By Mudasir Ghani Khan

When exams come close, most of us ask the children at home the same thing: how many marks will you get? 

I teach in Banihal, and I have seen how that question lands. It sounds like love, but the child hears an order to produce a figure, and the cost starts coming due even before the paper is opened.

Students soon begin to compare themselves with their classmates. Some want the highest marks in the class, and others worry about disappointing their parents or teachers. 

That worry spills into their concentration, sleep, confidence and even bodies. 

A student lying awake over a timetable is preparing to be judged more than preparing for a paper.

Fear also pushes people toward long hours, and long hours without rest do not produce better results. 

A fresh and peaceful mind learns more and remembers more,........

© Kashmir Observer