Learning, Like Chess, is Hard to Master Without the Proper Skills

“We were ecstatic when Emily graduated last year. We’d been so afraid that her lack of motivation in school would trump her desire to achieve her dream of becoming a lawyer. She’s such a bright student, but with the way things were going, we had begun to believe that our best expectation for her was a C average. We weren’t sure if her difficulty stemmed from her classes or herself…”

Those are the words of a parent in desperation. No parent ever wants to think that their son or daughter is incapable of excelling in school. Though there can be a variety of factors, there is one crucial question that many parents overlook when contemplating their teen’s dissatisfaction with school: have they been taught how to learn? This seems like such a ridiculous query, to which most parents would answer immediately, “Yes! Of course my teen possesses adequate learning skills. They are in high school!” Those same parents would be surprised to find that many teenagers have in fact never been formally taught how to study or prepare for an exam. Without these skills, they miss out on a wealth of potential and are so caught up with their immediate frustrations that they don’t realize how easy learning can be – with the right tools, of course.

Lack of learning skills has nothing to do with academic ability. Just as it is difficult to play chess without a prior knowledge of rules and possible strategies, a teenager will not instinctively know how to study without a little guidance. Some teens, after experiencing repeated defeat, develop self-destructing attitudes and an uninterested outlook on academia. They convince themselves that school is just not that important. Most parents would do anything to prevent this sort of apathy. Teenagers are endangering not just their academic futures with this attitude, but the potential direction of the rest of their lives.

The learning skills taught at SuperCamp are exactly what these students need to turn these self-defeating attitudes into those of positivity and excitement. It is amazing to watch a teen’s face light up when they experience an “aha!” moment of understanding something that had previously caused them frustration and confusion. The more a student practices and applies these new skills, the more “aha!” moments they experience, and the continued snowball effect is what brings joy and motivation back into their schoolwork.

When a teenager takes ownership of his or her own learning processes, the results can be astonishing. Learning, memorizing, studying, and testing all just become part of their own personal goal of self-betterment. With the help of proper learning skills and a positive attitude, teens can do anything they set their minds to.