An open letter to classes 6 and 7
Dear students,
Are you that person who sits at the desk, stares at the ceiling and chews at the pencil during class? Are you that person who gestures towards their friend in the computer lab instead of reading? Are you that person who goes back home and plays with some neighbors the whole time? If the answer is yes, then you need to stop it, sit up, and become more serious. The time has come for you to start caring because you don’t want to suffer in future.
Whenever you waste time, you are in effect climbing down one step of the staircase which finally ends in the “pit of the unemployable”. The dwellers of this pit are those who have got caught in the vicious cycle. The vicious cycle seems very lucrative initially, but it finally lands you in an “unemployable” situation, inevitably pushing you into this pit.
For example, when a new topic is taught in the math class, you don’t pay attention. Then, next day when more difficult concepts of the topic is taught, you fail to understand those. Finally, when the topic is over, you are unable to understand the head or tail of it and you end up losing a lot of precious lessons which won’t be repeated.
On the other hand, if you listen diligently you become part of a virtuous cycle. As all skills are interlinked, if you excel in one you will do well in the others too. So, if you have read many books properly you can write well as you know the style of doing so. Due to that, you can speak clearly too. Thus you start performing well in every aspect. That gains you some respect and you are motivated to continue.
I have laid out the options. Now the choice is yours.
But the future is far away, you might protest. But that is the point. You have time now. You don’t have to prepare for board exams, SAT, college admission tests, etc. You have a lot of free time in the weekends and evenings. So, you must make the most out of it. In addition, studying for exams at the last moment won’t help. Building basic skills, which will be needed throughout your life, is a long-term process. You have to start early; and as the saying goes “An early bird catches the worm”, if you are ahead of others you have greater chances of success. Now is the time. So, utilize it.
Okay, but how to utilize time? will probably be your next question. You can do a handful of productive activities in your free time.
Reading is one of them. You must read a lot, and actively. Don’t just brush through the words; check meanings of every difficult word, discuss what you read with your friends, write a summary or review of what you read. All these will enhance your understanding of the book, article, etc. Only then will you gain the most out of it and it will help consume your free time. Anyways, reading is a pleasurable activity. So, it wouldn’t take much effort to read interesting storybooks or articles. So why not do it?
Another thing you can do is practice math at home. If you have been taught a new formula, you should go back and try to derive it from scratch. You can put it in example situations and prove the formula. Doing these will make you familiar with the formula. If you encounter any questions related to the formula, then you won’t have to spend much time figuring out the answer; since it will become automatic. You will calculate the answer as fast as you can calculate 10+10. You become much faster and better at math.
Lastly, you must take care in doing any work that you do anywhere. If you are writing, do it clearly everywhere, not just in an answer. Try to actively read whatever you read; be it a book, an article or even a tweet. Try to speak comprehensively with all friends and family, not just with teachers. While playing a game, put in thought to every move that you play. This will help build your skills and make you adjusted to doing everything responsibly.
I hope you have understood the harmful effects of time wastage after all my persuasion. But if not, there is nothing I can do. A bad future awaits you, for surviving is difficult. You need skills for that. And when you do grow up, and regretfully look back at the wasted time, there will be nothing you can do or I.
From,
A friend
