I know many teachers and parents who are sometimes perplexed with the poor academic performance of their children in school. One issue that we recognize as we look at the neuroscience of the brain is that when students are in the lower part of their brains, their IQ, focus, decision-making abilities, sense of time and overall performance drops significantly. Often this is due to a number of fears that any given student may have in the classroom.

Below is the link to an article written by T. Scott Bledsoe and Janice Baskin. It raises awareness and sensitivity to the fears that may be going on today for our students in the classroom. They raise significant issues to be considered when presenting students with typical information that could be setting the stage for their performance in the classroom. See the full article at this link.

http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/strategies-for-addressing-student-fear-in-the-classroom/

Some very legitimate points have been made in this article that I think teachers should consider when attempting to help certain students who are struggling in their classroom. It may also be a consideration for parents who have concerns with either the behavior or academic performance of their children. Some of our students are facing intense performance anxiety or other fear-based factors that could be a key component to the challenges they face in school each day.

Articles like this help us to be attuned to and aware of some significant factors that can go on in the lives of our students.

Gerry Vassar, President/CEO, Lakeside Educational Network