14/06/2026
10 REASONS WHY MANY STUDENTS DON'T DO WELL IN HIGH SCHOOL.
By Mr Sam VIDAMBU.
1. Lack of content retention techniques.
When your kid comes home with bad grades, you always ask them, 'Why have you dropped?'.
The child replies and says 'Mum, I don't know what my problem is, when teachers teach in class I always understand but when the exam comes I forget'. Your child has one problem, retention problem. For this problem to be solved, the student needs a proven academic mentor to take them through proper content retention techniques so that when the exam comes they can easily deliver.
2. Negative attitude.
A bad attitude can hinder personal growth, damage relationships and limit success. The only disability in life is bad attitude. The truth is, your attitude determines your altitude. A bad attitude is like a flat tyre, you can not go far until you change it.
3. Lack of reading cultures.
The student might want to create time to go through their books, but they find themselves sleeping, not because they like sleeping but because they lack the right reading cultures.
4. Home affairs.
Home affects school, that is the truth.
If home is not settled, the student can not settle well at school. If dad and mum are fighting daily, how can the student concentrate in class?
5. Lack of study habits.
Without study habits, it is difficult for a student to do well in class. Studying is a science, to understand this science a student needs to have the right skillsets and mindset. Study habits revolves around how a student conducts the personal study sessions.
6. Bad friends.
I am not a pastor but in the bible, in the book of 1st Corinthians 15:33, it says, 'Do not be misled, bad company corrupts good morals'.
The truth is, if an A student walks with five E students, after some time, the A student will start getting Es. You are the average of the five closest friends you associate yourself with. If an E student walks with five A students, soon, the E student will be getting As.
Hang around winners so that your wins don't sound like you are bragging.
7. Lack of revision techniques.
An A student has reading cultures, study habits and revision techniques.
Truth is, most students don't know the difference between reading, studying and revising. Revision is about how a student studies their topics in an organised manner without ignoring some.
The A student with the right revision techniques knows that not everything will come in KCSE but anything can come in KCSE.
8. Lack of support from parent/guardian.
Truth be told, some parents don't care about their children so long as they are in school.
Imagine a parent does not have the phone number of the class teacher of their child. To make it even worse, the parent does not know the name of the class teacher of their child. To many parents, their role is just to pay school fees and the teachers will perform miracles so that their kids can get As and go to do medicine in the university. It doesn't work like that, this thing needs support from everyone.
9. Sitting position in class.
My advice to students is, if you know you are not doing well in class, ensure you are sitted among the first three rows in class. The reason is, you will not be tempted to doze off or speak to your friend when teachers teach. You will be alert because you will be worried the teacher can ask you a question anytime. All the students can not sit infront, I know that, in a class there will always be some who sit at the back. The class teacher should always rotate the sitting arrangement. The people who don't like me will comment and say, 'I was a backbencher but I passed my exams'. Everyone might not be as sharp as you were. This article is to help those who are not doing well to start doing well. If you do what you've always done, you will get what you've always gotten. To get the results that you've never gotten, you must do things that you've never done.
Remember, if nothing changes, nothing changes.
10. Lack of a personal timetable.
Many high school students don't have a working personal timetable, the few who have don't follow them.
A timetable for a student is like Air traffic controller for the airport.
In The Vidambu's Timetable, it is clearly stipulated how to study, when to study, 10 reading cultures, 10 study habits, 10 revision techniques and the 15 rules for making a working, practical and proven timetable.
By Mr Sam VIDAMBU (0743 480435).
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To God Be The Glory.
Vidambu is a professional academic mentor with over 5,500 high schools in Kenya running his academic programs.
His Academic Mentorship Programs are about content mastery skills, content retention techniques, content delivery approaches, proper revision strategies, proven reading cultures, practical study habits, instensive revision tactics, sustainable academic systemes, discipline, among other great topics.
He is a Trainer of Principals during KESSHA conferences and teachers.
He is the President of Global Student Mentorship Center, He is an author, and a Tutor.
To Have Vidambu launch the Candidates Academic Mentorship Programs in your school and be a Class Mentor kindly call/text/whatsapp 0743480435 (Sam Vidambu).
He has physical individualised holiday programs. To mentor your child on discipline and academic excellence whatsapp him 0743 480435.
Kindly Forward This Article To Whatsapp Groups of the Teachers, Parents and All The Principals you know.
To Be Added To His Whatsapp Group Full of Principals and Teachers To Receive His Mentorship First Before Anyone Else Kindly Whatsapp His Number (0743480435).
You Are Blessed.
