Adam came home the other day, in his usual talkative self. He has become so talkative that one even tends to ignore he is there. Anyway, while I was reading the newspaper, he came to up and said, "Abah, I got ten upon ten for my listening comprehension." Giving the usual reply, "that's good," etc etc, I noticed him still standing next to me. I turned and stared him in the eyes, and with a cheeky smile, he added, "I'm the only one in my class who managed to do that!" I don't know what got over me, but I hugged him. Maybe it was because it was a natural, parent-like, thing to do, maybe I was surprised that he was the only one that could do it, or maybe I was shocked that he was the only one who could do it. Considering that this is his first attempt and exposure to a listening comprehension test, I'm very, very happy.
So, being that happy father, I sat him down and made him tell me how could he have achieved such wondrous results.
He replied was, "I listened."
That one sentence, those two words brought tears to my eyes.
You know of somebody, who hears but never listened? He is the one who pissed you off for not being there for you. Well, to many, adults and children included, listening is a highly unattainable skill. I think, in this respect there are just two types of people. Not those who can or those who can't, but those who will and those who won't. This is so real that MOE conducts a course that incorporates the skill of how to listen. Why is it that we need to learn to listen and not just to hear.
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