I wanted to take a break from the science fiction novel I was reading and spend some time on social media. After watching a lot of cat and dog videos, I saw an experiment between a teacher and his student. It applied a biology experiment in a simplistic and memorable way. The fact that every student was talking and laughing with enthusiasm made me think that it was a good educational environment.
But when I read the comments, they all had a common complaint. Sentences beginning with “if only” were common. Almost all of them had a similar attitude, complaining that they did not have such interactions with their teachers and that they failed in the science classes taught at school.
I looked again at the book I was reading, the title of which was also meaningful in terms of content, and then I read the comments again. Were there different kinds of books, like science fiction books, that told the story in a way that was suitable for children? Remember we used to love books with big covers about planets, dinosaurs and so on. Some of them were coloured, embossed or — if available — you could interact with them by pressing the button and a sound accompanied the learning.
To be honest, I’m sure that kind of educational material still exists. They can’t all suddenly go digital and disappear from the market. But I’m thinking of novels or short stories rather than these kind of books.
Photo by Liana Mikah on Unsplash
I think every parent should instil the habit of reading in their children. Yes, it may seem that I am suddenly talking about a very difficult step, unfortunately I am aware of that. At the same time, teachers have an important role to play. We all know that children learn by imitating adults. Sometimes it is conscious, it is a direct imitation and they want to be recognised, but sometimes it is instinctive and they have already adopted what they have seen.
This is easier in the family or at a relatively young age. As school is also a source of socialisation, children may not always focus on the teacher. However, as the teacher is the sole leader of both the child and the child’s circle of friends, the task becomes the teacher’s.
I worked in education and publishing for a time when I thought I understood the different aspects of the workflow. The discipline involved in creating storybooks for young children was always the same. Of course, there are certain things that can be considered fixed in terms of suitability for children, and that is understandable. However, in my opinion, the most important factor has always been overlooked. The theme of the book has always been similar or simple.
Suppose you’re reading a book, you don’t know the author, but it’s been recommended to you. The book is easier than you thought it would be. How many of you would consider reading on? If you do not find a point of interest, your concentration begins to fade. Isn’t it the same with any subject? You listen to a new album and you have waited a long time for it. However, your favourite band has lost its old rhythm and no longer has the same flavour for you. How effective can you find the songs now? The author may have put a lot of effort into it and may be happy with what he has created. But at the same time it is not the case that every work will be of interest to you.
This means that a work should be interesting, especially in academic and artistic contexts. If we give children the same material over and over again, how can we capture their attention and educate them? The concept of imagination needs to be constantly fed with novelty, with interesting and even unknown things. This allows us to start thinking about the unthinkable. We can begin to adapt what we find absurd to a certain flow.
We adults are very lucky in this respect. If we were to count how many genres there are, I’m not sure we’d be able to count them all in one sitting, some of them wouldn’t even occur to us. For children, the stories that come from the same mould have always suffocated me before the stories reach them. Have you ever thought about how many companies make money by trying to fool children with the cuteness of the drawings, the size of the fonts or the shades of colour? On the surface they are concerned about children, but in the background they are concerned about their pockets. It is as if they could not make money if they did their job properly. Yet they love to lecture.
“Couldn’t write children’s stories even then” — Image by Author
I’m not saying that any of the different genres are suitable for children. On the contrary, you can be sure that although I wanted to start writing stories based on this idea, I had to put them aside because I didn’t think I could do it. I don’t think I’m the right person to do it now. When it comes to children, as conscious adults we should also be aware that we need to water them at the right time, in the right amount and in the right way. Otherwise they are no different from us. This will not lead them to the future they want, nor will it pave the way for society in general to move forward. Rather, the next generation has to overcome the previous one.
When time, technology or opportunity increases, it is not always positive. On the contrary, selfish people widen their nets to trap those who cannot individually benefit from these developments. If we do not teach our children how to untangle the loose threads of the net, we give them a life in which they are trapped, where they fall into repetition in the same place for years instead of developing, where they are deprived of innovation and curiosity.
In other words, it is the duty of every adult to support the development of passionate, aware, curious and assertive individuals against the banality, stale tastes and greying desires of the world. Sometimes this is done with a sweet smile, a helping hand, a calm demeanour, a pat on the head, a good example, a toy, showing that we take them seriously, running and having fun together, or making an effort even when they are not aware of it.
These little ladies and gentlemen have been entrusted to us. Our childhood’s end is about serving to children.
Articles that might interest you:
Commenti