Determination and Hard Work (With A Pinch Of Strictness)

Hard Work Leads To Success

The book “Is Your Child Ready to Face the World?” by Dr. Anupam Sibal is one of the best books, both for teachers and parents, to develop good qualities in a child. If a child has good qualities then he will become a good person, and thus a good citizen of the country. The book tells us how and why qualities like honesty, courage, compassion, gratitude, forgiveness, etc. are necessary. Additionally, it shows us ways in which we can develop these in our children. Giving real life examples, instead of lectures, is a good way of inculcating good qualities in a child as this leaves a lifelong impact on the child.

While reading this book I recalled an incident. My relative's son Bhavesh was very weak in studies. His father was very strict but his mother was very polite and always supported her son, even when he was wrong. I was asked to teach him so he could at least pass his examinations. So I began teaching him. At first, Bhavesh gave me a hard time. He never did his homework and did not revise anything for his tests. I was very polite initially, but then I became strict as Bhavesh was a stubborn boy.

I told him that if he does not complete the work given by me, he will have to do 20 sit-ups for every wrong or incomplete answer. Bhavesh found this very difficult as he was overweight and ended up in tears every time he had to do this exercise. His mother would come to support him but I made her understand that I was doing it for the benefit of her son. I made Bhavesh realize that it was better to work hard and learn his coursework than to do sit ups. He took my advice and began taking interest in studies, learning his answers, and doing his homework regularly. We both worked hard. He cleared his doubts and practiced questions. In the end, he passed with good marks. His parents were very happy as they had given up hope.  

The experience demonstrated that if one has great determination and is ready to work hard, he will surely succeed in life. And sometimes, parents and teachers need to be strict in the right measure to give the right direction to children.

~ Prerna Rathod is an Educator at The Fabindia School. Her email is prd4fab@gmail.com