Case Study, Chapter 2- Why FUMA?

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Please remember that this case study is offered in three parts- chapters 1-3. This is Chapter 2. If you haven't yet read chapter 1, please do so before proceeding. This chapter is entitled- "Why FUMA?" So you're faced with this dilemma that won't go away by itself. In fact, left unchecked it will only get worse. What can you do about your son's school struggles? When all the cards are on the table, both you and he recognize that his freshman year left much to be desired, and neither of you are satisfied. At this point it is vital that you (as the parent) recognize an important underlying issue here. Although both you and your son acknowledge the gap between his abilities (what he could have done) and his achievement (what he did) last year, the reactions that emanate from each of you will more than likely be worlds apart. For you, words like "disappointed", "saddened", and "concerned" will mark your mindset. For him however, the words will more than likely include "frustrated", "angry", or "indifferent", and your response to what you see will be the key to his future. Here's my strong advice- don't be fooled by his response to the situation if you see his attitude deteriorating. In his heart, your son wants to succeed. In fact, if he's like most young men, he wants to do more than succeed- he wants to win- to be number one! We know that most of us won't be number one, but the only way we can be satisfied with not winning is by being offered a fair shot at success and doing our best. When we are given a fair shot to reach our goals and hold nothing behind in our efforts, we can still fall short. But we can hold our heads high regardless of the outcome. The problem is that for your son, it's possible that he actually didn't have a fair shot, which led to his learned response of not giving it his best effort. An enabling school environment and individual student effort are necessary bedfellows in academic settings. One without the other always leads to frustration. The key to student success at Fork Union Military Academy cannot be attributed to any singular thing- but rather to the overall learning and living environment that the Academy offers. So how is FUMA's environment different from, well, all other school environments? Read on.