Messages we hear when we are young stick with us in many unexpected ways and are remembered when we least expect it.

Kids who have trouble in school are sometimes reacting to old messages from a parent, neighbor,
or other important adult.

Imagine how the messages below could keep a child from becoming a good student.

• “You’re just like your mother – a real goof-off in school.

• “Why are you being so dumb?”

• “I hated school, when I was young.”

• “Math is just not you’re thing.”

• “You can’t concentrate for more than three minutes; you’re such a daydreamer.”