(The forthcoming book: From the Principal’s Desk – A Journey of Lessons)
Dr Arun Prakash
“Sir, how can I ensure my daughter gets into IIT?”
I’ve heard this question more times than I can count. Sometimes it’s framed differently—“Which stream has the most scope?” or “Should we start coaching from Class 6?” But the underlying tone is the same: how do we get the child to “win” at academics?
The real question, though, is: what does winning even mean?
Let me take you back to a morning about 15 years ago. I was walking through the school corridors when I noticed a boy named Arvind sitting alone, sketching in his rough notebook. It wasn’t homework—just some doodles, an abstract design using alphabets, a bit of geometry, and even something that looked like a tribal motif.
I asked him, “What are you drawing?”
He looked up shyly and said, “I don’t know, sir. I just like seeing how shapes fit together.”
This boy—quiet, often lost in thought, not a top scorer—wasn’t noticed much in class. His chemistry marks were always a little explosive (not in the good way). But he was a thinker. A curious child.
Today, Arvind designs innovative learning spaces for schools—furniture, classrooms, even whole playgrounds that promote creativity and collaboration. He wasn’t a topper. But he was a learner.
And that, dear reader, is where our journey begins.
What Matters Most in Academics
If there’s one thing we need to rewrite in our schools—and sometimes in our hearts—it is what we think academic success means.
We’ve built a system that’s obsessed with speed and numbers. Finish the syllabus. Take the test. Score high. Repeat.
But the real world? It rewards depth, clarity, and connection. Not regurgitation.
Depth Over Speed
I once had a student named Prerna who couldn’t understand fractions. She sat through every class, listened, but just couldn’t “get it.” We gave her extra time, a few one-on-one sessions. And then one day, while baking with her grandmother, she measured ¾ cup of flour and said, “Oh! That’s what it means!”
Real learning happens when the concept meets the child’s world.
Use Over Memory
Knowing Newton’s laws is one thing. Applying them to explain why a ball hits a wall and bounces back—that’s thinking. A boy named Ramesh once drew a football diagram to explain his science project. It was messy. But it made sense. He could connect physics to play.
A researcher named Benjamin Bloom, whose taxonomy is now a foundation for educational theory, said: “Understanding is more important than recall.” If we teach for recall, we create parrots. If we teach for understanding, we create problem solvers.
Curiosity Over Conformity
Remember this: a child who asks ‘why’ is often learning more than a child who just nods.
A Class 4 girl once asked me, “If gravity pulls everything down, how do clouds float?” She wasn’t trying to be clever. She was genuinely puzzled. That question stayed with me longer than most exam answers.
Children are naturally curious. If we build classrooms that reward their questions—not just their answers—we’ll raise thinkers, not just achievers.
Beyond Grades: Defining Real Success
Let me share something from my experience. Some of the brightest children I’ve known—students who could solve integrals in their sleep—are today stuck in jobs they hate. Others, who were “average” in school, are leading projects, building companies, or raising wonderful families.
Grades measure one kind of ability. But life demands many kinds of intelligence—emotional, social, creative, even spiritual.
Psychologist Howard Gardner called these “multiple intelligences”—and I agree. A child who can write poetry, lead a group, or fix a broken chair with tape and intuition has value. Just not value we measure with board exam percentages.
Story: The Case of Two Classmates
Ritika was a topper—disciplined, focused, always prepared. Ravi was her opposite—scattered, late with homework, but brilliant in discussions.
Years later, Ritika told me she feared every exam. “I was more afraid of failing than interested in learning,” she said. Ravi, meanwhile, had learned to fail early—and grow from it.
Both are doing fine. But Ravi’s path is happier. Because he learned to see failure not as a verdict, but as a direction sign.
Encouraging a Growth Mindset in Learning
Here’s where science steps in.
Dr. Carol Dweck from Stanford University gave us the term “growth mindset”—the belief that intelligence isn’t fixed; it grows with effort and strategy.
In schools where students believe they can improve, achievement rises. In families where parents praise effort, children become more resilient.
How to Build Growth Mindset:
- Replace “You’re so smart!” with “I love how you didn’t give up.”
- After mistakes, ask, “What did you learn from that?”
- Tell stories of your own learning. Children love hearing how adults fumbled.
In one PTM, a father said, “I told my daughter how I once failed Class 11 physics. She was shocked—but she also smiled. I think she stopped fearing her own struggles after that.”
Let’s remind ourselves—children aren’t statues to be carved. They’re gardens to be nurtured.
Education, to me, is not a staircase. It’s a river. Some children flow fast. Others take their time. Some meander, pause, change direction. But all of them move forward, if we let them.
So, dear reader—whether you’re a parent, teacher, or policy maker—ask yourself not “Is this child scoring enough?” but “Is this child learning well, living well, and loving to learn?”
Because what really matters in academics is not the grade they take home, but the curiosity they take into the world.
Next: From Passion to Purpose—Exploring Interests