The victory in failing

The first test I failed was in school. The subject was Marathi (I mean, of course).

That wasn't the last time I failed a test though.

My classmates look at me right now and probably can't imagine me ever failing in anything academic. But the truth was very different. I too have my weaknesses. And Marathi was that one subject that repeatedly brought my total percentage/grade down.

I eventually got immunized from thinking failure was the end of me. My teachers scoldings mostly felt like nothing because I knew how hard I tried. I knew it was my best. If my best wasn't good enough then sorry, but my feelings aren't hurt by your unrealistic perception of me as lazy, irresponsible or stupid. Cause I'm none of those things and I can try harder next time. 
There's always a next time for most things in life. 

Many teachers make us feel like it's a now-or-never sort of thing. 
Rubbish. 
Though it would be easier to finish things off quickly once given the opportunity to. 

Later I found out, that teacher just had a big problem at letting me pass her subjects. There are many such teachers who take it badly when a student can't do well in their subject. They scream at the child, not realizing that their teaching methods could be at fault.

I mean, the harsher reality is on the students, who at a young age get screamed at for not understanding a teacher's faulty method of teaching. It's the student who gets punished for not scoring well and not getting good marks. It's the student that's not chosen by colleges and universities if they don't meet score requirements cause they had bad teachers. Scoring less and making mistakes are just part of learning. 

What punishments do teachers get for not teaching well? Their salaries are given whether or not the student learns. 

By my last year in school, when I got to know I failed biology in the first term's school exams...all I thought was "Okay, I'll do better next time". And that was that. No tears, no sadness...in fact I laughed cause I liked the subject of biology and it felt funny cause I had passed Marathi that time. 

Some teachers strongly believe screaming at their students will improve their performance...calling them all sorts of names other than who they really are. For some twisted reason they imagine doing this will give students more confidence for their exam writing skills. Very self-defeating methods by teachers.

Don't believe the mean things teachers call you, dear students.

Time and experience taught me that an exam result need not define your worth. All it says is your ability to understand certain concepts in the curriculum and being able to write that out on paper at that particular time...nothing more than that, nothing less.

Students tend to take it too seriously. Because we're brain-washed to believe this is all there is to life. That result paper is the prophecy set for me until the ends of time...that this will follow me as a ghost...the ghost of failure and regret. 

But it's not true. 

You can always do better in the future, no matter how much or how badly you failed. 

Even if it's the same subject, over and over. You never start again from the bottom. When you do things again and again, the knowledge and experience you learnt in your previous failure acts as the foundation to help you reach new heights. You will succeed....Eventually. 

The young pearl who took her failed biology paper very well, topped the same subject in the next school term and who knows...so can you.