A space for all those who want to think out of the box on children, learning and education....a space for all to express their opinions and feelings.....and most importantly - be catalyts for change! Let us do this together!
"BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD." - GANDHI
Friday, May 21, 2010
"Never let your schooling interrupt your education"
I love this quote! And this is a nice blog to follow.......
The moment finish reading an article about FIAR (Five in a row), I started thinking about “schooling” system in our country. And as a parent, teacher, social worker, well wisher, how I am going to foster/build his curiosity, creativity and great interest to know about everything around him instead of destroying it.
To me the word “schooling” sounds likes your “caging” the free spirits. I always wondered why education should be limited to four walls with a blackboard, notebook and a pencil.
My son is only 13 months old, but I when I think of “schooling”, it will give me a mixed feelings. Should I or should not…send him to school. Because, I don’t want him to be a part of this rat race, were there is no room for self exploration and creativity. Instead I want him to have plenty of time and space to explore, think over his experiences and use fantasy and play to meaning out of them. But how?
When I was working in a mainstream school last year, I came across learning disability students almost seven to eight of them in each grade. The assessments made me think about the “teaching” methodologies and the teachers in the classroom. It is not the problem only with the students; I think we have to raise a question here about our education system. What is it doing to our children?
In our present education system, were initiative and creativity are completely destroyed in fact forever. And lot of school work to take home, and only little time for play and other activities which may come naturally to the child and which is essential for a child to grow up healthily and sanely.
This rote learning in schools just to attain “GOOD” marks to get `Good’ seats like medicine, engineering etc. But what about child’s interest and emotional and behavioral issues.
Because of this kind of schooling system, many children develop a deep hatred for school, which may continue to affect their ability to learn throughout their lives. And nowadays the school becomes a place were your child can learn and engage in all kinds bad behaviors which will lead to all kinds anti social elements and become so violent.
Parents are quite frightened to see their children developing all kinds of learning difficulties, physical and mental illness and not able to cope and becoming very insensitive, rude and lacking in right values. Also they see children exhibiting strong emotional and behavioral problems, they suspect the school environment is seriously damaging their child's well being.
So, what we are doing? As a parent we should accept and take total responsibility for the well being of our children and change the educational system totally to suit children needs. If we want the child’s curiosity, initiative, originality, creativity and sensitivity to be preserved, we do need to provide an opportunity to the child where these things are not killed before they blossom. If you give the space, the freedom, learning comes naturally to children - they don't have to be forced into it . Incidentally, Einstein himself was the product of home education. As were many famous, creative people, including Alexander Bell, Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers, Pascal, Pierre Curie, Winston Churchill, Benjamin Franklin, Yehudi Menuhin, Agatha Christie, George Bernard Shaw, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Charlie Chaplin, Albert Schweitzer, Franklin Roosevelt. And there are many who failed at school only to become outstanding successes in their fields.
If FIAR kind of curriculum developed and followed which foster not only reading skills, but life experiences with more hands on early years; and their interest, exploration, curiosity being preserved, you cannot stop them doing anything they are interested in doing. Children will take full responsibility for themselves and discovers learning is a joyful experience.
The moment finish reading an article about FIAR (Five in a row), I started thinking about “schooling” system in our country. And as a parent, teacher, social worker, well wisher, how I am going to foster/build his curiosity, creativity and great interest to know about everything around him instead of destroying it.
ReplyDeleteTo me the word “schooling” sounds likes your “caging” the free spirits. I always wondered why education should be limited to four walls with a blackboard, notebook and a pencil.
My son is only 13 months old, but I when I think of “schooling”, it will give me a mixed feelings. Should I or should not…send him to school. Because, I don’t want him to be a part of this rat race, were there is no room for self exploration and creativity. Instead I want him to have plenty of time and space to explore, think over his experiences and use fantasy and play to meaning out of them. But how?
When I was working in a mainstream school last year, I came across learning disability students almost seven to eight of them in each grade. The assessments made me think about the “teaching” methodologies and the teachers in the classroom. It is not the problem only with the students; I think we have to raise a question here about our education system. What is it doing to our children?
In our present education system, were initiative and creativity are completely destroyed in fact forever. And lot of school work to take home, and only little time for play and other activities which may come naturally to the child and which is essential for a child to grow up healthily and sanely.
This rote learning in schools just to attain “GOOD” marks to get `Good’ seats like medicine, engineering etc. But what about child’s interest and emotional and behavioral issues.
Because of this kind of schooling system, many children develop a deep hatred for school, which may continue to affect their ability to learn throughout their lives. And nowadays the school becomes a place were your child can learn and engage in all kinds bad behaviors which will lead to all kinds anti social elements and become so violent.
Parents are quite frightened to see their children developing all kinds of learning difficulties, physical and mental illness and not able to cope and becoming very insensitive, rude and lacking in right values. Also they see children exhibiting strong emotional and behavioral problems, they suspect the school environment is seriously damaging their child's well being.
So, what we are doing? As a parent we should accept and take total responsibility for the well being of our children and change the educational system totally to suit children needs. If we want the child’s curiosity, initiative, originality, creativity and sensitivity to be preserved, we do need to provide an opportunity to the child where these things are not killed before they blossom.
If you give the space, the freedom, learning comes naturally to children - they don't have to be forced into it .
Incidentally, Einstein himself was the product of home education. As were many famous, creative people, including Alexander Bell, Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers, Pascal, Pierre Curie, Winston Churchill, Benjamin Franklin, Yehudi Menuhin, Agatha Christie, George Bernard Shaw, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Charlie Chaplin, Albert Schweitzer, Franklin Roosevelt. And there are many who failed at school only to become outstanding successes in their fields.
If FIAR kind of curriculum developed and followed which foster not only reading skills, but life experiences with more hands on early years; and their interest, exploration, curiosity being preserved, you cannot stop them doing anything they are interested in doing. Children will take full responsibility for themselves and discovers learning is a joyful experience.