"We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet
we forget that he is someone today." - Stacia Tauscher
The world today cares so much about abolishing child labor,
but do that particular world has any clue what a child has to go through to get
into a private school in India.
The extended part of our family and friends in the United States prides in sending their children to government (read public) schools and then these
children turn out to be big names in their field of work, which is brilliant. Well, thank
your stars that you are able to get your child into “A School.”
The trend in India for getting a child admission to
Kindergarten has been and continues to be based solely on his performance in an
interview/or a series of interviews. Recently legal bodies have banned these interviews,
but it never stopped the schools from taking adult-like interviews. They now
use the word interaction. Clever replacement indeed!
For some families their entire domestic life had come to
center around their child’s admission tests. While others put off all vacations
and even social life. Some start preparing their child as early as 19 months.
Yes, my neighbor’s son could spell C-A-T before he actually gave up bottle-feeding.
The Tiny little beings who are still in awe about the environment around can
hardly behave like a child. Incredible and fully correct English Vocabulary with
a phenomenal personality is expected. Some schools can actually figure out that
a 2+ child has the ability to think out of the box.
One 2+ child actually juggles between attending his preschool
in the mornings, to tuitions in the afternoon with a never ending list of
things he should learn in order to secure admission. Readymade things ka zamana
hai bhai – Schools ko bhi readymade bachche chahiye hai.
Nursery school admission has been an important issue in the
recent times. Kids as small as 2+ are
expected to know numbers, sight words, retell stories, shapes, colors, see and
read etc. I was in for a surprise when I got to know that some parents actually
paid additional astronomical amounts in private tuition to prepare their
children for entrance into K.
.jpg) |
| Google Busy Doing His Homework |
My friends you paid less amount to prepare for JEE and GRE.
Trust me on this you did!
Being a childhood educator myself, I am aware that The
National Scientific Council on Developing Children (2005) emphases on development
of core features including emotional development and should be able to identify
and understand one’s own feelings. The child should be able to read and
comprehend emotional states in others and able to manage strong emotions in a
constructive manner.
I have a feeling that all the social unrest in our country
has a very deep connection with all this. I understand why so many Indian lack
the ability of motivational qualities and socio-emotional skills. Thanks to the
unhealthy competitiveness exhibited in everything they do.
Today India is trying to fight infinite accusations, and you
feel corruption in every single transaction from the bottom of the chain to the
top. Although many GREAT minds have suggested solutions including population
control to lesser competition and effective control of people and government
processes. However, how many actually thought of imparting good morals from the
early days.
As parents (also read guardians), we are all educators and let
us not forget to see the world through the eyes of the child. It is truly amazing
when they slow down to spot a caterpillar move. Provide the child with a large
amount of freedom and small amount of direction, to excite their growing minds.
"In early childhood you may lay the foundation of
poverty or riches, industry of idleness, good or evil, by the habits to which
you train your children. Teach them right habits then, and their future life is
safe.” - Lydia Sigourney.
No comments:
Post a Comment