Nelson Mandela regarded children to be our greatest treasure and our future. John F Kennedy considered them to be the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for future. It is true. Children are the future citizens of tomorrow; someone who will pave the path to success and prosperity for all of us. So, it’s not surprising to note that they need all the right kind of support and teaching while growing up. Who better than teachers and parents to give them that much-needed support and love? While teachers play a formal role in this scenario, parents have an informal one.
We have always been taught that our mothers are our first teachers and our home is our first school. But in today’s scenario, when most children have working parents, can parents really become their child’s first teachers or make their home their first school? It is a challenge that almost every working parent faces currently — working and simultaneously fulfilling the needs of their growing children.
In this scenario, parents must devise plans to spend quality time with their kids. Parents have to connect themselves to their child’s psyche. Today, every child is exposed to many more things than their parents during their childhood days. Meaningful times like having a meal together, where parents and children can share and participate in the chores, increase the bonding and make it a fun-filled process. They may sound silly but such little things go a long way in shaping the child’s personality.
Money isn’t everything
Some parents compensate their non-availability by buying their kids lots of gifts, and fulfilling all their whims and fancies. This leads to the children lacking a sense of seriousness towards their studies and life. The lesson that money can’t buy everything must be ingrained in young minds. Otherwise, you will be setting them up for disappointment. Take time to genuinely say ‘I love you’ to your child and mean it. This may seem like a futile exercise but don’t underestimate the power of love.
Today’s children miss the real love and affection of their parents (specially working parents) and of their grandparents too. So, ensure they don’t miss out on your affection.
Very often, parents nag their children with words like ‘Do’, ‘No’, ‘Stop’, ‘Don’t’ and so on, which can bring down the child’s enthusiasm by a great extent. Never forget that a child has his own desires, likes and dislikes, which should never be discouraged. On the same lines, let your children find their own way in this world. Forcing your ambitions on their minds is something that shouldn’t be done. Yes, every parent wants his child to be the best. Maybe better than the best. But forcing your aspirations on their little minds can take a turn for worse. Let the child’s ambitions soar and find their own destination.
But while you focus on teaching your child the best of ethics and values, never forget that the little ones can teach you a great deal too. For instance, every kid lives in the present. He doesn’t worry about the future, nor does he reminisce about the past, which is a pretty important life lesson in itself. They give every moment their fullest, their best. But we adults think of our past and worry about our future and thus, dwelling in misery and spoiling our present.
Setting good examples
Every parent is a role model for their child. Your child will imitate everything you do — the way you eat, walk, talk, listen, laugh, think, interact, your sense of discipline, mannerisms and so on. Of course, we are not born as perfect parents, but by experience and observing others, we can hone our parental skills and be a positive example to the child. It is not enough to tell the child to make the best choices; we need to put them into action ourselves.
In child development, a teacher’s role is that of a torch bearer and pivotal to the educational system. In fact, teaching is not just a job, it is an attitude. In his book India 2020 — a vision of new millennium, Dr. Kalam says that a teacher plays a special role than anybody else, because they shape the minds of future generation. It’s a serious job, which is why teachers need to set high standards in punctuality, truth, hard work, honesty, simplicity, hygiene, etiquette, patriotism, mutual love and sincerity, social and civic sense, obedience to law, tolerance and such other virtues. Like parents, teachers are also looked upon as role models by children. If parents are creators of the child, the teachers are skillful artisans who shape the life of that child.
The students are deeply influenced by their teacher’s love and affection, character, competence, and moral commitment. During early education, students seek the guidance of their teachers to determine their aims and future plans. So, it is not only important to have professional competence, but also to have good moral character. For inspiration, look up to the Greek philosopher Socrates. An ideal teacher, he also regarded himself as a learner. For him, love and friendship were the proper contexts for the pursuit of wisdom and goodness.
A student spends nearly 25,000 hours in the campus. Hence, the school must have best teachers who have the ability to teach, build moral qualities and most
important of all, love their job. If a teacher looks upon his job as merely his profession, innumerable children will suffer and lose out on many opportunities.
They say education makes a human being out of us, teaches us to be humane. It’s high time we realised that education isn’t just a means to a good job and luxurious lifestyle. It’s also about establishing ethics and morals of high standards in the general population.
We must encourage our children to be successful by being ambitious but not greedy. Parents and educators need to establish a culture in which security and clarity of expectations are balanced with the encouragement of playfulness, inquisitiveness and self-reliance. We need to value the importance of simplicity, focus and living according to our values.
Today would be a perfect time to start creating the ideal world of tomorrow. So, go out there and be a good role model to all kids. Ensure that you set good examples to those who look up to you. This way, you are assured of a happy and prosperous future.