Yes, it’s the time of the year
again.
All Super Moms
Shake off summer breeze, fold
your summer night dreams and tuck them so deep beneath your neck-support
pillow, sharpen your super senses, plan a new tight budget, plan a new tight
daily activities schedule (everyone’s activities but yours, you know better by
now), buckle in your safety belt, recite a daily prayer for strength and mercy,
then get set and ready for a new school
year.
Remember the old days (very old
days) where children actually learned something in school. Mothers’ responsibility was to make sure
children did their homework in the privacy of their rooms, oversee their
progress and offer assistance in case something slipped off their mind while
they were in class. Yes, the good old days. Now mothers are required under the
doomed parental obligation before God and Society to act as if their children had
never step a foot in class, and carry the heavy reliability of securing their children's future, thus becoming their
teachers too.
The most challenging task is with
children within age group (6 – 9). It’s the most crucial age group through
which a child acquires their basic learning skills and habits. It’s the age in
which children’s nervous system and body muscles are still taking their shape
and build up their strength. And most important of all, it’s the age where they
build up their self-esteem and confidence among their peers and before
intimidating teachers. Because of children’s vulnerability at such age, they
are the most challenging to teach, and the most desperately in need for your
love and patience during the in-house teaching process.
Painful or Productive,
the tone of teaching sessions depends entirely on you, the mother . So in order to get the best results, you need to have a
plan with the main goal set and the right techniques followed. The key word
when setting your goal for your child is skills not information. Have in
mind that the success of any learning process depends on four basic skills
(reading, writing, basic math and analytical thinking). If your child acquires
good practice of the four by the age of ten, then you have achieved your goal
and you can set him free to manage his learning process in school and seek knowledge independently
from you, but still under your guidance. Following the right technique is the part of
plan that would require your ultimate patience for it depends on try and
error. If you have more than one child then you already know that learning
methods vary among children, even those who shared your womb. So give yourself
and your child a chance to experiment different teaching techniques with
different teaching aids (visual, audio, verbal). Look for teaching resources in bookstores and
internet then mold your own way of teaching. And always remember to add elements of fun into your teaching methods, it would turn a heavy task into a quality mom-kid time.
The goal is set and the technique is decided, but still there’s the
pressure of playing the game, of holding your child too close to your heart and
running through a field of gigantic obstacles ( bullying , abuse , learning difficulties , indifferent teachers and falling education system ) and get him to the finish line
safe and sound. Have in mind while running the field you’re not alone in this,
seek support from other mothers, whether among your local community or the
world community via the internet. They’re
all running the field too and know exactly how you feel, and they’ll share
their wisdom with you, no lectures and no judgments. It’s very
important to surround yourself with a supporting system for there will come
times when you feel helpless, and you’re probably going to blow some of that
building up steam on your child. If it happens, then it’s O.K, (as long as it
doesn’t involve physical abuse). Don’t sink your spirit down the guilt hole.
Give yourself a break, and give your child a chance. Break down the cycle of having a
bad day for both of you, and give yourself and your child a well-deserved treat.
Kiss him and he’ll forgive you. Go for an ice cream or movies or riding bikes
in the park, and turn that supposed to be a bad day into cherished
memory for both of you. Always remember, showing your love to your child and
sharing happy times with him surpasses teaching him the wisdom of the entire
world.
Yes, it’s a tremendous
responsibility; the spiritual, physical and mental exhaustion level goes beyond
acceptable for any sane person. The fact remains that school system desperately
needs major reforms and a spark of inspiration with a touch of appreciation for
the role of teachers (the good ones); and the fact remains that waiting for
such reforms to happen is as fruitful as crying loud in a wilderness full of
people wearing tight suits who are actually listening, but none give a
damn! It’s up to you dear super mom to hold
your child’s hand and lead him across the wilderness, all the way through
to the Promised Land.
