My humble thoughts is a section I share with parents and students to express my experiences on teaching and learning. I do not expect everyone to share the same thoughts as me. However, if my article benefits you, I know I have contributed to your life.
Fear cripples but passion and persistence pulls through.......
Through my years of teaching students, one common hindrance to their academic success is 'fear'. Of course, there are other hindrances also of noteworthy concern such as lazyness, lack of discipline and lack of self-esteem. However, I shall focus in this article to share my experience of what I learnt about fear in my life. Hopefully, this will benefit not just students but also anyone who face this common feeling of fear in our life which cripples our thought and prevents us from stepping out of our comfort zone to try new things and gain new experiences to better our learning in life.
I recall my best experience of fear was when I was still pursuing my studies in university not too long ago (even though I am getting older and older by the years). I was still an undergraduate newly admitted to the National University of Singapore. Back then, I chose to major in mathematics during my first semester of my first year. I was also facing a difficult choice as I was contemplating whether to switch course to major in biology. This decision to switch would not be difficult to make if I had the background in biology during my secondary level and JC level studies. The problem was I did not have any background in biology. You have not heard me wrong. I absolutely had not taken O level biology, neither did I take A level biology.
For a person who had no idea of what this subject biology is all about, it was indeed tough for me to make a decision to switch course from mathematics to biology in university. The usual fear went through my mind and I could not sleep well for weeks during my first semester of my first year in university. I thought very hard and wrestled in my mind on the decision whether to switch course to study a subject I had no clue about. Many questions of fear flashed through my mind. "What if I screw up on this new subject I am switching to? I will be wasting my time and money. My parents do not have much money to provide for my university education. I was on a bank loan so I had to tread carefully on this decision whether to switch course. What if I needed more time to catch up on this new subject and I will not have time to give tuition to earn some money for my living expenses and part of my university tuition fees? Who is then going to help me?"
Such were the many questions of fear that crippled me that I almost broke down into tears on many days during my first semester in first year university study. I had wanted to take biology as a subject when I was in secondary level but was not able to take it as this subject was not commonly offered back then except to students from special stream of my school. I was from express stream back in secondary level. Naturally, I had the fear to try taking biology when I graduated from secondary level to JC level. I was afraid I would not be able to do well in the subject without any prior background in it at secondary level. As such, this repeat rehearsal in my mind (fear) of not being able to do well in something new I was very interested to try out came back to haunt me in my decision making process to decide between majoring in mathematics or biology in university. Two different feelings were raging a battle in my mind and heart, one of passion in wanting to try out a new subject biology (which I had not given myself or been given a chance to try it in secondary and JC levels) and the other of fear in facing failure as a possible outcome of my decision.
In the end I graduated from the subject biology with an honours from university, and as many always say, the rest is history. I had taken the leap of faith as I knew that this was the only chance for me if I still wanted to try out taking biology as a new subject (as I was very fascinated with the world of living things all around me since young). Passion took over fear. Passion overcame fear as I strived very hard to catch up in this new subject when I was studying in the university. Passion made me spent many hours in the university library consuming whatever readings and literature on this new subject. I still recall that many days when I went home from school, it was already dark. However, I was not tired at the long hours spent each day in school learning as much as I can on a new subject I was taking. It did not feel like studying, but more of discovering new things each day for me. I was enjoying this new subject that the initial feeling of fear was no longer in existence. What had replaced it was instead hours and hours of enjoyment in learning and discovery.
As I look back, I thank God for giving me this chance to open up a new chapter in my life to try out a totally new subject I had not dare to try before. I did not regret facing fear head-on and choosing eventually to "just do it". Failures may come. Failures after coming will also one by one say "bye bye" as one picks himself up to learn from failures and dust it off saying to himself, "I have just been enlightened by this failure and know that I cannot make this exact same mistake again". Fear of failing has crippled many imaginative minds and good intentions. In the words of Thomas Alva Edison, the great inventor and entreprenuer who had failed about 1000 times before inventing the electric light bulb which has lighted the world ever since, "I have not failed 1000 times (just an estimate), it is just that I have discovered 1000 ways which do not work for me".
Students often face fear in making mistakes. The usual reaction for students is to shun a subject that one is underperforming in. There is lack of motivation in working hard on the weak subject. Fear of making mistakes and lack of self-esteem both do not help at all to better a subject. It is only persistence against all odds, not fearing to make mistakes or to fail, to put in enormous amount of effort to try and deal with one's situation and problems which can then really have any hope of changing the situation. Feelings of fear for a weak subject do not help to improve the subject. One must take action to solve one's problems in studies. The initial stages are very difficult with the need to face disappointments upon disappointments when things are picking up very slowly even after one tries to relearn everything that was not learnt properly. However, pesistence will pay off in the end. Do not let fear overcome one's passion and desire to do well.
There is only one type of fear I believe in, that is reverent fear for God. As for other fears, they are just "False Evidence Appearing Real" (FEAR)!
I recall my best experience of fear was when I was still pursuing my studies in university not too long ago (even though I am getting older and older by the years). I was still an undergraduate newly admitted to the National University of Singapore. Back then, I chose to major in mathematics during my first semester of my first year. I was also facing a difficult choice as I was contemplating whether to switch course to major in biology. This decision to switch would not be difficult to make if I had the background in biology during my secondary level and JC level studies. The problem was I did not have any background in biology. You have not heard me wrong. I absolutely had not taken O level biology, neither did I take A level biology.
For a person who had no idea of what this subject biology is all about, it was indeed tough for me to make a decision to switch course from mathematics to biology in university. The usual fear went through my mind and I could not sleep well for weeks during my first semester of my first year in university. I thought very hard and wrestled in my mind on the decision whether to switch course to study a subject I had no clue about. Many questions of fear flashed through my mind. "What if I screw up on this new subject I am switching to? I will be wasting my time and money. My parents do not have much money to provide for my university education. I was on a bank loan so I had to tread carefully on this decision whether to switch course. What if I needed more time to catch up on this new subject and I will not have time to give tuition to earn some money for my living expenses and part of my university tuition fees? Who is then going to help me?"
Such were the many questions of fear that crippled me that I almost broke down into tears on many days during my first semester in first year university study. I had wanted to take biology as a subject when I was in secondary level but was not able to take it as this subject was not commonly offered back then except to students from special stream of my school. I was from express stream back in secondary level. Naturally, I had the fear to try taking biology when I graduated from secondary level to JC level. I was afraid I would not be able to do well in the subject without any prior background in it at secondary level. As such, this repeat rehearsal in my mind (fear) of not being able to do well in something new I was very interested to try out came back to haunt me in my decision making process to decide between majoring in mathematics or biology in university. Two different feelings were raging a battle in my mind and heart, one of passion in wanting to try out a new subject biology (which I had not given myself or been given a chance to try it in secondary and JC levels) and the other of fear in facing failure as a possible outcome of my decision.
In the end I graduated from the subject biology with an honours from university, and as many always say, the rest is history. I had taken the leap of faith as I knew that this was the only chance for me if I still wanted to try out taking biology as a new subject (as I was very fascinated with the world of living things all around me since young). Passion took over fear. Passion overcame fear as I strived very hard to catch up in this new subject when I was studying in the university. Passion made me spent many hours in the university library consuming whatever readings and literature on this new subject. I still recall that many days when I went home from school, it was already dark. However, I was not tired at the long hours spent each day in school learning as much as I can on a new subject I was taking. It did not feel like studying, but more of discovering new things each day for me. I was enjoying this new subject that the initial feeling of fear was no longer in existence. What had replaced it was instead hours and hours of enjoyment in learning and discovery.
As I look back, I thank God for giving me this chance to open up a new chapter in my life to try out a totally new subject I had not dare to try before. I did not regret facing fear head-on and choosing eventually to "just do it". Failures may come. Failures after coming will also one by one say "bye bye" as one picks himself up to learn from failures and dust it off saying to himself, "I have just been enlightened by this failure and know that I cannot make this exact same mistake again". Fear of failing has crippled many imaginative minds and good intentions. In the words of Thomas Alva Edison, the great inventor and entreprenuer who had failed about 1000 times before inventing the electric light bulb which has lighted the world ever since, "I have not failed 1000 times (just an estimate), it is just that I have discovered 1000 ways which do not work for me".
Students often face fear in making mistakes. The usual reaction for students is to shun a subject that one is underperforming in. There is lack of motivation in working hard on the weak subject. Fear of making mistakes and lack of self-esteem both do not help at all to better a subject. It is only persistence against all odds, not fearing to make mistakes or to fail, to put in enormous amount of effort to try and deal with one's situation and problems which can then really have any hope of changing the situation. Feelings of fear for a weak subject do not help to improve the subject. One must take action to solve one's problems in studies. The initial stages are very difficult with the need to face disappointments upon disappointments when things are picking up very slowly even after one tries to relearn everything that was not learnt properly. However, pesistence will pay off in the end. Do not let fear overcome one's passion and desire to do well.
There is only one type of fear I believe in, that is reverent fear for God. As for other fears, they are just "False Evidence Appearing Real" (FEAR)!