“Why work so hard in school if I won’t succeed anyway?”

“Being good in school won’t get me liked or respected.”

“Who cares about grades?”

Overweight teens sometimes struggle in school. Decreased interest in school can emerge when hopelessness and frustration and anger form a dark cloud over your child. Frequently, hopelessness and frustration about the weight combine with anger and resentment toward those who tease them or make seemingly subtle “put down” remarks.

Few overweight teens are able to rationalize their way through these unpleasant emotions. In general, teens aren’t great at putting things in perspective and envisioning the future – i.e., the importance of school. For overweight teens, these powerful emotions can make that future seem especially blurry. Too often, academic progress suffers as a result.

Healthy and substantial weight loss can restore hope, self-respect, and improve visual acuity for the future. Also, an academic program that takes the focus off the weight – such as Wellspring Academies (formerly Academy of the Sierras) – can improve social acceptance, self-acceptance, and begin to rebuild a positive attitude to being at school. These changes spark remarkable improvements in schoolwork, particularly in a small school setting in which individualized educational plans are established and easily updated as the student’s progress accelerates.