The Privilege of Focus: Why Some Students Can’t Just “Try Harder”

We’ve all said it — or at least thought it.

“If they could just focus a little more…”

We want our students to thrive. We see their potential. And when they drift, procrastinate, or check out, we feel frustrated, because we know what focus can unlock.

And yet, when we widen the lens, we see that the ability to focus is rarely just about willpower. It’s also about what the nervous system has capacity for in that moment.

Focus does help students rise. But focus is easier to sustain when basic safety and stability are in place. When a student doesn’t feel safe — physically, emotionally, financially, or socially, the body may devote enormous energy to managing threat or uncertainty. That’s not a lack of motivation; it’s biology doing its job.

We might say that safety promotes the ability to focus. It doesn’t replace effort; it supports it.

As educators and mentors, we can hold both truths. We can value focus and stay curious about what makes it difficult. When a student struggles to pay attention, instead of asking, “Why can’t they focus?” we might ask,

• “What’s competing for their attention right now?”

• “What would help them feel safe enough to settle?”

• “What kind of support might restore the capacity to focus?”

This shift doesn’t excuse distraction; it places it in context. It reminds us that attention isn’t only a cognitive skill, it’s an emergent state of the nervous system.

When we treat focus as something to cultivate rather than command, we create classrooms and studios where learning feels possible again, for our students, and for ourselves.