Schooling should be a positive experience

Sunitha Girish, Contributor, Jakarta

The late great pediatrician and writer of best-selling child- care books, Dr. Benjamin Spock states in his book Baby and Child Care, "The main lesson in school is how to get along in the world. Different subjects are merely means to this end"

In a world wrought with so much strife and mistrust, this statement holds great importance. Especially since human beings are endowed with the powers of thought, analysis and feeling. For any country, its schools are the "arteries and veins" that regulate the "heart and brain". In other words, it is the nature of transition from childhood to adulthood that defines the way a society and its economic models function.

In one of his articles, educator Simon Marcus Gower rightly observes, "Character emerges as a consequence of good experiences and encounters with people and the world around us." A child's life is mostly spent between home and school. Therefore, the requirement is to provide a positive atmosphere in both areas. This ensures more productivity in terms of getting along and being motivated.

The fact that wonderful parenting creates good citizens cannot be downplayed but is a domain that is personal. Parents expect schools to have trust in them and those that do are the ones who are already halfway there in providing a positive atmosphere. The common value is an assurance that enough skills will be developed at school to ensure economic and emotional security in the future.

To ensure this, educational authorities must take extreme care in designing the syllabus, the tool at the center of learning. They should not fall into the trap of creating a syllabus of "high standard" that caters to class toppers; one that is crammed with facts that must be memorized right from grade one. Many developing countries have done this without realizing that it is at a cost.

It must be understood that it is not possible for a teacher to attend to students equally when the level does not suit the average child. You do not want to have students being made to study for hours by parents at home or worse being sent for tuition. This does not build skills. It only builds resentment. On the other hand, there is nothing more positive than informing a parent that their child can be sent for advanced lessons.

Without being too vast, the syllabus must build a strong foundation at the elementary phase (age four to 10). This should be done without submitting students to tedious and boring tasks. It must leave enough room for various activities like electives, projects, guest speakers, stage programs, cultural exchange, etc. Group activities promote political education. Students learn shared values that hold a society together. These enjoyable moments take out the drudgery from school life.

Next, subjects must be brought to life. This effectively reduces the minutes by which a student must stay glued to a textbook. International Baccalaureate's PYP and MYP programs have already successfully done so.

Connecting subjects to the real world has the great effect of creating more responsible students. It also places them on the fast track to developing skills and gaining a positive attitude to every subject. Practicality and creativity are gems that radiate positively and must lie at the heart of schooling.

It is the teachers who hold the key to developing an all encompassing "feel good" atmosphere. No less than nation- builders, their friendly and affable manner should maintain a happy system flowing from parents to students to syllabus to peers and back to teachers. For a student, the teacher's attitude toward him or her is crucial in determining how positive he or she feels about one's self. It also regulates peers' behavior. A teacher's disapproval would rank as some of their most negative moments in life.

Simple messages, like, "please respect each other," or "let's be nice to each other" and "that's excellent," for any work of theirs, work wonders. They nurture a sense of solidarity, feelings of fraternity and peace. They also help in easing out teasing and bullying. Previous adages like "adults should not intervene" or "children should fend for themselves" no longer work. They go against the goal of building a tolerant society.

A "positive" moment for one child may not be so for another. This holds true especially for children below the age of 10. Eliminate any such activities like teasing, competitive atmospheres, excessive writing or homework. Instead, set policies for everything. A government works for its people, a school for its pupils. As my six year old warmly says about her school, where such standards are met, "They take care of us."

Time is running out for schools not yet implementing such systems. However, the hope is that with such articles, inspired by one's own experiences and given a touch of others' opinions, decision-makers will be enlightened. Collective efforts can move mountains. By putting all the previous articles on education together, published in The Jakarta Post, let us hope they can complete the puzzle of providing all-round growth for a nation.