My family has been vital in influencing my viewpoints towards the world, particularly through identification. It is through emotional ties with my family and perception of common qualities that I share with my them that have changed my attitudes towards achievement (Awa, 2005). Initially, I believed that excellence in academic performance was a natural talent, and not a choice by a person. Students who did not perform well were not naturally gifted in academics.
John, my elder brother, belonged to the group of poor academic performers between grade 1 and grade 7. One day, my aunt came home and looked at his performance report. John always took the second last position, if not the last. Aunt Millicent was annoyed with his situation when she found that her marks were constantly decreasing. Millicent held a lengthy conversation with John, which ended with a conclusion that a people’s lives lie on their own hands. This statement too changed my attitude and I began to work hard for a bright future.
I entirely accepted that academic performance was not an aspect of naturalism, but an issue of personal choice when John’s performance rose sharply. John stopped his weird mannerisms and changed his attitudes towards math and science subjects. Most of time was spent on reading, while he used the remaining time for reading newsletters and watching educative TV programs. People choose to be what they are (Guild, Merrell & Thompson, 2008); John woke up earliest every day, did house chores, and consulted his teachers whenever he had a problem in any class subject. The first term in grade 8 saw John performing exceptionally to the surprise of his teachers, and even to our family as a whole. This incidence made me stop my attitude towards academic performance. I realized it was my personal choice to be whomever I want.
References
Guild, T., Merrell, J., & Thompson, E. (2008). Inspiration. London: Quadrille.
Awa, M. S. (2005). The family in education. Nkwen, Bamenda, Cameroon: Gospel Press.
