Ninth standard school boy stabs
his Hindi teacher to death yesterday at Chennai since he was upset with her
constant complaints to his father that he was under performing and further he
was worried that he might not be promoted to the next class. The news was
shocking for this is quite strange that aggression due to anxiety and stress
among school going children has resulted in such an extreme step taken by the
Chennai boy. This raises question about the educational system being followed
by schools that pressurize their students to over perform so that the school
achieves great results in board exams thereby enhance their brand image in this
blooming educational commercial venture without giving any thoughts about the
children. The school going children are being burdened both mentally and
physically these days… you can see each morning teenage children who are in
middle school lugging heavy school bags filled with all the books weighing over
15 kgs on their frail shoulders and it could lead to damaging the shoulders.
I do not recollect of any such
issues faced by me during my school days nearly 4 decades back and going to
school was so much fun and frolic. In addition to studies we had all the time
in the world to play and have fun also each day. I hardly see such enthusiasm
among the present day school going children. But then there has been a sea of change in the
society from those days and the intense competitions / comparisons by the peers
at school and the parents have curbed the interests of the child.
The teachers for sure would say
that whatever they are doing is for the good of the child but then they also
need to be a bit humane in their approach since the strict behavior and
overloading could lead to extreme stress and anxiety among the children. Critics may say that students have no
tensions or stress but I beg to differ on this account as I deal with these
issues with my two school going daughters who face similar issues in their
school. The dampening factor in all these are the parents who needs to
motivates the child without being over bearing or burdening them. Parents who
are not emotionally available for their children or lack of coping mechanisms
spur the child to become stressed. Such children tend to respond to the stress
with indignation and aggression which would have lasting impact in their lives
and sometimes lead to depressions and under performances
Following needs to be done by Parents to avoid their offspring becoming
stressed
Talk with your child. Find out what`s happening in his life.
Be honest and open with him. He should talk about his problems or write them
down. Teach him to transfer coping strategies to other situations.
Do not burden them with your problems or your aspirations of them. But tell
your children of the family goals and discuss the difficulties in a friendly manner.
Compliment children when they do well, and don`t forget hugs and kisses.
Use humour to buffer bad feelings and situations. A child who learns to use humour
himself will be better able to keep things in perspective.
Don`t overload your child with too many after-school activities and
responsibilities. Let children learn to pace themselves. Don`t enrol them in
every class that comes along, and don`t expect them to be first in everything.
Set a good example. Demonstrate
self-control and coping skills. He/she can benefit by seeing how you cope
successfully with stress.
Get friends` or professional help when you
think that the problems seem beyond your skills.
Aftermath of the incidence has given to lots of discussion
about the very thing I have mentioned above and I hope that in years to come
there is a definite change in the pattern of schooling which would bring joy
and happiness among children once again.
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