You sit in the back of the classroom, your history textbook open in front of you. It’s packed with stories of wars, revolutions, and ancient empires. You love to read them—they transport you to other times, other worlds. But despite your fascination, the dates and names seem to vanish from your mind the moment you try to pin them down for a test.

The bell rings, and Mr. Nate enters, giving you a hard look as he sets a stack of graded papers on his desk. You know what’s coming. He’s been frustrated with you for weeks, and the last test was just… awful. The grade scrawled on your paper practically glows red from your desk.

“You know, if you spent as much time studying as you do daydreaming, maybe your grades would look a little better,” Mr. Nate says, frowning at you. You shrink in your seat, glancing down at your paper, ashamed but also frustrated. You know you’re not lazy. You’ve spent hours going over the chapters, trying to memorize key events and their causes. But the moment you face a blank test page, everything you read just slips away.

You want to explain, but he’s already moved on to the next student, tapping their paper with a congratulatory smile. You feel a pang of envy. He always praises the ones who can ace his tests, but the harder you try, the worse your grades seem to get.

After class, you stay behind, and Mr. Nate notices. He sighs, pushing his glasses up as he looks at you.

“Look,” he says, softening a little, “you’re smart. I can see it in your essays. But the way you approach studying—it’s not working. I think you’re not giving it enough focus.”