Our little Maharadja is six years old. He goes to primary school. He wants to become a policeman or an archaeologist. He loves to play on his playstation, with his Lego and to tinker. He also likes to talk about various subjects like dinosaurs, the police, cartoons and the universe. Above all he is curious about how many things are being made. As a parent we believe that education is the foundation for his career in life. We therefore strive for the best education for our little Maharadja. Hence we take co-responsibility for his education. Although a successful career is important but material success should not be fundamental for happiness! As long as he loves what he is doing nothing else should matter.
But I am astonished about the current workload at his primary school. Nowadays a lot is expected from our children at school. Our Maharadja already needs to read, to write, telling time and do mathematics. Furthermore his school is assessing his skills against the national standards twice a year! It will not come as a surprise but his standard is way higher compared to what we needed to know at his age. Remember? I understand the necessity of testing our children at school. On the one hand it helps to monitor their progress, to identify who needs additional support and to fill the gaps. The ultimate goal is to set a high standard for performance. But on the other hand a label can also have negative consequences for a child i.e. it can develop into a stigma. With such a label parents and teachers will most likely focus on the child’s weaknesses instead of their capabilities and strengths. As a result our children can become de-motivated, lose their self-esteem and above all their interest in learning. What a stress for a child at his age! Every day I am wondering what happened to our educational system i.e. what happened to the fun at primary school?
We do have dedicated teachers committed to educate our children. But they cannot give every child the attention they need. On the one hand classes are too large. This will have an impact on their teaching effectiveness. On the other hand the high workload and the stress to perform. A primary teacher needs to prepare classes, assess children and to write many development reports for parents and management. This is just a tip of the iceberg. As a consequence too much time is being spent on administrative duties instead of on children’s education.
So what should we do? I guess without our help many children will not be able to meet and cope with the high standard set by the school system. We need to take our responsibility for the sake of our children. Without our help our children can fall between two tools. The time we spend educating at home can be just enough for them not to get discouraged at school. Children, who will become discouraged will get frustrated, will lose their self-esteem and will get bored. In addition they will have a lack of confidence and will stop dreaming. We need to stop the downward spiral. I do understand that they need to make their own future. But it is our responsibility to make sure they stay on track. If necessary we need to help them with their homework. Last but not least let’s not forget there should be a healthy balance between playing, having fun and making homework.
Remember we need to inspire and help our children to become the architect of their own future.
Author: Mr. Babblewell