I was thinking about how I would prefer educating a kid. Looking back at the way I was schooled(went to a regular full-time school), given an option, I would not recommend educating our kids that way. This is how my schooling was. The school gave a syllabus, the school gave the required books, the school chose what subjects I was supposed to learn, the school chose when I should learn what, and even more. The only thing that I was required to do was to implicitly obey what my school asked me to do. Come on, who likes to be forced into doing something all the time. As a matter of fact, if someone keeps pestering me to do something, even if I like doing it, I might not want to do it, maybe I don't like the pressure, maybe I want to annoy the person who is forcing me into it. No one wants to be forced. Be it kids or adults, if we do what we like doing, the results are amazing.
But forcing was the only thing that my school did to me. I was expected to keep scoring good marks all the time, not only by the school, but also by my dad. I was never given a chance to think for myself, think about what I like, think about what I want, in fact, I was never allowed to think. All that was required of me was mugging up a few subjects and scoring high marks. Before I even knew what I was doing, I was one among the crowd, in the race of scoring marks, because at the end of the day, what knowledge I gained never mattered, only the marks mattered. And, how much ever marks I scored, my dad would never be satisfied. I must admit that I was usually among the top 3 in the class in terms of MARKS. If I scored 92%, instead of appreciating what I have scored, my dad asks, "Why did you leave the rest of it?". So, whatever I did wasn't enough.
Of what use is all the hard work and all the marks and ranks I scored back the then, now? Absolutely useless, as don't remember much of what I studied. Ultimately the knowledge gained out of the 14 years of schooling is very meagre. I was just waiting to get out of school, and once in college, I hardly used to study, as I had an excuse that I worked hard for the past 14 years, and that I was totally burnt. And here I am, still wondering what I best like to do in life.
I really didn't like what I was doing, but I just did it, because I was expected to. All I did when I was in school was go to school, do my homework, study for tests, write exams, score marks. There was hardly any time for anything else, and even if there was, out of frustration, I didn't even feel or think that I might have an interest of my own that I have to pursue.
Worst of all is the competition. When parents choose a school, they check if there is "good competition" in the school. How the heck does that matter? Each kid is different, how is it fair to compare the performances of kids and rate them? If the comparison is in terms of his own past performances, it makes sense. He knows how he has performed, so he can think about ways of improving himself. First of all, the marks scored by kids must be confidential, it must not be made public and they must not be rated in comparison to others. Comparison de-motivates them. Teachers or parents ask the kids, what they think is a very simple and sensible question, but sadly, it is not. "How can that boy, who is of the same age and from the same background as you are, score so much, while you can't?" Yea right! If it is a subject that doesn't interest him, how can he?
The education is not rounded. The focus is only on the curriculum, but kids must know that there is more to life beyond just scoring marks. There is no scope for spiritual growth, physical and mental well-being. There might be a question, if schools are expected to do everything for the kid, why are parents there for? But, the school taxes the kids in such a way, that they don't have time for anything else.
I recently read a post on facebook that said "Our children must be taught how to think, and not what to think!", and I totally buy it. If you force what he has to think, you are just killing his individuality.
Freedom is the key to maximum productivity.
But forcing was the only thing that my school did to me. I was expected to keep scoring good marks all the time, not only by the school, but also by my dad. I was never given a chance to think for myself, think about what I like, think about what I want, in fact, I was never allowed to think. All that was required of me was mugging up a few subjects and scoring high marks. Before I even knew what I was doing, I was one among the crowd, in the race of scoring marks, because at the end of the day, what knowledge I gained never mattered, only the marks mattered. And, how much ever marks I scored, my dad would never be satisfied. I must admit that I was usually among the top 3 in the class in terms of MARKS. If I scored 92%, instead of appreciating what I have scored, my dad asks, "Why did you leave the rest of it?". So, whatever I did wasn't enough.
Of what use is all the hard work and all the marks and ranks I scored back the then, now? Absolutely useless, as don't remember much of what I studied. Ultimately the knowledge gained out of the 14 years of schooling is very meagre. I was just waiting to get out of school, and once in college, I hardly used to study, as I had an excuse that I worked hard for the past 14 years, and that I was totally burnt. And here I am, still wondering what I best like to do in life.
I really didn't like what I was doing, but I just did it, because I was expected to. All I did when I was in school was go to school, do my homework, study for tests, write exams, score marks. There was hardly any time for anything else, and even if there was, out of frustration, I didn't even feel or think that I might have an interest of my own that I have to pursue.
Worst of all is the competition. When parents choose a school, they check if there is "good competition" in the school. How the heck does that matter? Each kid is different, how is it fair to compare the performances of kids and rate them? If the comparison is in terms of his own past performances, it makes sense. He knows how he has performed, so he can think about ways of improving himself. First of all, the marks scored by kids must be confidential, it must not be made public and they must not be rated in comparison to others. Comparison de-motivates them. Teachers or parents ask the kids, what they think is a very simple and sensible question, but sadly, it is not. "How can that boy, who is of the same age and from the same background as you are, score so much, while you can't?" Yea right! If it is a subject that doesn't interest him, how can he?
The education is not rounded. The focus is only on the curriculum, but kids must know that there is more to life beyond just scoring marks. There is no scope for spiritual growth, physical and mental well-being. There might be a question, if schools are expected to do everything for the kid, why are parents there for? But, the school taxes the kids in such a way, that they don't have time for anything else.
I recently read a post on facebook that said "Our children must be taught how to think, and not what to think!", and I totally buy it. If you force what he has to think, you are just killing his individuality.
Freedom is the key to maximum productivity.
