IT is a lovely sight to watch a
child clad in the prescribed school uniform, neat and
clean from head to toe, with his school bag hanging close
to his back, entering school in the morning a few minutes
before the first bell. He would be in the proper frame
of mind and have a keenness to learn if earlier at home
he had woken up with enough time left for him to go to
the bathroom and have a good breakfast.
Getting ready for school on time
depends on whether the uniform has been washed and ironed
the night before and on the school bag being ready. It
is often useful to introduce school-going children to
an alarm clock and to show them how to use it. Parents
should also ensure that the next day’s homework
is completed by the child on time.
On the other hand, when a child
comes to school dressed in the wrong uniform the first
thing that crosses one’s mind is that no one in
his home bothered to make sure that he was properly dressed.
Parents should make it a point to be with their child
at the breakfast table in the morning because this will
ensure that the child does not go to school on an empty
stomach. That would in turn prevent the child from eating
junk food in the school canteen. Also, by being with their
child in the morning, parents can see for themselves that
the child looks well rested, is neat and clean and dressed
properly.
Where such attention is not extended
by the parents, children do note it and equate it with
lack of love and affection. The result often is that they
miss their breakfast and are hardly found in proper school
uniform. Also, often they don’t reach school on
time because they are totally dependent on drivers who
are not always punctual and regular. In most cases it
would be far better if parents themselves were to accompany
their child to school, where they can afford to do so.
Children who are late to school
or who wear the wrong uniform are liable to be punished
and this can affect their studies. In addition, the punishment
can have psychological effects as well. Some students
are found missing classes early in the morning. They are
finally located from near the school cafeteria or canteen
and the reason most will cite is that they were not able
to eat at home in the morning.
There have been cases of school
administrations calling a student’s home to inform
his or her parents that their child came late to school,
and the call was attended by a servant who said that the
mother was asleep while the father was not in the city.
The impression that this gives is that there is no one
at home to look after the child. Parents have to realize
that their children must get love, attention, care and
recognition to develop a strong sense of belonging.
Merely providing comfort and luxuries
does not really do much. Living on material things alone
does not produce a good human being. The child must be
taught values like good manners, respect, love and regard
for parents and other elders. They must be taught to say
‘thank you’ as often as possible to everyone
and ‘sorry’ when they make even a minor mistake.
There are parents who want their
children to became position-holders in the class without
paying attention to their becoming good persons. This
is like putting the cart before the horse. A child will
be a good student only if he or she is a polite and responsible
person. For children to grow into responsible individuals
they must also be asked to regularly help out in the house
and perform one or two domestic chores and to keep their
room and bathroom clean.
The writer is a director of a school
in Lahore.
