About falling short at the critical moment

Currently in: my hut
Currently listening to: Tears For Fears' Shout



Moments after stepping out from a lesson, I asked myself, 'did my students understand the lesson I had taught just now?'

It wasn't an easy lesson; full of hard facts, dominated by my presence and head-on teaching.

It's not exactly the best lesson of the year.

But the crunch was this: it was a culmination of a series of lessons, where I returned the marked scripts to the students, and I did the review with them. Examinations begin on Thursday and I know my teaching time with them is running out.




But the students wavered.

It was only 35 minutes. But some of their attention withered. In the torrent of information, the strong and the steady remained afloat. Some, for lack of willpower, sank.





Back in the Staff Room, I had a brief chat with a colleague. We were talking about the same class, and he was concerned about the short attention spans of some of the students. He expects his students to be able to stay with him throughout the lesson, or at least make some semblance of an effort to do so. But what he sees is that some students fall by the wayside far too easily. They lose their focus on the teacher and precious teaching points are lost.




To achieve consistent good performances in work, play and in school, a key quality that a teenager must possess is the ability to pay attention.

It is not about whether you can or you cannot. It has never been about that.

It's whether you want to do it.

Those that excel, do it, even beyond mental fatigue, even beyond the limits of boredom, when their interest in the subject is already exhausted.

Those that succeed in sport or in studies are unwavering in their attention to the teacher.

There is a close inter-relationship between sports and studies. Students who excel in their sports (for example, in some independent schools) are no slouch in the academics department either.

It turns out that these sportsmen - already keen in the ability to focus in competitions and matches - transfer this skill into the classroom. Their ability to focus on the teacher allows them to succeed in major examinations.




To my students:

I left the classroom today full of doubts. It's just my gut feeling, and like what I had taught you in the past, your gut feeling can be very accurate. I just didn't know whether you understood my lesson or not. I just couldn't figure out if you even wanted to learn.

Maybe you want to tell me what was your takeaway from the lesson today?


There's no doubt, absolutely: today's lesson was meant to pave the way for you towards better performances in your work, when the majority of you have been mediocre, at best.

Those that stayed with me and took down notes, good for you!




However, I know this for sure: my fellow teachers sure are giving their best to you. They are.


Even if it means depleting all our energy for the day, just to be able to teach you and prepare you for the O Levels.



But in return, we want to know, we want to see, we want to feel, we want to be sure about this:

Show us that you are willing to learn from us, every single bit.

Show us that you take school seriously.

Don't judge the teachers. Put aside all assumptions. Quit saying this or that extra lesson is useless. It ain't helping. Not one single bit.





My point is this: To perform well in school and in your workplace in the future, you need to have the ability to pay attention.
It's not whether you can or cannot. It is about wanting to do it and being willing to focus on the teacher.

Teachers all know what are the ingredients of a successful Fajarian.

And, being able to give your full attention is probably one of the most crucial ingredients of all.

4E5, don't falter now.

It has been said by your teachers before: you all have massive talent and potential. It is only with consistent hard work that will unlock and unleash that which is in you.

You can do it.

All the best to your examination preparation. Take good care.