One Mark to Perfection

 

The Wacky Duo

What mark do you see when you receive your child's test paper?

"Well done 99/100!"

"All the mugging and study session works!"

"What a relief , exam is over. As long as you did your best , results are irrelevant ."

"It's a miracle ..."

"Only 99/100 , why so careless? "

If your response is the last one, read on...

Grades are important to set your own benchmark , but it does not determine the person you will be. It is not the marks that make you , but what you do to achieve that. 

Recently I came across a Facebook posting. The Mommy was lamenting that the child could have scored better if he is not careless . Moreover , she stated that the child is always 'so lazy'. By the way, the grades -99/100 for a primary three paper.

I was appalled . If the Mom wanted to 'show off ' without coming off as one , it was a bad effort. If she really mean what she said and should the child know he was berated , it will be a shame . After all, we are talking about 1 point to perfection . The child had probably worked hard to achieve that score . Instead of being praised , the effort was shamed in public.

Is this the expectation we set for our children today ?
Had our parents did the same yesterday?
Even if they did... how did you felt as a kid when you were pressurized to study?
 

Excuse the rant , but personally , I felt the result was less important than the effort . If my children put in effort , it does not matter if the score is 10 or a 100 , we will encourage the effort . If no effort is made and the results reflect that , only then would we try to set things right. 

From what  we had seen and experience, it was not the grade that makes a person but rather the character that defines one.

As parents , it may be challenging not to compare results, however does it actually serve any purpose ? 

We should instead focus on the strength of the child and encourage development according to their strength . Focusing on a number would lessen the fun in a child education and increase the pressure instead .

 We just have to remember that a score would not determine if the child would be successful , but if we teach them the tools to success ( hard work, street smarts and sacrifices ) , they might be able to survive and succeed in the future . 

Reward the effort , not the score . 

And if you need help rewarding, check out our holiday guide to activities for kids!

Our Mantra

Work hard, play harder!