小朋友係可以改變既.

ukelemis

Children are human
So are the parents – take it easy

Throughout my educational studies and the related teaching experience gained, I have come across parents and children from various backgrounds and upbringing.
I have since realized, raising a child these days really isn’t as easy as I expected it to be.
Nevertheless, the expectation upon the children around us now is inevitably becoming higher and higher due to our surroundings, and the more we expect, the more pressure there is to both the children and parents.

Children are human, and so are the parents – take it easy and don’t stress yourself too much.
Always keep in mind the differences between ‘Eustress’ and ‘Distress’.

There are few questions that always pop up in my head when considering for the children’s future, and these are what I would like to share with all the parents and teachers out there.

1.
Have we stereotyped what a good and bad child is? Is there any bias definition within?

For example, some adults would define their children being naughty if they talk too much during lesson, or when they paint or color a picture in a different way compared to other kids at school.
My point of view to this is, why suppress their feelings or thoughts when they are trying to express themselves? (Moreover, this would actually be good English-speaking practice for the children) And why setting a standard for them as to how a picture should be colored, what they should draw, etc? I actually find it rather interesting when hearing them giving their thoughts and seeing them giving new ideas whether they are sharing through talking or in a picture created by them.
Remember, we should always encourage our children to express themselves rather than stopping them, as this may lower the self-esteem of children at a young age.
Likewise, a child should not be deemed naughty just because he or she doesn’t meet our expectation, but on the other hand, we should celebrate and encourage them when they have done something good.






2.
Is their academic record our only concern for our children’s future? Or would you be happier seeing a great improvement on your child’s performance in real life (based on their politeness, language and cognitive development, etc.)?
My viewpoint is that I would rather see the children really be able to learn the material and to be able to apply them in real life, rather than to rely on memorizing some test papers that are being provided by some learning centre, because at the end of the day, what had been memorized might not mean a thing to the children even when a high mark is achieved.

We may give them our love, but not our thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
We may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like us.
For life goes not backwards nor tarries with yesterday.

I hope we can all work together to bring about a brighter future for our children.

From,
Miss Tata (starting to like this name my beloved students have given me) :)
Private English Teacher