This school in Patna sent an incredible letter to all the parents on the result’s day

Can one count their curiosity in numbers? Can one measure their learnings in the matric system? Can one weigh the knowledge one has within? I don’t know, I have tried and failed to answer if, we as humans are so capable of pouring our knowledge into a vessel, like red wine in an authentic narrowed stem glass, and then measure its quantity.

Are you capable of understanding how logical you are? Or, how learned you are? Can you really tell in numbers that your kids know exactly how much they score? The marks she might have got in just 5 or 6 disciplines of life, can it define the kind of person she is going to grow up to be? Which research proves that people who score 90 and above are brilliant or are the ones who have really done a lot for humanity? Can anyone quantify how much Aryabhatta could score in the current day examination system? Will it be the Zero that he invented or will it be 100?

Do birds also judge the survival capability of their child by some number system? Well I am really not sure about it, yet their kids survive, and fly from one horizon to another. We humans on the other hand think that, little numbers will decide the survival capabilities of our children. Again, no research has proven that exams are the best way to judge the knowledge grasped by a child.

We have grown up in a mad race for numbers, and results. We have killed curiosity in the search of perfect scores, and we have discouraged creativity, because creativity is unique; but to be a topper one has to be common, and better than common to head the herd of sheep.

Schools are not factories of similar toys; schools are the workshops of diversity and leadership. To remind that every child is special, Indirapuram Public School for Girls gave every parent a letter on their first year’s result day. Every girl, no matter what her performance was received a letter, in which each word was determined to encourage her for the future. Following is the copy of that letter:

“Dear Parents,

Greetings from IPSG!

Khalil Gibran once said that parents are like a bow,

And children like arrows.

The more the bow bends and stretches, the farther the arrow flies.

I fly, not because I am special, but because they stretched for me.

Thank you so much for being with us for the past one year in IPS Girls family. It is always an enriching and learning experience to be a part of our girls growth and development. As you know, we focus on positive personality and mental wellness. If a child has a positive outlook and is mentally strong, learning happens naturally. The important thing that we can do for our children is to help them acquire values and skills that they can rely on throughout their lives.

1: Never compare your child to others, it hits their self esteem hard. As Albert Einstein said “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid”.

2: We should make a pledge to listen to the interests, hopes and dreams of our children and work at figuring out ways to help build some bridges to get them there.

3: Your child should be important but not everything to you. This helps them to adjust, accommodate in life and be social.

4: Replace criticisms with critical appreciation. It helps to develop rational thinking without being biased.

5: Respect their opinions and decisions (but not their greed and tantrum). Taking decisions and sharing opinions will make them independent and responsible but entertaining their tantrums will make them greedy and obstinate.

6: Talk with your child about the importance of doing chores. If possible, give your child new chores that will stretch their abilities and encourage satisfaction in good work. This teaches them dignity of labour and they also learn to appreciate the effects of hard work.

7: Communicate fluently and freely. It gives you a chance to read their thought process and they also feel supported and wanted. It is very important for their sense of personal achievement.

8: Encourage your child to listen and to respect others opinions. This will give them a chance to resolve conflicts nonviolently.

9: We must ensure that we treat our subordinates, family members and helpers with dignity.We cannot teach respect to our children by being disrespectful to others. Children learn and relate to their surroundings in each moment of their development.

As parents, and teachers we want our kids to develop a strong personality. The most important thing that we can do for our kids is to help them acquire values and skills that they can rely on throughout their lives. In doing so, they will have the best chance to lead good lives as individuals and as citizens of their communities.”

With the idea that every parent should know about this, PatnaBeats decided to publish this letter. Indirapuram Public School for Girls’s Principal Arti Jha, and her beautiful team of teachers hope to make a change, and encourage each parent and their children to never look back at failures but to succeed. Through the words of this powerful letter, they want to motivate the students to have their own achievement stories, in their own words, on their own paper, and in their own zone.

PatnaBeats has always stood by the idea of breaking stereotypes with creativity, art, and knowledge. In an hour when everyone has their share of doubts about our education system and when everyone is thinking of revolting to make it better than it is today; PatnaBeats and Indirapuram Public School for Girls urge you to ponder upon whether a revolution might be required in the way we guide and teach our students. Maybe not a physical one, but a mental one!

Quote of the day: “Be so good they can't ignore you.” 
― Steve Martin