I came across this article on the Telegraphs website about how an increasing number of children are beginning school with extremely poor language.
Whilst it seems natural to read your child a bedtime story, talk with them or teach them letters, this is not the case for all parents. It is becoming increasingly common that pre school/nursery staff are the ones teaching children basic language skills as these disadvantaged children have unfortunately not learnt these skills at home.
Having good language skills are an essential component in life and therefore it is crucial that these skills are mastered early on. Language impact many other areas including literacy, hence a lack of language leads to difficulties within school, in the wider community and later on in life in terms of jobs.
A programme about a group of 10 young girls left alone in a house without adults and rules… it’s quite disturbing how horrible little girls can be to one another! It also shows how pre teens also need boundaries and adult supervision.
I really interesting read about how gender stereotypes are becoming less rigid.
The article states how when asked to draw a scientist 1 in 3 21st century children draw a female scientist compared with 0 children before the year 1996. More females are also undertaking science degrees which is a real step in the right direction!
It’s really nice to hear some positive news in regards to gender stereotypes.y undergraduate dissertation was on this topic hence my interest in this area.
Just take a moment to look at this picture, to study it in detail and to savour this image of pure and utter happiness in your mind.
In today’s society children in the Western world have an alarming high number of toys and, in general, very little respect for them. Children often don’t recognise how privileged they are, how lucky they are to have a multitude of items to play with. Gratitude is key.
The picture above shows the up most gratitude, thankfulness and appreciation for the smaller things in life. It’s hard to judge something from just a picture but a picture can tell a thousand words. These children probably have nothing other than the sacks they are playing in but they are making the most out of their situation. You can’t deny they are having fun and living their childhood the way childhood should be lived. No iPad in sight and yet a look of pure happiness on their faces and a moment these little, innocent boys with treasure for the rest of their lives.
Stop. Think and appreciate the moments of joy in life.
One to watch. A real tear jerker and a wonderful insight into what it’s like to live with a stammer. We use speech everyday in order to communicate which is why stuttering has a detrimental impact on the well being of those who suffer with them. This ITV programme also shows the McGuire programme in action, a fascinating approach with even better results!
A really lovely programme that gives those that struggled with school a second chance at a jockey training school. It’s great to see how the teenagers blossomed whilst spending time with nature and horses.
I have just finished watching these two documentaries by the BBC. They follow the lives of three Welsh teenagers who go and live with a South Korean family for three days and follow their South Korean counterparts at their day at school.
I have to admit the South Korean education system shocked me. The amount of time these children/teenagers spend studying is mind – blowing. Yes, they do receive some of the best grades in the world and are undoubtedly highly academically intelligent but it is no surprise considering how much effort they put in to be the best they can possibly be.
Pupils sit in the same seat in the same classroom for around 10 hours a day. The style of teaching differs from that here in the UK as students are simply told how to do something, they memorise it and that’s that. There are no questions asked, no discussions in the classroom but rather silence and concentration. There is a real emphasis on getting good grades and going to the top university so much so that students often spend around 5 to 6 hours after school at private evening institutions for further academic tutoring or conduct their own self study. Students often wait to go into the library as it is so busy and children as young as 10 can be seen studying till around 10 in the evening.
Emphasis is placed on being the best rather than on being happy. Although academically South Korea do very well, they rank very low on the “are you happy?” scale. In the documentary a university student was asked about his high school experience. He stated how he had lost a few friends due to suicide due to the high levels of stress their families had put them under. South Korea has some of the highest suicide rates in the world, which seems like no surprise after hearing of their tiresome, long, strenuous days.
They have no time for social activities, no opportunities to be creative, no time to play or listen to music or to attend concerts and enjoy the arts because they study so much. There is often not much time for sleep either, with the headmaster claiming 6 hours was more than sufficient. I personally feel that if my brain was drilled of information for 16 hours a day i would like a little more than 6 hours sleep before cramming in more information the next day.
However, is it really all bad? culturally South Korea is very different to the UK and America. All families see the up most importance in education and do all they can to provide the best educations for their children. This may mean moving across the country in order to attend the best schools or working long hours to earn the money to send their child to the private tutor sessions after school. It is a social norm for families to not see each other due to long working hours yet, in the western world family time is viewed as almost more important than education.
Although some choose to pay to send their child the independent, private institutions in the UK and America. Most send their children to state schools. Yet, in South Korea it is uncommon for a child to not attend some form of private education. It s evident that South Korean parents want what is best for their children and they go to great extends for their children to achieve this.
Something I admired from the documentary was the respect teachers had in South Korea. There was a statue of a man who had said that the king and teachers are equal, something you would never hear in the western world. Instead teachers are paid low wages, are disrespected by students, often frowned upon by society and yet are under enormous amounts of pressure and work hard! It is a real honour to become a teacher in South Korea due to the high status and job security yet ambitions to become teachers in the UK are not quite to the same level.
It seems as though the South Korean education system does have its flaws yet times are changing. They are encouraging students to be more creative from a younger age and have introduced sport into schools. Following by the western example of allowing children to be more free. But, the South Koreans seem to have ambition that puts the rest of the world to shame. Perhaps this is something we need to drill into our children a little more.
Once again Finland have made a step in the right direction in terms of the way they educate their children.
They have announced that they are scrapping traditional school subjects and instead focusing on one topic and bringing subjects into the topic. Children will no longer sit row by row in desks but rather will have discussions together in groups.
I have always praised the Scandinavian/Nordic education system and I feel this new move takes it from strength to strength.
everythingchild 