nurture the juvenile mind :

There is always this identity theft of most of the children in the country .The 'child ' is soon replaced by the tag 'student '.And just as this happens the trauma and the struggle begins for all .Would it be a success story or one which ends in disappointment and blame ?

Where does the story of the struggle begin? It begins with the metamorphosis of a child into a student that seems to happen like any natural occurrence although this transformation is laden with innumerable and very serious ramifications. When does a child actually assume the form and colours of a student? This could well be termed as the moment of transition .

It starts with " how the child would look like " , " whether he resembles anyone in the family ".Oh sorry , before that very importantly " whether he would be a naughty boy or a sweet girl ".The child is first appreciated for its physical appearance , then because he distantly resembles someone in the family he gets brownie points .How silly ! In due course of time he is lauded for his grasp of speech and walk , his play .The child's antics and tantrums are then the focus of all attention and are constantly compared , benchmarked .All the family members see some of their characteristics in the child .Oh great god , u do satisfy all and all !

Then starts the tedious admission process : play school , primary school and then higher school, all accompanied by trials and tribulations for the child and the parents alike .And then, almost overnight, the change of status happens in the psyche of the parent. From the word go, the child is viewed as a student, and the ability of the child to fit into the school system and its demands becomes the yardstick or measure of success.How heavy and overbearing for the child indeed , does anyone understnd !The biological circadian clock should match the school timings , the aptitude to the curriculum and the strength of the back the load of books !The child who is student first and child only next wears the hat for the whole of childhood and the greater part of adolescence.And tragicly the mood of the parents and family also swing high and low as go the scores on the report card.

Questions and questions all lined up in succession : Which are the best careers in today’s scenario? Which are most coveted, that carry the promise of booming opportunities? Which schools and colleges are the best of the pick? And what scores will take students there? Such are the questions that cloud parents’ minds.The neck of the student is clenched by pressures of a high paying job .The colourful butterfly of childhood dreams has long back flown out of the window into the wilds !

The child is trampled and torn between parental expectation and personal ambition and joys.Who is caring for the child's natural endowments and propensities ? NONE , Is the uniqueness in the child being nourished and cherished ? NO No no .

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE :
- Child first , student next
- differentiated teaching and testing by teachers
- the child needs to be nurtured thoroughly

I am helpless and I have to recall the memorable lines of the Persian poet Kahlil Gibran in The Prophet:


Your children are not your children.


They are the sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself;


They come through you but not from you.


You may give them your love but not your thoughts,


For, they have their own thoughts.


You may house their bodies but not their souls,


For their souls lie in the house of tomorrow,


Which you cannot visit,


Not even in your dreams!