As a parent, educator, instructional designer, and entrepreneur, there is a question I find myself wrestling with more and more.
What do we do when a child's strengths and the school's expectations seem to be pulling in different directions?
One of my sons has ADHD.
Like many students, he struggles with focus, organization, handwriting, spelling, and traditional academic tasks.
School is hard for him.
Yet when I watch him outside of school, I see something entirely different.
I see creativity.
I see persistence.
I see curiosity.
I see a child who can spend hours learning new technology, building digital worlds, creating content, experimenting with AI tools, and solving problems that interest him.
The contrast leaves me wondering:
What exactly should I be investing our time in?
Should I spend every evening helping him improve the skills he struggles with?
Or should I spend more time helping him develop the strengths that seem to come naturally?
As educators and parents, we often assume the answer is obvious.
Find the weakness.
Fix the weakness.
Close the gap.
But I wonder if that approach deserves a second look.
Especially now.
Artificial intelligence is changing what is possible.
Technology is reducing barriers to creation.
Many of the skills that once required years of technical training are becoming increasingly accessible.
At the same time, creativity, problem-solving, initiative, and adaptability may be becoming more valuable than ever.
If that's true, then where should we focus our energy?
Helping students become better at what they struggle with?
Or helping them become exceptional at what they already do well?
I don't know the answer.
What I do know is that many students spend years being reminded of what they can't do.
And I worry about what happens when they never get the opportunity to discover what they can.
Perhaps the goal is not choosing between strengths and weaknesses.
Perhaps the goal is helping students build competence while also recognizing and developing their unique gifts.
Because the future may not belong to students who are equally good at everything.
It may belong to students who understand their strengths, leverage available tools, and use them to create something meaningful.
I'm curious what other parents and educators think.
How do you balance helping students overcome challenges while also helping them develop the strengths that make them unique?
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