The Hindu Business Line : They too learn… differently

Board exam results were announced recently and the media was filled with pictures of student toppers and schools, and their felicitations. Once again it makes me wonder, weren’t there others who appeared for the same examinations? Aren’t we blissfully ignoring a percentage of the student population that has not scored big numbers? Is failure in school-leaving examination the end of the road… is there life beyond the mark sheet?

We live in a society that is obsessed with high scores, we belong to a country that increasingly measures every aspect of life in numbers and percentages, and we have become insensitive to the constant pressure of being a “success”.

It is taken for granted that ‘to score’ is ‘to have arrived’. Well, what are we as a community doing about those children who are unable to perform in the way the system demands? Are we neglecting them and setting them up for failure?

If inability to score high marks in a school-leaving examination can drive young adults to commit suicide, then who among us takes the responsibility for the gross neglect of this large section of young people?

Are we shying away from addressing students who are simply unable to cope with the curriculum, unable to understand the concept, the theories or respond to the method of testing, simply because they learn differently or have strengths in areas other than reading, writing and numbers?

A child spends a good part of his/her early childhood, right through the adolescent years with his/her teachers at school. A large onus therefore rests with the teacher as caregiver, guide, philosopher, counsellor and well-wisher of the child, whose responsibility the teacher shares with the parent. Teachers are certainly a special community who take on the task of moulding young minds, gearing fresh potential and directing young energies. It indeed is a noble profession. But, if any system of education needs to work, the children need to enjoy that system and that can happen only if realistic expectations allow them to be successful.

We as teachers need to acknowledge that areas of strength and learning styles vary from one child to another and work towards re-instilling any loss of confidence or self-esteem in children who are unable to cope with the rigours of the system, because they learn differently…

Failure in any area is considered a taboo, an area of darkness, loss of hope with the threat of stigmatisation.

That clearly explains the despondency and desperation of a child facing ‘failure’ at something as basic and mundane as his/her first attempt at a regular school-leaving examination.

Who is to explain to them that sometimes we stand tallest after we learn how to bend? How does the child learn to believe in himself/herself and treat this setback as a stepping stone, moving forward positively, while striving to treat the experience as an upward stroke of the learning curve?

All it takes is a positive person who never thought he was defeated.

Nalini James, a child psychologist with extensive experience in the field of the differently-abled and who is currently working with people in the Autism spectrum at Missisuaga, Canada, says, “…sure the mark sheet is not the end of the roa but could be the beginning of a new and exciting adventure!”

Dennis A. Chen, an educationalist with over two decades of experience and the Principal of Kotagiri Public School in the Nilgiris, says, “It is of paramount importance to identify children who are not able to perform well in academics and deal with them immediately and positively. Poor performers may be individually counselled to elicit the extraneous factors responsible for their performance. Winning the child’s confidence is a vital prerequisite for any corrective measure to be successful.”

So, to all the parents and teachers out there, I have this to say: if your child has faced “failure” in an examination, study the possible reasons.

See if your child needs to be supported emotionally. If all seems well, then talk to your child privately to see if:

■ He/she has acquired all the skills required by the curriculum

■ He/she has difficulty understanding specific subjects such as math or chemistry

■ He/she has an “academic lag”, due to which, learning of certain concepts was a difficulty.

If needed, ask for professional assistance from a competent special educator. That might mean a great load off your child’s back. If your child is not academically oriented or can’t ‘fit in’ the general run of the education system, do not fret, for there is unending potential in your child waiting to be honed, a rich repertoire of skills awaiting direction.

Finally, an authorised special educator would be able to address their individual learning styles and harness them. They could also provide appropriate therapy to enhance their learning, build self-esteem, and a positive attitude to succeed in life. The special educator also plays a vital role in providing support and guidance to the child and family.

Thus bringing new meaning to the life of a child who thought it was all over. It is our collective responsibility to let the child know that it’s hardest to feel different, but it isn’t bad at all, for the world is certainly not a perfect place and…

Different is certainly not bad,

Different is the world!

(The author works as a Special Needs Consultant at Kothagiri, Coonoor and Ootacamund).

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