How responsible are we as parents/teachers ?

A few months ago US Senator Hillary Clinton visited India. during her stay, she interacted with the volunteers of ‘Teach India’ Movement organised by a media giant. The project being a thumping success, the inputs from Mrs.Clinton and the team were thought-provoking. Here are some valuable points that were discussed:

  • In spite of good infrastructure and apt curriculum, the success of an educational institution lies on the potential of the teachers.
  • It is up to us, adults, to keep the child’s attention against and with technology.
  • Like the ‘cell phones-for-banking’ currently popular in India, thinking creatively should be encouraged and not memorizing.
  • ‘Speaking to one’s child’ plays a crucial role in shaping the child’s life.
  1. Highly educated parents speak a lot to their children, which implies constant learning.
  2. Working class does less or no speaking to children, and whatever speaking is done is purely of utilitarian nature.
  3. The underprivileged parents do not absolutely care about speaking. All that matters to them is to earn a living.

                                                          

  • 50% of the child’s vocabulary is acquired by the time the child is 5 years old.
  • A malnurition child cannot and does not have the urge to excel in education.
  • If education is what shapes a person, it is complete when we eliminate stereotyping and encourage the latent talent in the child. This way, we channelise the creativity and energy, and we bring out the buried CONFIDENCE.
  • Bi-lingual education should start as early as possible and should be carried out rapidly.
  • To begin with, teaching could be started in the mother tongue and gradually shifted to English, as it is almost universally spoken.
  • Where bi-lingual teaching isn’t possible, we could very well teach in the child’s language: Education is not about languages, it is about knowledge.
  • Adults tend to ignore and neglect the child’s rights. We should step in and take up the responsibility of creating awareness- even within the family, in matters such as boy-girl equality.
  • “You never know when the magic will strike, if you teach passionately.”

Well, you could be feeling that the information is presented in bits and pieces. What matters is their relevance to you and me. May we conclude that–

  • As education implies imparting knowledge, no ‘interim results’ or ‘quick harvest’ should be expected.
  • Childhood, especially early childhood is only the sowing season. The responsibility of de-weeding, fencing and providing nutrients lies with us– parents and teachers.

                                                              

Our efforts today could pave way to generations of healthy guidance and upbringing. Or else, “a failed child becomes a withdrawn parent, exhibiting generational resistance instead of lighting a spark”.

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