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.
Sometimes, I feel we focus on the wrong things.....
We live in a stressful and competitive environment in Singapore. Parents work hard to earn a living for their family. Students whether they like it or are being forced by parents, have to work hard for their studies. I have been working for sometime in the teaching line and I have seen so many of such experiences of the stress encountered by parents and their children be it in their work or studies. Sometimes, when I see parents angry or worried over their child's poor academic performance, I cannot help but emphatise with both parents and children.
We are so used to being stressed up and worried about competition to stay afloat in this competitive landscape of Singapore. Being competitive is a good thing, as it gets one to keep on improving himself to do better. But, if we get obsessed or overly worried about losing out, is this still a good thing? Rather than being competitive, why not see things in a different light? We should be cherishing one important virtue and I think it should be passion. Passion to enjoy what we do and continue to become best in doing. Let's not worry about losing out and instead ask ourselves what is our passion in life.
For parents, our passion in life should be teaching our children good values and bringing them up in respectable ways, not just in terms of thinking we have done our job by pushing our child to score As in tests and exams. Sometimes, I think we have focused on the wrong things in life. I think teaching our children good values is more important. Good values display themselves in the person. A child who is constantly motivated and works hard to achieve and always better himself in studies does not automatically happen by chance. Every value is learnt from the child's parents and other mentors such as teachers and friends.
Instead of focusing on end results, I feel we as parents and students should ask ourselves honestly whether we believe in cherishing values of hard work, persistence, endurance, integrity, honesty, discipline, responsibility, willingness to take risks to step out of comfort zone, willingness to embrace failures and learn from them, having a heart to serve others, being caring for others instead of only ourselves, commitment to excellence (not giving up and keep trying against all odds and failures until one's goal is reached). Surprisingly, such good values are not always communicated and taught clearly from the mentors (parents and teachers) of a child to them. These same set of values happen to be the important values for successful entreprenuership.
I feel we tend to take short-cuts in life desiring to see immediate results whether be it in studies or work life. Success is not just a one off thing such as getting As in tests and exams. Success is in the positive values lived out of the person. A person may not win all the time. However, what keeps him going, learning and always achieving will be the values he cherished and live out in life. Are we still only taking the short-cut focusing on end results alone, or are we spending lots of time teaching ourselves and our children good values that can be learnt and that will see them through their life?
Good values of persistence, hard work, willingness to try new things even if it means learning from failing and not giving up, and commitment to do one's best in excellence (not only for oneself but also for others). I have seen good cases of parents and students who keep doing their best for themselves and others. These parents and students are "surprisingly" practising positive good values and the results of their achievements are testimonies of how much they remain commited to cherishing and living out good values in their lives. In such families which keep practising good values in discipline, there is high positive strength and morale, and everyone works hard for another constantly caring for and encouraging each other to achieve excellence in life.
If good values are important indicators of success and are not easily learnt in short time, all the more one should see it important to teach and learn in discipline such good values. Success in studies and work life are a result of good values. Focus on the right things and start building up good values over a period of time.
Poor values give poor results.
Good values give good results.
Excellent values give excellent results.
It does not work the other way round.
We are so used to being stressed up and worried about competition to stay afloat in this competitive landscape of Singapore. Being competitive is a good thing, as it gets one to keep on improving himself to do better. But, if we get obsessed or overly worried about losing out, is this still a good thing? Rather than being competitive, why not see things in a different light? We should be cherishing one important virtue and I think it should be passion. Passion to enjoy what we do and continue to become best in doing. Let's not worry about losing out and instead ask ourselves what is our passion in life.
For parents, our passion in life should be teaching our children good values and bringing them up in respectable ways, not just in terms of thinking we have done our job by pushing our child to score As in tests and exams. Sometimes, I think we have focused on the wrong things in life. I think teaching our children good values is more important. Good values display themselves in the person. A child who is constantly motivated and works hard to achieve and always better himself in studies does not automatically happen by chance. Every value is learnt from the child's parents and other mentors such as teachers and friends.
Instead of focusing on end results, I feel we as parents and students should ask ourselves honestly whether we believe in cherishing values of hard work, persistence, endurance, integrity, honesty, discipline, responsibility, willingness to take risks to step out of comfort zone, willingness to embrace failures and learn from them, having a heart to serve others, being caring for others instead of only ourselves, commitment to excellence (not giving up and keep trying against all odds and failures until one's goal is reached). Surprisingly, such good values are not always communicated and taught clearly from the mentors (parents and teachers) of a child to them. These same set of values happen to be the important values for successful entreprenuership.
I feel we tend to take short-cuts in life desiring to see immediate results whether be it in studies or work life. Success is not just a one off thing such as getting As in tests and exams. Success is in the positive values lived out of the person. A person may not win all the time. However, what keeps him going, learning and always achieving will be the values he cherished and live out in life. Are we still only taking the short-cut focusing on end results alone, or are we spending lots of time teaching ourselves and our children good values that can be learnt and that will see them through their life?
Good values of persistence, hard work, willingness to try new things even if it means learning from failing and not giving up, and commitment to do one's best in excellence (not only for oneself but also for others). I have seen good cases of parents and students who keep doing their best for themselves and others. These parents and students are "surprisingly" practising positive good values and the results of their achievements are testimonies of how much they remain commited to cherishing and living out good values in their lives. In such families which keep practising good values in discipline, there is high positive strength and morale, and everyone works hard for another constantly caring for and encouraging each other to achieve excellence in life.
If good values are important indicators of success and are not easily learnt in short time, all the more one should see it important to teach and learn in discipline such good values. Success in studies and work life are a result of good values. Focus on the right things and start building up good values over a period of time.
Poor values give poor results.
Good values give good results.
Excellent values give excellent results.
It does not work the other way round.