EDUCATION/LITERACY
In today’s World what
is it that
parents want from their children / off-springs? Do they want them to be literate children
or educated children .
Whenever we speak about admitting children to school or college(s), we talk about educating our children
but do we actually do it?
DICTIONARY
DEFINES LITERACY AS –
1) The ability to read and
write
2) Competence
or knowledge in a
specified area eq. “Wine
literacy”
EDUCATION
MEANS –
a.
The
process of receiving/giving systematic instruction?
b.
The
theory of and practice of teaching.
EN-MASSE - We
try to make our children `literate/educated’
as in 1) & 2) and as
in a) above , but have we succeeded in
inculcating in our children the ability to –
v
Think
before they act
v
See/study/obseve/watch
& react
v
Be
punctual in all place
v
Be
cleanly & neatly groomed
v
Handle
themselves with dignity
v
Refrain
from un-warranted acts/pettiness.
It
is true that children today are influenced by the – MEDIA –
TV/CARTOONS/CINEMAS etc. and SOCIETY AT LARGE
comprising of --- Peers from play
school to college, people other
than parent(s), relatives, neighbours and
acquaintances etc.
They emulate the examples before them from early stage (without
thinking about them in-depth)
and use whatever mea ns available to achieve
what they want.
As parent(s) what do we do? Are we setting the right example? Are we
also, not indulging in acts which
does not suit
our age , maturity or our position in life. Do we ever
stop to think , how our actions/ reactions affect -- us / our family/ relative s and most importantly our children? – NO.
Citing
an example - If, I don’t want my
children to interrupt me during a- phone conversation, I should also practice the same when they talk over
the phone.
Children learn a lot from observing
their parents and their
acts rather than act on
“HOW THEY ARE TAUGHT TO ACT BY THEIR PARENT”. Parents
are leaders/role-models and ones who
make the
first and most lasting
impression on the
children .
BEING
A PARENT IS NOT A POST/POSITION BUT A
STATE OF RESPONSIBITLY WHICH IS IMMENSE.
We are in a position guard
them and to GUIDE them . Till an appropriate st(age).
Are
we fulfilling it?
Parents
spend a
lot for books, tuitions,
extra classes, coaching classe,
music / dance /art / sports etc. hoping to not only
educate their children
but also make them
an all rounder
(!!!) right from the age of
two . The child
is seen as
QUEEN/KING and practices so established
that the need of
the child comes
first overcoming anything
else. The child
should be able
to get good
marks right from
the primary school
and able to
dance / sing /
perform on stage
/ publish its
work and be recognized
at a very early age
in the society
and continue at
the same pace as much
as possible.
Once the child
reaches the class
IX then all attention
should primarily focus
on studies and
in obtaining the maximum mark s.
To this
end, no stone is left
unturned by the parents
in enrolling the
child in tuitions /coaching
classes / exclusive attention
so that the
child is able
to get minimum of
cent per cent if not more. ------
At
this stage a
lot of us
en masse do the
mistake of making our children achieve our aims
and desires to
match our whims and fancies, than
allowing them to set their goals .
When
we think back to the period twenty or
twenty five years or so when the
revolution of science and technology was not so much -- we find that in
comparison there is a -total paradigm shift
for our
children and access /exposure to various mode of communication technology aiding their education and adding to the highly volatile level of competition to do or un-do situations,
which was not available to us in
our child hood. (thereby leaving us with all the necessary equipments to enjoy our childhood)
The
future of our children is more bleak than
ours . We have not given our child
healthy environment , open area to play
and holidays to rejoice mainly
due to reason that we
ourselves in this computer age,
have little time establish the values of
healthy life, exercise and other out-door activities.
The
competition is so
intense that a child has to out-do others by a fraction of a mark
inorder to determine the course of
child’s destiny and that fraction of mark
will take a heavy toll in her path and in the
future attitude of her
life. This is not to say
that we did not have challenges,
we did have our challenges and the same was met with limited resource and the same
contributed to our growth. Let us not pressurise them to become an engineer / doctor / lawyer or whatever failed ambitions we have . Rather let us allow
them to pursue that field which
they think will
help them to fit in the
society. We should not enforce our
ideas but allow them to be independent and at the same
time educate them about value of life.
While we are
engaged in this
search of absolute
academic achievements ---- to
the exclusion of everything else we fail to inculcate a lot of `humane’ values
in the child.
It is
best for a parent to identify
the potential
the child has and
the target the child
wants to attain
and help /contribute for
attaining the same. It is also essential for the parent to instill in the child the
requirements to be a ‘humane’ being and to contribute to the requirements of society as much as possible .
. Right
from her birth we
teach them to
differentiate between various parts of the body/plants etc.,
similarly the children should
also be taught about manners,
habits, responsibilities, behavior and all
other aspects of characters for a complete
development. as an individual.
While
we focus all our energy
on academic accomplishments and
then subsequent career
with “ good prospects”
we fail to focus
on other aspects of
development like interpersonal
skill, caring , sharing etc. All
of a sudden one
fine day when we are
at the end of the
career or job
we turn to our
children for help and
support in our post retirement period. When
doing so we
find that by
this time the children
are already involved in
the cycle mentioned
earlier in respect of
their offsprings and are
unable to spare time/attention/effort /money to
us.
We feel
rejected/dejected/lonely and tend
to think that
“ inspite of
all that we
have done for
our child/children they
are so ungrateful
/selfish/self centered etc……”
If
we want to bring
about a change or inculcate “values”
in our children
we need to start right
from day one. Honestly speaking, I am, very concerned to find a lot of mistaken traits and habits
of youngsters of today
which is excused
by parents as –
Ø
THAT
IS THE CHILD’D INDIVDUALITY.
Ø
SHE
WILL NEVER GIVE IN – UNLIKE ME,
Ø
SHE
WILL STAND FOR RIGHTS,?
It is not that children
, being children ,should always compromise /adjust/obey etc. but we should
teach them to watch, observe and then to decide on issues
where they have to
compromise and where
they standup.
In today’s nuclear family environment,
when a child sees both parents giving her all priority ensuring that she goes
to school and all needs catered to, the
child stands feeling that she is more important than anybody and her needs first OK. It
is not a crime to cater the childs needs (3-4 yrs), in
that age. But right from that age. we need to emphasise the
most important aspect in the child that
---------THIS
FAMILY is a UNIT which will function beautifully if all the members co-ordinate and function “together”. --------
It is not required for a 3 yr old to be lectured upon
or do a heavy task , but in the process of getting ready to
school/play-school , it is not wrong to tell her to get her
basket, napkin and other small items
and help
the parents in getting her ready
for the school. . A little bit of practice and continuous instilling of
responsibility and words of encouragement giving confidence will ensure that
the child will be a willing participant in days to come -- when both the parent
s are getting slightly older physically and will necessarily need and
appreciate the participation of the
child and sharing of responsibilities by
her.
Such
activities of inclusion of the younger
family member in various acitivities of the family will inculcate in
them, a feeling of belonging/responsibility/bonding and habit of SHARING which
is almost absent in today’ young
generation for which I wouldn’t blame child.
I as
a parent continue to commit the mistake
of buying 2 sets of colour pencils where one well do, to avoid conflict between
siblings which per-se though not bad doesn’t help in
inculcating the habit of sharing.
It
is high time that we start thinking and changing our attitudes and behaviours , mannerisms, if
we want or children-to-be good citizens of the future.
Let us not get hooked to various personalities’/ reflexes
, but try to ensure that the child becomes
what he wants
and try explore her potential to be a person on her own and be confident that success which she wants will follow .
