Every Child is Special

The writer believes that a beautiful camaraderie makes life a wonderful journey.

Children are born with different talents, abilities and skills to help them survive the world when they grow up. Their unique personalities make them special in their own ways. Thus, it is crucial to understand that when these children go to school, no one is actually better than anyone else. As good and sensible citizens, we should not belittle and discriminate students who do not excel in examinations. Parents and teachers too should stop comparing one child with another. If this happens, the child will develop inferiority complex and it will kill his or her self-confidence. Clearly, this doesn’t help the child to polish their hidden potential buried inside.

With national public examinations just around the corner, UPSR, PT3, SPM and STPM candidates are struggling hard to reach the target set by the school. Remedial classes and academic camps are making students’ schedule packed just to ensure that they will score the maximum number of As in the examinations. In consequence, the pressure takes place and the fun in learning is slowly washed away. This is the reality the students need to face to satisfy every hoper and well-wisher.

            I remember watching “Taare Zameen Par”, a 2007 movie directed by a true talent Aamir Khan. It was about a dyslexic eight-year-old boy whom parents felt embarrassed as he flunked every test unlike his top-scoring elder brother. The parents failed to identify their younger child’s cognitive problems. He was then transferred to a boarding school just to meet an art teacher who managed to apply effective strategies to activate the boy’s intelligences. The teacher discovered that the boy was gifted with visual intelligence that allowed him to develop his artistic skills brilliantly.

            According to the book “Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences” published in 1983, Howard Gardner proposed the idea of Multiple Intelligences with seven distinct intelligences to highlight; Visual, Linguistic, Logical, Musical, Kinesthetic, Interpersonal and Intrapersonal.  Children are believed to possess all the intelligences and they are likely to be prone to some intelligences that determine their learning styles and ways of thinking. In this case, I am proud of the teachers who vary their teaching methods as it shows that they are concerned about the students’ needs and learning preferences. This will make students enjoy the learning session even more.

            As an English teacher, I am usually assigned to teach last classes of both lower and secondary forms. Majority of the students are not well-off and their social background affects their view of education and their interest in learning. They are perceived as a bunch of rule breakers who would only tarnish the school reputation. Problematic learners always agree that rules are meant to be broken but they forget that determined teachers are always there to fix the broken pieces. The responsibilities are undoubtedly heavy and the tasks are challenging but it’s time for teachers to do some homework. This is the opportunity for teachers to take teaching to the next level by experimenting new tricks and techniques in the classroom. If there’s no pain, there’s no gain. Teachers might have to endure heartaches and headaches along the way but eventually, the passion the teachers build will result in the satisfaction money can’t buy.

In my humble opinion, obtaining good grades for primary and secondary education does not guarantee the students to maintain the outstanding achievement in their tertiary education. Failures are not losers. Thomas Edison, William Shakespeare and Bill Gates prove it all. They are perfect examples of successful people who didn’t make it during their school days.  

            Students should be encouraged to learn, not forced, to get straight As. Let them burn the midnight oil willingly. Motivate them the right way and the seeds of inspiration in them will grow naturally. Do not blame the gradual process, because Rome wasn’t built in one day.

Teaching is indeed a bittersweet journey. True teachers do not just teach. They learn from their students too, and the more they learn, the better they will become.