We are talking about Becky, how she thought that she is not a good student. But when day when she was offered a treat, she gave her best possible efforts. A student, basically a child needs constant love, security and attention. She feels lonely or unimportant if she does not get these things. If a child is facing lack of attention at home, that would be reciprocated in his class grades. This may also be called as Attention Deficit Syndrome, where the child wants to gain attention of the parents thus she behaves in a way that she thinks will attract her parents attention towards her, it could result in an aggressive behaviour, feigning illnesses, breaking things intentionally, screaming without a cause.
A similar phenomenon can be seen in schools, where a student may need a constant appraisal and encouragement from her teachers. She will be motivated to work harder only if he feels that his hard work is being appreciated. In the absence of a continuous motivation his desire to perform better will die.
As we can see in the story about Becky, she is actually not a weak student, but she considers herself so because of lack of acknowledgement. She was pretty sure that she is not good in certain subjects, but when she heard that scoring good will enable her to have a lunch with her teacher, she worked harder and scored 100%. It was the bait of the lunch that made her succeed. For her, having a Pizza lunch with her teacher was something she wanted to achieve. Thus she left no stone unturned, and secured the highest grade. If children are given such incentives for performing better in the exams then they can actually give their best and realize their own worth. If Becky was even asked that she will be taken out for a movie or she that her parents will buy her the doll or the dress she always wanted to have, then also she would have worked harder. Incentives need to be given to children which are harmless and yet attractive enough for them to work for it. It will vary from student to student that what exactly will attract him the most. In Becky’s case it was the lunch party or the recognition among the other classmates that inspired her to work harder. She used to be a loner in her class, now that she can sit along with four other students and have lunch with the teacher has given her great sense of pride and self confidence.
Such goals will make her more focused in her life. She will set them as her targets and work accordingly. Not only her morale will get a boost but also she will get to know what she is capable of. She needs to be given goals where she will get social recognition, where she can make others realize her existence. She needs company; just that she keeps herself away from others because she has an innate fear of rejection. Also an appetizing meal may make her more focused. She can work hard to get something she relishes.
Parents and teachers need to connect to the children at an emotional level. They have to understand their emotional needs and work accordingly. They need to be patient and sensitive towards the children. They must find out the reason for a weird behaviour at home or poor grades at school. And thus think of such temptations that can make the child push herself beyond her boundaries and go beyond her capabilities so that she can outshine everyone else around.
REFERENCES
Improving Students' Relationships with Teachers to Provide Essential Supports for Learning
Retrieved from: http://www.apa.org/education/k12/relationships.aspx
Social and Emotional Learning: the key to a healthier school climate, greater academic
achievement. Retrieved from: http://www.channing-bete.com/prevention-
programs/paths/SEL.html
