Explore your Unique Potential

New Delhi, June 9 - I am a fourth-year student of engineering. My close friend is the topper of our batch and I feel that I am not particularly smart. I feel a lot of pressure to perform better, but even after making a lot of effort, I haven't managed to excel. My parents don't pressurise me but still I feel harassed and disturbed by this thought. Please help.

I can appreciate the sense of pressure you must be feeling. We all wish to do well, feel good about ourselves and get the respect and admiration of others. I am sure you notice that your best friend gets plenty of adulation and you must wish you do too. Every person is a singular individual with interests, talents and abilities unique to themselves. And if these are observed, admired and valued, it allows the person to lead a happy life following their own interests and developing their own unique capacities.

Instead, we hanker after what others have or achieve, without paying attention to ourselves, what interests us, or our own capabilities. The most successful and happy people in the world didn't necessarily get high marks. They had confidence in themselves, because they felt loved and admired for who they were, not for what they achieved externally. I would suggest you try and accept your limitations in this area and try and figure out what you enjoy doing, and where else your strengths may lie. I am sure you will do well and be satisfied if you are able to come to terms with your limitations and focus on developing your strengths. Good luck.

My 12-year old son is facing severe academic difficulties mainly pertaining to mathematics. He often gets confused between the symbols, does not know tables and has difficulty with basic calculations. He is unable to grasp and remember mathematical concepts and rules, His teacher says that he has dyscalculia. Please advice.

Keeping the description of this specific learning problem in mind, dyscalculia is a special need and requires support along with further enabling methods of learning. The support should include your keen understanding of the condition and equip yourself with learning strategies that the child can use in the classroom and at home. A child with dyscalculia needs extra help with mathematics. Such learners may have difficulty with intuitive grasp of numbers and the usual methods of teaching. They may produce a correct answer or use a correct method mechanically without the required confidence.

Here, the objective of remedial teaching should also be to improve the learners' self-esteem by giving exposure to mathematics as applied to daily life and planning activities. At the end of the day, the best approach is to a) identify the areas where the child has a difficulty in learning, b) target an intervention at these specific areas. Keep the self-esteem of the child as the highest priority and appreciate hidden talents and abilities. Encouragement and smiles are what matter.

Author: Jitendra Nagpal (HT Horizons)

Date: 10th June, 2010

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