“Once, I was teaching how to form sentences in my class, when I realized that one of my students needed some help to cope up. I told him that I would help him through the assignments and that there was ‘no need to worry.’ And just that much support boosted his confidence so much, that even though he took a little longer than everyone else, he finished all his classwork on his own. He was so happy to just know that I was there to help — he didn’t even end up needing me at all.
There is a lot of pressure put on children from a very early age. Parents are constantly comparing their kids, and demanding 100% marks. But they don’t realise how much stress the child starts taking and how it affects their mental health. Children aren’t lazy — they’re trying, but they’ll always feel like a failure if they can’t keep up. Maybe the child is slow because there’s a mental health problem…maybe all they need in that moment is their parent’s support. The child could just as easily have dyslexia, what then?
This student of mine that I helped was so surprised that I didn’t yell at him or punish for not being able to keep up with his assignments — as though he was expecting it.
But, it’s always been very simple…there’s a difference between someone who’s lazy and someone who’s trying, we just need to see it and support them in any way we can. Only then will they feel motivated enough to overcome the stress. The suicides, the mental burdens — all of that can be alleviated with just a little bit of help from our end. And trust me, that’ll work for them in the long run. And if you still don’t believe me, just watch Taare Zameen Par.”
