Courage and Patience - Welham Boys' School

1. A Fearful student

Every time we encounter different types of students who might be fearful or impatient. These students should be dealt with carefully and patiently to cater to their needs. We need to be patient with these students as we don't usually know what triggers their behaviours and why they behave the way they are. Child psychology plays a significant role here in both situations.

First, let us talk about a fearful child.
A child usually fears the teacher because he/she feels that the teacher might scold or make fun of them for something easy for students to understand but difficult for that particular child. The child fears that other fellow students might make fun of him for asking such a silly question, or the child might simply be introverted and scared to speak up in front of everyone. As a teacher and an efficient educator, I would like to hold a personal question-answer session where children can come up to me personally and ask me questions if they fear asking in front of the whole class. I also appreciate the students if they ask questions in the course no matter how big or small the question is because no two people have the same ability to understand. Every student is essential and unique in their own way.

2. An Impatient student

In the second situation of an impatient child, I usually tell them to wait for 5 seconds in their mind and then speak. I also often encourage them to be more patient before asking questions or doing a group task. These children are more challenging to deal with than fearful students because they are hyper and impatient. They have to be trained gradually to wait and think before speaking and doing a task or submitting their homework. They should be taught that everyone will get a chance to speak or volunteer, and they have to raise their hands and wait for their turn to say or do any work.

We conclude that roses and lilies cannot be compared; likewise, two students with different needs and personalities should not be compared to each other, as every student is different and unique in their own way.

As teachers, it's our responsibility to ensure that all the children get equal attention and guidance according to their own personal needs.

B) Advice to educators who want to inculcate the values of courage and impatient in their students.

Teaching students courage in the classroom increases engagement and academic achievement but also helps students learn how to handle adversity. You might not think children endure many hardships, but they do — they try new things every day at school! You can effectively inspire courage in the classroom by teaching students what it means to be courageous and what it looks like in real-life situations.

Let your students know that when things are difficult, it's OK to be fearful and make mistakes — that's how we learn! Encourage students to try new things that seem difficult, including trying fresh foods, learning a new sport, speaking in front of the class, or standing up for a friend in need.

Courage does not need to be a big affair; it can be as small as raising your hand to ask a question. Sometimes courage is quiet, meaning there is not always applause at the end. Teachers must encourage, recognize, and celebrate when students show courage because they might not realize they're doing it. Students also need to learn how to voice their opinions and respectfully disagree with others, which can come in handy when the time comes for them to stick up for what they believe in.

To inspire your students to be courageous, you can discuss characters in stories and novels that could have shown courage. Ask questions and listen to what they think courage looks like. You also can purposefully study famous courageous figures for the students. Discuss with your students and see what they have to say about the courage these figures have shown.

Patience is more than just the ability to wait. It's how we behave while we're waiting. Not only is patience a success principle, but patience is also a skill. And like all skills, patience can be learned. There are many benefits of patience. From the ability to make more rational choices to the craft of focusing and obtaining long-term goals, patience can make a big difference in a person's life. The best way to learn patience is to practice patience, but sometimes, that is easier said than done.

Patience is essential for everybody to learn. And you know, It's easier to be patient as an adult if you learn to be patient as a child. Children whose parents strive to teach patience when they're young grow up to have more self-control and long-term critical thinking skills. In fact, many child development experts argue that teaching children to be patient is an essential step in child development.

5 Steps to Teaching Kids Patience

Step 1 – Teach Patience by Starting Small. Most young children aren't born patient.

Step 2 – Wait for A Little Longer (Avoid Instant Gratification).

Step 3 – Acknowledge The Difficulty in Waiting Patiently.

Step 4 – Practice Patience through Play.

Step 5 – Model Patience Yourself!

Neelima Parmar, Vandana Sahay and Monika Gupta
Welham Boys' School 
JOL Cohort 2022