My Reflections on a Seminar

‘Who Fails When A Child Fails’

By Sadia Wali

While attending an inspiring Educational Seminar on Saturday, 1^st August 2015, at Karachi Arts Council organized by Educational Resource Development Centre, I remembered John Holt’s book How Children Fail. The book I have read three times and every time I read it moved my heart more deeply. The last time I read the book, I marked the quote I liked the most. John Holt writes   in his book, How Children Fail,

“For many years I have been asking myself why intelligent children act unintelligently at school. The simple answer is, "Because they're scared." I used to suspect that children's defeatism had something to do with their bad work in school, but I thought I could clear it away with hearty cries of "Onward! You can do it!" What I now see for the first time is the mechanism by which fear destroys intelligence, the way it affects a child's whole way of looking at, thinking about, and dealing with life.”

The Seminar ‘Who Fails When A Child Fails’ made teachers and parents realized their role and responsibilities in developing skills of their children. It is only possible by providing cordial environment at home and school which helps in character building and enhancing the learning and creative capabilities of young kids.

The seminar focused on the key roles of the teachers to recognize and understand the psychological and emotional problem of the children. Learning and failure need to be revisited and changed. Creative aspect of education should be highlighted. How children learn and explore, teachers never ponder at. It is essential to build a strong bond between teacher and student to develop natural talent and skills of children.

Skits performed by the students of 22nd Batch of Professional Teachers Certificate course was superbly performed. The short role plays was written by renowned writer Manzar Imam. The role plays focused on various themes of parenting and negligence of teachers which leads to a child’s academic failure. The guests and chief guests greatly admired the poster exhibition by participants which depicts their deep thinking, extensive research and creativeness.

Participants of the seminar Dr. Syed Irfan Hyder, Tahir Javed, Rashida Murtaza, Dr.Shahida Mohiuddin and Salman Asif Siddiqui highlighted various aspects which teachers do not consider important in boosting up the intellect and skills of young growing children.

Tahir Javed’s opening statement caught my attention. As he said, children are the loveliest creations of Allah. They are not born for failures, they have to play a pivotal role in the world. We need to nurture the capabilities and talents of young kids. Another captivating statement by Tahir sahib was about testing and grading.  Testing means measurement of things like measuring vegetables or other eatables. The intelligences of children cannot be measured at any age or at any level; teachers need to comprehend this critical element. As it is seen that the examination papers are not made according to a child’s level of understanding; this kind of testing does not helps to improve the skills of the children rather the fear of getting fail make them more anxious, pessimistic and insecure. So who faces the consequences?  And how the child cope up with the circumstances, we educators need to ponder at.

Rashida Murtaza spoke in an enthusiastic tone about retention and class repeating of the child. She emphasized over the schools to discourage Retention Policy rather introduce Remedial Support Program for children who needs assistance to uplifts their learning and skills.

Dr.Shahida Mohiuddin expressed her views with whole-heartedness, a teacher should aim at creating a learning environment in classroom; let children be engaged in learning and develop their creativity tand curiosity. Just see their creativity, experimentation, how they think in depth and their power of questioning makes them unique and distinct, Let their self- confidence and self- esteem grow not wither. When children have fear of failure, they lose their sense of joy. Self- building concept and imaginative thinking becomes stagnant and they begin to drift towards dejection and misery. Sense of failure deeply affects the personality, the child continues to feel negative about himself. For example, ‘I can’t do anything in life’ or ‘I am a failure’. Sense of failure and guilt is the source of all abnormalities’ she emphasized.

         We can best help children learn, not by deciding what we think they should learn and thinking of ingenious ways to teach it to them, but by making the world, as far as we can, accessible to them, paying serious attention to what they do, answering their questions -- if they have any -- and helping them explore the things they are most interested in.”

― John Holt

According to Dr. Syed Irfan Hyder, schools instead of focusing on external environment of teaching i.e. classroom management and the paradigm of testing, teachers need to boost up creativeness in children, to let them think and explore new ideas and create great things. Let the child grade himself and understand his competences.

Lastly, Salman Asif Siddiqui and Tahir Javed talked about consequences and some solutions. Salman Asif Siddiqui said that Holistic learning for the child is important. Nowadays, the phenomenon of teaching has been changed.  Instead of fostering knowledge and learning in young people, education is merely motivating young people towards accomplishing academic goals. Teachers need to understand their role; provide insult stress free learning environment at schools. An innovative atmosphere will help teachers to understand the child’s attitude and behavior, improve teacher- child relationship and builds up his character. To make a child confident and motivated, respect his self-esteem and instantly respond to the queries of children.

Tahir Javed said he never saw a teacher or principal being upset on a child’s failure. The school never take the blame of a child’s failure, it is the child and the family suffers economic and social consequences. In his opinion, if teachers follow the passion and commitment of not failing the child and helping the child to improve his skills. At least till secondary level teachers can opt for this decision and can implement in their schools for the better progress of the child.

Summing up the Session, Salman Asif Siddiqui said there is something seriously and fundamentally wrong with our contemporary education system. We feel that a radical change is possible if teachers and parents take initiatives and help those who are launching movements for the educational change in ummah. 

I will quote Qur’an here: “And those who strive in our (cause), we will certainly guide them to our Paths: For verily Allah is with those who do right”. (Al-Ankaboot: 69)  

The article has been written by Sadia Wali., Research  Assistant  at Teacher's development Centre