I was reading Mel's post re: Malay students' apparent lack of motivation and found myself reflecting on my own experiences as a Malay student in Singapore. While I've done well in school I realised that I did not have a real motivation as a student.
What I meant by 'real' is that I did not know why I had to go to school. I went to school then because that's what everyone my age did. That was what my elder siblings had done when they were my age. Sure, I enjoyed school. But I could not wait to return home so I could spend time on my passion: drawing cartoons. I would doodle in front of the TV sketching characters from Scooby Doo, The Flintstones, Popeye, Mask, Transformers, etc. School to me was just something I had to do, a place to meet friends. Perhaps I was lucky enough to do well. Perhaps I am just competitive in nature though sibling rivalry did spur me to do better than my elder sisters. But as I got older, my motivation came from the desire to reward my mother for singlehandedly raising our family after my father died. She became my primary reason. That my elder sister dangled monetary reward for every distinction counted too I suppose.
It is clear that having a supportive family background helps. Knowing that your loved ones believe in you makes it so much easier to believe in yourself. This is the problem that many weaker students face: a lack of self-belief. They may have the mindset that they cannot possibly be better than their fathers, uncles, brothers, cousins who might have started working at blue collar jobs once they turned 16. It is also possible that these 'family members' choose to perpetuate this defeatist mentality among their 'juniors' in order to justify their own lack of success and validate career decisions they made earlier in life.
For a student to do well, he must find a way to self-motivate himself. Anything can be a motivator. Even a desire to impress a girl could be a good source of motivation. But I must admit it is hard to stay motivated when you keep running into failures. I failed a Maths test once in Primary 2. I cried because I was so embarassed. Embarassment could be a motivator. I haven't failed Maths since.
If failure is a stumbling block to building self-confidence and self-belief, I say stick with the things you are naturally gifted in. If you're good at sports, stay in sports. If you're good at computers, stick with it. A friend of mine failed his PSLE but found his calling in computers. Now he's earning mega bucks as a computer engineer.
What I meant by 'real' is that I did not know why I had to go to school. I went to school then because that's what everyone my age did. That was what my elder siblings had done when they were my age. Sure, I enjoyed school. But I could not wait to return home so I could spend time on my passion: drawing cartoons. I would doodle in front of the TV sketching characters from Scooby Doo, The Flintstones, Popeye, Mask, Transformers, etc. School to me was just something I had to do, a place to meet friends. Perhaps I was lucky enough to do well. Perhaps I am just competitive in nature though sibling rivalry did spur me to do better than my elder sisters. But as I got older, my motivation came from the desire to reward my mother for singlehandedly raising our family after my father died. She became my primary reason. That my elder sister dangled monetary reward for every distinction counted too I suppose.
It is clear that having a supportive family background helps. Knowing that your loved ones believe in you makes it so much easier to believe in yourself. This is the problem that many weaker students face: a lack of self-belief. They may have the mindset that they cannot possibly be better than their fathers, uncles, brothers, cousins who might have started working at blue collar jobs once they turned 16. It is also possible that these 'family members' choose to perpetuate this defeatist mentality among their 'juniors' in order to justify their own lack of success and validate career decisions they made earlier in life.
For a student to do well, he must find a way to self-motivate himself. Anything can be a motivator. Even a desire to impress a girl could be a good source of motivation. But I must admit it is hard to stay motivated when you keep running into failures. I failed a Maths test once in Primary 2. I cried because I was so embarassed. Embarassment could be a motivator. I haven't failed Maths since.
If failure is a stumbling block to building self-confidence and self-belief, I say stick with the things you are naturally gifted in. If you're good at sports, stay in sports. If you're good at computers, stick with it. A friend of mine failed his PSLE but found his calling in computers. Now he's earning mega bucks as a computer engineer.
How was that possible? He focused his talents and found the motivation by doing something he loves. Take a look at Tiger Woods or Vijay Singh. They are fantastic at golf because they truly love the sport and would think nothing of spending endless hours working on their game. That's the key. Do something you love. And you will find your strengths and the rewards that come from building on your passion.
*Just 2 cents' worth from guest writer, Mr Sarcasma.*
*Just 2 cents' worth from guest writer, Mr Sarcasma.*
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