Don't Be A Twelve Year Old

 

 This is a story of around 3 months ago- I was walking around in my classroom during our break hour, and I noticed some of my classmates crowded around a friend, who was crying. I wondered what exactly happened-had someone died, or did she receive some bad news about something? And I was told, "She got a C+ in one assignment." This may seem insensitive to some, but all I did was laugh. Yes, that's right, I discovered that day, and continued to discover over the next few weeks that I was in a class of twelve- year-olds. I say this, because I only remember being excited to receive As and A-pluses and crying over bad grades when I was in primary school. 

 

Picture Credit: clipartOf.com

It's not that girl's problem that she thinks that way, not even her parents' problem.(Well, maybe a little bit!) It's the problem of our educational system, a system that ranks students according to marks and grades as opposed to real talent and achievement. Of course, academic achievement is valuable, but is it not possible that even a genius can fare badly during exams? 

The problem of parents these days is that they always encourage their children to be the best at everything, score top grades, achieve high ranks and excel at whatever they do. How many parents embrace their children when they're faced with failure? I know mine do. Because my parents realise and have taught me that cent percent marks are not always necessary. It's good to fail. In fact, I feel every student should face failure atleast once in their lives. It's only after failing that one can experience the true taste of success, the true joy of achieving something good. For me, whether I get an A+ or a D+, I'm happy if I know that I attempted my best. Grades are all secondary; it's what, or how much you imbibed from the lesson or the lecture that matters the most.   

"a country like ours will continue to lag behind the West in knowledge and technique so long as we keep using mark-sheets and certificates to screen the young for further education and employment."

- Excerpt from an article in The Hindu, 9th August 2012

I love the movie 3 Idiots. Sure, it was entertaining, but what I loved more was the message it sent out to all the students and their achievement-hungry parents. If your child loves and wants to pursue literature, let him. If your best is a 60%, get that 60% and be proud of it. If you have a talent for something, pursue it. Life is too precious for us to cry over a C+, beg professors to increase grades, or scream and shout like a 10 year old on getting an A+. (Yes, my post graduate course is full of 3rd graders!) 

So if you're reading this, know that it's okay to fail at something you're not good at. Life is all about learning, about new experiences and enjoying each moment. Don't wallow in self pity on getting that C or missing that 90% by a whisker-it's just not worth it. Once you're done with your education, no one is going to ask you about that one D grade or the year you fared badly. All that counts is your talent, and the kind of person you are. 

P.S. I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, so if you're one of those who thinks that a 95% is necessary for your survival, hey, you're entitled to your opinion! :)