Responsible Parenting

Children are born with an inborn temperament and a preferred style of relating to people and events. Raising children is one of the toughest and the most fulfilling job in the world. Parents are least prepared for this job.

Learning on the job how to be a parent can be fraught with pitfalls. So instead of talking about good or bad parenting, I think of it as effective or ineffective parenting. The best way to raise positive children in a negative world is to have positive parents who love them unconditionally and serve as excellent role models.

Tips of Parenting

Disciplining school-going children is the first major of a parent during a child’s growing-up years. Today’s busy parents are not always able to make time to find out what is going on in the lives of their teens. When a child does something wrong, it is advisable for parents not to freak out. Instead, talk to your child about it when you are alone with him/her.

Strong-willed children could be a challenge when they are young but if sensitively parented, they became terrific teens. They are self motivated and go after what they want. These children are people of integrity who are not easily swayed from their own view point. Parents should avoid power struggle by laying down a set of routine and rules. Let the child take charge of him.

If you give orders, the child will always get angry. If you offer a choice, he feels like the master of his own destiny. So give your child choices. He will learn to become independent. Under no circumstances should you try to break your child’s will or force him to give in to your views. Discipline him through the relationship, never through punishment. Most importantly provide a supportive and loving atmosphere at home.

A fest rooted in Ireland, yet global in scope

Brief History

§  Saint Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17^thcentury and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church, and Lutheran Church.

§  It marks the death anniversary of Saint Patrick (385-461), the foremost Irish Saint.

§  It also commemorates the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. What began as a religious feast day for the patron saint of Ireland has grown into an international festival celebrating Irish culture through parade, dance, gourmet and a whole lot of green.

Unique Features

§  Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional St Patrick’s Day dish. In 2009, roughly 26.2 billion pounds of beef and 2.3 billion pounds of cabbage were produced in the United States.

§  More than 100 St Patrick’s Day parades are held across the US, New York City and Boston.

§  There are seven places in the US named after the shamrock, the floral emblem of Ireland. The shamrock, which was also called the ‘seamroy’, was a scared plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolised the rebirth of spring. By the 17^th century, the shamrock had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism.

§  As the English began to seize Irish land and make laws against the use of the Irish language and the practice of Catholicism, many Irish began to wear the shamrock as a symbol of their pride in their heritage and their displeasure with the English rule.

Interesting facts

§  The first parade held to honour St Patrick took place in the United States on March 17, 1762. The Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City playing music.

§  The parade helped them reconnect with their Irish roots as well as with fellow Irishmen serving in the English army. Various traditional Irish bands including The Chieftains, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem are gaining worldwide popularity and getting highlighted through St Patrick’s Day.

§  The colour green has been associated with Ireland since at least the 1640s, when the green harp flag was used by the Irish Catholic Confederation. Green ribbons and shamrocks have been worn on St Patrick’s Day since at least the 1680s.

Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, Jerusalem

Brief History

§  Established in 1953, Yad Vashem is a memorial dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust in Jerusalem, Israel. The memorial stands as a testimony to the atrocities committed by the Nazi regime led by dictator Adolf Hitler.  From 1941 to 1945, approximately six million Jews were systematically killed in the carnage.

§  The memorial houses several sites such as the children’s memorial and the Hall of Remembrance, and the museum of holocaust art that has a special collection of some 10,000 works on the genocide.

§  The Holocaust History Museum, a part of the memorial, contains original artefacts, survivor testimonies and personal possessions by many Jews who died in the catastrophe.

Interesting Facts

§  Designed by well-known architect Moshe Safdie, the Children’s Memorial was built to pay tribute to the approximately 1.5 million Jewish children who were slaughtered during the Holocaust. The memorial was made through the donation from Abe and Edita Speigel, whose son Uzeil was murdered in Auschwitz at the age of two and a half.

§  Another main highlight of the memorial is The Valley of Communities, which is a massive 2.5 acre monument dug out of natural bedrock. It was constructed in memory of several Jewish communities who lived across Europe until they were persecuted and murdered by the Nazi Germany. Over 5,000 names of some destroyed Jews communities are engraved on stone walls.

§  Many galleries at the memorial encompass Jew’s life before and after the Holocaust in Europe.

Unique Features

§  One of the galleries titled “The Awful Beginning” highlights the German invasion of Poland and discriminatory decrees by the Nazi Germany against Jews through pictures and text.

§  Several other exhibits, which include film, diaries and letters, among others throw a light on the trials and tribulations of the Jewish during the Nazi rule in Germany and its occupied areas.

§  The Hall of Names is the Jewish people’s memorial to each and every Jew who killed in the Holocaust. The main circular hall contains the extensive collection of ‘Pages of Testimony’ – short biographies of each victim of the catastrophe. The ceiling of the Hall is comprised of a 10-metre high cone highlighting 600 photographs of victims.

Is our education effective?

The world of technology touches every part of our lives. The resources available online provide each classroom with more interesting and diverse learning materials. Technologies have increased educational productivity by enhancing the rate of learning and reducing costs associated with instructional material.

Learners First

Student-centred instruction is based on the elimination of traditional teaching practice. The teaching learning process operates on collaboration rather than teachers taking a high seat. Conversation can occur between the teacher and the taught when homework replaces a lot of classroom activities, when learning is based on mutual respect and quest for knowledge. Involving students in conversation about their learning will not only boost up their confidence but they will be able to assess their work critics.

However hard we may try, our schools and colleges are not at par with international standards. We have not yet weaned ourselves or deviated ourselves from the patterns of education introduced by the colonial masters. Rote learning still plagues our system, students study only to score marks in exams, and sometimes to crack exams like IIT JEE, AIIMS, PMT, CAT or MAT. There are very few centres of educational excellence. Our educational institutions do not meet even the minimum standard. Focus on skill based education, inculcation of original and critical thinking, emphasis on research and innovation, involving smarter teachers , redefining the purpose of the education system, providing personalise education, etc are some of the steps which may enhance the standard of education in India.

Apart from providing financial security, parents provide emotional support and security to their wards. As prime educators, schools can also fulfil the role of the parents. If the schools provide a homelike ambience away from home, obviously they are fulfilling the role of parents. The school must realise that each personality handed over to them has special needs.