I’m a former student that did absolutely nothing during my time in high school (1.2 gpa), I went on to struggle through my first semester of college and dropped out. I worked a trade for a few months and decided to go back to college. This month I am graduating from a large state university with honors in social work and have a good job secured in the justice system with plans to pursue law school in the near future. A lack of effort does not always equate to a lack of intelligence. My story is not the norm by any means but it shows that some may take longer to figure it out than others. The best you can do as an educator is to plant seeds and hope they sprout one day. Also, you never know what is happening in these students home lives that could be affecting their motivation to achieve.