We are living in a world where only your academic level in school counts as a real success in your life. Everyone only cares for your exam results and the essays that you’ve written, nothing more. Mathematics is the most crucial thing in the world; every test is based on mathematics. If you are a failure in math you are automatically a failure in life and worthless. Most of the educational system around the world is based on this, where you set aside everything and make your grades your one and only priority.
However unlike everyone Jack Ma told his son “You don’t have to be the best in the class. As long as your grades aren’t too bad, it’s alright to be a student of average grades. This is the only way to have free time for you to develop new skills.” I think Jack Ma draws attention to a really important point. Our education system and society do not care for our other skills learned outside of the classroom. For instance when it is our exam year and we need to study like there is no tomorrow our families anticipate us to leave all of our outside school activities that w enjoy such as sports, arts or music for a whole year. They do not understand that these activities are the only things nourishing our souls.
Not to mention some students are not good at maths or any other subject that involve calculations. We cannot expect everyone to excel in all of their classes, every child is different and that’s what makes them precious. They could have a passion in any other area. We shouldn’t expect our children to be at the top of their all the time and study sleepless for nights. This just exacerbates the situation even more for your children and for their mental health.
All things considered a healthy relationship with your child you should get to know them, learn about their abilities and encourage them to persuade these instead of forcing them to master in their classes and became the best in their class. Yes, a child’s academic career is important but if it’s the only thing that they focus on later in life they will lack other social abilities. So getting a C from an exam or struggling with maths is not the end of the world for you or your child. Children just need to find what they are best in and focus on that.