Wednesday, 30 July 2025
On this month’s theme of showing understanding, I would like to share a story with you about something that happened to me a little while ago.
I once had a student that was extremely difficult. Even though his English was good, any time I asked him to do something, he would pretty much refuse to cooperate. I put him into a group, thinking that he would be able to help the others to discuss the topic and to teach them along the way. Nope. He didn’t participate. I asked him to share on how he managed to complete the reading paper so well but he gave a simple answer and refused to explain. This went on for a while and was extremely frustrating as I truly believed he would have been able to help his classmates while helping himself at the same time. I tried talking to him, to convince him, and to encourage him but still, he refused. In my frustration, I even threatened him with detentions and bad habits but nothing worked. Eventually, the Final Exams came and the year ended. I guess I chalked it up to character and personality and left it at that.
After the summer holidays, I noticed that things had changed, and this student had started to participate and engage with other students. I thought it was just that the student needed a bit of time before being able to adapt to the senior forms.
However, in looking for students to nominate for a scholarship, I realised something. I realised that that student had in fact been going through some sad and big changes in his life. I realised that he didn’t participate, not because he didn’t want to but because he wasn’t able to. I felt horrible. I should have asked more and felt more compassion rather than frustration. I should have shown more understanding for the different circumstances he may have been experiencing. I should have handled the whole situation differently. Knowing that I had done wrong, I found an opportunity to talk to the student and I apologised for my actions. My apology was accepted and I hoped that we could both grow and move on from the experience.
Last week, we heard a sharing about how we are not perfect, and my experience shows us that I am also not perfect. But, that’s ok. Making mistakes is ok. What is more important is, when we realise we have made mistakes, do we work to remedy the situation? From my experience, I will make sure I work hard to fully understand the picture before making judgments. I will show more understanding. Will you also learn from your experiences in life and show understanding to those around you?
Mr G. Manchester
29 May 2023