Doing Poorly on Purpose: Strategies to Reverse Underachievement and Respect Student Dignity

With Doing Poorly on Purpose, veteran educator James R. Delisle dispels the negative associations and stereotypes connected to underachievement. By focusing on smart kids who get poor grades not because they're unable to do better in school but because they don't want to Delisle presents a snapshot of underachievement that may look far different from what you envision it to be.

There is no such thing as a "classic underachiever." Students (and their reasons for underachieving) are influenced by a wide range of factors, including self-image, self-concept, social-emotional relationships, and the amount of dignity teachers afford their students.

Helping "smart" students achieve when they don't want to is not an easy task, but you can reengage and inspire students using Delisle's insights and practical advice on these topics:

• Autonomy
• Access
• Advocacy
• Alternatives
• Aspirations
• Approachable Educators

Smart, underachieving students need the reassurance that they are capable, valuable, and worth listening to despite their low academic performance. If these students who are otherwise academically capable don't feel they are getting respect from those in charge of their learning, then the desire to conform and achieve is minimized.

In a word, they want dignity. Don't we all?

This book is a joint publication of ASCD and Free Spirit Publishing.

Dr. James (Jim) Delisle has taught gifted children and those who work on their behalf for more than 39 years. Jim retired from Kent State University in 2008 after 25 years of service there as a distinguished professor of special education. Throughout his career, Jim has taken time away from college teaching to return to his "classroom roots," volunteering as a 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 8th grade teacher in 1991, 1997, and 2006. Jim has also taught gifted middle school students one day a week between 1998 2008 in the Twinsburg, Ohio, public schools. For the past six years, Jim has worked part time with highly gifted 9th and 10th graders at the Scholars' Academy in Conway, South Carolina.