Afterplay
Carefree summers are invariably followed by despairing autumns for children who detest the restricting confines of school, homework and shorter days. Gamal Nkrumah seeks ways out of the labyrinth
And it's that time of year again. Summer was bliss -- a season of carefree, unbridled joy. Beach, glorious sun, golden sand and turquoise blue sea. Outings galore. Picnics, partying on the beach. In Egypt where most middle-class families head for the seaside resorts in summer, even lower income families try their best to spend at least one week by the sea to escape the summer's heat. This they do, most parents will tell you, primarily for the sake of the children. Adults, however, enjoy the summer break as much as the youngsters. And the grown-ups' cheerfulness rubs off on the kids.
And just when everything seems to be going swimmingly, it all comes to an abrupt end. The new school year approaches, and the prospects of poring over schoolbooks late into the night is not most children's idea of fun.
Autumn, therefore, is never greeted with the same exuberance as summer, especially not as far as children are concerned. Autumn is about change, which is not always for the better.
The only constant in life, it is often said, is change. Autumn is a season when awkward questions about change are asked. Children especially want to know why ants and other six- legged creatures appear to multiply at the end of summer. Why are worker ants carrying off crumbs, and where to? Why do leaves change colour and why do deciduous trees lose their leaves in autumn?
Everyone is a little apprehensive in the week before the start of school. Some children appear to be visibly distressed. Parents, too, are a trifle edgy. School fees are paid; books and uniforms are purchased; and the syllabus for the year ahead is revealed and reviewed.
Then the big day arrives: the first day back, full of promise but usually anticipated with some trepidation. Parents try to create pleasant rituals about going back to school to ease the tensions. Hunting for the perfect new school shoes can be turned into an enjoyable exercise; a fuss is often made about the school bag -- about the expensive backpacks imported from China and featuring Winnie the Pooh, Spiderman, Barbie and other famous children's idols.
But the autumn need not be filled with schoolwork and learning. Life and excitement can be injected into the school season by making a calendar of exciting upcoming events. And of course there is always the Internet. Computers and access to the global web are useful learning aids, but for those with fewer financial resources, the important thing to remember is that a good education is not only obtained in the classroom: education begins at home. Playing games, which are both fun and educational, is a good way of inspiring children to learn. How about asking children to find short words inside long ones? Or asking questions like, "What is the difference between latitude and longitude?" or "How long do horses live?"
Some of the simplest learning aids are the most enjoyable. Engage in educational activities with the children which may not necessarily be included in the school curriculum: like observing ants in action. Keep magnifying glasses trained on the pheromone trail and watch the workers returning with captured prey. Or try and discover the shortest path back to the ants' nest from a particularly revolting food source.
Smart parents try to maintain the reassuring consistency of certain rituals and routines. Reading a bedtime story aloud is a long-cherished ritual which is not restricted to any particular season. After a hard day's work at school it shouldn't take longer than 10 or 20 minutes for the child to fall asleep. And if it takes junior longer than half an hour to doze off, this is a warning sign that something is amiss.
Bullying and harassment at school is often the source of much anxiety and stress for young children. Verbal abuse is sometimes the most vicious form of bullying. Very often complaints are made by the victims on the very first schoolday, but the harassment will only get worse if the bullies are not held in check by the school authorities in conjunction with parents' associations.
The challenges faced by six, seven and eight-year-olds returning to school are qualitatively different from those faced by adolescents.
Changing schools often is another serious cause for concern. New kids in a school often get picked on by their peers. Children are accustomed to the familiar surroundings and the predictable environment of their old schools, and are nervous about having to make perfect first impressions in the new school.
It takes time for children to make new friends in the new establishment. Adjustment to the new surroundings often takes time and some children are willing to go to great lengths to avoid going to the new school. Some feign illness, others throw temper tantrums and some succumb to hysterical and uncontrollable crying fits.
Very often a change of school is the result of a change in the family situation. Child psychologists stress the importance of family involvement in the education of children. It gives children a sense of importance. The parents' watchful supervision of their children's school performance, when managed with loving patience, increases the self-confidence of the children. It is also a way for parents to demonstrate their love and affection for their children in a practical and tangible way.
Take the case of Mohamed. His parents split up when he was six, but they carried on bickering bitterly, resentfully and loudly. No expense has been spared on Mohamed's education, but his poor performance at school pointed to other more fundamental problems in his life.
Children of parents who are stretched for time and are unable to devote enough time to their children's educational needs often fare badly at school. Those whose parents do not show sufficient interest in their children's education fare even worse. Children in discordant and dysfunctional family situations rarely do well at school. All this might seem pretty obvious, but parents often overlook the facts.
Farida, a bright, healthy and normally cheerful young girl of eight was obliged to change schools when her parents separated. Her mother had insisted on a French education for her daughter, but the father preferred English. He had reluctantly agreed to send the child to a French school. Soon after the divorce, however, Farida's father pulled the child out of the French school and enrolled her in a reputable English one. He was, after all, paying the fees. And English is the new international language.
Farida, of course, was at her wits end. Not only did she have to contend with her parent's ugly divorce, but she also had to deal with an entirely new situation at school. Her English was rusty and the French she was more familiar with was of no use in her new school. She had done mathematics and science in French, now she had to calculate her arithmetic in English. Learning anew the basics of biology was a difficult and laborious task. Needless to say, her performance at school suffered.
A family's economic situation may change because of the death of a parent or a divorce. Children sense and react to parental discord. They might feel guilty, fearing that they were the main reason behind the divorce of their parents.
Recent studies indicate that the father's involvement in the child's education appears to be an especially significant factor in helping students to excel at school; dad's involvement should not be underestimated, warn child psychologists.
Statistics show that children whose fathers are absent are more likely to be suspended, expelled or required to repeat a year at school. This appears to be the case even if the children enjoy some of the most privileged starts imaginable. Money can get a child into a good school, but it cannot replace loving affection and patient care as the indispensable secrets to success at school.
Questions that demonstrate concern for the child's welfare and interest in the child's realm are vital to children's psychological well-being during the first weeks back at school. Questions like, "What did you do that was interesting today?" are far more beneficial to the children than fretting about the child's future.
Still, parents can't help worrying a little, especially during the first few days back at school. Questions like, "Haven't you got some homework to do?" or "Will he do better in French this year?" or "How can he improve his reading skills?" flooded my mind on the first day back at school for my son.
For me personally, the best part of the day, the most precious moment was when my seven-year-old threw me a kiss and waved at me. I had only a fleeting glimpse of him as he dashed off to his class, but he made my day because he paused and, oblivious to everything else -- including teachers and all the other boys -- stopped for a few seconds to acknowledge my presence. I instinctively felt that it was a token of his love. It is such gestures that parents often find most rewarding when they go to wave their children off on the first day of school.
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 2 - 8 October 2003 (Issue No. 658)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/658/li1.htm