By: Corlynn Kho | Translated by: Choo Ting Hou “
Why can’t I run faster than my classmates even though I’ve trained so hard?” “Why are my classmates so smart yet I’m so stupid? I’m such a loser.” Have your children ever asked such questions? How did you respond? Would you discuss the issue tirelessly, or just muddle it through? The social circles of children in the 21st century mostly revolve around schools, day care centres, tuition classes, skills classes, on the Internet, etc. The “healthy competitions” within these small communities have imperceptibly become the foundation on which the children assess themselves. Moreover, some parents have also been profoundly influenced. It is not an exaggeration to say that the academic pressure and interpersonal relationship faced by the children at these small communities are on par with, if not surpass, the stress level faced by
parents at their workplaces. They are constantly overshadowed by a sense of defeat. When they have such frustrations, these vulnerable young hearts will gradually break down, and finally be engulfed.
Case Study 1 Student A has a well-built physique but is poor in communication. He is often jeered at by 3333333333333333333333333333333333333 classmates during physical education classes. 33333333333333333333333333333333333333333 Once he caused the team’s loss in a competition, 33333333333333333333333333333333333333333 and was consequently bullied by his teammates. He 33333333333333333333333333333333333333333 regarded himself as a loser because he had failed 33333333333333333333333333333333333333333 to accomplish a task which other classmates could 33333333333333333333333333333333333333333 accomplish. An extended sense of defeat caused 33333333333333333333333333333333333333333 him to greatly underestimate his self-worth, hence 33333333333333333333333333333333333333333 requiring counselling from a psychologist. 33333333333333333333333333333333333333333 33333333333333333333333333333333333333333 Case Study 2 3333333333 Student B excels in moral and academic performances and is a model student. The student failed to hand in the paper in time during year-end examination and failed one subject as a result. It was the first ever setback throughout his years of study, which seriously undermined his selfconfidence and crushed his spirit. Being a student who had always been leading as a winner, he could not identify himself with a new identity of being a loser. Eventually, he required counselling from a psychologist. These two families share something in common – when the children were in trouble, they sought help from their parents. Their parents made concerted efforts and did everything they could to get their children out of trouble.
