By Bijoya Sawian
The winter break is over and the schools will soon reopen for the last academic term. The final exams and board exams will be upon us. A most crucial time and the most important focus for all educators should be on the mental health of the students especially the senior students. Year after year, we have students who have breakdowns and commit suicide. We have to set an expiry date on this horrific phenomenon. Teachers have to learn to relearn. The word success must be redefined. A successful school should be one that produces physically fit, emotionally stable and spiritually enriched children, besides good results, who will contribute positivity to their country and the world. This is an imperative need of the present times.
When we started the Annfield School over 25 years ago, I read books by famous educators and also books from the MBA syllabus to know more about Time and Potential Management and so on. The iconic John Martyn’s (of the Doon School) words touched me deeply. He believed that, if a school is meant to prepare a child for a life ahead, then the child must feel “that life is worth living”. He knew it then what we are grappling with now – the problems that arise from confusion, anger, frustration and great unhappiness. So it came easily to me when I had to coin the school motto: Instill the Joy of Learning.
The task ahead is an arduous one because, for over a century, we have been subjected to the mind crippling form of education brought in by the British Government to suit their purpose. Thinking for oneself was totally out of course. Cram, learn by heart and regurgitate on paper was in. Learning was strictly for a purpose. It was not the adventure it was meant to be.
Another aspect we must concentrate on is ethics. Ethics is knowing what is right and what is wrong. If each one of us endeavours to set a good example, we need not set any rules. Parents and teachers must be aware that ethical illiteracy is rampant in all sections of society and amongst all ages. The time has come to question education as it is understood and implemented even today in the majority of the schools. It is important because society all over the world has plummeted into an almost irredeemable abyss. We are grateful that strong remedial measures are now being enforced in our educational system like value education and the stress on skills, games and the arts.
Education is not merely gathering information and passing examinations, it is not only about books, results, degrees and careers. A person who is exposed only to this is literate but not educated. Education is a holistic experience which instils the right values and prepares an individual for life, not merely for a living. The schools emphasise only on brilliant results in order to attain the degrees and qualifications needed for a lucrative career which will enable them to amass wealth and reach that enviable standard of living by procuring all the material glitter that tempts them through the insidious bombardment of the media. This is the first step on the road to ethical and spiritual destruction. This is, in my opinion, the cause of all the malaise of modern society.
Education begins at birth and stretches across a human being’s lifetime. The child’s first school is his home and the parents and elders around the child are the first teachers. Every gesture, every word, every movement is observed by the child, is felt by the child and all this is important for his/her emotional health and overall development. A child may be brilliant and talented but if he/she grows up to be a disturbed adult the consequences are, as we are all aware, tragic and aggravates the societal imbalances which are already present. Nowadays, a child joins school as early as three years of age. The teacher’s role is, therefore, immense.
In ancient India we had the Gurukuls where education was imparted. Guru means teacher and Kuls means home/family. Children live in the gurukuls and are involved in the lives of their teachers. Besides a rigorous routine in learning, the students participate in domestic chores, gardening, tending the cattle and any other work which is part of the Gurukul. This enables the teacher to form a strong bond with the child and also observe their strength and weaknesses. So, in the classroom, the interaction is comprehensive and this enriches the child’s learning experience. The teacher thus becomes the mentor and guide of the student. If we bond with the children the teaching of values comes naturally. The child takes it as part of life and not a mere ‘subject’ to be learnt. The Gurukul concept is being revived to an extent and this will definitely bring a positive change in the years ahead. When a student leaves the Gurukul, s/he is ready to become a good member of the family, a useful member of the community and a worthy citizen of the country because the correct values have been imparted by the guru.
In the olden days, in the Khasi Hills where I come from, traditionally, a child is handled with care right from infancy. The way we bathed a child, held a child, fed a child was always with gentleness and love. This was the first step towards his/her emotional well-being and stability. Good behaviour and etiquette were taught at special times when an elder would instruct and read out stanzas from our book of ethics and etiquette, Ka Jingsneng Tymmen. Stories were told around the fire in long winter nights and endless days of rain when one was forced to keep indoors. Those folktales, tales of origin and explanatory takes were akin to history books. The jokes and riddles were the quiz books, proverbs were the tight encapsulation of our beliefs and philosophy, the trickster tales were for humour and laughter. More importantly, however, sitting together was all about bonding and the children felt secure and loved. The environment, the hills and forests, the streams and rivers were the geography books and the men would take their children outdoors and instruct. Life has changed tremendously but the idea of bonding cannot be undermined. Teaching is only successful if the child feels good about the teacher. It is simple: you would not respond as you should to someone who you do not feel connected to. The responsibilty at home is to spend quality with the children for this is an important part of their mental well-being, which is an irreplaceable input for the realisation of their full potential.
The emotional well-being of a child depends a lot on the environment, the atmosphere and the method of teaching. In my school I have a subject for Playgroup and Nursery – Good Manners and Good Values along with Spoken English. In the senior classes the specified syllabus does not have Value Education but the teachers are instructed to find opportunities in class to talk on Honesty and Integrity, Compassion and Diligence, Respect and Gratitude, among other qualities. Also, to have informal talks and share good karma experiences -what good deed did I do yesterday? It could be a kind word that brought a smile to a sad face, that’s all. Encourage the children to share and show appreciation generously. Impress upon them the importance of knowing what is right and wrong and the greatness in doing little good deeds. Impress upon them that being a good human being is a huge achievement and success of the highest form.
In life, what eventually remains is your reputation. In the Khasi literary masterpiece, Ka Jingsneng Tymmen, The Teachings of Elders, Radhon Singh Berry Kharwanlang wrote:
Whatever you know whatever you gain
It’s useless if not by Truth sustained;
Even if very rich you become
If no one respects you what use is the pomp?
Even if you are grandly attired
It’s useless for it’s only your shame camouflaged;
You may reach the top, sit on horse, elephant
If your reputation is sullied what use is it then?
As parents and teachers, we have a long journey ahead on a road we have neglected for a long time, the road less travelled.
