3 days ago
Letter of the day: Student's plea a lesson in what matters most in education
Letters To The Editor
Re: ' Dear Miss Teacher, Why can't I fail too? ' (Opinion, May 31)
In reading Maïka Forget's op-ed, I felt a mix of admiration, empathy and a long-standing conviction that the quiet, daily choices of teachers shape lives in ways that are rarely acknowledged.
Forget, in her teenage wisdom, articulates the subtle but monumental impact a teacher has when they see a student not just for their grades, but for their potential, their struggle and their effort.
Her story isn't about academic success or failure; it's about recognition, self-worth and the deep human need to feel understood.
It is also, poignantly, about how being labelled 'gifted' too early and too often can breed pressure, performance anxiety and a fear of falling short.
Praise should be for effort, not just achievement. A gifted child is not simply a box to be checked or a label to be worn. Their emotional, social and intellectual growth requires support, challenge and the freedom to stumble and sometimes fail. How else can you learn to stand back up?
Teachers hold extraordinary power, not because they deliver curriculum, but because they shape identity. A well-timed word of encouragement, a glance that says 'I believe in you,' or even allowing space for a student to fail safely are the moments that form the foundation of a confident, resilient person.
Too often, those who are 'gifted' are left to coast, their struggles invisible because their report cards sparkle. Forget's words are a powerful reminder that even bright lights need care and guidance and that the brightest lights sometimes flicker silently.
As someone who returned to school to complete a Master's in education in my late 40s, I read her words through a dual lens: as a lifelong learner and as someone who has studied the philosophies and frameworks behind good teaching.
I couldn't help but think of John Taylor Gatto's 'The Seven-Lesson Schoolteacher,' his legendary speech from 1991. In it, Gatto exposes how schools, often unintentionally, teach children conformity, passivity and the erroneous and potentially emotionally destabilizing belief that intelligence equals grades.
Perhaps we should take a page from Finland's playbook, a country that has long prioritized emotional safety and student well-being over relentless assessments. With minimal standardized testing, a focus on collaborative learning and respect for the developmental pace of each student, Finnish schools cultivate not just academic growth, but resilience, curiosity and confidence. Their success reminds us that education should never be about producing perfect grades, but rather about nurturing whole, thriving humans.
With five children, I've seen firsthand the incredible difference that great teachers make. And, sadly, I've seen the damage done when educators underestimate the role they play in a child's life.
So a thank you to Maïka Forget for her emotionally intelligent, courageous reflection. Her piece is a great reminder of what matters in education: not perfection, but progress; not performance, but perseverance; and most of all, not just teaching students, but really seeing them, and learning from them, too.
Lindi Ross, Carignan
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