Image courtesy- www.financialeducatorscouncil.org

Courtesy Facebook’s memories I get to know about how and what I was thinking not only on a time a specific time in the past but also how I was feeling. And when I wrote this post I was a bit more of an anxious mother, fretting about my kid’s school, academic “career” as it were and basically uncomfortable about not knowing what lay ahead. Fast Forward two years I’m still sipping at the font of wisdom that is Life and learning loads while my kid goes to school. Here’s how it is…

• A child will learn at their own pace no matter what!
• A teacher who loves kids (genuinely) will probably be able to teach more through affection and warmth rather than another more knowledgeable individual who is distant or doesn’t form relationships with the kids.
• Digital media, chalkboard, flashcards are all props…native intellect needs to be stirred and awake for learning to occur.
• Making things interesting is all fine and good but it helps that the biological age increases and life experiences help kids understand why they need to learn.
• Getting a good night’s sleep and cutting off from anything academic goes a long way in learning taking place.
• Physical activity- silly and unstructured or properly regimented aids in learning as well.
• Learning can come from various sources provided it’s pitched at the right time and the right way.
• Parents need the teachers’ presence more than the kids…just to be assured that all’s going as it should.
• Taking a small step back from policing the child (even with all the best intents in the world) is a fantastic thing to do while they’re below the tweens.
• Reflecting on what were turn-offs and stumbling blocks while we were students helps empathize and give the child space to assimilate their learning material.
• Accepting that there’s a Bell Curve and your child will grow into a more permanent place in it, helps be good parents as well.
• Trusting the people you entrust your kid’s physical, emotional and overall well-being to and yet realizing our role is constant in the whole scope of things.
• Acknowledging that improvements- slight, steady or sporadic; are still a step in the right direction give you a good night’s sleep.

Long story short? The AC bus and the pool helps because trappings are important. But a teacher who makes sure your kid has a balanced meal daily and who can come back and share positive and negative feedback with indemnity goes a long, long way in knowing how to be supportive while your child learns about life. Be it from a tablet, a workbook or just from a walk in the park. Because a big part of being a parent is taking a backseat while your kid gets the controls of life just right. You have to deal with not always being able to call ‘shotgun’.

Here endeth the lesson.