use it.” In fourth grade, I refused to write in my assignment notebook because I would finish my homework in class.

In fifth grade I made a teacher’s life miserable because she called people living in Africa in the 1500s “African American” and I never let her live it down. In sixth grade, I flunked art class.  In seventh, I got kicked out of an english class for the final two months of the year because I made the teacher cry. In 8th grade, I was written up seemingly 100 times.

In high school, one teacher threatened to flunk me even though I had an A average on my tests because I “wasn’t a good class citizen and didn’t participate in class.” Another teacher referred my case to the guidance counsellor because he thought I had a disease because I slept in his class so much. I even got a death threat from another student because I got a higher grade on my term paper and he couldn’t fathom that I was smart because I didn’t add anything in class. And that’s just scratching the surface.

Why? Because I was a smart boy. I was bored out of my mind. I hated the rules. I didn’t care about the process, just the end product. I was messy. I didn’t have good penmanship. I didn’t like to sit still. I thought I was smarter than the teachers, and in some cases I was.

I was also struggling find my place with my peers, so I took on the role of the class clown. And I was good at it. I challenged authority. I pointed out when teachers were wrong. I did the bare minimum. I made their lives miserable because they were boring me to death.

By the end of high school, I wanted to go to a college that as I liked to put it “treated me like a number, not a name,” where I could do my own thing. I went to Wisconsin, found things I was interested in and have been successful since then.

For some smart kids, school is terrible. It tries to beat the creativity out of you. It tries to make you conform. To write and draw between the lines. Luckily, school never had a chance with me. Many of my smart friends had similar problems. And I’ve met kids and parents who have this same problem today.

So how should schools and parents deal with smart kids who are like me? Here’s a list of ten things parents can do to help their smart kids survive school.

1. Find teachers who are willing to work with you

My parents were at wits end, but they constantly demanded that teachers find challenging work for me, or give me alternative assignments. For example, in fifth grade I read 400 page biography of Jackie Robinson and wrote a book report instead of reading a 75 page book that was assigned. Or in 8th grade when a teacher agreed to let me do my own research papers on topics that I wanted. Thanks Ms. Marco, Ms. Keane, Mr. Lauasser, Mr. Gilbert and more.

2. Demand that your kid learns on his own

My parents didn’t really care what my grades were, but if I wasn’t reading and writing on my own outside of school, I was in trouble. Make a deal with your kid that you’ll relax a bit on grades if they continue to learn outside of school.

3. Tell your kids it’s not acceptable to disrupt other kids’ learning

Although I didn’t always follow this rule, I knew I would get in trouble at home if I was disrupting class for others. That led directly to my sleeping in class kick.

4. Teach Life Lessons

My parents explained that while I may be smarter than some of my teachers and that I was bored, life isn’t fair and that I’d have bosses or businesses dealings with people who were unfair, not as smart as me and where I didn’t get to set the rules.

5. Find a non academic outlet outside of school

My parents pushed me to take up reffing soccer at age 12. It gave me power, responsibility and someone to scream at me when I screwed up. It kept me in line. Check out programs like Exosphe.re , Sector67 ,  100state and others in your area.

6. Find what interests your kid and let them work on it

I wrote stories about hockey and soccer. I learned math from baseball stats. I loved learning about foreign countries. I put most of my effort into learning through things I liked. Play to their strengths.

7. Let them fail

Your kid is likely arrogant. Let him fail. I refused to write in my assignment notebook and I forgot my work a few times. My parents didn’t make excuses for me and made me take lower grades.

8. Force him to accept the consequences of his actions

Don’t let him blame other people when he fails and things go wrong.

9. Help him learn from his mistakes

Don’t “I told you so” him. It won’t work. Say “maybe it would have been better if you did X next time” and leave it at that. Your kid is smart. He gets it. He just doesn’t want to admit it.

10. Plan for the long run

My parents always told me that they would be furious if I got bad grades that didn’t let me get into a decent college. They tolerated lots of bullshit as long as I kept decent grades. Set your long term expectations clearly and demand that they follow them.

Did you ever have these problems? How did your parents and teachers deal with you?

65 Comments

interesting that you said you “rather be treated as a number, and not a name”. usually, it’s the other way around. or did you accidentally switch the two?

Nope, I really wanted to have the freedom to do what I was interested in and not forced to draw in the lines and follow everyone else’s script. After high school, I really wanted to be treated as a number! And I think many smart kids feel the same way.

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You sound like my first grader! He breaks the rules on purpose but has now started physically hiting others to see what he can get away with. He spent 3 hours in the principles office last week. While in there he used scotch tape to tape her filing cabinet closed. When I asked him why, he said he liked being in the office because it was quiet and he could concentrate. At this age GT class is only once a week and anything that doesn’t come easy for him he doesn’t want to do. I’m at a loss and so our his teachers. He does seem to act better while in his spanish class. I don’t want to break his spirit but he has got to start following the rules and keeping his hands to himself. I’m afraid if I don’t get this under control he will grow up to follow the wrong path.

My completely unsolicited advice would be to be really strict about hitting other kids and physically acting out, but I wouldn’t worry so much about school work yet. Ask him what he’s interested in…sports? art? music? video games? foreign countries? It really doesnt matter.

Give him open ended projects about each one, or talk to his teachers so they can assign him alternative projects/reading that will come easy to him, plus be interesting. Get 1-2 successes under his belt for things he likes and start building from there. I was a huge sports fan and liked to go to games. My 1st grade teacher told me to write a story that filled my entire journal (like 90 written pages!), whenever i was bored or finished my work early. I wrote an entire notebook about going to a hockey game, even bringing the program to write stuff from there into my notebook. It doesnt really matter what he’s interested in, just get him going on something!

Feel free to email me if you’d like more about my experience.

I think my boys a little like you. he’s 9 now and having a tough time at school. last year his teacher just didn’t get what he’s all about. he loves to learn and has a wonderful natural curiosity that leads him to read books on space/fossils/rocks, all sorts! at school they are desperate to get him to sit, be quiet, not answer all the q’s, stop disturbing the other kids, and he’s coming home from school so unhappy… it’s really worrying me. I feel they are not teaching him to his ability. he’s bored senseless has a good sense of humour and is using this to kill the 6 hours a day at school. he has had 2 teachers previously that embraced his personality and harnassed and motivated him.. and he flourished. but this year is not looking so positive. 🙁 your article is interesting and strikes a chord so thanks 🙂

As long as you keep nurturing his interest in space/rocks/fossils etc, i wouldnt be too worried about him being bored in school. Tell him that he is allowed to read in class, but cant disrupt. Or give him a side project to research. As long as you understand that results (grades) dont really matter until high school, make sure he keeps learning on his own!

It’s hard, but im sure he’ll be able to get through it with your help!

I feel the same way in school. I’m a freshman in Highschool. I could finish my work in all of my classes by lunchtime if they let me. But, I’ve never caused any trouble in class. I doodle a lot and daydream. Because of the daydreaming I tend to miss a lot in class, but it never takes me long to catch up. I used to always ask teachers “Why?” all the time, every class. I gave up eventually on teachers, because they never really knew, and went straight to Google. One teacher told me I wouldn’t understand why the math formula worked like that, so I spent the last hour of the class and broke it down. Looked on Google that night and I had gotten it right. I always figured everyone else is bored too and i never bothered asking for more advanced classes until this year. Now it’s too late and I’m bored out of my wits…

Hey Madison, it’s never too late to study on your own. Don’t let boring school kill your desire to learn on your own and your creativity. Try to do stuff that interests you, read, maybe even try to get an internship somewhere. Anything to keep yourself learning and interested in the world. And don’t worry…it gets better as you get older!

Thanks for sharing your story Nathan! I have a 7 year old son who is above his age level in his school work, but is very disruptive and has a hard time staying focussed in his class. He is seen as the “class clown”. Your advice here is very informative and helpful to me. I can see that he is already feeling that there is something wrong with him, and I feel terrible when his teachers, and because of them, I, get frustrated by his behaviour in class. I plan to talk with his teacher to see if we can find ways to challenge him more, and to keep him from getting bored. Your words here are very encouraging, and again, I thank you for sharing.

Hi Kristina,

Thanks for commenting and good luck with your son. I’m sure if you keep challenging him with things that he likes, he will be ok in the long run!

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Nathan, my grandson Louie is 6 and in the first grade. He has had struggles since daycare because he was smarter than the other kids. He has been bullied at times by teachers because they do not know how to “handle ” him. This year we thought would be different. It seemed that this teacher had experience with his type. But it didn’t last long. Louie will argue if he believes he is right about something. He gets bored and sings, talks or picks on the other kids. It has even been suggested that medication might be the answer. My daughter, Louies mom, is so upset. She said he is NOT going on medication. Which I am thankful for. Louies grades are always in the 90’s. When you think he is not listening he can repeat back to you everything you said. He is reading way above average. And can pronounce out words that will surprise you. His parents are at a loss as to what needs to be done for Louie. Last year he was getting into so much trouble that he was crying one night telling his mom he hated himself because he was so bad. This coming from a 5 yr old. Now this school year he tells me he hates school because he is always in trouble and doesn’t know what to do. Your article is priceless,is their anything that you can give insight to for a child is age? How can he be challenged to channel his intellect and restlessness?

What does he like to do? What’s he interested in? Sports? Puzzles? History? Planes? Pirates? Knights? Outer space? Find something he already likes and give him a project to find out more about it. Our build a model. Or read a book. Anything to stimulate his curiosity and keep him learning.

Tell him that he should try to behave in class because the other kids are trying to earn and its not fair to them to disrupt. Give him something alternative to do if he’s bored like read a book or write in a journal. Also that even though he might be bored, he has to learn to deal with it because adults have to deal with the same problem he has (being bored in school/work/jobs etc).

Just find something he likes that’s mentally stimulating and give him an open ended project. I bet he’ll surprise you. Keep me updated, i’d be happy to suggest ideas if its helpful.

Hi Nathan….an Kim

This is My Grandson to a “T”.. WE Lived in Arizona and My Grandson class for K an 1 st grade were 6 kids.. He was so far ahead of them they worked Great with Him..they brought in a teachers Aide.. To work with him..he was reading 4th grade level..in 1st grade… We are now in Washington State and he has 28 kids.. I know he is Overwhelmed with this.. he is up disrupting the class…poking kids.. Can’t sit more than 2mins she says on the carpet for story time His teacher an I are working together… But Again She Wants A DOCTOR On Board…I know what She Wants to happen.. We are not Doing Drugs.. I have a Board on the Wall.. He Earns Points its a Positive and Motive for him.. But If we get Negitve Notes from his Teacher Points get taken away..he Earns Points for his favorite Things he likes to do..he doesn’t have enough points for what he wants.. He can’t do that .. His teacher made the comment that if she Works with him one on one..he sits and gets Done.. Well He got that at his Other School.. So I talked with my Grandson.. Letting him know that there is too many kids in his class ..he needs to Share his Teacher.. We do Have a Doctors appt.. With the Teachers List to discuss… My Grandson does great at home..but with his moments.. when The Teacher Writes me..I feel like she is talking about a different Child.. But reading What you did at home an School I can Understand…

Thank you For this in site.. Determine Grandma..

OMG! You just described my 7 year old. Trouble in Day Care (Montessori), 5k and 1st grade. He gets so upset to the point of anger or tears. However his grades are always 90 and above. I am at my wits end. I just got another message today from his teacher. He hit a kid who was making fun of him (this is new behavior). Normally, he gets in trouble for not starting on his work right away and distracting the other kids in class. I have talked and punished to no avail.

Thank you so much for this. My 8 year old son is having problems like this. I thought he was bored and have even brought it to the teacher’s attention before. However, now I have a conference with them tomorrow. He is already in the advanced 3rd grade class and in GT (gifted and talented), they need to make him more challenged if he is having time to “talk in class” or “not follow directions”. Thank you Nathan I am more prepared on what to say now going into this tomorrow. I really appreciate it (I printed this out to show my husband and go over it with my son Kylan).

I’m glad you found it helpful! Even if the school won’t help, you might be able to give him a good book to read when he is bored so that he is learning and won’t disrupt other kids.

I have a few kids like this in a heterogeneous 9th grade hybrid science/history class. Sometimes he’s right on point, other times he is all over the place wreaking havoc with kids who really are in academic trouble and need to focus. Today I wanted to strangle him. Because I want him to care. I want him to do more work – which I do offer. He doesn’t do the work I assign in class, which is okay, cause most of the time he does his homework… but with a handful of real behavior and academic problems in that class, I need him to be a leader. I don’t care if he walks around the back of the room when he gets antsy. I do care that he goes to the bathroom for 15 minutes because I don’t want him to miss stuff. The special ed teacher who works with some of the other kids wants me to kick him out. Can’t do it.

How can I give him more challenging work when he’s not doing the current, ground-laying work he needs to dive further in?

How do you know he won’t be able to do the harder work? Maybe he’s not doing the ground work because its easy for him? I’d give him something really hard and see if he fails. When he does, you’ll have a reason to show him he needs the ground work.

I would look for other work with a twist that he likes. If he’s into sports, give him something science/history with sports. If its space, give him something to do with space. I would look for ways to keep him occupied with things that he actually likes and I’ll be he behaves better and learns more.

It never occurred to me to tell him that his disruptions were preventing other kids from learning. I just spoke to him about that (he’s 10) and he got quiet. Thank you for your perspectives.

I’m glad it was useful! Let me know if there’s anything more I can add or other questions I can answer.

duh! OMG, I can’t believe it never occurred to you to think about OTHER PEOPLE? Your kid makes all the other kids, and probably their parents, miserable. Imagine the conversations and what they deal with at home because of your son!! This isn’t about a kid being smarter and bored as a result, it’s about being so stupid that he can’t see how plain rude he is.

I would normally delete comments like this as there’s nothing constructive here, it’s just being mean on the internet, calling a 10 year old stupid.

But i’ll leave it this time. School is about learning. Maria’s son got a great life lesson and hopefully it works. I bet you were the perfect kid, right? who never had to learn anything?

You can remove it. The fact you read it is good – I know it will sit in your head for a long time…the key point is that people like you have no respect for those around you. If more teachers could say, “get out of my classroom because you are a drag to the OTHERS in the class”, half the problems we have in schools would get fixed. But no, we have to “invest” in trouble makers, make them “feel” ok, let them know they are “smart”, and “challenge” them because their parents would become BIGGER trouble-makers for MORE people, and just like Maria, they would never even consider that their child could possibly be a problem to OTHER PEOPLE.

Lets be clear, parents who think their kid can do no wrong are part of the problem. And some parents will go to any length to blame others for their kids problems. But many don’t, including my parents and the parents of many of my middle school friends. They can say “my kid is disrupting, how can we fix it” and the solution can be more nuanced than just “lets kick him out or hit him” like you’re proposing.

You just described my 11 year old boy. We are at wits end with him not engaging and following directions in school. Although he is disruptive at times, he’s very good hearted. On the brink of letting him do what ever he wants and taking the consequences for it. Be it fail or just get by. Searching for the answer I stumbled on your post. Wish us luck!

You still sound arrogant, narcissistic, and not very smart. All the behaviors you describe (including your sleeping “habit”) disrupted the class, the ENTIRE class. Imagine just the TIME you stole from the teacher. And you had a huge impact on your peers and their families who probably struggled with how you made the classroom miserable for the OTHER kids. Guess what Mr. Adult, school isn’t a playground where you can test and try on behavior problems for a teacher to deal with. And I’m sick of parents who think their “organically grown” child deserves different rules or understanding because he’s “smart”. Callin’ it like it is – disruptive kids should be spanked.

Very constructive reply! I’m sure you were a perfect child who never learned from his mistakes when we was growing up, right? You were a mature adult from when you popped out of your mom, right?

The whole point of the post is to show that I recognized that being disruptive wasn’t ok and to look for solutions to the problem that worked for me and might work for other people too.

A few questions: how is quietly sleeping being disruptive? And what would you do? Just smack kids into submission? Sure sounds like that will foster creativity, entrepreneurship and the work ethic of the future we need in our global economy!

Nothing in your “blog” speaks to a sense of self-reflection or apology. It reads like you reenacted scenes from The Breakfast Club. How about, “wow, I was disruptive because I was a jerk” not, “I was disruptive because I was smart.” You got attention for that stuff – you wouldn’t have done it otherwise. The fact you still don’t see this as an adult says a lot about your personal evolution and probably what you are STILL like – self-centered and full of yourself. Global economy, shmonomy; entrepreneurs and creative people have respect for the fact that they AREN’T the smartest ones in the room.

I think its pretty clear I was an immature jerk to some teachers back when I was 9-14. All kids are immature in some way, and mine was being disruptive in classes where I was bored out of my mind. It’s not an excuse, its just the truth.

The majority of intelligent boys in my elementary and middle school were like me: they read 2-4 years above grade level, they got their work done in the first few minutes of class and then had nothing to do while the rest of the class caught up. Most got into trouble and disrupted class, which I agree, isn’t fair to the other kids who are trying their best to learn and the teacher who is trying their best to teach.

So, short of smacking kids, like you suggested in your first comment, what do you do? Telling a 10-12 year old he’s being a dick might help, and it did in my case and seemingly in Maria’s son’s case, as I stopped disrupting and just slept, so as not to affect the other kids. Other smart kids in my class skipped school, read books during class or just continued to disrupt.

The core of the problem is that our schools were created back in the 1800s to create farm and factory workers. And not much has changed. See Ken Robinson’s talk about school killing creativity ( http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity?language=en ). If you just punish smart kids for disrupting you’ll break their creativity, which is the exact opposite of what we need in our new economy.

Smart kids disrupt class because they’re bored out of their minds, they’re immature and don’t have an outlet. When teachers challenged us, gave us interesting work or side projects, most of us didn’t disrupt.

So I ask again, short of bringing back rulers and smacking kids on the knuckles, what do you suggest?

Smart kids know how to make boring things interesting. Some smart kids get away with being complete jerks because they are brilliant and they know it. Their parents ignore things because of their brains. I agree that finding more challenging work might help, but that is called independent learning so that is up to the parents to provide that extracurricular material and find specialty schools for those kinds of kids. My kids are gifted. They are both in college now. Bottom line – kids act up in school because they do the same thing at home and the parents allow it. Give the kids a book to take to school and read when they are done with work. I’ve never met a smart kid who did not like to read. Most of the time that is what they want to do instead of doing anything else. As long as they get their work done to prove they are smart for that class, they should be allowed to read.

You’re really generalizing here. My parents didn’t allow it at home. In fact, they really had no idea how I acted at school, except for parent teacher conferences, which happened once or twice a year.

Many teachers do not approve of independent learning projects while the students are in class. Many also don’t allow students to read other books while the other students are doing their lessons, as they believe it’s not fair for the other students to see them reading and doing other things rather than the class assignment.

You need a partnership between the parents and the teachers if you want a smart disruptive kid to stop disrupting.

Wow…how can sleeping quietly be disruptive? That’s like saying learning can only occur in the class room. Disruption does not have to be noisy. It can be any activity that distracts others. Again, think about others. You did not consider that those kids are wasting time fuming that you get to sleep and they can’t? Any behavior that is contrary to learning is disruptive and sleeping when you should be doing some sort of class work is not appropriate. Children will find ways to use that as an excuse for them to do the same not realizing they do not have the same brain power you do. As an adult, I thought you would have figured that out as well, but everyday is a good day to learn something new……part of being gifted is to have a moral fiber….that is part of the gifted test……caring about others……

You recommended giving a kid a book to read, or independent learning.

Using your logic, how is that any different than sleeping in class? How is reading a different book or doing other work less distracting? “Did you not consider that those kids are wasting time fuming” that I got to read a Jackie Robinson biography while the rest of the class read a boring book nobody wanted to be reading? That’s a real situation from 5th grade, where my teacher forced me to put my book away and pretend to keep reading chapter 3 of the the class book when I’d already finished the entire book. You’re really stretching with the slippery slope argument that “less gifted” students will read this and mimic the behavior and that it’s morally wrong to sleep in class or not do the same work or that it shows that a gifted student doesn’t care about others.

hey, this is a great real! list (for my confident “unteachable” 5yo). best I found so far (…set the boundaries, blah blah;). we are getting to it but a little assurance is sometimes great to hear/read. we constantly debate about the amount of rules x freedom and this article has just the answer. tried Montessori preschool but that didn’t work as hoped. now committed to home-schooling + classes out, still searching the right balance… always will be i guess:) thanks for this post()

Glad the article was useful, hopefully your strategy works!

Your description of yourself is also the perfect description of my 6th grader. Our pediatrician told me (after a teacher suggested I medicate him because he seemed distracted) that he was (expletive starting with F) bored. He’s now failing his strongest subject. Other classes are fine, but he’s simply not doing the work. You know why. He already knows the material, and he doesn’t feel the need to prove it. Thank you for this post. I am making myself remember that my child marches to the beat of his own drum. That’s the best part of him. He’s just got to make it through school. We tell him that, right now, school is his job, and good grades/happy parents are the paycheck. Doesn’t phase him too much, but I hope it will click eventually. We don’t put any emphasis on straight As, but he must show respect to the teachers and the planning that went in to the lessons being taught. We’ve told him that life is full of people who have different beliefs and methods, and sometimes those people are in charge of us. Tough luck. Gotta deal with them – and succeed. He’s always been wise/smart beyond his years He’s involved with community theatre and excels. School is the struggle. He attends the #1 middle school in the state, which happens to be a fine arts school. His fine arts grades are near 100. His academic teachers are fed up with him, because of his apathy.

OMG Nathan Lustig, thank you so much for this post!! I am nearing my wits end with what seems like an eternity of dealing with this behavior from my now 9th grade 14 year old. He loves basketball and video games and all of the social media tools of today, yet we make him earn those things and it seems like an endless cycle of taking and giving back these things he thinks his life depends on. He is arrogant and smart and booooored, yet he is soooo unmotivated to go beyond the bare minimum effort. I try not to pressure him because I think long term the stress will cause more damage than a C or D in a high school class, but I want him to be innately passionate about his own success even while doing things he doesn’t want to do!!! He is a reluctant reader and writer (this takes too much time!!!) but when he does it he is good at it! Thanks for the tips and for your testimony as it helps be to know we are not alone in this circumstance!! Blessings!

I have a meeting for my daughter tomorrow. I think this is even more complicated for a girl. They expect boys to act out but girls need to sit, behave, and look pretty. We have been dealing with this for years and years. Now 12 yrs old and Jr high and it’s just getting worse.

The teachers have given up – she is tagged – they expect her to fail. And she knows it. But as a perfectionist she’s making herself crazy.

She is working into a depression from all the pressure.

IEP meeting tomorrow because they have her tagged as Learning Disabled. – yeah ok she’s smarted than most of the teachers.

I am desperate to turn this around.

Any more ideas?

I would focus on explaining to her that being perfect isn’t important in most things. And that it’s an impossible standard to live up to. Try to explain the 80-20 rule, the law of diminishing returns etc. Tell her that it doesn’t really matter what her grades are, as long as she’s learning. Try to get her to be self-motivated, not motivated from “teachers who expect her to fail.”

I think step one is to try to get her out of her head to stop trying to live up to an impossible standard, show her that it’s ok to fail, that it’s normal etc, then fix the school.

Thank you Nathan, for taking the time to address such important issue. My just turned 9 years old son – Nathaniel- has excellent memory, read well above his grade and is straight A…but talks a lot in school…he is very social and friends with all the kids, however is always accused to be disruptive…so now, just one month into 4th grade the new teachers are “pushing” us to give him some sort of medicine trying to label him ADD…when in despite of excellent academics all he does is be disruptive, as he complains that school is so boring…

Hi Sol, thanks for commenting. Like me, he is probably disruptive to the teacher and to the other students. I would try what my parents did: tell me that I can’t interrupt class, plus give him other projects/books/work he can do that he’s interested in. As long as he keeps learning, I bet he’ll be fine!

I’m at my wits end with my 11 year old son! 6th grade is killing me. we have been in school for 10 weeks and I just got my 4th call from school. He is the funny guy in class making noises , dead legging kids and just being plain annoying! His science teacher said he is so smart but he is disturbing other kids from learning. We take things away even threatened to move him to a private school but nothing is working. He is a good kid, he is smart and funny but he doesn’t know when to stop and I don’t know what else to do with him. I feel like a terrible parent because I can’t control my 6th grader. His grades are good but is behavior is driving me crazy and his teachers.

I would try to find one thing that he really loves: sports, space, a foreign country, the ocean, really anything. and have him do independent projects about that one thing he loves. it might get him to behave because itll give him something to do.

My 9 year old daughter fits this description very well. My question is this. Is sending them to conventional public school hurting their development of their gift? They have to conform to the box for 8 hours 5x a week. I really struggle with making her go. She thrives on 1:1 adult interaction but it would have to be a tutor because she and I but heads. I tried homeschooling in kindergarten but everything she did (seat work wise) was a fight. She would put her head down and not work. I fought with her for a year on reading. She hated every minute of it but by the end of the year she was at the top on reading. She is frequently disturbing others or walking around her classroom. Her teachers say she can do it but chooses not to. Her grades are mostly c’s because once she does get a worksheet to do she is lost because she was distracting others or reading a book while the teacher was talking. She has been given a worksheet and made a 0. The teacher handed it back and said you are actually going to have to try and then she made a 100. She usually gets 40’s on math or 90’s- no inbetween. Please help with any advice!

Every kid is different, but in my case going to public school didn’t harm me. I was bored during some classes, but I learned how to make friends and relate to people my age. My Dad always told me that life wasn’t fair and that I had to learn how to get along with people who had power when I didn’t. He always drove it home that in the workplace I would have coworkers or bosses that I thought were wrong, or weren’t that great at their job, just as I was thinking in school, and told me I had to develop strategies to deal, or I wouldn’t be successful in the future.

I think the key is to tell her its not acceptable to disturb other students, as that’s harming them, which is not fair to them. Then find out what she actually really likes and give her projects that she can investigate on her own or during class. I wouldn’t worry so much about grades until high school if she’s learning on her own, is reading and is into other interesting things.

Your blog (or whatever this site is called) is making me cry. YOU are my son. OR MY son is YOU. He is disrespectful to teachers (as all he does is get “yelled” at…even though he is NOT the one involved in “x”…and I have had other adults bear witness to this fact), bored out of his mind, and yet, when he asks for more work, his 8th grade teacher tells him he is “too immature” to handle that. We are getting him out of the brick and mortar school for High School and placing him in our iSTEM High School where they don’t “get grades” they “master subjects.” The sky is the limit at this particular High School. I just have to find a way (as I got yet ANOTHER phone call from the Assistant Principal today) to get him through the remaining 34 physical schools days left in the year. Ugh.

i would tell him to stop disrupting and to read a book for the rest of the year, i bet it will work! i made a deal with a teacher in 7th grade to do my work from another room and read a book for the rest of the hour for the last 2 months of the year, it worked out great. the teacher got me out of my class, i got to do the work at my pace and read books. its only 34 school days.

Thank you for this post. My second grader is just like this. He is in the GT program at his school, so they accommodate many of his learning needs and behavioral quirks. However, his teacher is asking us to test him for ADHD because he is disorganized, doesn’t complete his work and disturbs his classmates. He is super gregarious and says he is just bored. We are in the middle of the assessment right now. Did you have teachers or others suggest there was a learning disability behind your behavior? I am terrified of being pressured to medicate my kid because he just isn’t motivated at school

As far as I know, my parents were never asked to medicate me, but im not sure. I’ve always thought that while there are a great many people who obviously benefit from medication, many times schools seem to want to medicate because it makes their lives easier. I would try reiterate to your kid that its not ok to disturb others, as its not fair to them. Push your kid to read a book when he’s bored, or research something that they’re interested in. Think about strategies that might make it better. I would also look at mindfulness programs that teach kids to recognize their emotions as they happen and give them strategies to channel them in a more positive way. Hope that’s helpful!

Super helpful! Love the mindfulness approach.

There’s a ton of videos/books online, can check these out:

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-39082415 https://mindfulnessinschools.org/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At5h-dsIO7w

Thank you for the suggestions! What you describe fits one of my 2nd-graders to a ‘T’. He’s doesn’t like to show his work because he thinks it’s a waste of time, pushes right up to the limit on his behavior with his teacher, and doesn’t bother answering questions on tests because he “doesn’t feel like it.” In his afterschool program, he is demanding and inconsiderate of the counselor’s time, because of his arrogance. The boy is an excellent reader, creates his own comics about his favorite video games, and can recite verbatim all the selling points from TV ads for products he wants. All that motivates him is playing video games, and watching videos about video games. His teacher is already encouraging him to read advanced material in class, and knows he’s bored, but her hands are tied to a certain extent by what she is required to spend time teaching for the standardized tests.

Happy to try to help…hope its useful! I think being very clear with him that it’s not acceptable to be arrogant and that he’ll have to deal with people he thinks are not as smart, motivated or interested in what he is for his entire life, so he’d better start figuring out how to deal with it! If he likes video games, I would try to get him interested in the building phase or the marketing phase, so that he learns something more than just how to play them.

What I see that “worked,” out of this whole article, is that you ultimately refrained from doing or not doing certain things because your parents would be angry. This confirms my belief that no matter how a teacher teachers, no matter how challenging the curriculum (or not, ) and no matter how much provision is made for the accommodation of special interests, it doesn’t matter to a disruptive child. If their behavior with negatively impact personal relationship that they care about, they will change the behavior. Apparently your relationship with your parents was important enough to you so that you desired to live up to their expectations (in your case, getting good grades,)

I don’t, for a moment, accept that disruptive behavior occurs because a student is smart and bored. I was a very smart, “gifted” student myself. I had ample opportunity to be bored in school, but I was never disruptive. Simple reason – that would be wrong. It would be impolite and inconsiderate. I submit that if being a decent, compassionate and considerate person is an area that receives far too little attention in the education of children, The family is the most important teacher in this regard. Homeschooling is also an excellent choice for students who have accelerated learning capability, but even then, they need to attend to tasks they may dislike. The primary issue with regard to behavior centers upon learning to take responsibility for the effect our behavior may have on other people’s lives, and to develop self discipline because that is a good thing, both for ourselves and others.

Thanks for commenting. I totally agree that parents play a big role, but I disagree that teachers play no role either, as you seem to be asserting. My parents were plenty mad at me for disrupting classes or not paying attention. It didn’t help in classes where teachers refused to let me do my own thing or simply punished me. It really only made it worse for everyone involved. Many teachers gave me tasks that I enjoyed or challenged me. As soon as I had something interesting or a new challenge, I was happy to work and didn’t create any problems in class.

Just because you were a great child and had great self control doesn’t mean that everyone else was. Just as it wouldn’t make sense to say that because I was a disruptive smart kid that all smart kids will be disruptive.

I can think of at least 15 other students I grew up with that had the same pattern of behavior that I did. I don’t think it’s always moral failing of an 8-13 year old kid as you seem to be asserting, rather a combination of being bored in classes that aren’t challenging with immature kids and parents with varying degrees of support.

We’d be better off if schools and parents taught more self control, but we would also be better of if school wasn’t a one size fits all system from the 1800s that doesn’t really work well for many smart kids, especially boys. It’s the system we’re stuck with for now, but I wouldn’t be so fast to judge all kids who weren’t like you in school.

I would respond here with quoting some of your other posts- “Happy to try to help…hope it’s useful! I think being very clear with him that it’s not acceptable to be arrogant and that he’ll have to deal with people he thinks are not as smart, motivated or interested in what he is for his entire life, so he’d better start figuring out how to deal with it!” … I would try reiterate to your kid that its not ok to disturb others, as its not fair to them. Push your kid to read a book when he’s bored, or research something that they’re interested in. Think about strategies that might make it better. I would also look at mindfulness programs that teach kids to recognize their emotions as they happen and give them strategies to channel them in a more positive way. Hope that’s helpful!”…..This is precisely what I am expressing…I do also completely agree that one size fits all education will always have its limitations.

I agree. The more I research this the more I come to realize we need to offer different kinds of schools for our very advanced children. These children are prolific, creative, abstract thinkers. They zoom through the basics and want to get to the meat of their interests. My wish is that we had schools to offer to these exceptional students.

thanks for commenting!

I think you’re describing the difference between bright and gifted. You may have been bright. Gifted children, which is what I think the writer is has different characteristics. We’re all speaking about gifted children.

Ugh battling my 10 year old step son now and it is unbelievable the trouble he gets into on a daily basis for talking out, being disrespectful, not paying attention, etc. We are at wits end with him and don’t know what else to do. We ground him and take his privileges away to no avail. I just got a note from his teacher and after a wonderful day yesterday (this was preceded by a horrible day and a come to Jesus talk that evening) he had his worst day at school this week. I just can’t fathom what goes on in his head because WE JUST TALKED ABOUT THIS. We haven’t just beaten the dead horse, we nuked it. We were supposed to go do something fun together this weekend (just the two of us) and I told him he had to keep it together the rest of the week in order to go and now I have to take that away from him. He needs and gets consequences but they do not work and now I am not sure what to do.

Sometimes consequences work, other times finding another outlet for his energy might work. I would look for things that he’s really interested in and try to get him to work on it in class when he’s otherwise disrupting. I would also look at what you can get him to do outside of the classroom. Does he do any sort of sports/physical activity? That might help too! Let me know how it goes!

I am so glad I found this, thank you for writing it. Our sons teacher informed us that he won’t sit still and makes noises and struggles with rushing through things. A TA suggested that he make his letter “a” bigger because he just wrote it really small…so what does he do? He made a giant “a” across the entire paper ????

She seems to be hinting at ADHD. Which…ehhhhh. I think he’s bored and probably bored of sitting. They only have one half hour recess. He is only seven, he is extremely smart especially with reading and math. This is just like completely opposite of how his teacher last spoke of him. So thank you, again, for writing this. I have hope. He’s a great kid and he is going to do great things.

Thanks for commenting, glad you found it useful. Good luck with your son, and try to help him find something that he really likes and is interested in learning about!

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The Professor and the Boatman: A Parable on Different Ways of Being Smart

The school teacher was a very scholarly fellow and he had two bundles of possessions with him.  One was a teeny little bundle that held his personal effects:  his toothbrush, his dental floss, his jammies; that kind of thing.   The other bundle was a huge bag of books, and when he got into the boat the first thing he did was reach into the huge bundle and took the thickest, heaviest book of them all out and began to read.

They were about a third of the way across the river when the school teacher looked at his watch and said to the boatman: ”My dear fellow, can you tell me when we might reach the other side?”  The boatman hadn’t said anything up to this point.  He was a salty sailor type of personality with a gnarly face and piercing eyes, and he said to the school teacher:  “I ain’t got no idea!”  This shocked the school teacher and he replied: ”My dear fellow!  Have you never studied grammar?” The boatman shook his head in the negative, and the school teacher replied:  ”In that case, half your life has been wasted!” This didn’t make much of an impression on the boatman, and he went back to his work getting that boat across the river.

They got about half-way across the river when a storm broke unexpectedly, and rain started pouring into the boat, the boat started rocking back and forth, the water level at the bottom of the boat started to rise, and just when it seemed like things couldn’t get any worse, the boatman looked up at the school teacher and said:  “You know how to swim?” The school teacher, who was hanging on to the edge of the boat for dear life, responded in a shaky voice:  ”No, I don’t know how to swim!”‘ And the boat replied:  ”In that case, your whole life is wasted because we’re going down!”

At that moment in the middle of the river, all of the so-called intelligence of the school teacher, which worked very well for him in a traditional school setting, was of absolutely no use.  And similarly, the so-called lack of intelligence of the boatman, which in a traditional school setting would mark him out as being ”at risk” for something or other, was of little consequence, because he had another way of knowing, another way of thinking, another way of being intelligent, that allowed him to save the day for the both of them.

The reason I tell this story is because we have children in our classrooms who have the intelligence of the school teacher.  These are the kids who write the best essays, raise their hands with the most articulate responses teachers ask them, and get the highest scores on standardized tests.  But there are also students who have the intelligence of the boatman; an intelligence which may not show itself in a traditional classroom setting, but which, transplanted out in the real world, may literally prove to save somebody’s life some day. And we also have students in our classrooms who have the intelligence of the musician, the intelligence of the architect, the intelligence of the plumber, the intelligence of the athlete, the intelligence of the politician (wait . . . no, that one’s an oxymoron).  In fact, if we looked at all the ways in which people show their competencies, we might suggest that there are thousands of intelligences.  But in the mid-1980’s, Harvard professor Howard Gardner came up with a enw idea:  the theory of multiple intelligences .  He suggested that there were seven basic intelligences (he added an eighth later on):  word smart, number/logic smart, picture smart, body smart, nature smart, music smart, people smart, and self smart.

This article was brought to you by Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D. and www.institute4learning.com

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How to Be a Smart Student

Last Updated: June 24, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Ashley Pritchard, MA . Ashley Pritchard is an Academic and School Counselor at Delaware Valley Regional High School in Frenchtown, New Jersey. Ashley has over 3 years of high school, college, and career counseling experience. She has an MA in School Counseling with a specialization in Mental Health from Caldwell University and is certified as an Independent Education Consultant through the University of California, Irvine. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 482,846 times.

It's easy to fall behind in school whether you're smart or not – it's a lot of work! To be a smart student – a student who knows how to study and how to succeed – you've got to start from day one. With the right studying tactics and a few tricks up your sleeve, this student will be you .

Setting Yourself Up for Success

• Buy binders for every class. On the inner flap, put the syllabus. Then start organizing your homework and the sheets your teacher gives you in chronological order, if possible.
• Keep specific materials you need (markers, scissors, etc.) organized by class. Every binder should have a pen and a highlighter, too.
• Throw some stuff out! If your locker looks like a paper hurricane just hit it, clean it out! The less stuff you have to sort through to get to what you want, the more time you save to do other, more important things.

• Have you ever heard of context-dependent memory? That's when your memory finds it easier to recall things in the place where it learned them. [1] X Trustworthy Source Simply Psychology Popular site for evidence-based psychology information Go to source So if you study there one night, studying there the next will make it easier to recall what you studied before!
• If you can, have more than one study space – the library, at a friend's house, etc. Research says that the more places you study, the more connections your brain has and the easier it is to remember the facts you study. [2] X Research source

• If your teacher doesn't give you this list, ask! He or she will be very impressed with the initiative you took and how seriously you're taking their class. You may become a favorite!

• This is true for everything from math to history to art. There's always more reading you can do to wrap your mind around a topic, regardless of what it is.

• This also establishes a relationship with your teacher from early on. You'll be the one who cares about their grade and is trying their best. When grading time rolls around and you're at an A- on the edge of an A, your teacher may give you the benefit of the doubt because you're a good student and bump you up to an A!

Staying on Top Every Day

• Turn sentences into charts or pictures. Germany in 1941 was 60% Jewish? Turn it into a pie chart. It'll be easier to see in your notes, too.
• Use mnemonics to help you remember. What are the colors of the rainbow? Why, Roy G. Biv of course! (Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain)
• Use highlighters. The more color your notes have, the more fun they'll be to read. Develop a color-coding system to help you find stuff quicker, too.

• If you don't know what the reading was, look at your syllabus. There's a reason it should be in the front flap of your binder – it should have listed every piece of homework or reading and when it's going to be talked about. A quick look at that piece of paper and you'll know exactly what to do.

• If you have a long time to do a certain piece of homework, that means it's probably bigger than usual and important. Do a bit each day after you get it – that way the work is spread out and you don't feel swamped.

• Besides, if the teacher thinks you're not paying attention, she might ask you a question and you might not know how to answer because you have not been paying attention! The less you embarrass yourself, the better!

• Talk to your parents about how they can help or reward you. If you get all straight As, could you get that video game you've been hoping for? Extended curfew? You need all the motivation you can get!

• You can also ask your older siblings or parents to help you, too, if they're good at a certain subject. Just make sure they wouldn't distract you and can actually help you get work done.

Acing Tests and Projects

• Make sure the people you're studying with are good students that care. You don't want to be working with a few people who just want to mess around during your "study group" time.
• Have everyone bring snacks and think of a few things to talk about. Make a rough schedule of what you're going to cover and delegate a person as that week's group leader, so they can help keep everyone on track.
• If it's a Friday night and you have a test in a class on the following Monday, gather up 2-3 of your friends that are in your class and quiz each other. If a person gets a correct answer, then they get 2 points, if they get a wrong answer, they get 1 point taken away. Whoever gets the most points at the end of the study session get to pick a movie to watch!

• And other times this extra credit will just be tacked onto your year-end score. That's good, too! With extra-credit, you really can't go wrong.

• Your body needs sleep (7-9 hours, depending on your specific preferences). A lot of being a good student is about taking care of yourself, too! So skip the cramming, go to sleep, and eat a healthy breakfast. Studies show eating a good breakfast can power your brain and get you better grades, too! [10] X Research source

• During your break, grab a handful of blueberries, nuts, broccoli, or even dark chocolate for a brain boost. [12] X Research source Snacking can give you more energy if you're feeling a little fatigued, too.

• This is especially good if you have a friend with you during this time you can study with. You can each give each other a few flash cards and quiz each other. When you're reading and talking about the information, it becomes more solidified in your mind.

Being an Ideal Student

• Nursing homes
• Homeless, battered women's, or children's shelters
• Animal shelters
• Soup kitchens

• No one said you had to be good at these things. If you're a star basketball player, take an art class or try out for the school play. If you're in the school choir and can't throw a ball to save your life, try out for the soccer team. It's only for a season!

• What's more, these are some of the easiest organizations to find leadership roles. Saying you're the "president' of something is pretty impressive!

• If your school doesn't have a class you want to take, a lot of schools have partnership programs where you can take the class at a different school or local community college. And if you're in high school, you may even be able to get college credit!

• A school-wide recycling program
• A thespian, chess, or writer's club
• LGTBAU group
• Pre-SAT or ACT study organization
• Technology club

Supercharge Your Studying with this Expert Series

Expert Q&A

Reader Videos

Share a quick video tip and help bring articles to life with your friendly advice. Your insights could make a real difference and help millions of people!

• If you're really struggling in a certain subject, get a tutor! Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0
• Before studying, do meditation to keep a free mind. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 1
• If you think you have some extra time in your hand, don't waste it. Study ahead so you know what's going on in class. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 1

Tips from our Readers

• Don't be afraid to ask your teacher questions if you don't understand a concept. Other students may have the same question you did, so this can help the teacher know what topics that they may need to spend additional time on.
• Try writing down your assignments and their due dates in a planner or calendar, and checking them off as you complete them. This can help you stay organized.
• Try involving your hobbies and interests into your studying. For example, if you like music, you could try making up a song to help you remember a topic.
• When you're studying for an exam, try making note cards. This can be a great way to help you remember key terms.

• Don't give out answers when having a quiz or an exam. Thanks Helpful 439 Not Helpful 58

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.simplypsychology.org/context-and-state-dependent-memory.html
• ↑ https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2020.00054
• ↑ Ashley Pritchard, MA. School Counselor. Expert Interview. 4 November 2019.
• ↑ David Jia. Academic Tutor. Expert Interview. 23 February 2021.
• ↑ https://www.fnu.edu/10-reasons-form-study-group/
• ↑ Ted Coopersmith, MBA. Academic Tutor. Expert Interview. 12 May 2021.
• ↑ http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/cramming-for-a-test-don-t-do-it-237733
• ↑ https://www.npr.org/2006/09/04/5738848/a-better-breakfast-can-boost-a-childs-brainpower
• ↑ https://psychcentral.com/news/2011/02/09/taking-breaks-found-to-improve-attention/23329.html
• ↑ https://www.piqe.org/back-to-school-success-begins-at-home/

About This Article

If you want to be a smart student, the best thing you can do is to turn up to every class. In class, focus on taking effective notes, such as by turning sentences into charts or creating mnemonics to help you memorize things. Then, use your notes to review the material covered in class so you don't fall behind. Additionally, organize your materials for each subject in a separate folder so you know where everything is when you need it. You'll also want to start working on projects or studying for tests a week or 2 in advance so you're not cramming at the last minute. For tips on how to get great grades for a test or project, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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20 of the Best Words to Describe a Child in Terms of Their Traits

By: Author Hiuyan Lam

Posted on Last updated: October 20, 2023

Categories Vocabulary Boosters

A huge part of parenting is being active in your child’s life, whether it is his/her school or person life.

Whether you choose to do it by helping with homework and projects or meeting regularly with teachers, it’s important to participate in your child’s life.

During these meetings, you will have to describe your child so that the teacher can understand any challenges that he/she might be facing. It can also simply allow the teacher to get to know your child more.

These words to describe your child should include good traits and bad traits. Other words to describe your child can also be based on your child’s quirky characteristics.

Here are 20 words to describe your child; you can use these words for any child:

7 words to describe a child’s good traits

  There are so many things to love about your child, from the things he/she says to the things he/she does.   Here are seven words to describe your child’s good traits; you can use them when describing your child to teachers and/or anyone whom you feel should know about your kid’s good qualities:  

You May Also Like:

20 of the Best Words to Describe a Leader / Boss

7 words to describe a child’s bad traits

  While your child may be mommy/daddy’s angel, he/she will have traits that may rub others the wrong way or even get him/her in trouble. These are word to describe your child’s bad traits.   The following words can be used without meaning to say that your child is bad; in fact, everyone has bad traits. Here are seven words to describe your child’s bad traits to someone, like a teacher:  

6 words to describe a child’s quirky traits

  Your child’s quirky traits are what make him/her unique. These traits aren’t necessarily bad, but they can be a little weird when compared to other kids.   Here are six of the best words to describe a child based on his/her quirky traits:  

20 of the Best Words to Describe Coffee Like a Professional Taster

  These words to describe a child can be used to describe your child to a teacher, family members, friend, or even a coworker. If you choose the right word and the correct phrase, you will be able to communicate exactly what you mean!  

The School Boy By William Blake – Summary, Explanation and Questions and Answers

Table of Contents

The School Boy By William Blake

Nostalgia : a longing for a happier or better time in the past. The term coined by Johannes Hofer in 1688 (Homesickness)

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Annoy : annoyance, displease

Stanza-wise Explanation

It is a matter of utmost disappointment for the speaker to attend the school in such a sweet summer morning where actually he wishes to enjoy the delight of summer. He is tired and even puzzled under the strict supervision of his teacher. The phrase outworn refers to the eyes of the teacher that actually tires the boy. Instead of enjoying the pleasures of summer, the child has to compulsory attended the school where he spends his day in boredom and sadness.

Again, the poet compares a child with a bird. According to his view, a bird which is born cheerful and fun-loving can never sing sweet songs, if caged. Similarly, a child if remained under the umbrella of annoying fear and tension, the distrust of his teacher can never enjoy the natural instincts of joy and playfulness. Indeed a world full of rigid course of discipline will ruthlessly take away the beautiful springs (the childhood days) of a person’s life.

BY SORROW AND CARE’S DISMAY

If care and concern rule over the plants, flowers, birds, such a summer will be dry and will bear no fruit. The child enquires his parents as to how they can win back what pain/sadness has destroyed. If the plants perish/dry-up due to the pain/sorrow, no fruit will be there in the season of autumn (mellowing year). This implies that if childhood pleasures and joys are restricted, one has to be very sure that adult life will be absolutely dry and unproductive.

Theme of The School Boy by William Brake

The poem the schoolboy discuss a boy’s repelling imprisonment at his school his company from the animate objects of the summer morning (birds, flowers etc.) to the inactive object of his school is indeed a matter of concern and grief. School life is suffering for him.

Questions and Answers

1. Who, do you think, ‘I’ refers to in the poem? Ans. I refer to the poet, William Blake in the poem.

2. ‘Sweet company’ refers to Ans. Skylark, Huntsman’s horn and bird’s song.

4. How do the little ones spend the day in the school? Ans. The little ones spend the day in the school by sighing (grief) and dismay (fear).

6. Pick the phrase from the following which does not refer to formal schooling. Ans. Fruits are gathered.

7. Relate the seasons mentioned under column A with the stages of life. Ans. 1. Spring -Childhood 2. Summer -Youth 3. Winter -Old age

2. Describe the boy’s experience in the school. Ans. ‘The school Boy’ is a lyric from the ‘Songs of Experience’. The child loves to rise early in summer morning to enjoy but all the happiness disappears when he realizes that he has to go to school. The main theme is the sorrow that the boy feels at the very thought of going to school. The boy longs for the freedom of the outdoors and cannot take delight in his book. He is compelled to experience many anxious hours. The image of the bird is used in the poem. The birds sing happily when they are free but if they are in a cage they cannot do it the same way. In the same way, the boy feels he is imprisoned at school. Schoolboy in school and the bird in the cage are seen as equivalents not only at the natural level under physical subjection but at the spiritual level too. Both represent the caging and entrapping of imaginative vision. The image of the plant applies to the schoolboys present and future. The young plant like the young child is tender and vulnerable the way it is treated at this stage, dictates its later capacity to bear fruit. Just as food gathered in autumn is necessary to ensure survival through the winter, so also the experiences of joy and the freedom of the imagination are necessary for a person’s capacity to live well and survive the inevitable grief’s of life.

Comprehension: III

The boy longs for the freedom of the outdoors and cannot take delight in his book. He is compelled to experience many anxious hours. The image of the bird is used in the poem. The birds sing happily when they are free but if they are in a cage they cannot do it the same way. In the same way, the boy feels he is imprisoned at school. Schoolboy in school and the bird in the cage are seen as equivalents not only at the natural level under physical subjection but at the spiritual level too. Both represent the caging and entrapping of imaginative vision.

The poet appeals that adults must realize that children are like plants, which needs to be nurtured and given proper care. They have to bear fruit later on. School should be the place where children are allowed to think freely and all-round development is guaranteed.

On the other hand, memorizing things to learn history, civics literature as these subjects not only serve as the tools, people need to face life in a more global or better way, but they also sharpen the mind and expand points of view.

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Words To Appreciate A Child (200+ Examples)

Using words to appreciate a child reinforces their positive behavior and efforts, boosting their self-esteem and confidence. However, generic praise like “good job” does not convey sincere recognition of a child’s efforts.

Tailored and sincere appreciation helps foster a growth mindset in children, encouraging them to embrace challenges and continue developing their skills and capabilities.

Let’s explore the different ways to praise a child’s accomplishments without saying good job.

Table of Contents

What are the words to appreciate a child?

Here are 20 words and phrases to appreciate a child.

• I appreciate your help.
• Thank you for helping.
• Your creativity amazes me.
• You have such a kind heart!
• I’m proud of your hard work.
• Your curiosity is inspiring.
• Keep being brave!
• You have unique ideas!
• You’re a fantastic friend!
• You are very kind!
• Your kindness warms my heart!
• You learn fast!
• Your energy is remarkable!
• You bring joy to people.
• You’re full of great surprises!
• You always try your best!
• You have a great sense of humor.
• What a positive attitude!
• You make a difference.
• Your smile brightens my day.

What are appreciation words for kindergarten students?

Here are 20 appreciation words and phrases for kindergarten students.

• Your smile is like sunshine!
• Your hugs are the best!
• You have a great imagination!
• You have such a gentle heart!
• You’re a caring friend.
• What an excellent question!
• I love your enthusiasm for learning!
• Your handprints are creative!
• You’re doing great with your letters!
• I’m proud of your coloring skills.
• What a cheerful drawing!
• You’re so brave trying new things!
• You’re a little explorer!
• You’re a great sharer!
• You are a fantastic helper!
• You’re doing a great job listening.
• You’re so good at following directions!
• You’re so kind to your friends!
• You’re a super tidy-upper!
• You’re doing a great job being patient!

Why is praise important to a child?

There are 3 reasons why praise is important to a child.

• Improve children’s self-esteem: When used correctly, praise can benefit children with low self-esteem.    
• Enhance intrinsic motivation: Positive words of encouragement can increase children’s intrinsic motivation to learn , according to a 2002 study published in the Psychological Bulletin.
• Enhance perseverance: Parents’ proper encouragement for kids can enhance children’s engagement and perseverance.
• Reinforce desirable behavior: A 2007 study at Lehigh University indicated that behavior-specific praise can increase and positively reinforce appropriate behavior in the classroom.

How to appreciate a child for performance

Research shows that nuances in how adults praise a child with words have significant consequences for children’s motivation and success in an activity. To appreciate a child for performance and motivate them , here are 7 tips on using words to appreciate. These 7 tips apply to complimenting someone’s child, too.

1. Praise sincerely and Honestly

Offer genuine and heartfelt praise to children. Compliments that don’t align with their self-perception or feel forced are often seen as insincere. Children are likely to disregard such praise, recognizing the lack of sincerity. For example, repeatedly saying ‘good job’ after every task can come across as routine and insincere.

2. Be specific and descriptive

Point out specific aspects of the child’s performance or describe what specific behavior has led to good results. Noticing small things signals you have paid attention and you care. A 2010 study conducted by Andrei Cimpian at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign showed that general praise lowered children’s motivation.

3. Praise a child’s efforts and process, not their achievement or ability

Research shows how we attribute to events affects how we think of and respond to future events. Because effort is a quality that we all have the power to control and improve, children will, therefore, focus more on putting in the effort to practice or develop skills than on pursuing results alone.

Mastery encouragement helps children adopt a growth mindset and allows them to believe in practicing and improving skills. When facing failure, these children believe they have failed because they have not tried hard enough. Failure will be avoidable with more practice and hard work.

4. Avoid controlling or conditional praise

A statement such as “I know you can do better” tries to motivate a child to try harder but signals control and manipulation. Conditional encouragements instill a sense of contingent self-worth in children.

When kids view their self-worth as contingent on approval and positive judgment, they seek goals that are easier to achieve and avoid activities that may cause negative judgment. Children become less creative, less self-directing, and more conforming.

5. Avoid comparison praise

Comparison praise leaves children vulnerable to future setbacks. Kids who are praised by comparison don’t stop comparing when they fail. Instead, they lose motivation faster.

6. Avoid easy-task praise or over-praise

Handing out encouraging words for tasks that are easy to complete or not done well is perceived as insincere. such praise can lower these children’s motivation and sense of self-worth in setbacks. A 2016 research review published in Child Development Perspectives revealed that inflated praise can backfire, lowering feelings of self-worth in children.

7. Be spontaneous

Compliment unexpectedly and authentically. Don’t praise every little thing a child does to motivate them. The benefits of praising a child disappear when the compliment is expected.

What are examples of direct and specific praise to give to a preschooler?

Here are 20 examples of direct and specific praise to give to a preschooler and positively reinforce their behavior.

• You did a great job putting your toys away.
• I love how you used so many colors in your drawing.
• You were very patient waiting for your turn.
• You did an excellent job tying your shoes.
• I’m impressed with how you remembered the alphabet.
• Your building block tower is so creative.
• You solved the problem.
• You did a wonderful job washing your hands.
• You were very gentle with the classroom pet.
• I noticed you were really focused during story time.
• You did a great job counting to 10.
• Your manners at snack time were impeccable.
• You shared your crayons so nicely today.
• I love the way you helped your friend.
• You did a fantastic job during cleanup time.
• Your singing voice was beautiful in music time.
• I’m proud of you for trying new foods at lunch.
• You did such a good job lining up quietly.
• Your puzzle-solving skills are amazing.
• You were so brave during our fire drill.

What are effort praise examples?

Here are 20 effort praise examples.

• Your concentration on that puzzle was impressive.
• I can tell you put a lot of effort into your drawing.
• Your dedication to practicing is really paying off.
• It’s great to see how much you’ve improved.
• You really focused well during that game.
• I admire your persistence in solving that problem.
• You’ve shown impressive dedication to your science project.
• Your focus on your math homework is really commendable.
• The way you handle complex reading assignments is fantastic.
• Your continuous improvement in writing essays is evident.
• You’re showing great initiative in your group projects.
• Your persistence in studying for tests is paying off.
• You’re becoming quite skilled at problem-solving in math.
• You’ve been practicing a lot, and it shows.
• Your effort in learning to read is amazing.
• You’re demonstrating excellent research skills for your projects.
• The effort you put into learning new languages is fantastic.
• Your commitment to practicing your musical instrument is inspiring.
• Your creativity in art class is a result of your hard work.
• You’ve developed strong leadership skills in your team activities.

What are process praise examples?

Here are 20 process praise examples.

• You really thought through that math problem, well done!
• I can see how carefully you read that story, great job!
• Your attention to detail in your science experiment was excellent.
• I’m impressed by how you organized your ideas in that essay.
• The way you planned and executed your project shows great skill.
• You showed great patience and skill in learning that new piece on the piano.
• Your dedication to practicing your lines for the play is admirable.
• I noticed how you checked your work for errors, that’s a good habit.
• The strategies you used in that game were very clever.
• Your approach to solving conflicts with your peers is mature and thoughtful.
• You’ve really improved in presenting your ideas clearly in class discussions.
• The way you broke down that complex problem into smaller parts was excellent.
• You show a lot of creativity in finding different solutions to challenges.
• Your persistence in understanding challenging material is commendable.
• I appreciate how you always make sure to understand the instructions fully.
• Your ability to focus and not get distracted is improving wonderfully.
• The way you connect different ideas from various subjects is impressive.
• You’ve been really proactive in seeking help when you need it, that’s great.
• I admire how you manage your time and prioritize your tasks effectively.
• Your approach to peer collaboration and teamwork is very constructive.

What is an encouraging note for a child from parents?

An encouraging note for a child from parents is a short positive message that expresses support and praise to brighten a child’s day and remind them they are loved even when a parent is not physically present. 

Here are 20 examples of encouraging notes for children from parents.

• Your determination in tackling that challenging homework really shows your strength of character.
• Every time you practice your violin, your improvement is evident, and it’s all because of your hard work.
• I noticed how you helped your sibling with their chores without being asked, your kindness is truly heartwarming.
• The creativity you put into your art projects brings out your unique personality, and it’s wonderful to see.
• You handled your disagreement with your friend very thoughtfully, showing great maturity.
• Your questions during our science museum visit were so insightful, it’s clear you’re really thinking deeply.
• Seeing you share your toys so willingly with your friends is a testament to your generous spirit.
• The patience you show when learning new things is a skill that will always help you succeed.
• Your excitement and willingness to learn new subjects in school makes us so proud.
• Watching you put so much effort into perfecting your handwriting has been inspiring.
• Your enthusiasm for reading and discovering new books is creating a fantastic adventure for your mind.
• Seeing the careful way you organize your schoolwork shows your growing responsibility.
• The respect you show your teachers and classmates makes a real difference in your classroom.
• Your ability to stay calm and collected during your soccer games shows true sportsmanship.
• The initiative you took to clean up the park with your friends was an outstanding act of community service.
• Your curiosity and the questions you ask during our nature walks make every trip a learning adventure.
• Noticing how you balance your studies and playtime is a sign of your growing time management skills.
• Watching you practice kindness, even when it’s difficult, is a true example of your strong character.
• Your joy and laughter when playing with your friends is contagious and brightens everyone’s day.
• These notes are crafted to encourage and validate the child’s efforts and processes, fostering a positive and growth-oriented mindset.

What are kind words for kids?

Kind words for kids are phrases or expressions that convey warmth, encouragement, support, and love, helping to boost their self-esteem and confidence. Here are 20 examples of kind words for kids.

• You are loved.  
• I believe in you.  
• Your ideas are wonderful.  
• You make me proud every day.  
• You are special and unique.  
• Your kindness is a treasure.  
• You have a big heart.  
• Your creativity is amazing.  
• You are important.  
• I love your enthusiasm.  
• You can achieve anything you set your mind to.  
• You have a great sense of adventure.  
• Your smile lights up the room.  
• You are a great team player.  
• Your questions show how smart you are.  
• You are a joy to be around.  
• I admire your bravery.  
• You are a good listener.  
• You make a difference.  
• You are a star!

What are inspirational words for kids?

Here are 20 examples of inspirational words for kids.

• Every effort you make brings you one step closer to your goals.  
• The way you care for your friends shows your big heart.  
• Your excitement for learning new things is contagious.  
• I love how you express your thoughts so clearly.  
• Your determination to face challenges is inspiring.  
• The imagination in your stories is truly captivating.  
• You handle your mistakes with grace and learn from them.  
• Your curiosity leads to such interesting discoveries.  
• The respect you show others is a sign of your maturity.  
• Your ability to find joy in small things is a wonderful trait.  
• You have the power to make your dreams come true.  
• Your creativity in solving problems is impressive.  
• Every day, you grow stronger and more capable.  
• Your laughter brings happiness to those around you.  
• You show courage when trying things outside your comfort zone.  
• The way you keep going, even when it’s tough, is admirable.  
• You have a unique perspective that is valuable.  
• Your kindness creates a ripple effect of goodness.  
• Seeing you put in effort and improve is fantastic.  
• Your presence makes the world a brighter place.

What are praising words for students?

Here are 20 examples of praising words for students.

• Your curiosity can lead to great discoveries, keep questioning.
• I see your potential to achieve great things.
• You have a unique way of looking at things that can be an asset.
• Your energy could be a powerful force when channeled positively.
• There’s a creative spark in you that is waiting to shine.
• You have the ability to be a strong leader.
• Your sense of humor can be a great tool for learning.
• I notice when you show moments of kindness.
• There’s a resilience in you that can help you overcome challenges.
• You have the power to make positive changes in your life.
• Your independence is a strength that can lead to success.
• When you do participate, it adds value to our class.
• You have a unique voice that deserves to be heard.
• Every day is a new opportunity for growth and change.
• You are capable of making more positive choices.
• Your moments of cooperation are appreciated and impactful.
• You bring a different perspective that can be valuable.
• I believe in your ability to improve and succeed.
• Your journey is unique and important.
• Remember, it’s never too late to turn things around.

What are nice things to say about a challenging child in your class?

Here are 20 nice things to say about a challenging child in your class.

• Your efforts to stay focused today were noticeable and appreciated.
• You handled today’s lesson better than before, and that’s a great sign of progress.
• I can see you’re trying, and that’s what really matters.
• Your questions today showed you’re starting to engage more, which is fantastic.
• The way you helped tidy up shows your responsible side.
• You have a lot of potential in science, and I’m here to help you unlock it.
• When you do speak up, your ideas are really interesting.
• Your attendance has improved, and that’s great.
• I see moments when you’re really thinking about the material.
• Your doodles are creative; maybe we can channel that creativity into your projects.
• You stayed calmer today during the discussion, and that’s a big improvement.
• There’s a spark of curiosity in you; let’s kindle that into a flame.
• When you do focus, you show a lot of understanding.
• You’re starting to make better choices, and that’s important.
• The effort you put into today’s class didn’t go unnoticed.
• Even though it’s hard, you keep coming to class, and that’s commendable.
• You have unique skills that we haven’t fully discovered yet.
• Your perspective on today’s topic was unique and valuable.
• I know you have great potential. I believe in you.
• You have the ability to turn things around, and I believe you will.

References For Words To Appreciate A Child

• 1. Kern L, Clemens NH. Antecedent strategies to promote appropriate classroom behavior. Psychology in the Schools . Published online December 13, 2006:65-75. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.20206
• 2. Smith RE, Smoll FL. Self-esteem and children’s reactions to youth sport coaching behaviors: A field study of self-enhancement processes. Developmental Psychology . Published online November 1990:987-993. doi:https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.26.6.987
• 3. Cimpian A. The impact of generic language about ability on children’s achievement motivation. Developmental Psychology . Published online 2010:1333-1340. doi:https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019665
• 4. Crocker J, Knight KM. Contingencies of Self-Worth. Curr Dir Psychol Sci . Published online August 2005:200-203. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0963-7214.2005.00364.x
• 5. Brummelman E, Crocker J, Bushman BJ. The Praise Paradox: When and Why Praise Backfires in Children With Low Self‐Esteem. Child Dev Perspectives . Published online March 3, 2016:111-115. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12171

Disclaimer: The content of this article is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for medical concerns.