Back when I was in high school, I was afraid to write personal essays in English incase my parents found them and ridiculed me or punished me. So my performance went down. My teachers wrongly branded me lazy. I sometimes did not proof read my work because I would probably have tore it up and put it in the waste paper bin, if it gave away something too personal. When your parents threaten to throw you out unless you heed every single warning they say and abide by every rule they impose on you, there is no other choice than to not apply oneself, and do enough to pass and not shine
Or bring too much attention to oneself.