Mediocrity



The boy is smart,super smart, but he doesn't realize it.   His school has been catering to the bottom kids and he has been able to well by breathing in the classroom.  Studying and homework has never been something he needed to do to shine in most classes as his teachers considered 80's good grades

Note that I said most of his classes.  While he catches on quickly in math, and grasps even the most difficult concepts, he needs to spend some extra time studying to get the 90's he is capable of.  He doesn't see the need for this and fluffs through.  He says math is not his subject.  This is far from the truth.  It is obvious to anyone watching him that he enjoys doing the math, he just doesn't enjoy it (or any school subject) enough to take time away from Facebook to practice.

There has been a lot in the media about the shortage of engineers and math and science people.  Low standards and poor instruction are the cause.  We've got to stop trying to make everyone the same.  There are countless students like this one who have been lost due to the mediocrity of education today.