Classroom
Gordon B. Hinckley once said, “You can’t build a great building on a weak foundation. You must have a solid foundation if you are going to have a strong superstructure.” I think that holds true for any nation as well.
Children are very impressionable in nature. They learn and adapt very easily from their surroundings. Which is why it is always advised to say and act the way you wish the child to learn. And the biggest part of a child’s development phase is spent in the four walls of his classroom.
Since a child can walk and talk a little, the child is put into the schooling system to learn some more. From learning the alphabet and numbers to learning about the history of humankind; the school is the ultimate place to teach and shape how a child sees the world. That is why, it is important to teach a child about the nation and how they will be the leaders in the upcoming few years. Teaching them of their responsibility to look out for the resources and the development of the country they live in, will motivate them to work in that direction.
Incorporating a syllabus that sensitises the students not just about the past of the country, but also on how their current actions impact the future can help make them more aware of themselves and the people around them. More often than not, the lesson of action-reaction in the practical world is learnt after making a mistake in life, which could have been avoided with a more practical experience infused education system in place.
Over the years, the school education has moved from only focussing on textbooks and literature, to also giving the students a chance to learn various other skills, but we still have a long way to go. These extra skills like — sports, painting, dancing, playing instruments and much more, help the children explore more options and realise where their interests lie, and what fields are not their cup of tea.
For instance, in my brother’s case — He was a part of the robotics club at school. It helped him explore a new field altogether, as they did not have robotics as a regular club before then. It taught him a lot about coding and how it can control a device. Being a part of this club and learning all he did, made him sure about his choice to pursue engineering. It also helped him narrow down on the streams of his liking and thus he just focused and pursued the same.
Having such practical courses along with textbook teachings is what shapes a student. It is said that “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”, so for a nation to prepare for a bright future, they need to ensure that the citizens leading then are educated and prepared to take the responsibility of its progress.
The early years of a person and the most crucial period that determines how the person shapes up in the future. Whatever a person learns during the young age, they stay with him for all his life and form the basis of how he interacts with the rest of the world, and how he makes new learnings. Having an open and interactive environment in schools is very vital as it leads them to have an open and non-confined mindset, and approach in life.
Along with these, the textbook knowledge of the history of the world is also important, because, in order to move from one point to another, a person must realise how he got to that point in the first place. This would assist him in deciding how to go ahead — what actions to repeat and what to ignore. A diverse spectrum of teaching styles and subjects, equip a child with enough knowledge to be able to navigate life on their own, making it a necessity that the foundation education is the best a country can provide.
In today’s time, when the whole world is practically on a stand-still. The teachings are still going on. Technology has helped bridge the physical gap between the students and the teachers, bringing the classroom to every household. This was also made possible due to the early education on technology, and how it can be used to our benefit.
This time has also made me realise that classroom is all but a vague term. A classroom is not a physical four-walled room in a school, but any place or situation where we learn something new. It is someplace where our prior knowledge is put to test. So in order to pass, and move up on the skill ladder, we need to make sure that the information given in any classroom is retained and adapted well to the situations presented in time.
Thus, it can be agreed that the destiny of a nation depends a lot on what is taught in the classroom. The basic knowledge of morals and ethics imparted in the early years build the foundation that shapes the future citizens and leaders, and in turn that shapes the entire future of the nation. Ensuring that both theoretical and practical skills are being taught and practiced during those years, will ensure that the decisions being made in the future are in favour of the people. It is correctly said — “Investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” and we need to ensure that we invest generously in the same.
By: The Lazy Soul
