In a classroom of 50, the speaker asked, “Who would like this hundred rupees note?” Hands started going up. He said, “I am going to give this to one of you but first, let me do this.” He proceeded to crumple the note.
He then asked, “Who still wants it?” Still the hands were up in the air. ‘Well’, he replied, “What if I do this?” And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. “Now who still wants it?” Still the hands went into the air.
“My friends you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money. You still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth a full hundred. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make, and the circumstances that come our way.”
“Do you know you are unique? Taking into consideration the past hundred years and in the future century, no one had or will have your fingerprints, your lip prints, your ear or toe prints. Your DNA is unique. Doctors have shown that the composition of your blood is peculiar to you. You are, in fact, a special individual with a capacity to achieve great things.”
“Do you remember at school, for example, thinking: ‘how can I do that’ whenever you were instructed to use new skill? Yet each time, after pushing yourself, you ‘discovered’ you had the ability – you even enjoyed it. Once accomplished you never forgot how to ride a bicycle, you had the ability. But you had to really draw on yourself as a child to overcome the inevitable falls. The secret is that this potential must be called upon. Those who give up, fail in their lives. This is known as ‘mind limitation’.”
“We feel we are worthless. But no matter what has happened, or what will happen you will never lose your value. You are special. Don’t ever forget it!”
Now, let’s go to another scene which must be familiar to most of the students:
1. Why can’t you be good for a change?
2. Why are you so selfish?
3. Why do you have to fight with everybody?
4. Why can’t you be like other children?
5. Why must you interrupt everybody?
6. Why can’t you keep your mouth shut once in a while?
7. Why are you so slow?
8. Why do you always rush?
9. Why must you be such a pest?
10. Why are you so disorganised?
11. Why are you such a busy body?
12. Why do you forget everything I tell you?
13. Why are you so stupid?
It is said 12,000 such negative suggestions and rebukes are confronted by child in a span of 15 years. This greatly affects the self-esteem, learning and other skills, thus hampering academic performance, in most of the cases.
Just remember, as the currency does not diminish in value despite being crumpled, stamped and thrown about, the human value never changes adversely despite several such shabby treatments.
Students should learn to overcome this problems, to become a winner!
Blame and guilt are cry baby words; let us get them out of our talk about education. Let us use the word ‘responsible’ and ‘commitment’.
