Parents Can Be Teachers Too!!
This article has been Written by Chitra Nakra, Principal
V.V.D.A.V Public School, Vikas Puri. She is a state
award winner and founder of Akanksha, a special school
for children with special needs.
Her helpline PRAYAS counsels children on a regular
basis.
Don't we often feel an overwhelming rush of affection
for our sleeping child? I can understand the lump of
emotion that rises when your little one takes his first
tottering step, holding your apprehensive finger, into
the school.
You can help your child in many ways. Your love towards
your child tells him a great deal about himself. It is
the foundation of the first positive attitude that you
inoculate in your child. Many a times I have met
children walking into the classroom with their heads
bowed down, clearly giving the vibes that they are in
the school not because they want to be but because they
have been sent by their parents. They are a few Do's
that can certainly help your precious one.
1. Take out at least fifteen minutes everyday to talk to
your child about topics of relevance that interest him.
2. Once a day, be with him physically as well as
mentally.
3. Let your child known that even when he is at
school, he is missed at home every moment.
4. Always remember the names of his best friends at
school.
5. Leave something nice for him to discover, once in
a while, in his bag, under his pillow in his boxing
gloves etc.
Your attitude can make all the difference in how your
child deals with school. A parent who makes an effort to
recognize both his own and his child's learning styles
and then uses this information significantly increases
his child's chances for successes as a student and as a
person. After all, how we perform as individuals will
determine how we perform as a nation. It is possible for
the children to be positive, encouraging and more
thoughtful human beings. Change takes constant time and
effort. Set examples and your child will grow up,
exhibiting the same positive attitude about him and
others. You have your own expectations. Yet the child
will make mistakes.
Learning is a process, it is not a destination. A
mistake is the first step towards self - reliance. It is
important part of learning. Too many of us are content
to be just followers. An error tells us that it is time
to change tactics, look in another direction. If you're
not failing in some of your efforts now and then, you
are not been innovative. Explain to your little one that
it is okay to be a non-achiever at times. Relate to him
times when you as a young child were afraid to fail.
Tell him about the times when you failed. Talk to him
about your first fall when you rode your bicycle.
Discuss with him, your experience when you almost
drowned the first time you tired to swim. Avoiding
failure may mean avoiding learning and growing. Active
learning depends upon willingness to take risks,
acceptance of the error and openness of ideas. 'Be
positive'. Learn to listen to your child. At home,
imagine this scenario. A child calling his mother again
and again. The mother answered but does no look at the
child. The child calls again. The mother gets irritated
and screams at the child. The child gets upsets and goes
away. Remember, eye contact besides being important and
common courtesy, also tells your child, how important he
is to you. Sit down and listen patiently to what your
darling has to say to you. It is not easy for a child to
feel comfortable taking to someone whose physical size
reminds him how small and powerless he is. Speak to him
politely and use appropriate language. A parent provides
the eager youngster her first role model for language
being used by the youngster. Imagine this: A mother and
a daughter suddenly spot an earthworm. This instant
reaction of the mother is, "Eeks ! Get away'. So, for
the rest of her life, the daughter associates an
earthworm with the word Ekes. Give your child a lot of
'warm fuzzes'. Warm fuzzes are things we can say and do
for others to encourage them and boost their feelings of
self-esteem. In learning to give warm fusses, a child
begins to consider the feelings of others, to empathise.
Once this is done your child's performance at school
would automatically improve.
Remember:
'Every work is the self- portrait of the person who did
it, autograph your work with excellence.'
