Education may refer to a child’s curriculum-based learning and formal training. However, education is a myriad of tangible things that help in the development of a child as a whole. This means a child is educated through different mediums and his or her learning is never one dimensional.
Early on a child’s life, he or she learns through imitation. The child would imitate words or sounds uttered back and forth, repeated actions and through a routine.
Before going to school, it is through the home that a child first learns everything he or she knows thus making the parents his or her first teachers. As early as 0 to 2 months, the baby can already learn albeit slowly. Parents are encouraged to stimulate the senses of their babies so they are made aware of their surroundings.
You can stimulate their sense of hearing by talking to them so they are made aware of the sound of your voice and they’d know how to respond. You can stimulate their sense of touch by holding their hand or caressing their hair. Their sense of sight is stimulated by showing them toys or soft books in black and white as those are the colors they can see at that age.
It is also from the home that they learn how to talk, identify colors and the alphabet and even write their names. Take note though that a parent’s guidance and participation is a vital role in this stage. A child can’t learn without the help and guidance of a focused and engaging parent.
When they are grown and are already in primary school, they learn so much more than just ABC’s and colors. They learn to count and surprisingly would count anything quantitative that they’d find. They learn how to properly use a crayon and pencil, trying their best not to color outside the borders and trace the lines as straight as possible on their worksheets. They also learn to do simple arts and crafts, trying to make it as presentable as possible. They are also taught group work through fun and informative games. They also practice their social skills by learning how to make friends and playing with them.
As they transition from being pupils to students, our kids learn about our world and the different theories of how it came to be. They also learn about the history not only of their country but others as well. They learn to have a deeper understanding of our society by studying politics and social studies. They are also taught our language, grammar and how to properly write letters and applications which will help them later on when they look for jobs after graduation. Our kids learn complex math problems, chemical compositions, biology, physics, and the likes. They are even taught how to use the computer and the different programs that it has. It is at this stage that they can think critically and engage themselves in a healthy class discussion or debate. They learn to have an informed opinion on things that matter such as current events.
It is in this stage when our kids discover what their interests are and what they would like to pursue- their passion. Some of them may want to be a banker, computer programmer, doctor, nurse, scientist, teacher, lawyer. The list goes on. As long as there are educators who stimulate or spark the interest of the students in different fields, the possibilities of having students who decide to pursue what they love are endless.
Some school programs offer group sports like volleyball, softball, and basketball. Kids are taught teamwork, humility and hard work while learning about the game and playing it. Some kids may take a sport to heart and even play for the school’s varsity team and maybe professionally later on in life. It is important that they are encouraged to try.
Other schools offer vocational programs where students learn basic carpentry, plumbing, welding, and the likes. It teaches our kids the value of hard work and that these skills are important too. They might take a liking to these vocations and have them as their professions and even open their businesses when they are given the opportunity.
Our kids learn a different set of information every day from school. Their intelligence and /or understanding is gauged through quizzes, periodical tests, and practical exams.
One might wonder how do these kids handle the kind of pressure they are in, considering the amount of information they have to digest daily. One of the most important aspects of learning is to make it simple, fun and easy to understand. This is where the teacher factor comes to play. Just as a student needs to be hardworking and committed to his or her studies, it is essential that a teacher must be compassionate, empathetic and has a pure passion for teaching and is dedicated to helping his or her students succeed not just in their studies but in life.
Education is not a one-way street. Just as the amount of dedication and effort the student puts in is important, the guidance and support of a teacher, a friend, a parent are paramount to ensuring the child’s success. The accomplishment of a student is not only his own but his friends’, teachers’, and parents’ as well.
The importance of education is not only measured in having a diploma hanging in our parents’ living room. Aside from just being scholarly educated and financially successful, it is essential to help raise mentally strong individuals who are compassionate, humble, empathic and hard working and helpful. It is important that the concept of paying it forward to be instilled in them early on in life that they may be able to help others be successful as well. Clearly, education not only gives our kids the tools they would need in their jobs or professions but it develops their characters, train them and prepare them for the real world. In the real world, it does not matter if you have the highest honor in your degree. If you cannot or are not able to withstand circumstances and hurdles life throws at you, then your education has no bearing. It is better to be well-rounded, hardworking and driven- intangible things education teaches you.
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