It’s a familiar sight in English medium public schools to see the parents running from here to there and from this teacher to that teacher, with complaints about the marks of there ward whenever they are shown the test or the examination papers.Sometimes they complain that the teacher would have been more lenient, sometimes they grieve that the questions were hard. At times they even complain about the question pattern being wrong or the marking patter being erratic. Nowadays we almost don’t see a parent grieving about his or her child not putting in more efforts or not being very studious though there are exceptions.The teachers are invariably at the receiving end for one fault of theirs or another.
Earlier, the teachers had great expectations from students and the students and the parents together tried their level best to live up to those expectations. Imperfections were accepted with self remorse and more efforts were put in, to fill in the gaps. Nowadays, neither the children nor the parents bother too much about how much knowledge is being assimilated. All that they worry about is marks. Marks obtained by unfair means are also accepted without scruples. If we analyze the reason behind it, it’s a very simple psychological truth underlying such fanaticism regarding marks. The world loves achievers and the losers are not forgiven. Nobody notices a non-achiever. Parents love to tell to the world that their children are achievers. It is sad to see that old idealism are losing their value. Maxims like a tree loaded with fruit always bending downward which meant that a knowledgeable person is always humble, unassuming and quiet about his achievement does not hold value in the modern world. Here one has to be successful by any means and people don’t take notice of you unless you blow your own trumpet or shout from the roof top. Even the card of smallest value has to be flaunted ostentatiously.
Goodness and idealism are passe. Tact and saleability are the law of life today and children are the worst victims of high expectations.
Children are like wet clay. The responsibility of carving out an angel or a devil rests primarily on the parents and then, the teachers. If good values are put into them and they are taught to differentiate between good and bad and the transient and the permanent, they would learn to exercise their judgment and assess a situation according to its true merit and not merely for selfish interests. If they are taught things which will last them a life time, they would grow into good and responsible human beings and sincere members of the society. That can only happen, if the elders themselves are evolved human beings. All of us know that life has been turned into a fast-paced rat race and all are struggling to carve out their own place. The means we assume to reach our ends are important. If the means are wrong, the success achieved may be very short-lived, but if we keep our means clean, we may not have to regret later.
The truly educated parents should keep in mind that success may not be an all-time companion, but knowledge is. It never shuns us. Hence, instead of running after marks or regarding them as the hallmarks of success, efforts should be made to raise successful and good human beings who can grant us relief from the spiral of unethical expectations and help us to have faith in our basic goodness.
Very true..Parents need to be at a school first to understand this..
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