Commentary

I refer to the the article " What really affects the ability of students to learn?" posted on http://aneworld.wordpress.com/, dated May 5 2007.

In the article, the author stated his belief that although schools affect the ability of students to learn to a certain extent, self motivation and positive attitude has a greater effect on the students' learning ability.

As quoted from the article, the reason why most people differentiate "top" schools from others is because these school equip their students with more knowledge other than those taught in textbooks, making the students more knowledgeable and a cut above the rest. Coming from one of these schools, I have to admit that I had undergone gruelling extra lessons on things that were not within examination syllabus and although I had a deeper insight into certain specific topics, I was unable to arrange my time solely for the revision of topics relevant to my examinations and as such, I did not do as well as I would have expected for my major examinations. Just like what was said in the article, I was at a disadvantage because I had to carry the burden of remembering other information whereas students from other schools had the luxury of spending their entire time on preparations for the examinations

I learnt that being in a well-known school did not guarantee me fantastic results, albeit the hard way and thus I would like to clear the misconceptions that all students from the "top" schools always do exceptionally well. However, I agree with the author that with ample self-motivation and the right attitude, we can succeed in whatever we do. The statistics provided in the article showed that students on financial aid tend to do better in school because they have the motivation to work hard and have the positive mindset. I think that anyone can do well even if they are not in top schools if they have the above two elements. For me, I try not to think of the past and instead look ahead and brace myself for future challenges. I embrace the positive attitude that I can succeed instead of lingering in learned helplessness. In addition, I am motivated to work hard and do well because I want to prove to myself and my peers that I am capable of succeeding in major examinations despite faltering in my previous one. Since I am equipped with the two aspects required as said in the article, I am confident that I can do well in my examinations and work.

This article has gave me renewed hope of succeeding in life and I hope that my efforts will eventually pay off.