The Disintegrating Student: Super Smart & Falling Apart

by Jeannine Jannot

“But you’ve never had trouble with school—what happened?”In The Disintegrating Student, Jeannine Jannot, Ph.D. explores an increasingly common phenomenon: bright, successful students who suddenly hit a wall, with falling grades, scattered work, and emotional upheaval. In this engaging and easy-to-read book, Dr. Jannot explains why your super-smart student is falling apart, and what you can do about it. Drawing on her decades of experience as a school psychologist, mother of three, adjunct instructor of psychology, and student coach, Dr. Jannot covers the developmental and cultural influences that cause today’s students to feel overwhelmed and stressed out, how this affects them academically and emotionally, and why they often don’t ask for help. Dr. Jannot identifies the skill deficits and counterproductive behaviors common to disintegrating students, and provides 77 Tips to be Productive and Well that will help struggling students get back on track to achieving their full potential. The Disintegrating Student teaches you how to help your child embrace what’s going right, address what’s going wrong, and develop the skills they need for success in school, and in life.

“I truly believe that when parents and students have the right information and tools to support growth, the outcome will always be positive. I’ve seen it time and time again.”

Praise from readers of The Disintegrating Student:

“Bravo! Dr. Jannot has written an incredible resource for families who are truly struggling to navigate raising children in our fast paced, highly demanding modern world. The Disintegrating Student provides practical tools and easy to understand tips guiding parents in how to reconnect with and develop essential executive functioning skills in their children. I am excited to be able to reference this to families who I see struggling everyday with these issues in my private practice.” Lisa Reid, LCSW, Essential Connections

“If you’re looking for real understanding into why your student might be struggling, that answer likely won’t be found in a list of tips or short blog post, but it can be found in The Disintegrating Student! Dr. Jannot manages to succinctly explain the pressures of societal expectations, teenage brain development, and the psychology of parenting styles and motivation in a way that helps create a full picture of what may be happening for your child, how to help overcome those obstacles, and maybe even adjust your own expectations without feeling like you’re giving in. ‘Successful’ students are more than just good grades, and this book is a literal primer for creating a strong foundation for success.” Krista Smith, Organizational Psychologist and mother of three (16, 14, and 10)


“The Disintegrating Student will quickly become an essential guide for every student and parent working to survive and thrive in the current education environment." – Carolyn Lambert, Parent Coach, Nathan’s Waypoint

"The Disintegrating Student is a concise and extremely helpful synopsis of everything that we wish was in a parenting handbook. It's like having coffee with your best friend - your best friend who has all the answers."

“From the first paragraph, I knew you were describing our child. Almost every other page I had to call my wife and tell her she has to read this book!”

“In my opinion, The Disintegrating Student is not just for people with high school students, I would recommend this book to people with rising 6th graders or earlier.

Genres: Nonfiction, Education, Parenting, Audiobook, Self Help, Teaching

202 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2019

About the author

Jeannine Jannot is an acclaimed author and speaker known for her insightful and practical approaches to student success and well-being.

With years of experience as a school psychologist, college instructor, and academic coach, Jeannine's work empowers students and parents to navigate the educational journey with confidence and resilience. Her popular book, "The Disintegrating Student: Struggling But Smart, Falling Apart, and How to Turn It Around," has helped countless families find balance and achieve academic success.

Be sure to subscribe to her monthly "Some Thoughts" newsletter, follow her here, on BookBub, and connect with her on social media for the latest updates on her work, valuable resources, and more tips on achieving educational excellence!

BookBub.com/authors/jeannine-jannot
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Twitter.com/jeannine_jannot
Facebook.com/authorjjannot
Linkedin.com/in/jeanninejannot/

Reviews

[Hugh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of disappointed by this one. I started out really liking it - the author uses brain science to articulate how things like procrastination and last-minute-panic are actually received as positives by the developing mind, how peer pressure undermines the will of smart kids, and more. It was very compelling, and I wanted to know more.

Then I noticed there were no notes or sources included with the book. There's a 'recommended reading' section at the end with lots of good books cited, but many are the pop-psychology type which adds another layer between the reader and the data. I love Cal Newport and Dan Pink, but they're no replacement for primary sources.

The next few chapters are titled 'Cultural Influences' and 'Parental Influences', and consist of a wealth of anecdotes that blame everything from the concept of 'adulting' (to which the author assigns all kinds of unearned weight), participation awards in youth sports, standardized testing, and overbearing parenting for the problems that plague the youth of today. While there is surely some wisdom in there, there isn't a study, statistic or reference to support any of it.

Those two chapters make up the bulk of the narrative of the book. The last 50 pages is a list of 77 tips to be productive and well. This section is worth a skim, but is supposed to be geared to students themselves - your mileage may vary, but nothing in here came off as novel.

It also struck me as weird that the author keeps suggesting that kids that are earning "low b's" in school are underachieving. By that metric, we're all terrible parents, and our kids are basically doomed.

Maybe my expectations weren't aligned with the goals of the book. Maybe I'm such a parenting ninja that I'm miles ahead of all you schmoes (extremely unlikely). Either way, to me this just didn't deliver either the science or the art promised by the title.

It was fine! But I was hoping for more.

[kat pattillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a high school student, this book meant a lot by showing my experience as a teenager in an academic setting. "The disintegrating student" is the perfect term to describe not only myself, but so many of my friends and peers that also go through the intense pressure in school that's become our norm. I think this is a super important book for both parents and kids, and I feel like a lot of students would be better off if their parents/teachers read it and took the advice Jannot gives!! It's a fantastic, new perspective on seemingly "unmotivated" kids.

[Yulianet Garrido · Rating 5 out of 5]

A MUST READ for all parents. EXCELLENT!

[LeeAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good parenting advice, but also useful reading for teachers.

I highlighted and underlined so many passages that I found apt as a teacher. The author addresses the WHY, not just the WHAT TO DO that usually is the modus operandi of teacher p.d. workshops.

For example, she writes, "Changes in the norms of parenting and changes in our education system contributed to an entire generation of anxious, insecure, stress-out kids." (47) Jannot continues, "The idea was that if children feel good about themselves, they will succeed in life. If we told them they were special, they would be"; however, " It didn't make children feel more secure, confident, capable, and happy. It had the exact opposite effect and made them feel insecure, uncertain, helpless, and unhappy." (52)

The author doesn't just offer tips and tricks. She gives teachers and parents background information and support, inviting us to help students "develop their self control, take responsibility for their actions, learn from their mistakes, and fell a sense of self-confidence and self-efficacy that are crucial to becoming responsible humans." (97) Ultimately, Jannot concludes, "It's much more effective to offer specific strategies, discuss the brain science involved, and provide supporting information that's directly related to specific challenges the student is facing," (123) followed by some practical tips, adding: "Meet them where they are, not where you think they should be or want them to be. Trust that they will get there in their own time, and help them along the way." (126)

"It's important to understand that these situations are as distressing for teenagers as they are for the adults around them, maybe even more so." (18)

[meant to teach (Sarah) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently completed the e-ARC version of this text. I found it to be interesting , informative, and practical for two major platforms in my life: parenting and teaching. Jannot’s focus on why formally good students are balking at challenge in the latter years of the education offers a perspective on the commonly known struggles facing learners today. She discusses both biological and social reasoning for the lack of resiliency within “disintegrating” learners. She then provides clear strategies for parents, educators, and students to use to help form more meaningful connections, develop more appropriate life skills, and cultivate a growth mindset. I appreciated the practicality of this book and found it to be a quick and enjoyable read.

[Kellie Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Jannot's insight, clarity and straight-forward advice is exactly what every parent needs to hear. There is zero judgement and 100% authenticity with a side of reality that makes you feel supported, acknowledged and heard all at the same time—both as a parent and a student.

Her true understanding of students and solid explanations of why they do what they do, are the runway lights that we as parents need to help guide our kids safely into adulthood.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm glad I read this. The beginning and end were great- the middle I found kind of muddled and at times redundant and at others random. But the ending- the 77 tips? I am trying to figure out how to get my teenager to read it, because the information and advice there is gold. 3 stars because it's not necessarily enjoyable reading, but it is valuable.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for a professional development book talk, and it was very hit or miss. A lot felt like common sense (especially those "77 tips" at the end) but I enjoyed the parts about the adolescent brain, psychology, and how parenting culture has changed in the past 30 years. This would bea great read for the parent of a gifted high school student, but felt simplistic for a teacher.

[Cindy Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a phenomenal resource for parents of overachievers. It is so digestible, you can read it in a weekend. A great combination of research-based info and anecdotes. I am a parent and teen coach and recommend it to all of my parents of kids who are super smart and falling apart.

[R.Z. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be read by every parent and teen

Practical advice that you will value and want to pass on. Not your usual parenting book. This one really has much to tell everyone who is now or was once a parent of young teenagers.

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really helped me to understand some of the struggles my daughter has been having in school. I only wish I read it way before now. If you have kids in school who are stressed and struggling— Read this book!!

[Marie Fairchild · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a former overachiever myself, I can tell you that most, if not all, of this stuff is completely accurate. This book is everything I wish my parents knew about being an overachiever when I was younger.

[Sudheer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reads kinda like a pop psych book. I'd have liked some references to some research or even meta studies of research. I also think that despite talking about how the system is broken, her solutions don't target the system as much.

[Carol & Russell]

It was very hard to put down

[Ben Tibbals · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, concise information and strategies to help parents and their tweens/teens navigate school and life. Highly recommend.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most helpful section of this book is the last chapter, which lists out practical things your student can change. Otherwise, it was overly wordy.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

You need to read this book if you have kids in school.

[James F · Rating 3 out of 5]

more parent advice than the teacher advice I expected, but useful advice

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2

[Michelle Castaneda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Disintegrating Student: Struggling But Smart, Falling Apart, and How to Turn It Around by Jeannine Jannot is a valuable book for all parents to read. I love the author's approach to this topic. There are so many tangible suggestions in this book, things parents and students can embrace right away for students' benefit. As children progress in middle and high school, this book is absolutely invaluable. I highly recommend it, both as a parent and as an educator. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeannine Jannot, Ph.D. has worked as a school psychologist, a psychology professor, and an academic coach. In The Disintegrating Student, she holds the hands of parents with formerly stellar students who’ve started to fall apart. Rather than immediately dispensing her “77 Tips to Be Productive and Well,” Jannot takes a back-to-basics approach, walking through common parenting missteps and the science of how each good intention backfires: being permissive, controlling, overprotective, enabling, and more. Cultural forces—including kidnapping fears, the movement to boost self-esteem, an emphasis on testing, and hyperconnectivity—also contribute to students melting down when they hit a “rigor tipping point.” In other words, they can swing academic success despite skill deficits and counterproductive habits, but only temporarily. At some point, students will need to rethink how they approach organization, time management, studying, mindset, stress, sleep, and screens.

Jannot wants parents to understand how one’s self-concept is impacted “when smart kids start getting bad grades,” and why disintegrating students “will often reject well-intentioned offers of assistance,” even going so far as to create a “decoy explanation for their declining performance.” Importantly, she calls out perfectionism (“Students most at risk of disintegration tend to experience or perceive pressure coming from everyone, everywhere, all the time”) and negative attribution (“The inner monologue of a disintegrating student often defaults to negative explanations for events and outcomes—‘I’m stupid, everyone is stupid, everything is stupid’”). Kids need early experience with autonomy and failure, she concludes, in addition to our undivided attention, active listening, empathy, acknowledging the good, knowing our triggers, and being vulnerable. Oh, and our patience:

“The chemical reaction caused by [the fight or flight response] normally lasts about 90 seconds…. In practical terms, this means that when you and your child are having an intense emotional reaction to something, responding within the first 90 seconds is a bad idea.”

The ask of parents is both complicated—with loads of best practices and common pitfalls to consider—and simple: “[M]aintain a positive attitude and be more tolerant of normal adolescent behaviors.”

Only after parents have been duly coached does Jannot turn to the 77 practical tips these kids need, including “declutter” and “start something, anything.” (“Once you’ve started the term paper, your brain is going to keep working on it subconsciously,” she explains. “You’ve started an open loop in your brain … and your brain will be itching to close that loop by completing it.”) From as general as “monotask” to as specific as choosing between one of four note taking strategies, Jannot hits many of the essential bases. Remember that stress response? She says it can work for your kid: “Instead of being scared that you’re going to fail a test, be excited to take it and grateful that your body is giving you the energy you need to perform at your best.” In a similar line of thought she asks students to picture two people in line for a roller coaster. One is scared and one is excited. “The fascinating thing is that the people feeling excitement and the people feeling fear will all be experiencing similar physical effects like a rapid heart rate, sweating, and butterflies in their stomachs.” Moral of the story? “There’s a fine line between excitement and fear, and that line is drawn by your thought processes.”

I would have liked to see issues of race and gender raised, particularly the concept of stereotype threat. Not acknowledging the various forms of disadvantage and trauma that can derail a child’s academic performance is a decision that will, either intentionally or accidentally, limit the book’s audience.

Still, Jannot offers much of value. If caregivers and students try the strategies, and stick with them long enough to give them a chance to work, she assures, “struggling students [can] get back on their feet and back on track stronger than ever.”

*This review was originally published by the Golden Gate Mothers Group Magazine and ran on readymommy.wordpress.com.*

[Natalie White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jannot's "Disintegrating Student" is full of practical tips and tools for helping teens remain engaged, productive students and young adults. Her anecdotes provide background for each chapter and she offers a fresh perspective to parents and teachers alike.

**I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[Timothy Barr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was granted a free copy of this text in exchange for an honest review by Netgalley. This was a good book for the 21st century educator to read. We must save our students before it is too late.