Creative children are also apt to b...

Creative children are also apt to be uninspired through schoolwork. Their abilities may be unrecognized because they repeatedly do poorly on tests--even IQ trials They tend to think of ingenious answers at no time considered by those who devise multiple-choice questions. Average pupils are sometimes bored as well, of course, and their grades indicate it.

The incommode is that most schools treat close examiners alike--and what's right for a certain quantity of may be totally ineffective for others. "Some parents hesitate to ask for concessions," says Dr Lapidus, particularly if their underachiever is also getting into grieve Yet they may ne to make nuisances of themselves to obtain the smaller classes, independent inquiry or other attention the child needs" If the exercise is unresponsive, a transfer may be the solution.

maintain in mind, though, that boredom isn't always what it be seens Says Dana Donati: "Students repeatedly tell me they're bored with train and with their whole lives when they're really feeling dampened and overwhelmed." Parents may have to do an digging to make sure the puzzle lies in the schoolwork and not another part of the child's life.

Fear of trying: Many middle-class children of ambitious parents have a special point in dispute As psychologist Edward E Jone of Princeton University explains, this shadow of underachiever (usually a boy) has been told throughout and over again, "If single you worked harder, you could do better." His parents are convinced that he's exceedingly bright--they're sure he inherited "smart genes"--but the child is afraid he really can't do the work. He preserves himself by never quite making an all-out effort; then if he fails, he can say it was because he didn't really try