My Dear Students

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Sallaghari, Bhaktapur June 11, 2009 My dear students, Hesitation heightens the gravity of things. So please wake up. There is no one who knows everything. Even the god has forgotten so many things to do only because he had a little knowledge. He forgot to make you bright, and me to be able to sharpen you. But you must rise and shine because there is no one who understands your ability better than yourself. I do not see what you mean when you say you get nervous when you start asking a question. I see, you are threatened by the change inherent in learning and by the fear that you will appear foolish. Mind! If you ask a question, you will be a fool for 5 minutes. If you do not, you’ll be a fool forever. It’s up to you to decide what you want to be—a fool for 5 minutes or a fool forever. A problem, as I feel, you commonly wrestle with is the fear of making mistakes and thinking that not trying at all is the best way to avoid mistakes. Not only do you not always recognize your mistakes, but when your attention is drawn to them, you often cannot correct them; you may even commit another error in trying to do so. Please go on making mistakes and learning from your mistakes. Marva Collins has said, ‘Unless you can make a mistake you cannot make anything.’ A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them. Ronald E Osborn has rightly said, “Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you’ll never grow.” Don’t you want to grow? I think making a mistake is a strategy you apply while learning a new thing. We cannot begin to describe something until we are aware of its existence. Therefore, we should know that you have made a mistake. From the study of the errors you have made we will be able to infer the nature and level of your knowledge at that point in your learning career and discover what you still have to learn. I believe that committing errors is often a first step towards learning the correct form since those errors indicate the sign of successive learning in any course of instruction. It is very telling in that the making of errors is a strategy employed by children in learning a new thing. If they are made aware of such errors, it serves as a feedback for the language learners. The study of errors is imperative for the language teachers too to know how much the learners have learned and consequently what remains for them to learn. Errors are important and necessary to learning. They show the teacher where things are unclear. The teacher uses the students’ errors as evidence of where the language is unclear to students and hence where to work further. There are many pitfalls on the way to life’s highway. You may fall lots of times and be tired. Are you already tired? It is said that our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. Henry Ford puts it more succinctly, “Failure is the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently.” You know, Oliver Goldsmith has said, ‘Success consists of getting up just one

 

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time more than you fall.’ Are you ready to get up one time more than you fall? I am quite sure you are. If you were not, you’d be lying somewhere in the sidewalks. To learn is your personal responsibility. So why do you run away from your responsibility? You can never escape from the things you must do. And when noble things are to be done, the sooner the better. So please form the habit of asking anything to the Mr. Fixit any time you face with a problem. A problem is meant to be solved, nothing is impossible, anything can be done, no matter it takes time. You see what people say ‘Nothing is impossible because the word ‘impossible’ itself says that ‘I’m possible’. It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow. I was talking about habits. They are like a comfortable bed, easy to get into, but hard to get out of. So form positive habits, and see, they work wonders. Make it more than a desirable choice. A person who is successful has simply formed the habit of doing things that unsuccessful people won’t do. If you think you cannot do it correctly, the other fellow is busy making mistakes and going ahead. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate step to correct it. You can take help of your mentors (experienced advisers or supporters/seniors). They are invaluable guides in navigating learning challenges since they have walked the road before you, and they can help you identify the weaknesses and strengths you possess but are unaware of. Do not get afraid of being criticized. The poor fellows will criticize only because they cannot do it themselves. Take it to your heart what Oscar Wilde has said, “The critic is one who knows the price of everything but value of nothing.” So why do you trust the poor fellow who knows value of nothing? Is he really wiser than you are? Even if you think you cannot do much better, never quit striving for the best. You may be disappointed if you fail but you’ll be doomed if you don’t try. So please follow this dictum—try try until you die. One of my students Nisha Ghimire (Class eight,2009) once had come with a quote, ‘Try, try even if you fail, but don’t fail to try.’ So why should you fail to try? Many of life’s failures are people who don’t realize how close they were to success when they gave up. So, I say there is NO WAY you are going to resign yourself against those failures. You must immediately get back on your feet and be able to fully bet on the entire potential that you have kept intact inside of you. Now I am telling you honestly that all the conditions are here for you to join the winners’ side, the side of those who never quit trying.

Please don’t worry that you are lagging behind. It is not the solution any way. The great are great only because we are on our knees. Let us rise! Do you know what A J Cronin has said about worry? — ‘it never robs tomorrow of its sorrow; it only saps today of its strength.’ Really worry often gives a small thing a big shadow. Do not worry even when a rival imitates you. As long as he follows you, he cannot pass you. Be proud you are the leader of your own rivals. Believe in yourself. Think you can do and you really can. Unless you have a little faith in yourself, how can others have a bit of faith in you? So even the whole world is against you, have

 

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faith in your ability. You know, faith is telling a mountain to move and being shocked if it doesn't. Have such faith in yourself. Under no circumstances should you underestimate your ability. To underestimate oneself is committing moral suicide. The greatest of all faults is to imagine you are none. You may not be very good at utilizing your skills and talents but you do deserve to possess them. Never in your life should you think that you are a know-nothing. Who knows everything? It bears repeating here that even god, if he is the maker of us, has forgotten to make us what we are supposed to be at this time. To account all the twists and turns that one has taken in his/her life sounds unreasonable here. At least we must have gone through different successive stages in course of living and so is the case with learning. Knowledge of being wrong is only a starting point. Learners probably quite often say something acceptable and apparently appropriate, but which does not mean what they intend to mean. Such expressions would, of course, normally pass muster with the layman. To this standpoint, I clarify you that you must realize the worth of learning, not just the dream of what you will be tomorrow. If you have no realization that you should study hard for you to live the life of today, not just to prepare for tomorrow, your mere wish of doing excellent in whatever you do would take you nowhere. The moment of realization, so to speak, worths thousands of prayers. I remember one of my student of Grade 5 Swechchha Mahat (2007) bringing out one thought for ‘Thought of the Day’ - Hands that serve are holier than the lips that pray. Show by your action rather than telling that you’ll do. One point I wish to underscore here for you is that willing is not enough, we must do; knowing is not enough, we must apply. But the first step is to arouse the willingness to learning. Spelling out these many reasons, I want to draw your attention to the fact that we need strong desire and motivation to learn. Your real desire to learn is the internal motivation that always makes you feel you should learn. Thus such desire to learn will be tantamount (equivalent) to learning. No less challenging than passing an examination is the careful and thorough preparation for it. I see many of my students not being serious in studies even when the exam is at hand. I may be wrong to think that they do not feel exam as a standard setter because they will automatically be promoted to the upper class even if they cannot do well in the exams. Maybe they were well prepared in advance and feel no need of pondering over the note given by the teachers and read in a parrot-fashion. It is widely accepted that time has also taken its toll and the era of education has overwhelmed us. But under the surface of our modern civilization lurks a primitive jungle. The only matter of difference is that they (our ancestors) had no schools and teachers for study, and we have more than enough, so we do not want to study. Our journey has begun as theirs come to an end. To express my dissatisfaction about the interest of our present generation in study, I feel pity on the way they take study. Here is one instance form my own experience how our students are not interested in the study. Maybe the course is not of their choice, or they do not like the way the teachers teach or so so. In connection with this matter, let me tell you a small incident – when I entered the class (class 6, 24 Aug,2008), I saw only about 50 per cent students in the class as others had gone for the rest room or to the tap. Again, some students asked me to permit them to go out. When I sat on the

 

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chair and started filling up the lesson details in the log book, a girl student came to me and handed me a chit with a thought for ‘Thought of the day’. Meanwhile some other students were also permitted to go out. I pondered on the chit with my head down. There was dead silence in the class. I was amazed at this stunned silence. My class could never be such quiet. I was smiling at this silence but still my head was bending down to the chit. However, when I raised my head, I saw the most pleasant sight— there were just six students out of forty in the classroom. It was a good joke for the students when I told them what I felt of the silence. If I am taking the liberty to tell you all of this, it is because I truly want to make you be able to understand the meaning of being educated. Let me tell you of another anecdote that is going to teach you the value of being educated. One day on May 19,2009 , I had assigned the students of class 8 A some class work. All students were busy doing their task. Meanwhile I was monitoring the class, I found one girl student Karishma Khadka copying answer from a boy student’s note book. Actually, she was completing her homework of another subject that was to be checked the following period. When I caught her cheating the answer, she tried to hide the copy into her lap. I asked for the copy to see what she was writing. I found that her last sentence read ‘It is easy to cheat.’ Then I read the sentence aloud to the class, the class had a good giggle. Actually, she was writing the difference between single entry book keeping and double entry book keeping. And that very sentence was placed under the column of single entry book keeping. I do not know whether the point is right. What I suggest you at this point is that if you don’t know the answer, don’t cheat it from somebody else that never makes you know the answer, instead you can make your own try at doing that once, and even you can get neither head nor tail of the task, leave it. Do not do that homework. Unless you have a very basic concept of the task or are given some information, nobody expects anything from you. You can come empty-handed. If you copy from others, how the teachers take – you know it and they do not have to teach you the content again – but the reality is you were in the dark and the consequence is you are in the dark again. So please do not do such home works that are beyond your current level. It does not mean that you should not try at all. You can at least make a rough answer that should not necessarily be correct. The greatest comedy of our life is that every time we want to do the things correctly but do them the wrong way. You may ask why the teachers give such difficult task. Because the teachers give such questions knowing that you cannot do it well just to see your current level of understanding of the topic before teaching it in depth. This actually makes teaching learning easier and fruitful. The meaning of being educated is not given by completing your task by hook or by crook. Being genuine and trying genuinely is what is sought of you. You are not compelled to finish your task if you genuinely do not get anything of it. If you do otherwise it makes yourself lag behind. Did you get what I mean? I reckon that you will see the light if you read the following extract.

 

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The French soldiers are said to find both amusement and consolation in the following set of aphorisms: Of the two things one is certain: either you are mobilized or you are not. If you are not mobilized, there is no need to worry. If you are mobilized, of the two things one is certain: either you are behind the lines or on the front. If you are behind the lines, there is no need to worry. If you are on the front, of two things one is certain: either you are resting in a safe place or exposed to danger. If you are resting in a safe place, there is no need to worry. If you are exposed to danger, of two things one is certain: either you are wounded or not. If not, no problem. If you are wounded, of two things one is certain: either you are seriously wounded or slightly. If you are slightly wounded, there is no need to worry. If you are seriously wounded, of two things one is certain: either you recover or die. If you are recovered from your injuries, no need to worry. If you die, you can’t worry. Did you get what I mean by this set of aphorisms? You know that we should die sooner or later. It is said that if you move forward, you will die; if you move backward, you will die; so better move forward and die. From this, I suggest you to take the difficult path that leads to perfection (heaven) rather than the easier path that leads to destruction (hell). So take the difficult path for learning (i.e. trying yourself) rather than following a readymade way (i.e. getting form your friend or anyone else). That is the true meaning of being educated. There’re people so addicted to exaggeration that they cannot tell the truth without lying. But the truth told with exaggeration is more harmful than a lie. William Blake has said, “ A truth told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent.” Think positive of others and others will think positive of you. This positive thinking is the way of positive life that comes out from positive attitude. Both positive and negative attitudes have power. However, the difference is that positive attitude has the power to make you, while negative attitude has the power to mar you. All the positive virtues lead you every inch to success. All the negative thoughts are your worst enemies, as they quietly maintain the unhealthy climate that is corroding your existence minute after minute and chokes one after another your every chance of success. Let us remedy right now the negative aspects (but above all reinforce the positive and best aspects) of your present life, since everything can change very soon if we really want! How far you have yet to go to realize your dream of becoming a successful person. It is a time to stop dreaming and put your goals and ambitions into practice, to bring those dreams, finally, to fruition. You know the best way to make your dream come true is to wake up. Until you wake up and act out for fulfilling your dream, you end up sleeping and dreaming. Working out from the very onset of life can magically and swiftly change the path you are on, illuminate your future and transform your life in countless powerful and positive, fundamental ways, once and for all, now and forever.

 

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Now that I have been working with you for a little while, you know that I am attuned to you in a very real and special sense and am always on the lookout for anything that can make your life meaningful and more fulfilling. That’s why I wanted you to know how important it is for you to develop positive attitude and to take advantage of the fact that the mentorship available to you will be utterly spectacular to your study and all. Additionally, you have many teachers who further stimulate your power and guide you to the right track. I cannot change your life; no one can do it for you. It is you, and you alone, my students, who must do for it, and prove that indeed you want your life to change. Moreover, you must have strong desire and determination to try to apply these many ideas into your life. This can be your first step on a new path and an altogether different journey, one that taps into your real potential once and for all. This is what I want for you! I would be immensely sorry, if I were not able to have you benefit fully from these wonderful moments that we are spending together. No questions, no argument and no explanation will be necessary. But no matter what, you can still keep these principles as my free gifts to you. If by any chance have I hurt your feelings, please accept my apologies for that. If you cannot stay without commenting on it, drop me a line when you have time. Enjoy the work you do; do the best you can. All the best wishes!

As always, Rebat Kumar Dhakal Rebat Kumar Dhakal