The mid year exams are just over and the results of my students start streaming in one by one.
There are two particular students that I wanted to compare because it's very interesting. Both of them just passed them exams, about 50% plus minus. One is a he, and the other a she. She just passed and I felt very happy for her. Why? She had not passed this subject throughout her entire upper sec and now she passed. And I only had 4 lessons with her to top it up. I always felt that this girl is not very confident about herself, and the best way to boost her confidence is to let her experience small successes. Every small little time that she did better than her previous attempt will contribute to a great way towards her overall self confidence. I felt happy for her.
The boy, even though he shared almost the same grade as the girl, evoked a different sort of feeling from me. He is over confident, and he didn't even study for his exams. He proudly told me even though he didn't study, he still passed his exams. Wow...imagine what kind of results he will get if he studies. He saw his grades for the exams but I only saw the missed potential. What a waste! If only he could spend that effort to better his results, it'll do wonders! I felt a tinge of regret and loss for him. It's as if someone threw a perfectly okay carton of soya bean milk down the drain even though it's still way before the expiry date.
So there you are, two similar grades and quite different feelings with regards to them.
Why did I feel this way? I realised I don't really look at the results, but more at the attitude. When all these exams are done and over, the attitude that made the students persevere will certainly persist long after the contents had been long forgotten. And that's why it's not okay for a student who had the potential to do better but just passes his exam, and yet it's okay for another student to pass her exams when all her life she had failed previously.
No exams mean the same thing for different person, even if they have the same grades.
There are two particular students that I wanted to compare because it's very interesting. Both of them just passed them exams, about 50% plus minus. One is a he, and the other a she. She just passed and I felt very happy for her. Why? She had not passed this subject throughout her entire upper sec and now she passed. And I only had 4 lessons with her to top it up. I always felt that this girl is not very confident about herself, and the best way to boost her confidence is to let her experience small successes. Every small little time that she did better than her previous attempt will contribute to a great way towards her overall self confidence. I felt happy for her.
The boy, even though he shared almost the same grade as the girl, evoked a different sort of feeling from me. He is over confident, and he didn't even study for his exams. He proudly told me even though he didn't study, he still passed his exams. Wow...imagine what kind of results he will get if he studies. He saw his grades for the exams but I only saw the missed potential. What a waste! If only he could spend that effort to better his results, it'll do wonders! I felt a tinge of regret and loss for him. It's as if someone threw a perfectly okay carton of soya bean milk down the drain even though it's still way before the expiry date.
So there you are, two similar grades and quite different feelings with regards to them.
Why did I feel this way? I realised I don't really look at the results, but more at the attitude. When all these exams are done and over, the attitude that made the students persevere will certainly persist long after the contents had been long forgotten. And that's why it's not okay for a student who had the potential to do better but just passes his exam, and yet it's okay for another student to pass her exams when all her life she had failed previously.
No exams mean the same thing for different person, even if they have the same grades.
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