{"id":38448,"date":"2022-11-25T12:17:32","date_gmt":"2022-11-25T12:17:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/potentialplusuk.org\/?p=38448"},"modified":"2024-12-02T14:55:12","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T14:55:12","slug":"arjuns-story-i-dont-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/potentialplusuk.org\/index.php\/2022\/11\/25\/arjuns-story-i-dont-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Arjun\u2019s Story \u2013 \u201cI Don\u2019t Know!\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Arjun’s Story” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30|text_align:center|color:%23af1c63″ use_theme_fonts=”yes”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Arjun is a bright child but lacks confidence in his abilities, is a perfectionist, hates to be put on the spot and to be challenged outside of his comfort zone. \u00a0Discover more about how his parents and school helped him. <\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Six-year-old Arjun* loves his activities. He enjoys trampolining, Beavers and has a slight obsession with drawing comic strips and reading the Beano. Arjun has very good social skills and a close group of friends.<\/p>\n

He attends a state primary school. His class teacher says he is a friendly and well-behaved child, with a good attitude to his work. However, Arjun lacks confidence in his abilities, hates to be put on the spot and doesn\u2019t like to be challenged outside of his comfort zone. When faced with new experiences in class or being asked about his work, his automatic response is \u201cI don\u2019t know\u201d or \u201cI\u2019m not sure\u201d.<\/p>\n

Arjun takes a long time to complete some tasks, particularly writing, although the school isn\u2019t concerned about his handwriting itself. School have spotted his potential but when they offered Arjun the chance to do differentiated work in maths outside the classroom, he became so upset at the thought of being separated from his classmates that they couldn\u2019t go ahead.<\/p>\n

His parents are worried about Arjun\u2019s lack of confidence and underachievement and how much he runs away from anything that could challenge or stretch him.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Potential Plus UK’s Advice” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:28|text_align:left|color:%23af1c63″ use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1669135680174{padding-top: 0px !important;}”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Arjun had an educational assessment which placed him in the top 1% of the population for his age, however, the assessor also observed that Arjun has strong perfectionist traits, which were probably holding him back.<\/p>\n

The Power of the Word \u2018Yet\u2019<\/span><\/h3>\n

Many children with high learning potential struggle with perfectionism. They often see the bigger picture and in much more depth than their age peers, They feel that they should be able to work at the same level as older children or adults, without understanding that physical characteristics like gross or fine motor skills, executive function skills like being able to plan and juggle tasks, and emotional maturity, haven\u2019t yet developed enough for them to do this. That they can\u2019t Yet do something. When a child\u2019s advanced ability is noticed, praised and creates a certain expectation of achievement, a child with high learning potential may develop a misconception of their abilities and a fear of letting people down. When their ability and their self-belief is challenged it can lead them to freeze and eventually to avoid challenges which create that feeling of discomfort.<\/p>\n

Arjun is struggling at the thought of trying anything which he can\u2019t do perfectly. He needs to \u00a0accept that it is alright not to be perfect, build resilience and understand his abilities better. He needs to embrace challenge instead of fearing it and to understand that it is alright to not be able to do something yet. That it is alright to fail. \u201cFailure is Success in Progress\u201d – Einstein<\/em><\/p>\n

Help Arjun to Build his Self-Esteem and Overcome his Fear of Challenge <\/span><\/h3>\n