The preceding episode is probably familiar and amusing, but the implications of it are significant and serious.
On one level the story is encouraging because, by the very fact that it is a problem experienced by everybody, it confirms what has long been suspected: that everyone is creative and inventive, and that the feelings that many have about being uncreative are not necessary. The creativity demonstrated
in the example of the reluctant student is not applied very usefully. But the diversity and originality with which we all make up reasons for not doing things suggests that each person has a wealth of talent which could be applied in more positive directions!
On another level the story is discouraging because it shows up the widespread and underlying fear that most of us experience when confronted with a study text.
This reluctance and fear arises from the examination- based education system in which the student is presented
with textbooks on the subjects he is 'taking'. He knows that textbooks are 'harder' than storybooks and novels; he also knows that they represent a lot of work; and he further knows that he will be tested on his knowledge of the information from the books.
So:
1 The fact that the type of book is 'hard' is discouraging in itself.
2 The fact that the book represents work is also discouraging, because the student instinctively knows that he is unable to read, note, and remember properly.
3 The fact that he is going to be tested is often the most serious of the three difficulties. It is well known that this
threat can completely disrupt your brain's ability to work in certain situations. The number of cases are legion of people who literally cannot write anything in an exam situation despite
the fact that they know their subject thoroughly - as are the number of cases of people who, even though they are able to write some form of answer, have gigantic mental blocks where whole areas of knowledge are completely forgotten during
an exam period. In even more extreme cases many people . have been known to spend a whole two-hour period writing frantically, assuming that they were answering the question,
when in fact they are repeating over and over again either their own name or one word.
Faced with this kind of threat, which for many is truly terrifying, the student has one of two choices: he can either study and face one set of consequences, or not study and face
a different set of consequences. If he studies and does badly, then he has proven himself 'incapable', 'unintelligent', 'stupid', a 'dunce', or whatever the negative expression is at the time.
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