Academic success the right way

 

Every milestone of my children is a cherished moment in my life and there are few which fills me with personal pride and gratitude.  Seeing my son’s grade X board results an year back was one such special moment for me. 

99% and school topper and later to know that he is amongst the national toppers too..it took some time for me to sync in..it was like a truck-load of happiness showered on me at one go.  I had tears of gratitude rush down my cheeks, to see my little one’s sincere efforts bring him the highly deserved results.

Amidst all the congratulatory messages that poured in over the next few days, one often asked question was about his preparation style and in what way we as parents supported him? 

Reflecting on that question, I realised something important.  Children don’t become successful in academics by following any particular preparation style.  Among many factors, which includes the school, the teachers and the peers, the family environment and involvement in which the child grows and the love, trust, motivation, support and the independence given by parents play a significant role in the child’s preparation.

Breaking it down further, there are few things, which I and my husband, as parents got right with his studies all along:

1.   We kindled in him the love for learning at a very early age.  Studies was never seen as a burden or homeworks a task to be done.  It was a time we got to spend together and it was always interesting.  There was a deep value attached to it and completing them on time was a joyful experience.  Learning was not an option, but a daily chore done willingly. 

We did not thrust studies on him, it was something we did together in partnership and he developed a natural liking to it.  When the right attitude towards studies was set for him in the initial years, there was no micro-management required in the later years.  Fundamentally, over the years, we made him realise, ‘Studies is his responsibility’.

2. We focused on understanding and clarity, not on marks.  The methods, the steps, the presentation, the conceptual clarity and understanding the meaning was the absolute priority. Rote learning, except where required, was a big ‘no’.  Marks were focussed too but was never the priority.  Whenever he lost some marks, I tried to understand why the mistake happened, if it was an error or lack of understanding.  Errors just needed increased focus from him, but if it was a lack of clarity, we put in extra efforts to understand better. 

This quality got so engraved in him that the regular feedback from all his teachers in the higher classes were that he would never leave them until he understands and clears all his doubts. 

3.  Results were appreciated.  But we recognised his sincere efforts and the process much more than the results.  We made him understand becoming a class first in a class of 30 is wonderful, but not the end.  The process and the discipline that led him to the results is what is more important.  The result will become a memory as the years pass by, but the process discipline, sincerity in efforts and attitude that’s built in the academic journey will stay with him forever in all walks of life.

    Every progress and every small improvement was appreciated.  It was not about the end result alone.  It developed him emotionally to accept his mistakes and not to feel disappointed when the results were not as expected. 

These were not my spontaneous answers to all the questions from friends about what went right for him.  It came out of deep reflection on what worked for us together. 

Academic success is not something that happens by burning the mid-night oil before the exams and thrusting everything into the child’s brain at one shot. 

Every child is different and every child is capable to give his or her best.  Their learning styles might be different and they need to adapt.  But certain fundamentals are common to all for the journey to be interesting and smooth.

That is where my love for teaching came in.  If my approach towards my son has worked and if all that needed was only few initial years of right grooming and preparing him to become independently responsible, how many more children can benefit out of this and relieve parents of micro-management of their children.

Hence, I am now looking at taking my experience and love to small group of children, whose parents value the thoughts I hold towards studies.

I take Math and Science classes for students from 1 to 7

The focus is on:

-        Strong fundamentals and concept clarity

-        Love learning and become confident in the subjects

-        Developing independent learning habits

-        One-on-one attention with small groups only upto 5 students

If you are a parent who wants your child to just not complete the syllabus and score good marks but understand what they are learning and enjoy the process, I would like to be of help to you.

DM me on 69609460 for details.

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