Pressure Cooker
On the happy occasion of Children’s Day, AYAN ROY takes a look at a very solemn topic – the pressure on our young ones
CChildren all over the world will identify with these lyrics because they are living under the constant pressure to succeed and fulfil their parents’ dreams and aspirations. And don’t forget the added pressure to be ‘perfect’ on social media as well.
Situation worsening
The situation is getting more complicated with each passing year. According to Saradha Balasubramanian, Assistant Professor of English at K. C. College, “The pressure on kids has
increased in the last few years. The exposure to media and social media has brought greater pressure on them. The desire of parents for the spotlight and to showcase their child's talent to the world is increasing the child's burden. Children are being pushed to extreme lengths to fulfil parental and familial expectations.”
Anurupa Nambiar, mother of a child studying in class 8 ICSE, has an even scarier viewpoint. She says, “The pressure is allconsuming. It shocks me when the most hard-working, diligent students of my daughter's class are caught red-handed in manners of cheating, and all you see is the desperation in their eyes when the school calls us parents to report the incidents. Desperation to succeed at any cost or fail in the eyes of all family and friends is their biggest fear. We have to contain this unending pressure.”
Teachers’ role
But how do we release the pressure? Saradha believes teachers have a role to play. “Unfortunately, some teachers too are adding to this pressure with expectations of excellent performance from their students. The system too has tied their hands securely behind their backs and expects them to deliver. Teachers should focus not just on the syllabus and facts but work towards opening the students' minds. Teachers will have to encourage conversations in the classroom to enable sharing of experiences. Pressure will be automatically released when students realise that they are all sailing in the same boat,” she suggests.
Honesty still the best policy
“Families too can alleviate this pressure by having ‘honest conversations’ among themselves. Today, we are so much into gadgets and technology that we have lost the simple joys of sitting down and having a chat. Children who feel isolated and alienated feel greater pressure because they cannot share their anxieties with anyone,” she adds.
Anurupa echoes these thoughts, “I routinely tell my daughter and her friends anecdotes of all the instances when I had failed and lived through it all the same. With loads of learning as surprise gifts. They look at me unbelieving even though they know I don't lie. But the lessons hit home, I can tell. Parents have to introduce their children to Rudyard Kipling's two imposters "Disaster and Triumph” and teach them to treat them evenly. The internal dialogue and culture of the students all are barometers of what they have grown up seeing at home, after all.”
Thus, children need to understand that chasing success is a useless pursuit. Instead, they should be chasing excellence, improvement. No competing with that guy in the fifth bench, but themselves.
As the dialogue in 3 Idiots says, “Be capable, my son, capable... for then success will follow you no matter what…”