Every classroom has children who seem comfortable with tests and textbooks. They remember what they study and usually do well in exams.

And then there are children who take a different route.

They may struggle with maths, find memorising difficult, or simply lose interest when they have to sit with a textbook for hours. Their marks may not always tell a happy story.

But look a little closer.

That same child might spend hours drawing without getting bored. They may turn an old box into a craft project, create beautiful paintings, dance to every song, or tell stories through their artwork.

Does that make them less capable?

Not at all.

History gives us some interesting examples. Thomas Edison did poorly in school as a child and attended formal school for only a short time. His mother taught him at home, where he developed a strong interest in reading and experiments.

Pablo Picasso also found school difficult to engage with and was deeply interested in drawing from a very young age. That early passion eventually became the foundation of an extraordinary artistic career.

Their stories don't mean that education isn't important. They remind us that one report card cannot show everything a child is capable of.

Marks measure performance in particular subjects at a particular time. They don't capture imagination, observation, creativity, curiosity, or the ability to express an idea in an unusual way.

So instead of asking only, “How many marks did you get?”, perhaps we can sometimes ask, “What did you enjoy creating today?”

At Artsum, we believe every child's creative side deserves a chance to be seen. Whether they love drawing, painting, craft, music, dance, poetry, or another form of Art & Performing Arts, encourage them to share what they enjoy.

Upload their creations FREE on www.artsum.in.

Because a child may not shine in every subject. Sometimes, you just have to look somewhere else to see where they shine. 🎨