An institution of learning for children must have the basic learning instructions of reading, writing and arithmetic’s.
I wonder where I would be, if I hadn’t learnt to read?
That would have been a sorry shame because I may not have been able to talk to you.
The wonders and places gleaned between the pages of a book would elude such a soul. The man who reads visits a thousand place’s but a man who doesn’t read, remains in one place.
The learning process of these basic skills will help the learner’s acquire required skills to function and blend into a larger society, as well as laying the foundation which equally serves as their springboard to excel in their chosen pursuits.
If I had the opportunity to set up an institution of learning ground up, asides from the usual subjects that are taught in the four walls of a school, I would emphasize on student’s learning basic survival skill acquisition as well as other skill sets and talents which can be harnessed optimally.
Ethics, etiquette, empathy, generosity, respect and self-respect should also form part of a young child’s social sciences formation, especially in these times when the focus seems to be more selfish inclined with the spirit of entitlement pervading the society.
Let us remember that the mind of a child is a tabula rasa, absent of preconceived ideas or predetermined goals a pure clean slate on which to write and as the good Bible states, we should raise a child in the way that he should go and when he grows, he shall not depart from it.
© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha
In response to The Daily Post prompt The New School
You get to redesign school as we know it from the ground up. Will you do away with reading, writing, and arithmetic? What skills and knowledge will your school focus on imparting to young minds?
I agree! Both my daughters are non readers. I can remember when I was so excited to be reading my library books I would read them by lamplight, with the curtain open – long into the night!! Okay, that might be the reason for having to wear specs at a v young age… but the excitement, the feasting after dark!! I’d definitely enrol in your school! 😀
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Dear Reuben, I would be totally lost if I cannot read
Not a thought that bears thinking. You will not only enroll, you will be a Tutor too 🙂
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I so agree with you, on harnessing other skills and talents. Great post!
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Thanks Khaya for visiting and your comments. Those skills really go a long way in one’s future.
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I surely, wish I could redesign my grandchildren’s school…;0/ American education is wanting…
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I know what you mean. Schools these days are so deficient
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Nice take on the subject. Yes, learning is more than than the basics. I love your inclusion of survival skills and ethics and etiquette.
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Thank you Lissa. After all, there is life beyond the classrooms.
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A great question to be asking –without much thought I would say keep the 3 r s but add music, poetry, dance and outdoor play plus empathy and…
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Definitely! a school cannot be complete without those 🙂
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As a home schooling mom, I find it great that you mentioned survival skills as well as ethics, empathy, etiquette, generosity, respect and self-respect. Much of this is most definitely missing in traditional public schools….possibly because there’s so many students and such little time (although a school day is typically longer for a public school student compared to those who are home schooled).
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Wow! You are home-schooling? You are one tough lady! My, my, how do you do it? I really admire that! Honestly the public schools are over-crowded and there-in lies the difficulty. I have never looked deeply into the home-schooling scheme and this arouses my interest 🙂
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Oh I’m sure you would be perfect at it. My 8 y/o vows to never step foot in a public school…at least not for his education. Lol…He would never give up his schooling outdoors, numerous experiments, 8am wake up, 4-5 hr schooling, sporadic breaks, interesting field trips….to sit in a classroom with 30 other kids all day lol
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My that sounds interesting. I am going to do some reading up on this.
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Hi Jacqueline, I’ve been enjoying your posts & congrats on your 200th. You have an amazing, engaging website/blogsite. I very much like the way it’s organized; every path catches my attention. It’s so full, yet it doesn’t feel crowded. What a great, fun, and thought-provoking site! As for this post, Amen! I am a retired reading teacher so this is a topic dear to me. I taught high school, Job Corps, Community College (adjunct) and helped people study for and pass their GED’s. No matter the subject, reading imo is the base, even for math. These students too have a “tabula rasa”, but it’s been walled in … and part of a teacher’s mission is to bring down those walls, even a little. Reality check: we don’t always succeed.
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Hello Louise, very nice to meet you. First of all, thank you for taking the time to drop in and your beautiful, constructive comments. I sincerely appreciate it all. I honestly admire teachers and their self-less tenacity in imparting knowledge on their students and my candid opinion is that if parents actually kept up with their own ends of the bargain, we would have better finished products. Sadly in a lot of cases, it is not so because as you said, these students have been walled in by prejudiced notions which most times emanates from their homes or even peer influence. We can only keep trying even though I am a bit worried at the current trend in society where the gadgets have overtaken traditional reading and common sense.
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So often, when discussing books, I hear the response, “I don’t read.” Lately my comeback has been, “oh, sorry to hear that. Is it a lack of interest or a lack of ability?” A person who can read but doesn’t is really no farther along than the person who can’t. At some point in life someone cared enough about each of us to take up the struggle and laboriously instill in us the ability to read. We owe it to them to use that ability for something more than perusing the TV guide or instructions for operating the latest electronic gadget.
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I am with your comments all the way. I honestly fail to understand it when someone tells me that they don’t read. It beats my imagination hollow. Without books I would be totally lost!
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Reblogged this on rixlibris.
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Oh my! Thank you very much for this kind gesture. I really appreciate it. Warm regards 🙂
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reblogged on rixlibris
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Awesome blog! Linked from rixlibris.
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Thank you so much for visiting and for your lovely comments. I sincerely appreciate that 🙂
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My pleasure. Take care!
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🙂 you too.
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Yes. Important to include such positive psychological reinforcement!
I don’t think I’d do away with anything in particular but I might add some other things. Not sure what but I’d figure it out eventually 🙂
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🙂
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Hello Beautiful Lady! I like your ideas. My school would also have the students learn empathy, manners, grit – not giving up because something is hard, they would be able to work together to find a way to accomplish their goals. I would use a rule that you must ask three (other students) before me. This encourages community, sharing resources, leadership – teaching one another, and kindness, and teamwork. I would be more of a director of their learning as they discover answers to questions I encourage them to ask – go deeper – then what? Keep making them think bigger and globally. What if you could….and encourage them to think big. Start with what you want and then work backwards to figure out what you have to do to get there. Make a plan for the steps and estimate when you will achieve what it is your end goal is. Draw pictures, write out the plan on a calendar, or a white board. (so you can do another one) Check off the progress of each little step. Start small and as they get confident build bigger goals. The joy and confidence in their little faces and eyes when children accomplish a goal is more reward than any money I get paid!! Sorry to go on and on but I hope you try these with some children you know. Thanks for sharing and being here!! Hugs, D Mac.
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