When your teachers tell you that you are weak…

Does a school report really show the whole person?

‘Too weak.’ ‘Too small.’ ‘Not good enough.’ What happens when a child not only hears these words but eventually comes to believe them?

‘When your teachers tell you that you are weak…’ questions early judgements. Drawing on sport and other areas of life, it turns attention towards abilities that can easily disappear behind a single assessment.

For parents, coaches and young players, this is an invitation to look more closely. Which strength has been overlooked? Which weakness has been exaggerated? A person does not have to be good at everything to have something worth developing.

How often have you heard that you must study hard and get good grades to succeed, because success is only for “clever” people? Children whose names appear on an honours list are predicted a great future. But what about those who are not on that list? What about children with lower grades whose teachers call them lazy, average or weak? Such statements can seriously damage confidence and hinder the development of individual strengths.

One interesting example is William Shockley, Nobel laureate and inventor of the transistor. As a child, he took part in an experiment in which a group of children took an IQ test. Researchers recorded the names of those with the highest scores and followed their development. The aim was to demonstrate that high IQ determines success in life. William was not among the “chosen” children. Yet he later received physics’ highest honour: the Nobel Prize.

And how did teachers remember Lionel Messi? As a shy, lazy pupil with little willingness to learn and few useful skills. Believing that assessment would make it difficult to explain how he became one of the world’s best footballers, a role model and a successful businessman. The problem was that teachers considered only school performance and drew broader conclusions. Perhaps Leo was not good at French and did little about it — but that did not make him “lazy”. In football, he became a fireball. He focused on what excited him and became a master of it. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses; the task is to identify and develop those strengths.

Did you know that Albert Einstein was initially rejected by the Polytechnic because of poor performance in the humanities? His parents were worried because he began speaking very late. They encouraged him to think in pictures, and that very ability later enabled him to develop relativity through thought experiments. “Einstein syndrome”, a term coined by Thomas Sowell, describes especially intelligent people who begin speaking late. Who would have thought that an apparent flaw could become an advantage?

Antoine Griezmann dreamed of becoming a professional footballer from childhood. Yet many coaches at French clubs rejected him because of his height. Too small, too thoughtful — no future in football. Had he believed them, he would not later have played for FC Barcelona or become part of France’s national team. Laurent Koscielny and Franck Ribéry were also once rejected because of their physical attributes. The coaches were wrong. But how many young talents have abandoned their dreams because of such misjudgements?

This article aims to show you that you do not have to be good at everything — and cannot be. Even geniuses had weaknesses. By concentrating on their strengths, however, they became experts. The aim is not to succeed at everything, but at what suits you. Think about what you most enjoy doing, whether sport, art or science. What others think about you is not what counts. Teachers, parents and coaches do not fully know your talents. They cannot predict your potential. Only one person can do that — you!