You know how an Indian wedding happens these days. It is a minimum three -day celebration. So, the whole family was gearing up for the sangeet. Though the dance videos were shared in the family Whatsapp group, the practice started only when everyone came together. Since many of them were living abroad, they were not familiar with Bollywood dance. I could see some of them trying hard to dance and frustration writ large on their face. They were on the point of giving up, when the youngsters joined together and broke it up into smaller steps and made it easier for them to dance.
That was when I was thinking how easily we give up in so many aspects of life. If teachers can break the difficult tasks into smaller tasks, help students to learn bigger concepts by breaking it into smaller units, no child will fail. Children get overwhelmed and intimidated when they see something that is seemingly tough.
Instead of frightening them, all that we need to do is, reassure them and build their confidence by constantly telling them that they can do it. We need to be persuasive.
When both our schools went in for accreditation, we had a consultant, who trained all of us and prepared the school for a transformation. Initially we had no clue about the journey. She would talk about the various processes, and when she was done with it, we would look at each other, as if we were asking each other, “Hey! Did you understand?” And we would give a smile, as if to say, I understood nothing. But she would end every session by saying, “That’s all ma.” That became a joke amongst us.
But sure enough, our faith in her kept our spirits high. Not once did we feel that we cannot do it. That is the reassurance she gave us by saying again and again,” That’s all ma.”
Today, we have set high standards for ourselves by scoring well in the annual
surveillance, year after year, and we are also being bench-marked. It is all
because one lady kept telling us that it is not as tough as we think it is. And
sure enough, the belief was built in all of us that we can do it.
Are we instilling that faith in our children that they can do it? Be it in sports, performing arts, academics, or in their profession. They all need that one person who can motivate them to chase their goal relentlessly. Giving up is easy, but going up needs a lot of perseverance.
“Every child deserves a champion:
an adult who will never give up
on them, who understands the
power of connection and insists
that they become the best they
can possibly be.”
Never give up on any child. Every parent and every teacher must stand
firmly behind every child like a rock of Gibraltar and give them the
much-needed strength, when they feel weak.
I also wish to say that no matter who discourages you, you need to believe that you are good enough, you are a champion material, you have great potential to reach for the stars. Can you hear your voice saying, “Keep going, keep growing?” So, never give up on yourself.
“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.”- Robert the Bruce
#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting
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