The Unmotivated Child: Helping Your Underachiever Become a Successful Student

By Natalie Rathvon

Book Overview

Natalie Rathvon solves the mystery of underachievement in children by looking beneath the child's surface behavior.

She discloses the beliefs that influence an underachiever's attitude and actions and pinpoints the warning signs to watch for in elementary, middle, and high school students. The Unmotivated Child focuses on the roots of underachievement, the world of the underachiever, and pathways to achievement. By explaining in detail how parents and teachers can help a child live up to his or her potential, Rathvon offers solutions to problems, including guidelines for supporting the students through the change process, including dealing with setbacks, seven strategies for overcoming the "homework trap"--from helping children work effectively at home to making sure they bring their work to school, eight practical techniques for working with teachers to encourage a new approach to learning and school behavior, and five methods for communicating constructively with an underachiever.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684803062
• ISBN13: 9780684803067
• Release Date: November 1996
• Publisher: Touchstone Books
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Excellent resource

This book is a very good resource for parents of underachievers, former underachievers, and anyone who wants to understand the success of their child. Having read other reviews by readers discounting this book and discounting human psychology itself, I was compelled to write my own review. No one blames parents, especially Dr. Rathvon they do the best they can with what they've got; mental resources specifically. This book is for anyone who knows that their child is capable of so much more. It is never too late to fix, polish, and fine tune a learning mind. Every student has the ability to achieve.

The Unmotivated Child

As a mental health therapist, I found this book to be a wonderful tool to use with frustrated parents. Does a great job of addressing those children who fall between the cracks--no obvious problem behind their repeated failures and nothing seems to motivate them.

The Truth Hurts--But How to Start the Mending

I have discovered I am not alone! We see many children already giving up in elementary school. This book made me realize we need to address this situation, because it's not going to go away. THe basic need to be affirmed as a valued part of life is an understatement. We as parents and teachers, need to take into account how important it is to give the necessary time it takes to just listen to our kids. As a classroom teacher, it is helpful to be reminded that the children are often misbehaving out of frustration. "Don't take it personally" takes on a clearer meaning. We as parents will probably see traits we don't like in ourselves. When the authors says, "We're going to have to change" that smacked me in between the eyes! Keep reading! Of course the children are to take responsibility for their actions. THis book gives good advice. Please remember though: Parents have a MAJOR impact on their children. We may be with them more waking hours, but what the parents' relationship is far more important than ANY outsider's relationship.

An excellent resource guide!

I found myself reading about my own very bright underachieving son. It was like she was living in our home. We are working on the homework trap and how to get out of it. I hope it works!

An excellent resource!

I found Rathvon's work to be *the* key factor in helping me, not only to identify why my bright adolescent son was underachieving in school, but also in helping me to remedy this situation. Fortunately, the outcome in our case was successful. I remain most grateful to the author.