IT WILL HAPPEN IN ITS OWN TIME

 

“When people will not weed their own minds,

they are apt to be run over by nettles.”

Horace Walpole

 

Last evening, I was talking to the father of one of my eleventh-standard students. The gentleman and his wife, both, hold big positions in the respective companies they work for. My student is their only son. He goes to one of the best colleges in South Mumbai, and he goes for tuitions in his every subject.

Apparently, the young man understands all subjects conceptually (including Accountancy, my subject). But, he lacks self-motivation… He doesn’t do any practice at home, comes late for his classes, misses classes regularly, and, for his every flaw, he offers a ready excuse… There is a reason why he does what he does – I mean, he keeps justifying his flaws…

That’s what his parents and I are constantly worried about. He has aptitude, but no attitude. “How can we help the boy? How can we motivate him to take self-responsibility towards his studies?”

So, when the father shared the results of his young son, neither of us was surprised… The marks did not lie, nor did our expectations.

After decades of teaching, training and writing, I still do not know how to ‘motivate’ another soul without his/her willingness to be motivated. That holds good for teaching and learning, as well. The wisemen say, “Nobody can teach you; but, you can learn from others.”

Last evening, the boy’s father said to me this: “Sir, while we feel we are dragging a donkey to the pond, he drags happily to pond when it comes to gymming… He is highly self-motivated… He doesn’t skip a single day, follows the diet-plan with military discipline. Wish he had applied even a portion of this self-discipline in his studies.”

But, then, he being the father of his son, and I being the teacher, we would only console each other, saying - “It will happen in its own time.”

When it comes to clarity, everyone doesn’t wake up at the same time… It’s, always, the proverbial ‘Jab jaago, tab sabera’. So, the clarity about what one wants to do in life - yes, it doesn’t come at the same point in life for every one… For some, it may come early, and some, late… while, for some others, it may not come at all.

A parent and a teacher, at best, can sensitize a young one towards this clarity. But, then, only the young one has to do the waking up, you see…

Months ago, in the midst of the frustration, I had consoled the parents of this young boy, saying, “Some flowers always bloom late; but, they leave the finest fragrance around.”

Was I saying it just to please them?

Wasn’t I a late-bloomer?

GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic’s.: Pixels 1. kaboompics.com 2. Rachel Claire

Video: Mazhavil Manorama