CBSE school's motivation letter goes viral

As students of classes 10 and 12 from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and various state boards prepare for their upcoming examinations, a school principal's motivational letter to parents is winning hearts on social media.
In the letter issued by a principal of International Indian School in Saudi Arabia ahead of the exams, he addressed parents of students appearing for these exams and talked about the stress and anxiety felt by both parents and students. In the letter, he pointed out that although it is a good thing if your child manages to score well in the board exams but if they don't it doesn't make them any less talented. "One exam or low marks won't take away their dreams and talent. And please do not think that doctors and engineers are the only happy people in the world."
The principal urged parents to encourage and love their children irrespective of how they score in the exams. The letter concluded saying: "They are cut out for much bigger things in life. Tell them, no matter what they score, you love them and will not judge them. Please do this, and when you do, watch your children conquer the world."
Children need encouragement not nagging
Applauding the letter, Jyoti Dialani, parent of a 12th grader, said: "What an inspiring letter it is and a perfect example of how we should not pressurise children because marks aren't everything. My daughter is in Grade 12 and I see how stressed she remains because of the pressure of being in this crucial exam. I make sure that I simply encourage her to give in her best as this would help her in her future prospects but I never pressurise her to top as children today are well aware of the career they want to pursue and the effort they have to put in to achieve that. If I pressurise her more, I know she will fall into depression. So the best thing is to encourage them and support them."
Lauding the letter, another parent Heena Vaswani, mother of a Grade 12 student, said: "I totally agree with the amazingly uplifting letter of this principal because even if our kid is not able to score well in these exams, she definitely has other talents that will help her do well in life. My daughter is a bright student and I know she is also very creative so I gave her the freedom of picking the subject of her choice after Grade 10 so she enjoys what she does and also excel in it. Although I don't stress out but I worry for her at times but stress is the last thing I want to give her. I encourage her to do well so that she can take up subjects of her choice in college that help her bring out her creativity so she can enjoy studying and being creative too. I don't want her to do anything for the sake of doing or to please us but I want her to do what she loves."
Talking about the hype built around the board exams, Julie Vivek, mother of another Grade 12 student, said: "The hype built around the board exams as a 'make or break' factor in life is what that stresses out parents and students alike. I debunk this paradigm at every opportunity and tell my daughter that exams are just a part of life, not life itself. I encourage her to think beyond exams and explore the various opportunities that life has to offer. Prepare the best way you can for the boards without worrying about the results. Grades don't define you.
saman@khaleejtimes.com