January 5, 2006

Instead of grumbling, parents should join teachers and work with them in educating the child who is their common responsibility. The common goal is to instil a love for learning, tolerance and discipline in him, advises a teacher

We are a nation of grumblers rather than doers and parents are second to none in this national pastime. This is specially true of mothers. Even when just two of them get together they must grumble and grouse. The range of subjects that rouses their anger is wide. It may be anything, from soaring prices, lack of civic amenities, to unsatisfactory domestic help, nasty neighbours and corrupt government officials.

Being a Pakistani, I, too, am a grumbler, but being a teacher at the same time, I worry about the grumbling-parents! With a haphazard education policy (does anyone know what it is?), ghost teachers and schools, poor textbooks and low educational budgets, I maintain that most of the teachers, in spite of all these shortcomings, try their best to teach well.

So parents, please realize that just as there are parents who are good, there is no dearth of committed teachers either. Parents should join the teachers and work with them, in educating the child who is their common responsibility. The goal is to instil a love for learning, tolerance and discipline in him.

Let the teacher and parent also work together to see that the child appreciates what is beautiful in life –– be it a flower or a butterfly, the sunset or the sky at night full of stars. Let the child grow up loving the best in literature be it prose or poetry and his aesthetic sense develop in music and dance, in forms and colours.

And above all, let the child learn to love what is essentially good in human beings, so he or she can be a better individual with tolerance for differences and deficiencies. Let him learn to share both the joys and sorrows of those around him.

Always remember that the first teacher of the child is the mother and then the father. The teacher comes much later. Try to be the person you want your child to grow up to be. Find the positive traits in children, praise and help to develop them -– discover their talents, encourage their creativity. Encourage them to cherish the correct values in life. A support system is a great aid such as a husband supporting wife and vice-versa; the parents supporting the teachers and vice-versa.

To all those parents who grumble about the inactive PTA (Parent Teachers Association) of their children's school, I suggest that they do something concrete and try to improve its functioning instead of just complaining. Frequent parent-teacher meetings, an effective association and a congenial relationship would work wonders.

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