At the school where I taught a few years ago there was a futsal competition. There were quite a few participants, 26 teams in total. The teams were divided into 3 categories based on the ages of the participants: one category for the kindergarten level and two categories for the elementary school levels. Although I am not a fan of soccer or futsal, I enjoyed watching the games unfold.
The most impressive thing for me during the competition was the victory achieved by an elementary school team in one of the categories. They were an extremely strong team. The reason is that they didn’t have their own field, but they managed to take 1st place! Their opponents were quite formidable, some of whom had complete sports facilities at their respective schools.
When they raised the trophy, applause resounded! Even though they were not my students, I joined in to encourage them. It was an honor to see these humble children achieve a brilliant victory. Their coach shared that to train, they sometimes had to raise money to rent a field. What kept them going was their unbreakable spirit. That spirit, not the facilities, was the key to their victory.
The enthusiasm of the children who won the contest would not have arisen if they had not witnessed a role model. In this case, his coach was the role model. The coach who always supported them and believed they could be winners was the biggest inspiration for these children. Enthusiasm for life is contagious; The belief in becoming champions generates the intention and effort to give your best.
Children are more easily motivated to do their best in various aspects, unlike adults who tend to weigh certain benefits. Adults often reconsider if their extra efforts in doing something do not produce additional rewards.
The enthusiasm of those children reminds me of an old saying: “Like the teacher, so is the student.” When they are excited about a learning activity (that they find interesting, enjoyable, or challenging), they will be eager to do something that exceeds their teacher’s expectations.
The German psychologist William Stern, cited by Soetopo (1982), stated that a child’s development is influenced by heredity (the inheritance of genetic traits from parents) and the environment in which he lives. If we see around us children without enthusiasm for learning, reluctant to go to school, what we have to check is the environment in which they find themselves, both at school and in their family.
At school, do children find inspiring teachers, like the futsal coach I mentioned earlier? In some schools, I still hear that many teachers like (and are apparently reluctant to give up the habit of) giving long lectures. Students then feel sleepy and bored in class, but are scolded if they don’t pay attention to their teacher.
The same thing happens at home. Are parents overly concerned with various work demands and subsequently neglect spending time with their family and children?
I once read about a boy who received a special gift from his father one night. The gift was a small piece of paper, with the father’s promise to spend an hour each day until his next birthday. Yes, 365 hours of togetherness.
In fact, the father was very busy and that hour of being together every day was the best gift for the child. The hours they spent together in the following days made the boy realize the importance of togetherness and communication. When the boy grew up and became a great lawyer, he stated that the 365 hours a year his father gave him was the most meaningful gift to him.
Children prefer to hear “Let’s draw a flower!” instead of “Draw a flower!” Exemplary behavior based on love ultimately becomes an important foundation for a child to navigate life, recognize his or her talents, and even understand the world. English art critic John Ruskin said: “Give a child a little love and you will get a lot in return.”