(A)1. I didn’t do it, he started it
When children fight in the class, and they are caught, this is the most common excuse they come up with, “I didn’t do it, he started it”. They lie because they don’t want to be caught and scolded or insulted in front of the class. They have self-respect in the class and try to protect it. One should listen to both the sides of the story and not make a judgment on the incident. If one has to say who is right, then one should say it calmly, without making the other child feeling bad. They should also be made responsible for their behaviour and make them realize that this behaviour is not accepted socially.
2. Can I go to the washroom?
Often it has been noticed that if one child has gone to the washroom, his friends would also like to go. Usually, it is an escape strategy from the classroom. They like to take a break from the classroom and play in or near the washroom area. One forgets that children need to take a break in between. Studying different subjects back-to-back tires them. Usually, there is one break – that is the lunch break in the school, and it is not enough. If a child tells honestly that he needs a break, it would not be allowed. It is because the teacher is busy completing her lesson plan rather than seeing the need of the child and class. It is difficult, to be honest, yet one teaches that honesty is the best policy. The school needs to create a fearless environment where a child can express freely. It reminds of a poem by Rabindra Nath Tagore.
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
अक्सर हमें बच्चों के द्वारा यह सुनने को मिलता है कि आज मुझे कोई गृह कार्य नहीं मिला ऐसा क्यों होता है? बच्चों को अक्सर याद नहीं रहता कि उनको किस विषय में गृह कार्य मिला है, और ऐसा भी होता है कि वह कार्य करना ही नहीं चाहते, अक्सर यह भी देखा जाता है कि बच्चों के घर पर कोई उत्सव हो जो कि उनके गृह कार्य से ज्यादा प्रिय हो इसीलिए बच्चे गृह कार्य करने से जी चुराते हैं। विद्यालय में इतने समय तक अध्ययन करने के बाद जब वह घर जाते हैं तब उन्हें लगता है, कि अब हमें खेलना चाहिए पढ़ाई- पढ़ाई बहुत हो चुकी है। इसीलिए होमवर्क नहीं करते।
बच्चों के माता-पिता और बच्चों को स्वयं भी अध्यापक द्वारा दिया गया गृह कार्य समझ नहीं आता।
अध्यापक द्वारा ऐसा गृह कार्य दिया जाए, जो कि बच्चे को आसानी से समझ आ जाए।
शिक्षक द्वारा गृह कार्य अक्सर इसलिए दिया जाता है ताकि कक्षा में दिए गए कार्य की पुनरावृत्ति बच्चा घर में कर ले और उसे पाठ आसानी से समझ में आ जाए। अब शिक्षक को चाहिए कि बच्चों को ऐसा गृह कार्य दिया जाए जो बच्चों को आसानी से समझ आ जाए और करने में बच्चों में रुचि पैदा हो।
It is imperative to show respect to earn respect in the classroom. Everybody has self-respect and wants to be respected. When respected, one feels loved and does not feel awkward or has any inhibitions to express himself. A child with special needs in our class was having difficulties in the class with his peers. He was bullied by his friends. We gave him space to be himself and accepted his needs. This influenced class. They became patient and started including him in their games, and he became part of the class. Treating him with respect and kindness helped the class, to understand that they cannot treat differently to him. Everybody deserves respect.
- Aspiration JMMS @ John Martyn Memorial School, Salan Gaon, Dehradun - Renu Raturi, Sandhya Thadani, Sonali Sharma and Asha Bhandari