I experienced a serious setback in the lab today and I'm panicking a little. Stuff got too hot, rubbers melted, lid flew off, samples got contaminated, and I was banned from the furnace till further notice. Aren't you just glad you are not me right now? I just hope I can still meet up with the deadline.
I'm not going to say much about me. Tonight, I want to talk about something really important that we tend to take for granted. I saw an Indian movie last night. It was a really touching story and though there was no subtitle, I got the message all the same. It's about an eight year old boy who seemed pretty normal except for the fact that he just couldn't get anything right in school. He was always easily distracted and couldn't read nor write legibly. His father sent him off to a boarding school hoping he would get his acts together. But the poor boy was so depressed, teachers made fun of him, his classmates ridiculed him. To cut the long story short, an enlightened new teacher joined the school and noticed how detached the little boy was and after a little research, he discovered that the poor boy was dyslexic and he tried to help him overcome his disability. And it turns out that this boy is an extraordinary painter.
The movie opened my eyes to the sad treatment the ''dumb'' kids in schools get from their teachers and classmates. They get used to hearing that they are stupid and useless and can never get anything right that they start to believe it. Parents, especially, need to understand that all kids were born with their individual abilities and learn to stop comparing their children with other people's children, especially when they are still pretty young and trying to figure out what they are good at. Words of encouragement go a long way in moulding children into better scholars. I did not say you should ''wash'' your children's brain with lies and leave them feeling like they own the world and never actually make efforts to excel in school.
One of my favourite videos on youtube is about two little boys aged 3 and 6 that were being pranked by their mum that she ate all their halloween candy. In a segment of the video, the 3 year old said that 2 + 2 equals 5. The elder brother replied, ''It's actually 4. But, Jay, you were so close''. Those words were amazing to me especially because it was coming from a little boy. That's the sort of encouragement kids need not spanks and scolds. Here's the link to the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMuorX2mgrw
Nothing infuriates me like parents that tell their kids what courses they should take and what profession they should pursue when they grow up. WHY? To what end? I've decided, if my son wants to be a footballer, I'll buy football and boot for him. If my daughter says it's dancing she likes, I'll enrol her in a dance class. The duty of parents is to encourage you to be the best at what you are good at and not to force you into becoming something you'd rather not be. Don't get me wrong, my kids must know how to solve maths problems and understand some basic laws of physics, etc. but, it is their decision what they want to do with what they learn. Life is too short to spend it doing something you don't enjoy. Okay, I think I've digressed from the matter at hand.
I would've loved to go on and on about how all kids are special and how we should stop comparing them and how we should learn to appreciate their individuality and be patient with them and blah blah, but I can see some of you yawning and asking ''why so serious?!''. Make una no mind me oo! I promise not to post boring stuff again. Just a little awareness: Don't be so hard on that kid, you have no idea what is going on in his/her head.
Peace out!
Nice article. I have learned a thing or two.
ReplyDeleteYou need to be logged onto blogger.com on a computer to be able to make any changes. Once ure on ur dash board, u'll see "My blogs". Click on that, when it loads, u'll see a list by the left. Go to settings. Also make other modifications u see fit by choosing other options in that list. I added u to my reading list, have fun blogging.
ReplyDeleteThanks dear
DeleteThe name of the movie id "Taare Zammen Par" i.e. "Like Stars on Earth". It was a really nice movie. How far? Shebi you no kill person for lab?
ReplyDeleteE remain small make i kill person. I for like know who i dey talk to shaa
DeleteLmao! I love how u were banned from the lab :p
ReplyDeleteI sooo agree with u. Kids have natural abilities that should be encouraged, not stifled. Parents should never be dictators in a child's life
I really thought the last post was Good not knowing that something better was cooking ready to burst out!
ReplyDeleteAnd i'll say 'U re on POINT'. Keep it up!
Thanks yo!
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ReplyDeleteI get really emotional when a child is involved, we live in a society where the adult is right and will dictate to the child how to be what he or she thinks of the child but not what the child thinks of himself. your post has translated my daily duties as a teacher into readable lines....KUDOS.....Someday I will invite you to talk to my kids....hope you can do the motivational stuff ? :-D....Jisike !!
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