?Your uncle is blessed with an in-corrigible chatter box!?
A phenomenally short, portly teacher was speaking to me cheerfully. Having reached a little late, I had gone up the two flights of stairs to collect Anoushka, my maternal cousin from school. She came out with eyes full of mirthful laughter, being given a nice joyful shake by her teacher. I looked a little apologetically at the teacher?their kind has an almost diabolic abhorrence to the natural and simple act of speaking.
?Nah, ? he continued, ?she?s a very charming little girl! Everyone likes her! Only if she could keep a teensy-weensy bit silent. Bye!?
He bent down?not much since he wasn?t too tall?and planted a kiss on her forehead. I got down the stairs amidst continues prattle about the days? events and about how Fluffy?the retriever that the school had as a pet?licked off the leftovers of her and her friends? tiffin boxes and how he gave a sharp poke to kids who were sleeping even after sleep-time was over.
Yeah, Mr. Baig was right, I thought. An incorrigible chatterbox, indeed!
# # #
I was jolly impressed by the very amiable disposition of her teacher, Mr. Baig. My aunt was of the opinion that Anoushka found school as a home away from home. Teachers were extra kind and loving, there was a pet dog in the school as well, who was all cuddly and sugar. Everyone was extremely fond of Fluffy, a really hairy retriever who had a double-coat of hair. Fluffy belonged to Mr. Baig himself who was in charge of Anoushka?s class. The idea of a male teacher for class one was a little worrisome for my uncle and aunt at first?since everybody knows not too many men choose it as a career for themselves?but it turned out to be a wonderful thing in reality!
Because of this astonishingly friendly environment in the school, teaching was very-very effective. Things that normally take longer to sink in?mathematics for instance?sunk in very quickly and much earlier than we had expected it, she could add six mangoes to seven others. That did not astonish me so much as one particular event that occurred:
I told her I had three apples and four mangoes and asked her to add them up and tell me what I have. Promptly, she came up saying?you can?t add two things of different kinds, but if you want the total number of fruit, it?s seven.
Even I wouldn?t have thought of that.
The second big worry for parents?as I have come to see it?is about their wards? social activeness. Not all kids are good at making friends, particularly the ones who have protective parents, and my uncle is, in this respect, phenomenal. But again, thanks to the really friendly and warm environment of the school, the loving teachers, the hairy pup and everything else, everybody in the class was friends and there was hardly any bickering (if Anoushka is to be believed).
# # #
?Shut up!?
A nasty silence fell in the room. My uncle stared astounded at Anoushka and my aunt had positively fainted. There had been a rather heated argument about the purchase of the PlayStation and my uncle who was in the constant denial had just received a suggestion that also came with a certain proportion of finality from his daughter?
?Shut up! It?s a cool toy and I want it!?
I looked at her confused. It had been only three months since I had the brief interaction with her schoolteacher. She had been the sweetest little girl for those three months and all of us had been thinking the school is having a wonderful effect on her. I was absolutely certain she had not picked up this language at home?my aunt and uncle had, as far as I know (which is quite a lot), never ever had a single fight. And the soft-spoken couple that they are, they had certainly not spoken to anybody else in that manner. She?d got this at school!
The argument continued for a while after that rather nasty pause, beginning by Uncle explaining to her softly but dangerously that what she?d said was awful and that if it were to happen again the consequences would not be desirable. She understood perfectly well, dropped her indignation and explained. Apparently, two of her friends had PlayStation and she?s played games on it when she was at their place. She wanted it desperately and she could go to any lengths to get it!
The argument that ensued after that was more of a negotiation between her parents and herself. In then end, they managed to convince an awfully teary and phenomenally disappointed Anoushka that PlayStation was not a justifiable demand and that she would not get it for many reasons (all of which were made clear to her).
# # #
Now The Review
I thought about the two events myself since I like to try and understand how the human mind works at it?s different stages (I am afraid my liking to such an analysis notwithstanding, I try to keep myself as far away from girls of around my age and older since how their mind works is a knowledge even He doesn?t have. Probably, he just created it and then his invention went awry. The review however doesn?t concern that. I meant no offence. It was just a light joke). So, out of that reflection, I came up with this portion of the review.
In my opinion, choosing a school for a child isn?t merely choosing a good learning place where teachers are nice and the environment is friendly. Of course, that a school must have encouraging teachers and an environment that makes children want to attend school is an absolutely essential requirement. Let me put it all together for you thus?
Teachers have a great influence on young students?I can say this since they have a great influence on us so I believe younger children aren?t exceptions. While choosing a school, the parent must, therefore, make sure that the teachers are reasonably well trained for their job. Mr. Baig is an exceptionally good primary schoolteacher. A friendly teacher who coaxes children out of their cocoons and gives them their time and reasonable freedom is what a 6 year old needs, not a fellow who?s an expert at his subject.
Moreover, just being friendly isn?t enough. The teacher must be able to develop something of a connection between every individual student. The index to that quality is the child?s opinion itself. So I believe the best way to make sure he?s got a good school is through parents of kids who?re already learning from it.
The ambience of the school plays a very big role in developing the child?s interest in learning. Anoushka?s school has brightly lit, large rooms that have colorful carpets on the floor, cute desks and benches, pictures of cute animals and a pet dog Fluffy. Such an environment makes the kids want to attend school and makes sure they don?t get bored during the day (trust me, dogs are massively random variables and can end up doing simple and harmless things that are phenomenally entertaining).
(Please go to the comments section. A very important part lies there).