by Happiness Hassan | Apr 10, 2022 | Family & Parenting
Conflict of interest in career choice between parents and their children is one of the factors igniting family dispute, which eventually terminates the love, trust, unity, understanding, and harmony in a home. Oftentimes, propels children to rebel against their parents. However, to avert disheartening statements in the future such as I hate what I do and life is miserable for me because my parents are forcing me into a career I dislike, it’s best if you speak up in the right way.
Reasons Why Parents Choose Careers for Their Children
It’s wrong for parents to force their children into careers they have little or no passion for. In essence, a career is a lifetime occupation that requires you to make the decision yourself and not your parents. However, parents believe they know what’s best for their children and are in the position to decide what career they should venture into, besides they pay the bills.
Reasons for this are traced to a parental desire for a socially recognized career, careers with more job opportunities, and a selfish reason to preserve their family status. Learn more about the role of parents in their child’s career choice.
Know That Rebelling is not an Option
My parents are forcing me into a career and I’m not interested, what can I do? Ahmad laments. His family wants him to become a doctor. Unfortunately, he grew up in a family passionate about medical sciences. His dad is a doctor, his mom a pharmacist, while his sister is into the nursing profession.
They own a private hospital. His dad continually reminded him of heading to the family hospital someday. Ahmad had something entirely different from what his parents wanted for him.
His passion was architecture, being scared of disobeying his parents he kept quiet and devised his scheme. Unknowingly to his parents, he had a change of course and for years lied to his parents hoping to convince him his excellent grades in architecture having graduating. Surprisingly, the reverse was the case. His deceit brought enmity between him and his parents shattered their love and trust for him.
Moreover, if you find yourself in Ahmad’s story you don’t have to remain silent at the expense of your happiness nor should you rebel.
Here is What You Should Do If You Are Forced Into A Career You Don’t Like
1. Understand Your Parents
Your parents forcing you into a career probably have something good in mind. Remember, they will not make choices that are detrimental to your well-being. Their choice might be different from yours but not a horrible option. Hence, consider their perspective. Ask yourself the reasons why your parents want you to pick a certain career, is there a selfish reason? Inquire about the benefit associated with that career path.
To be more practical, how would you react if you were in your parent’s shoes someday and your child rebels against your choice? That doesn’t seem right. You can convince them when you speak from their standpoints.
2. Communicate Your Feelings Effectively
This is a medium that helps you express how you feel towards your parent’s choice, likewise convince them about your own desired career. Silence never solves the problem of your parents forcing you into a career you dislike.
Discard the feeling of fear from your mind when approaching your parents and employ the following communication tactics.
Select Your Words Carefully
To successfully convince your parents, be mindful of your word usage, avoid using words such as you have no right over me, I am old enough to make my own choices, I have my life to live. Those kinds of words harden their heart the more.
In contrast, use words like “I trust your choice for me” “I know you have my best at heart” and more.
Moderate Your Tune
Your tune while conversing either creates a negotiable atmosphere or an uneasy one. Speak with courtesy because pleasant words spoken in a calm tune loosens up the hearts and promotes agreement.
Time Your Approach
It’s a fruitless effort attempting to convince your parents when they are stressed out or upset. Hence, observe their moods, you can also set a happy atmosphere by assisting them in completing their activities for the day or prepare a surprise meal for them before approaching them.
Have A Heart-to-heart Conversation
Your parents will always rethink when every word you express is said from your heart, putting your emotions to play. Learn more about effective communication.
3. Talk To Your Role Model
Humans are easily convinced by the good example presented to them. Therefore, become courageous to show your parents people who are successful in your desired fields, this practice assures your parents that you are not making the wrong choice.
Also, provide a thousand acceptable reasons why you choose a career entirely different from theirs, the benefits associated with the career. Likewise, their success stories remind changing agents.
4. Bring in a Third Party
Perhaps, other steps aren’t sufficient, and you are afraid of approaching your parents, then get a third party involved. However, you need to be mindful of the kinds of third parties you invite. Meanwhile, there are standard third parties capable of convincing your parents about your choice. They include your Malam, Pastor or a community leader.
Furthermore, sign up for a counselling session with a career counsellor or coach, you can also invite them over to your house to talk with your parents. These counsellors are trained in the field of career choice and conflict of Interest among parents and children, hence they know the perfect approach to apply notwithstanding how difficult your parent might be.
5. Express Your Passion
Parents are humans with natural emotions. Begin by letting your parents know how difficult their chosen career would be for you and how you might end up failing in that career path. On hearing this, most times they give their support in favour of your career because no parent wants to waste their time, resource and efforts on a career that will result in future failure.
Likewise, outline your plans and objectives for choosing your preferred career for your parents.
6. Promise And Fulfil
Take responsibility for every choice you make. Your parents might doubt your success in your desired field and force you into careerism different from your plans. However, their minds and choice can be reversed by making a promise.
For instance, committing yourself to excellence and making yourself proud when given the free will to decide for yourself. Don’t make them regret their chance of plans for you.
Conclusion
The steps mentioned above are an effective approach to convincing your parents. You don’t have to rebel or deceive them, instead, work towards understanding and convincing them strategically knowing that they love you and would always want the best for you.
Have you been forced into a career before? Let me know how you handled it in the comments box.
by Michelle Anama Abari | Feb 7, 2022 | Personal Growth
How much of what you learned at school do you use in your daily life? The truth is, not much I believe. The society we live in is programmed to teach us the academic aspect of life, not the real meaning of life and how to handle it. The standard narrative of society is geared towards specializing in a subject and then making a career out of it. The school we claim to have very good degrees in does not do the part which is to teach life changing skills to learn along your journey through life.
But then, the good part of this is that there is a life-changing skill to learn even though you are not in school or have no degree in any academic institution.
A lot of people have gone through a lot in life which has made them have a lot of experiences and life-changing skills to learn along the way in life. This article seeks to tell you life changing skills that you won’t learn in school.
7 Life Changing Skills You Won’t Be Taught in School
1. What to Do When You Fail
Losers quit when they fail. Winners fail until they succeed.
Robert Kiyosaki
One life lesson the school won’t teach you is how to fail. Academic institutions are only programmed to teach what they know and make sure students pass. Most at times, people who fail or take a lower position in the class or the school, in general, are seen as failures and are stigmatized. Schools never teach kids to embrace failure and see it as a learning process.
You should see the process as more than a stroke of bad luck because, in the actual sense, it is not. Failure should be seen as:
It is part of a learning process
It can’t be avoided, so there is no point in trying to do so.
Don’t give up at the first hurdle, most people quit just before they’re about to succeed.
2. How to Manage Your Finances
Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.
Benjamin Franklin
The truth is, schools don’t teach students how to make money work for them, instead, they only teach how to work for money by getting a job in an organization.
Managing your expenses is another important life-changing skill that schools don’t teach but is very essential. Managing finances like saving, investing, and even making money as a whole is a must-know in the long run of your life.
This point entails things like paying yourself first (saving) and putting your money to work for you (investment). This way, you learn and gain more knowledge from this even though you were not thought in school.
There are so many platforms that you can save your money on or where you can make money for free.
3. How to Think Long-Term
Our struggles are the short-term lessons we learn to achieve long-term success.
Simon Sinek
The truth is that because of what we were thought in school, most of us don’t have an idea on how to plan ahead or even know how to save and live for the long run. Most people don’t even know what the long run is! This is an issue because not planning can jeopardize your future and everything you have ever worked for.
Another thing school won’t teach is planning for the long run. Since school won’t teach you this, it’s up to you to teach yourself. Planning for the long term has to do with setting goals each day that can lead to what you want to achieve later on in life. Also, it entails setting time limits for yourself and working towards those times set for you.
4. Schools Won’t Teach You How to Start a Business
The biggest risk of all is not taking one.
Melody Hobson
Starting a business and being an entrepreneur are the same thing and this is a life-changing skill one has to know and learn more about. Many people don’t know what to do as a new business owner or how to use digital marketing in their business. Since schools don’t teach this life-changing skill, it should be noted that starting and owning a business has its ups and downs which most business people never really talk about.
Owning and starting a business entails budgeting, taking calculated risks, and seeing losses as a means to start again. Being an entrepreneur is not easy, to say the least, but in the long run, it is one thing that pays off only if you are consistent in what you are doing and keeping the business running.
5. Knowing Oneself
With the realization of one’s potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world.
Dalai Lama
A lot of us are at this table, sadly. Because of the educational system which makes us only pass exams and take notes, most of us don’t know who we are and what we would love to venture into in the long run. Because of this, we do not know our purpose and also do not know our passion. This, therefore, leads us to low self-esteem and a lack of self-confidence.
If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody will. That is the motto I have lived by ever since I learned this on my own. Having a purpose and knowing it is one of the greatest things in life because once you know this, your self-esteem and self-confidence are going to be top-notch.
To know your purpose in life, it’s good to try out new things until you find your niche in life.
6. How to Brand and Market Yourself
Your brand is what other people say about you when you are not in the room.
Jeff Bezos
At school, you learn how to fit into the system and do what everyone else is doing. There is no space for individuality. This is another problem because a lot of people do not know what self-branding is.
Personal branding otherwise known as self-branding is marketing yourself to people in every environment you find yourself in.
7. How to Communicate and Negotiate Well
Communication as we know is the key to everything we need in life. It is the word “please” in a different light but sadly, it is another life-changing skill that school does not teach.
Communication and negotiations are the number one key things people look at when applying for a job, wanting to get married, or even just an observation as a whole.
Effective communication and negotiation should be skills worth learning because they encompass levels that school certificates and degrees can not teach.
Conclusion
There are so many life-changing skills to learn in life and these are just a few. As you venture into the world at an older age, you start to see life in another light, a lot different from what you were thought in school or even thought at home. And it is ok to see life in a different light, but something, we should take home with us is how we utilize what we have learned outside school and how we can use it in our daily lives as we go further in our lives.
I hope you find this article helpful. If you do, leave a comment for me in the comments section. You could also tell in the comments section other life-changing skills that schools don’t teach. Thank you for your time.
by Maryam Idris Bappa | Dec 12, 2021 | Family & Parenting
Ever looked at a child and wondered what was going on in his or mind; or more interestingly, observed a child deeply engrossed in an activity that he/she is unaware of the surroundings? If yes, then at a point, we must have shared thoughts that the child was simply a mindless individual without a worry in the world and that was it!
I had that thought for quite a long time until I came across a quote by chance saying:
Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from learning, but for children, play is serious learning, Play is really the work of childhood.
Fred Rogers
The above quote somehow stuck to my mind that each time I saw a child deeply engrossed in a playful activity, I looked on with newfound interest. This saying kept bugging my mind and with time, it started changing my perspective.
My mind got curious and I tasked myself to find out why children got engaged in such activities and what they hoped to achieve in doing so. Although, I did not have many tools to discover why. It kept dawning on me that there could be an end goal in sight as I continued to observe him. Perhaps, there was another reason why a child spends hours making sandcastles other than the fact that he/she simply just has much free time.
So was there a way to unfold mysteries behind a child’s mind in ways we can understand them as unique intelligent beings rather than mindless individuals? And what is the need to find an answer to this rising question?
While pondering over the latter, I came across another quote by Jess lair saying
Children are not things to be molded but are people to be unfolded
It then dawned on me how as mothers, we owed it to them to learn how to understand, encourage and guide them to explore their inner potentials. This is essential considering how the home is the first school of a child.
We must, first of all, understand that every child is unique; can learn and develop in different ways and at different rates in enabling environments, and also every child can learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.
Although it bugs me that some mothers do not pay attention to these similarities and differences, one thing that is clear is we cannot continue to pretend as if children no matter how young, lack thoughts and feelings of their own and that a wrong move could form long-lasting damage to their mental health and more.
This made me visit and explore the concept of Montessori education to aid me to view the world through the lens of a child.
What is Montessori Education?
Founded by Italian doctor, Dr. Maria Montessori and named after her, Montessori education is a child-centered philosophy that developed through scientific observation of children in mental health facilities in 1897 Rome. Maria’s careful observation and experimentation of children, their environment, and methods of learning led her to develop her educational philosophy which she described as a ‘Model of human development. There were two principles guiding this theory.
The first was that children and developing adults engaged in self-constructed psychological development through interaction with the environment. The second emphasized children especially those under the age of six as having an ‘innate path’ of psychological development. Based on this theory, Maria Montessori saw that for a child, the freedom to choose and act freely within a prepared environment would make the child act spontaneously for optimal development.
In other words, the Montessori Method attempts to develop children physically socially, emotionally, and cognitively by regarding the child as the initiator of learning and describing him as one who is eager to learn in a prepared learning environment.
Montessori Education in Northern Nigeria
The Montessori system of education in schools has generally found a wide range of applications in Nigeria from daycare programs, kindergartens, and elementary schools. From the early 2000s, Nigeria has successfully implemented Montessori teacher-training programs as well as applied the concept of a safe environment and curriculum.
However, the existence of issues ranging from lack of sufficient training in self-acclaimed teachers to overcrowding of classrooms has proven to pose a stunt in its growth. This shows that a well-learned individual on a one-on-one relationship such as the one between a mother and child on a daily basis could revolutionalise its existence.
As such, many countries have adopted Montessori methods in their homes.
Montessori in Nigerian Homes
Most schools guided by the Montessori curriculum are schools that are located in the southern regions of Nigeria. These include states like Lagos, Port Harcourt, Ondo, and only a few in Northern Nigeria which are mostly located in the Federal Capital Territory in the North-Central. Its knowledge and application seem to be limited as northerners are generally more conservative.
However, we need not wait for its widespread in schools located in Northern Nigeria before we can apply it in our homes. Women in many regions within and outside Nigeria have already adopted Montessori education at home.
Similarly, the lifestyle of Northern Nigerian women in Nigeria proves to be especially suitable for the application of Montessori methods in the home for the following reasons:
Montessori years begin at pre-school or homeschooling age, that is from 0-3 years as in Northern Nigeria.
Most northern Nigerian women especially housewives would have ample time to spend with their children.
The one-on-one relationship gives a mother the mentorship advantage.
Northern Nigerian mothers can conveniently create a personalized learning environment for the children for learning and development using local materials and methods.
How to Implement Montessori in Your Home Using These 5 Steps
How does a woman begin implementing Montessori at home? Does she jump to the first video tutorial she sees on YouTube?
A woman needs to understand that there are a variety of ways of implementing Montessori at home that needs to tally with the individual needs of the child. When it comes to Montessori, the one-size-fits-all is not advisable. These five steps will guide a woman on ways to start implementing Montessori in her home;
Step 1: Assess Personal Discipline Style
The Montessori Method gives wide room for the child to do what he wants. A mother might consider coming up with a positive rather than a negative approach to maintaining discipline.
Step 2: Assess Your Space
Look around your home and include your child’s needs in the space. For example, provide a low bed he can climb up and down on his own, or provide his very own low utensil cabinet in the kitchen.
By doing things on his own, it will enable him to achieve confidence, independence, and self-sufficiency.
Step 3: Follow Your Child
This step is the most important when implementing Montessori at home. Observe your child’s most minimal behaviours like how he twists his fingers, eats, and communicates. This will enable you to find out where your child is developmental as an individual. It is more recommended than comparing him to his age mates or siblings since every child is unique.
You also need to know;
What motivates your child?
Consider his sensitive periods
Find out which schema he belongs to
Some of these will be explained more in detail as we progress.
Step 4: Prepare the Environment
Make the environment safe for your child. Constantly buy or recycle his toys when he begins to show disinterest in the ones he is using.
Also, allow him to choose which toy he wishes to use. In this step, make sure you remove yourself and try not to influence his choices with your personal thoughts or actions.
Step 5: Practical Life
Involving your child in your every day will make him feel like a valued member of the family. Talk to your child constantly, ask them questions even if it means providing the answer yourself. Engage him in formal practical life activities like helping to wipe the table or doing the dishes. This will give him an added sense of belonging and responsibility.
Be careful not to overburden him though, such that he won’t feel like it is a chore and lose interest. In that case, don’t force your child as that will only make him lose interest more.
What to Know Before Implementing Montessori at Home
Incidentally, there are mental tools the northern Nigerian mother needs to equip herself with before embarking on the journey of becoming a Montessori mentor to her child. Concepts that need to be explored will better inform her of the choices she will make in the future.
1. Child Development Ages and Stages
The growth and development of a child may occur at different paces for children, but generally, they usually exhibit similar characteristics within a stipulated time. These have been categorized into six stages with each exhibiting mean characteristics. The period between 0-3 years are outlined as follows:
- Birth to three months: Behavioral characteristics of babies in this time include kicking, stretching, responding to loud noises, and grasping at things like your finger.
- Four to six months: At this time, babies are more social and interested in their surroundings. They grab toys, grab hair or hold toys, laugh and squeal more, blow bubbles, and generally sleep longer.
- Seven to twelve months: Babies engage in mobile activities like rolling over, crawling, standing, and strength testing.
- One to two years: A child becomes more conscious of behaviors of himself and others. He is eager to learn and starts communicating through words and facial expressions.
- Two to three and a half years: Toddler begins developing a distinct personality and changes in his social, intellectual, and emotional activities. He is constantly exploring so safety is paramount and needs a lot of attention
2. Principles of Montessori Education.
There are many principles guiding Montessori education but whether at home or in school, these five principles are key in practising the Montessori Method:
- Children are shown respect and taught kindness through demonstration by the mentor
- Children have absorbent minds and as such, are always eager to learn from their environment
- Sensitive periods for children are critical for heightened learning. Mentors should seize this to provide resources and opportunities for optimal learning
- Children learn best in a prepared environment: Provide a variety of materials and organise resources for individual selection of the child in a safe and free environment
- Children can teach themselves through auto-education by active exploration: Encourage them by introducing new materials in a prepared environment.
3. Sensitive Periods of Development of a Child
This is a period of a child’s natural burning interest in something. Maria Montessori recognized eleven basic sensitive periods of development of children regarding them as windows of opportunity. They include movement, math patterns, emotional control, order, interest in small objects vocabulary, sensations, letters shapes and sounds, music, and writing.
- Movement: Born with limited movement control, children develop cognitive abilities as they learn to use their bodies.
- Math patterns: Montessori informs us that babies are born with mathematical minds
- Need for order: Children, (six months to three years) desire order and throw tantrums if the order is disrupted.
- Interest in small objects: Leads to development of fine motor control and the pincer grasp essential for writing and other important skills
- Vocabulary: Children (under the age of six) are hardwired for language acquisition
- Sensation: Children (between two and a half to five years) are drawn to tracing textured letters with their fingers while matching the sound of a letter to its shape
- Letters, shapes, and sounds: Children becoming sensitive and interested in these
- Music: Children (three years) experience a sensitive period for learning rhythm, pitch, and more. It develops their brain and leads to academic, social, and emotional growth.
- Writing and Reading: Children are open to the right information at the right time. When ready for them, learning is a natural continuous process.
4. The Concept of a Schema
An important aspect of Montessori education is the concept of schema. A schema is a set of instructions one creates through repetitive trial and error. This proves to find the best and efficient ways of completing tasks.
There are eight schemas outlined by Montessori which children may use varyingly at different periods including connecting, orientation, Transporting, trajectory, positioning, enveloping, enclosing, and rotation.
- Connecting: a child may connect and disconnect a tower of blocks in an effort to understand how things come together and fall apart. By doing this, he understands, strength, stickiness, purchase, and slippiness,
- Orientation: A child may swing upside down to discover seeing things from a different point of view. This builds their confidence in physical activities when anticipating how a player might move.
- Transporting: A child may move items from point A to B to see something happen as a result of their hard work and gain pleasure from it.
- Trajectory: A child may drop food from his chair or watch a pendulum in action. These develop into throwing, catching, kicking, and driving skills.
- Positioning: A child may arrange toys or create scenes and displays. This will help later in maintaining neat works in school books or placing shoes under pegs.
- Enveloping: A child may enjoy filling empty boxes to discover what happens if they hide or wrap an object.
- Enclosing: A child may want to create an enclosure for his toys in an effort to learn how to create boundaries. Eventually, enclosing skills leads to learning letter formation.
- Rotating: A child may twirl round or watch the washing machine that eventually leads to understanding rotational symmetry in mathematics.
Conclusion
In this article we have journeyed through and learned the following:
- Children begin their developmental and cognitive journey from a young age (0-3 years) which compels us to understand and guide them.
- Montessori is a befitting guide to raising and educating our children because of its child-centered nature which assists us in understanding our child.
- The northern Nigerian mother is the best person to begin a Montessori child’s journey before school due to her domestic lifestyle and position which gives her a mentorship advantage.
- The northern Nigerian mother needs to understand every child is different and equip herself with basic child development knowledge and Montessori concepts before jumping into implementing Montessori at home.
Also, the write-up also advises the future or already practising Montessori mother to:
- Treat every child as a separate individual and realize his needs are dynamic.
- Prepare the child’s environment and space based on the child’s existing schema and seize a child’s sensitive period to educate him.
- Keep constantly researching about Montessori methods.
Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoyed the read.
by Happiness Hassan | Jun 10, 2021 | Family & Parenting
The aim of education is beyond the scope of learning to read and write. Therefore, as a parent who is still contemplating on how to choose the right school for your kids in Northern Nigeria, you would need to realize that education helps in cultivating the mind. To gain abilities, skills, knowledge that leads to physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual, moral, and social development.
Presently, the population within Northern Nigeria states is increasing rapidly. This growth has paved the way for more educational institutions. Similarly, this change has thrown lots of parents into confusion about which school is best for their kids. However, a standard school isn’t measured by expensive fees, online presence, or the population of pupils, although there are factors to evaluate but shouldn’t be the basis. Hence, to make the right choice, consider the below factors.
How to Choose the Right School For Your Kids
1. Consider the Learning Environment
A conducive learning environment influences your child’s academic performance. Irrespective of how talented their teachers are, the learning environment matters. Subsequently, the health of your kids becomes liable to harmful Illnesses such as cholera, typhoid, asthma, and lots more as they learn in a congested and dirty environment.
Therefore, check out the interior and exterior outlook of the school before you register your kids. This should also include having a comfortable learning table and chair for their pupils.
2. Ensure the School has an Updated Curriculum
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world
Nelson Mandela
In essence, we only get to see our world change when the teachings our kids receive in school are competent in combating our current world’s perplexing issues. Perhaps, what is taught is still similar to the curriculum used in the 90s. I advise you to retrace your steps from such school premises. In our twenty-first century, a standard school curriculum must have Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) inculcated into their syllabus.
This approach builds your kids to be creative thinkers and problem solvers.
3. Search for Schools With Quality Teachers
Furthermore, the learning process becomes fruitless when there are no teachers to transfer the knowledge. Similarly, an incompetent teacher will impact little knowledge on your kids. This kind of teacher would always skip topics that they don’t understand, which are important to the students. In other words, skilled teachers are needed to teach your kids.
Even as you ponder on how to choose the right school for your kids in Northern Nigeria, be reminded that your kids only excel in whatever topics they have been taught. In addition, inquire how often the school management organizes seminars and workshops to brace up the performance of their teachers.
4. Adequate Equipment must Be Available
Effective learning is achievable as the student can practise what is taught. However, beyond the theoretical aspect of education, a standard school should make provisions for workshops and scientific laboratories. This medium makes certain courses real to the students and improves their memory retention abilities.
In addition, it must have an updated library where teachers and students can research for more information.
5. Get the Testimonies of Others
What others are saying about a particular school tells a lot about the school. Their testimonies either positive or negative is an indicator for you to either proceed in registering your kids or reconsider your decisions. Therefore, ask questions that are centred on the relationship that exists between the school management, their teachers, pupils, and parents.
In a school where there is little or no regard for parents, the aftermath is often reflected in the way the pupils are treated—harshly.
6. Consider Their School Fees
It’s believed that all fingers aren’t equal. This same principle applies to humans. It makes no sense to go bankrupt to send your kids to school and compete with your friends and neighbours. We’ve earlier established the fact that expensive fees don’t equate to a standard educational system.
Therefore, there are standard schools with affordable fees out there. Besides, there are other family needs to solve. Thus, balance your financial chequebook and learn to cut your coat according to your size.
7. Extracurricular Activities
A standard school always creates room to develop their pupils beyond academic knowledge. Especially vocational skills. In recent times, those who excel at vocational skills have aided the eradication of poverty and brought about national development.
Therefore, as you consider how to choose the right school for your kids in Northern Nigeria, inquire about a school that teaches vocational skills such as art and craft, catering, textile and design, interior design, painting, tailoring, among others. In addition, teaches soft skills like time management, stress management, communication, and listening skills.
8. Consider the Proximity
How close is the school to your home? To select the right school for your kids, you should ensure that the school location is accessible, and its transportation fees cost less. You don’t have to go over long distances to get the right school for your kids simply look within.
Movement over long distances can cause stress on your kids, which in turn affects their academic performance.
9. Discipline is Another Factor to Consider
The school is a medium where kids are trained on the code of conduct that is acceptable within society. This could be achieved through regular orientation for their students. Therefore, a school with no discipline is a bait to lure your kids into waywardness. Furthermore, ensure that there are set rules and regulations against violence in the school such as bullying.
In essence, as you reconsider your decision on how to choose the right school for your kids in Northern Nigeria, consider a school with effective guidance and counselling units where the majority of wrong behaviours among kids are addressed.
10. Schools With High Security Should be Chosen Over Others
The safety of your kids in the twenty-first century can’t be overemphasized. Therefore, avoid schools that don’t have strict monitoring and checkup policies by qualified security personnel. This is because there have been cases where strangers disguise themselves as parents to kidnap kids from school.
In essence, go for schools where there is a legit identification before any child can be released. Also, beware of isolated schools, the kids in such schools are vulnerable to attacks.
11. Ratio of Teachers to Pupils
Students learn faster when they can relate with their teachers and ask questions on things they aren’t sure about. For instance, a class of 50 pupils handled by a single teacher won’t produce excellent students compared to a class of 20 handled by a teacher.
Therefore, to avert sabotaging your resources while your kids profit less from your efforts, avoid the school with a congested class population to a single teacher.
12. Consider Their Parent Teachers Association(PTA)
The educational system is not for students and teachers only. Parents also play an important factor in the growth of schools. That’s the essence of PTA in a school. This creates a medium for parents and teachers to discuss challenging issues, likewise, solutions.
In addition, as a parent, you get to air your view about things you aren’t comfortable with within a school during PTA meetings.
Conclusion
Education remains the fastest route to develop a child’s intellectual abilities, which leads to national advancement. That’s why it’s your responsibility as a parent or guidance to ensure they get educated in the right school. In addition, even as you reconsider the available options on how to choose the right school for your kids in Northern Nigeria, ensure the service rendered is worth your payment.
In addition, tell us what other factors did you consider before selecting a school for your child in the comments.
by Happiness Hassan | Jun 2, 2021 | Family & Parenting
Research has proven that to improve your child’s academic performance, parental support is greatly needed. It tends to augment what they are being taught at school. However, most parents have neglected their responsibility and assume the teachers must ensure their children are stable academically.
This mindset has caused a lot of havoc to the academic life of most children. In essence, a child with little or no parental support struggles to keep up academically.
1. Build a Winning Mindset in Your Kids
Are you the type of parents who regularly criticize their kids and address them with harsh words? If yes, you need to have a second thought about that. That kind of behaviour affects their self-esteem. The moment you give your kids reasons to dislike themselves, they become destabilized.
Similarly, their concentration at school will diminish drastically. Therefore, as a parent, your primary responsibility must be centred on building a confident mindset in your kids. Constantly remind them that they are brilliant and are destined for greatness.
2. Minimize the Level of Distractions Your Kids are Exposed To
As a parent don’t hesitate to cut off all unnecessary activities that don’t add quality value to your kids. Oftentimes when kids come back from school, having done their assignment the next agenda is spending the rest of the day in front of the screen, others on social media platforms.
Too much of these activities weaken the alertness of the brain. Therefore, as a parent keep all unnecessary activities under check to improve your child’s academic performance.
3. Assist in Doing Their Homework
To improve your child’s academic performance you need to assist them in solving their homework. It isn’t enough to tell them what to do—instead, join them.
However, beyond assisting step further in revising what they had been taught at school. This approach keeps their memory refreshed and improves their memory retention abilities.
4. Get a tutor for Your Kids if Necessary
The rate of assimilation differs from one individual to another. Hence, not every child understands what’s been taught immediately. If your kids happen to be in one of these categories, you would need to hire a tutor who would simplify the topics taught for easy understanding for your child.
In addition, unanswered classroom questions are solved during extra classes with their tutor.
5. Provide the Necessary Learning Tools
Expecting your child to perform excellently will be impossible without the right learning tools. Studying with the appropriate tool facilitates the learning process. This includes updated textbooks, a dictionary, mathematical sets, a conducive study environment, a comfortable reading table, and a chair among others.
You should create a mini home library for your kids where they can go to read and research.
6. Read, Read and Read
As a parent, inculcate reading habits into your kids by reading with them because you’re their main and first role model. This gives them the assurance that you value their academics. However, this period must be free from every form of distraction. In addition, you can create a book club or join one with your kids.
Book clubs are an effective medium to improve your child’s academic performance because educational and informative books are reviewed at book clubs.
7. Healthy Routine Boost Academic Performances
A healthy lifestyle boosts a child’s immune system. Just as a sick child wouldn’t be able to learn. This is because the whole body system is shut down. That child becomes committed to taking all kinds of treatments to feel better.
Therefore, it’s better prevented than cured. The necessary healthy routine includes:
Physical Exercise
Engaging in exercise pumps up endorphin hormones (feel-good hormones) in the brain and also disengages the mind from daily worries. Ensure you go with your kids for exercises that are suitable for them either running, walking, swimming, dancing, or climbing. In other words, once their brain is thinking right they can perform well academically.
Healthy Diet
The types of meals you feed your kids influence their reasoning ability. Most especially their breakfast before going to school in the morning.
As a parent, your kids shouldn’t go to school hungry or overfeed. Instead, give them a meal containing proteins, fibre, whole grain, and has low sugar content. These kinds of meals are a good starter before they go to school.
Adequate Rest
Kids need at least 8-10 hours of sleep to refresh their bodies and brains before going to school the following day. Don’t allow your kids to stay up late at night, busy with unnecessary things.
Similarly, you should not overburden your kids with house chores that result in extreme stress. Excess stress causes mental breakdown.
8. Use Incentives to Motivate Your Kids
Everyone is motivated to give their best when rewarded. Likewise, your kids will do better academically if there is a reward attached to their performance. Rewarding your kids inspires them to give their 100% attention to what is being taught at school. They begin to go the extra mile to beat the best and become the best just to obtain more rewards.
In addition, always praise your kids when they perform excellently well. Similarly, show and tell them how proud you’re of them.
9. Engage Your Kids In Brain Teasing Activities
Brain Teasing activities are sets of training that are mentally challenging and involve critical reasoning. Brainteasers improve your kid’s intelligence quotient and make them think through life challenges including their academic works. As a parent, keep your kids occupied with such activities. That includes puzzles, quantitative reasoning, quizzes, watching educational TV programs, and more.
10. Build A Healthy Relationship with Your Kids
The way you relate with the members of your family most especially with your kids is pivotal to their academic performance. Is the home hostile or peaceful? Do you employ violence means to discipline your child? All the above-mentioned activities inflict fear into the hearts of children and disorganize them emotionally and mentally.
They lose their concentration when this occurs. Therefore, your home should be welcoming and conducive. Every form of violence should be eradicated from the home. Instead, activities that increase the love bond should be craved after.
11. Master Effective Communication and Listening Skils
Furthermore, effective communication bridges the gap between you and your child. However, listening to them will improve your child’s academic performance. This approach makes it easier for them to relate their academic challenges with you. Subsequently, they become free to ask questions they are unsure about.
Therefore, avoid needless interruptions during those times.
Conclusion
Parents, do take out time to evaluate your kid’s academic performance and study pattern. This will guide you on what method to apply to improve your child’s academic performance. In addition, other aspects of their life mustn’t be abandoned such as their emotional quotient. Having a high emotional quotient augments other aspects of life including academic performances.
Also, endeavor to share your views in the comment section below.
