Hidden Hurdles: Ignore at Your Own Peril!

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Life isn’t always fair or equal in its treatment of people. We like to believe that everyone has the same shot at success. In fact our society spends a great deal of time extolling this perspective. But, in the back of our minds we understand that this just isn’t the case. We all journey through life with different challenges and hurdles to overcome, and for some those hurdles seem greater and more numerous than for others. For educators a foundational aspect of their classroom responsibilities speaks to the task of discovering and addressing these individualized challenges. At times, these learning challenges are commonly understood to impact academic achievement. In other instances students face life events and circumstances which may not be as easily identified or are not perceived as directly impacting academic capacity. In the end though these students are disadvantaged as they struggle to cope with hurdles often unseen or misunderstood. It is only with mindful attentiveness, experience, and the aid of other professionals that barriers to learning can be perceived and addressed.

Students of all ages enter their environments with different backgrounds, experiences, and resources in play. For some students these factors are a benefit and support their achievement. For others, they present yet another challenge in their quests to achieve. It is important to note that many of the issues noted below impact a wide variety of students within any given community.

For some families the issue at hand is an awareness of how the education system works and an ability to negotiate its intricacies. Knowing the in’s and outs, the rules, and other keys to success are vital. Without experience and  knowledge of our education marketplace, these families often are not aware of the rights and protections that their students are afforded. In addition, they may not be aware of resources that are available within the system to support their students needs (Brown, Cullen, Duyn, & McDowell, 2013).

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For other families, direct academic support of their students is problematic. In some cases this speaks to basic subject matter knowledge. In other cases it can mean knowing how to support study skills or provide insights from past experiences along the education journey. Without the benefit of effective mentoring, these students may have to go it alone in the competitive field of education, which can spell the difference between success and failure (Brown, Cullen, Duyn, & McDowell, 2013).

Environmental realities also deeply impact student success and failure. Issues such as travel and transportation, access to much needed technology, fast reliable internet services, high quality tutoring, outside academic supports, as well as access to a myriad of other academic resources must be considered. Students and their families who either don't have access to such resources, or who must expend significant effort and capital to obtain them are disadvantaged with hurdles often exceeding their capacity to negotiate them alone (Brown, Cullen, Duyn, & McDowell, 2013).

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A final area of consideration relates to issue of community. The family, neighborhood, and social circle which support the student. All students are deeply impacted and influenced by others in their support network. Often times supports can be positive and affirming, aiding efforts of the student. In other cases negative or mixed messages can encumber student efforts. The message may be that academic success holds little value for individuals in the community. Or it might be that academic success is interpreted as indication that the student is choosing to leave the community or thinks themselves superior to others in the group. In such instances students are confronted with unanticipated choices between those they love and value and potential future goals and achievements. To move forward can mean leaving behind friends, family, and community. To abandon academic ambitions translates into the safety, comfort, and acceptance of those important to their lives (Brown, Cullen, Duyn, & McDowell, 2013).

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Educators choosing to ignore the potential impacts of these and other hurdles run the risk of becoming hurdles themselves in the lives of their students. If that alone is not reason enough to mindfully address student hurdles. Educators risk making their jobs far more difficult by failing to address foundational issues which ultimately sabotage even the best of instructional applications.

Educators work in a world where life is often unfair with paths that are uneven and fraught with inequities for their students and communities. As such they must not only address those hurdles which readily present themselves. They must proactively and mindfully devote themselves to searching for hidden hurdles in the lives of their students.

ReferenceBrown, A., Cullen, N., Duyn, A., McDowell, T., (2013), Social class in family therapy education: Experiences of low SES students, Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, January 2013, 39, 1, pp.72-86, doi: 10.1111/j.1752-060.2011.00281.x, Retrieved 1/15/14