Elementary Education in India: Need For Enrichment

Imperatives in Primary & Elementary education in India: Timeless principles 

As a self-righteous and patriotic Indian, I used to take enormous pride in our country's tremendous ability to live harmoniously and happily. However, has this moment of pride lived through over six decades of independence. The answer is no !

Post 1991, per capita income levels have risen, multitude of brands from Gucci, Armani to BMW, IBM, Apple are ubiquitous in Metros, Mini-metros and smaller cities. 

Smaller towns are also seeing  development with modern retail proliferation, better roads etc. However, I am troubled to see that the Indian civic society is gradually losing all the traditional values and sheen, which one used to see even in large cities such as Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and others.

Whether it is any consideration and respect for  ladies or senior citizens while commuting or to allow a pedestrian to cross the road on zebra crossing and not scare him or her by forcing your car through; these virtues are simply missing today. Hygiene & sanitation / avoiding littering in public places have become pure theories in life.

Some of you may attribute this to the fast and difficult life that citizens lead or some of you may be exception to these examples !

But I would ask you to pause and think for a while, because the majority are not ideal citizens ! Have we thought for a moment what kind of horrendous lifestyle our kids will have to endure after a decade or two?

My hypothesis is that if every school in India were to imbibe certain values and teachings in children, then our country will be more progressive on both economic and social front in couple of decades. This is no rocket science; any child tends to imbibe and emulate the learning he or she gathers earlier in life. 

If the child is taught or keeps on seeing disrespectful behavior  disregard for hygiene and sanitation, unethical exchanges then it will be difficult to unlearn those habits !

Japanese children are well known for being well-behaved and polite. Japanese schools play a significant role in encouraging good manners and an attitude of respect for others. 

A sense of obligation to help others is encouraged by getting the pupils to work in groups with particular responsibilities, including serving each other lunch, and cleaning the school buildings. Schools in Japan are putting increased emphasis on Moral Education lessons, and there's great pressure on teachers to cultivate a sense of morality and citizenship.

In the US, since the last two decades, parents and teachers in pioneering schools such as A.B.Combs in North Carolina have initiated 'leadership' as the theme for the children.

No one is advocating removing core subjects such as math, science, reading writing and , history, geography, arts and language etc. But the objective has been to promote not only relevant topics for 21st century such as Global awareness, Civic awareness etc but also teaching leadership, ethics, accountability, team work, adaptability, social responsibility, people skills and initiative

Over the last decade, the leadership program has been introduced in several elementary schools in the US. Parents and teachers have found that the academic performance has not deteriorated but improved and the children have changed for the better, with a significant sense of responsibility and ethics and giving respect to others. All these benefits have been attributed to this program !!

Several so called international curriculum schools in India claim to provide the techniques and skills required for excelling in 21st century. My question is are they teaching Leadership, Traffic discipline, Sense of public duty, Ethical behavior, Hygiene & sanitation, Initiative. I hope so ! 

The larger problem is the thousands of public, private and municipal schools in the country.  Are they emulating best practices on the non-academic curriculum. 

The timeless principles outlined above need to be a mandatory subject in every primary and secondary school in India.

I see a larger challenge in disseminating these principles to students. There is a need to 'teach the teacher' at the outset, so that the imperative nature of these principles in our life is well-appreciated !

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How well do your know your child ?

Spend some time with your child discussing the questions below; you may get lucky and learn something about your child that you didn't know!

What do you look for in a friend?
What is your favorite thing to do?
What do you want to be when you grow up? Why?
What is your favorite thing about school? Least favorite?
Who do you consider to be your hero? Why?
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
What three things do you think you are good at?
What is your best memory? Worst memory?
What is your favorite movie?
What are you most afraid of?
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
What is the best thing about being young? What is the worst thing?
What is your favorite class? Who is your favorite teacher?
Who is your best friend? Why?
What are your favorite foods?
What makes you the most angry?
What makes you the most happy?
If you were the parent for a day, which rule would you get rid of?
If you could have a magical power, what would you choose?
What would you do if you had the magical power you chose?
What do you see in your future?
Describe yourself using five words or less.
If you could spend one day doing anything you wanted, what would you do?
How would you act if there were NO rules for the day?
What is your biggest problem at school?
What is your biggest problem at home?
What is the best thing about being YOU?

A study by the University of Rochester last year screened the parents of more than 10,000, 9-month-old babies, asking such questions as “Should a 1-year-old child be able to tell right from wrong?” and “Should a 1-year-old child be ready to begin toilet-training?” A third of parents got fewer than five of the 11 questions correct, meaning they had what researchers labeled a “low level knowledge of typical infant development.” (The answer to both those questions is no, by the way.)

Another reason we don’t see what is in front of us, is that we don’t want it to be true. (Which is one reason why doctors and therapists are not supposed to treat their own children.) We’re in denial, pure and simple. And a more complicated corollary to that is “it can’t be true, because if it were, as his parent, I would know.”

We are blinded by the emotional connection that makes us want so much in the first place. We, who know our children best, are sometimes too close for a focused view. Even while we think we are paying meticulous attention (and heaven knows, we have all seen parents who are smothering with their attention) we still miss what is right in front of us !

Obsessive Parenting as against Concerned parenting !

The mothers are obsessed to the point of brainwashing their children to be the winner, no matter the cost. It is close to child abuse. When a child does not win, her mother clearly displays disgust and disappointment. Children frequently burst into tears- Anonymous

Over-parenting is sometimes also called hyper-parenting. Both the terms signify the same thing — a wrong parenting style. It refers to a parenting style in which parents are overly-involved with their children. Such parents are often seen fighting at the school games or arguing with the school-coach because they felt that their kid was undermined in some way

It is not uncommon to find parents who are very concerned about their child. The increasing stress in our daily lives and the ever-growing ambitions and frustrations of the parents often leads to a tendency of being preoccupied with the achievements and performance of one’s child. Many such parents feel that succeeding in every subject and every sphere of activity at school is an absolute necessity. They begin to associate the child’s success as their own. Concerned parenting is essential for being good parents, but when the concern of a parent turns into a fixation, it turns into something ugly — hyper parenting

Such obsessive parents don’t allow the child to take any independent decision. Thus, the children develop little self-confidence. The 24x7 scheduling and analysis done by the
parents makes the child vulnerable to be acutely self-critical. Such children grow into over-
dependent, hypercritical and untrusting individuals

Child attention span

How long can your child pay attention to one activity? This usually depends on their developmental age.

If you have unrealistic expectations of your child's attention span, it can often lead to temper tantrums and other upsetting behavior. Seriously, being able to concentrate and having a long attention span will serve your kid well in school—and in life. Your help in providing the right atmosphere and motivation can greatly improve your child's attention span. 

What "sit-down" activities does your child enjoy? That's where you'll begin. If your child likes puzzles, take time to do puzzles with him every day. If your child likes you to read out loud, try to read more often. If your child enjoys imaginary play, get down on the floor and play with dolls or action figures along with him. Whatever the activity, try to spend 15 minutes every day with your child without interruptions. You will probably notice that your child is better able to continue playing if he knows that you won't get up and leave just because he's not asking for interaction

Another important thing is to set a study routine. Instead of forcing it let children choose their own time. Fixed sleep time are good for discipline but remember that some kids find it easier to concentrate in early mornings and others a bit late in the evening.

Remember there is a limit to your child's attention span. An hour at a time should be enough for the child to concentrate on studying after the initial five to ten minutes of clearing out other distractions. Once the child settles down, make sure there are no disturbances. External disturbances are one of the major factors that divert attention.

Distractions like video games can also prevent the mind from engaging in concentration. Help your child in organizing study material well before he sits down to study. Give him a goal that he should try to achieve within the hour.

Heavy meals are liable to make the child lethargic and lazy. Feed your child with nutritious but light meals like juices, milk, fruits, and cheese at regular intervals rather than at one go.

Sometimes you need to sacrifice your own leisure to convey to your child that you are with him/her in the effort to excel.

The greatest motivator is you and the quality time that you spend with children. Never let self doubt or worries creep in his/her mind. Teach them what interests them the most. 

A child who is allowed to peruse his/her interests is more prone to enjoy studies as well.

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Teach your child to focus

The ability to focus on a goal is probably one of the most important lessons you can teach your child. 

Luckily, there are many things you can do at home to improve your child's ability to focus. 

Whether your child suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder or simply has trouble with inattention 

at school, not being able to focus can cause problems with your child's grades and 

comprehension. Instead of becoming frustrated by your child's lack of focus at school, seek to 

understand and remedy the problem. 

With the help of a committed teacher, coping mechanisms and exercises at home, you can help your child 

focus in school and become more successful in learning.


Step 1: Meet the teacher face to face. If your child's teacher has sent home a report card or note about your 

child's inattention, talk to her about it so that you can better understand the problem. 

Step 2: Make sure your child has enough physical activities throughout the day. Studies by leading 

universities show that children who participated in physical activities throughout the day exhibited better focus 

in the classroom.

Step 3: Assess changes that may have occurred in your family that could cause inattention. Sometimes, big 

changes like a new house, a change in the family or a new baby occupy your child's mind so that he has 

difficulty focusing. If you find that changes are the cause for the lack of focus, take time to talk about them 

with your child. This may help stop any anxiety about the changes in your home

Step 4:

Play focus-related games at home with your child as practice. You can make your own games, but traditional 

board games that require focus, like "Monopoly," "Battleship" and "Operation," can all help your child learn 

the right way to focus

Source:Various

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What are your kid’s talents and natural inclinations

Remember that what your child enjoys doing is a good indicator of what he’s good at doing

One of the great things about having kids is you get to experience things (good things) that you didn’t get to experience in your own childhood. You get to see the world through your child’s eyes. And this is an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed.

So it’s important to stay open to whatever your child chooses for her hobbies, school courses, college major and career goals. Not every happy, successful adult is a prestigious physician or attorney. In fact, neither satisfaction in life nor financial success are related to being the top student in high school. Most millionaires in America run Mom-and-Pop businesses like gas stations and mini-marts. A lot of millionaires were high school dropouts.

One of your jobs as a parent, then, is to figure out what your kid’s talents and natural inclinations are. You can then provide extra-curricular experiences to develop those talents. Extra-curricular experiences can be classes or organized activities, but also they can be just your interest and support.

Kids whose natural talents lie in other areas, like art, athletics, or music, for example, might have more trouble in school or might feel that school isn’t right for them.

Obviously, every child needs to learn to read, write and do math. It’s hard to function without these skills. But clearly not every school child is going to be an A student. This doesn’t mean the C students are hopelessly mediocre. It just means that school’s focus doesn’t match the C student’s talents.

So, while of course you want your kid to stay in school, you also want him to follow his own path to success. Try not to steer him too forcefully into the way you’d like him to go. Your dreams may not be his dreams. 

In addition, remember that people these days have serial careers. Most adults do not work in fields directly related to their college majors. Many adults wind up in careers that no one could’ve predicted from what they did for their first jobs.

As you help your child figure out how to spend the coming summer months, keep in mind what talents she’d like to develop. As you consider with your teenager what courses to take next year or what college major to focus on, remember that what your child enjoys doing is a good indicator of what he’s good at doing. 

 Source: swparents.com

Effects of Praise on Children

When it comes to praise, quality over quantity may be the answer to building kids' self-esteem

In many cultures—-like China-—praise is rare. People worry about the effects of praise. That too much praise will inflate the ego...This seems to be an ancient concern. But today things are different. Parents praise their kids all the time.

Why? Because we think that praise is going to make our kids better—more motivated, more confident, more inclined to tackle challenges. But does it really work that way?

Well, yes. Praise can be a powerful form of encouragement. For instance, research in the US indicates that mothers who praise their preschoolers for their good manners have kids with better social skills.

Jennifer Henderlong Corpus and Mark Lepper, psychologists who have analyzed over 30 years of studies on the effects of praise:

They determined that praise can be a powerful motivating force if you follow these guidelines:

• Be sincere and specific with your praise

Insincere praise may harm self-esteem and damage relationships 

• Praise kids only for traits they have the power to change

While praising kids could motivate and improve self-esteem of child, the flip side is that there is a risk that kids become more cautious. They may avoid challenges. It’s as if they may afraid to do anything that might make them fail and lose your high appraisal. For these reasons, it’s better to avoid praising kids for ability. Instead, praise them for things that they can clearly change—like their level of effort or the strategies they use

• Use descriptive praise that conveys realistic, attainable standards

Some praise is merely about making a judgment “Good job!” Other praise provides information about what the recipient did right: “I like the way you begin your essay by describing the problem and explaining why it’s important.” The latter is called descriptive praise, and it is thought to be more helpful than general praise

• Be careful about praising kids for achievements that come easily

If you praise kids for easy tasks, kids may conclude there is something wrong: Either you’re too dumb to realize how easy the task is, or you think the kids are dumb. Such interpretations are unlikely to occur to younger children. But as kids mature, they become more sophisticated about the social meaning of praise

• Be careful about praising kids for doing what they already love to do

It’s okay to praise kids for doing what they like to do. But be careful not to go overboard—particularly with older kids. When you praise kids every time they do something they enjoy, it might actually reduce their motivation

• Encourage kids to focus on mastering skills—not on comparing themselves to others

Social-comparison praise is only motivating as long as kids continue to finish first. If their competitive edge slips, kids are likely to lose motivation. In essence, kids who are accustomed to social-comparison praise become poor losers. Also social-comparison praise teaches kids that competitive standing, not mastery, is the goal.

Source: parentingscience.com, webmd.com

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