I often listen to teacher educators speak on various platforms, and many of them frequently enhance their presentations with real-life anecdotes. These stories not only make their narratives more memorable but also lend credibility to their messages. Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a talk by Dr. E.V. Swaminathan, a renowned life coach affiliated with the Brahma Kumaris. He discussed a troubling behaviour observed among young people preparing for competitive examinations in India.
Dr. Swaminathan highlighted
how many students, when faced with difficulty in matching their peers'
performance or meeting their parents' expectations, fall into depression.
During his presentation on holistic intelligence, he recalled a particularly
tragic incident:
“A few months ago, a student
preparing for NEET in Kota, Rajasthan, jumped off a building to commit
suicide.”
This reference to suicide was
meant to underscore the importance of fostering emotional intelligence in
students. Midway through his talk, the speaker invited two parents to share
their experiences. A couple in their late forties stepped forward, and to
everyone’s astonishment, they revealed:
“Well, we are the parents of
the student you mentioned in your talk…”
Dr. Swaminathan was
momentarily speechless, unsure of how to respond. He could only offer a
heartfelt and sincere apology to the grieving parents. However, to his
surprise, they responded with understanding:
“Well… we too realized rather
late in life that we should have taught our children how to cope with pressure
and stress.”
This poignant moment served as
a powerful reminder of the real-life implications of the challenges faced by
students and the crucial role parents play in guiding them through these
pressures.
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