It used to be said that our school days are the happiest in our lives. For some, that may still be true, but for many, school days are miserable, sometimes dreaded. Bullying, teasing and negative peer pressure are rife. Moreover, children do not all learn in the same way at the same age. No matter how good the curriculum, there are inevitably some children in every class who struggle to keep up, and others who are bored, wanting more.
Holding a child back to repeat a year creates shame - hardly a good motivation to work harder. Others are pushed by parents and teachers into advanced tutoring after school or during the holidays, leading to the risk of early burnout.
Ability groups within a class may seem more constructive, but children quickly realise who is in the ‘top’ group and who is in the ‘bottom’ one. Love of learning is soon extinguished when school becomes a daily grind, with the sole academic aims being completed assignments and good grades. Some children are highly competitive, and may then resort to copying, or cheating in other ways to achieve higher marks.
‘But it’s the law’, we sigh. ‘Children must be educated’. True. But have you paused to consider that it’s only in the last hundred or so years that we have routinely handed our offspring’s education over to institutions?
Have you ever wondered why we expect them to learn at a pace dictated by officials who don’t even know them?
We are aware that babies and toddlers develop mobility, language and other skills at widely varying ages. We encourage their curiosity, respond to their needs, and gently enable them to develop in the ways built into their genetic codes. Why, then, is it assumed that a child must learn to read or grasp the principles of multiplication at a time set by the State, rather than when he or she is ready to do so?
Children are born motivated to learn. Spend time with an average three year old, and you will be bombarded with questions. Why do birds fly? Why don’t we have wings? How big is the world? How does the microwave work? They ask questions when they are interested, and a wise parent will take the time to explain, as far as they are able, in a way that helps the child’s understanding. In our information-rich age we can find books, or websites, to answer just about any question, and in doing so teach our children valuable research skills.
This intrinsic curiosity does not stop when the child reaches ‘school age’, but, all too often, it is severely curbed by the demands of the school day.
Ελληνικά
Holding a child back to repeat a year creates shame - hardly a good motivation to work harder. Others are pushed by parents and teachers into advanced tutoring after school or during the holidays, leading to the risk of early burnout.
Ability groups within a class may seem more constructive, but children quickly realise who is in the ‘top’ group and who is in the ‘bottom’ one. Love of learning is soon extinguished when school becomes a daily grind, with the sole academic aims being completed assignments and good grades. Some children are highly competitive, and may then resort to copying, or cheating in other ways to achieve higher marks.
‘But it’s the law’, we sigh. ‘Children must be educated’. True. But have you paused to consider that it’s only in the last hundred or so years that we have routinely handed our offspring’s education over to institutions?
Have you ever wondered why we expect them to learn at a pace dictated by officials who don’t even know them?
We are aware that babies and toddlers develop mobility, language and other skills at widely varying ages. We encourage their curiosity, respond to their needs, and gently enable them to develop in the ways built into their genetic codes. Why, then, is it assumed that a child must learn to read or grasp the principles of multiplication at a time set by the State, rather than when he or she is ready to do so?
Children are born motivated to learn. Spend time with an average three year old, and you will be bombarded with questions. Why do birds fly? Why don’t we have wings? How big is the world? How does the microwave work? They ask questions when they are interested, and a wise parent will take the time to explain, as far as they are able, in a way that helps the child’s understanding. In our information-rich age we can find books, or websites, to answer just about any question, and in doing so teach our children valuable research skills.
This intrinsic curiosity does not stop when the child reaches ‘school age’, but, all too often, it is severely curbed by the demands of the school day.
Ελληνικά
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