CHILD TRAINING,WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY: Parents, Teacher, Community? By Georgeana Reuben

Gently let’s do a flash back to the biological formation of a child whereby a man produces the sperm and a woman produces the ovum(egg) then fertilization occurs as we were taught in Biology.

Remember that fertilization can only occur when sperm is produced and an egg is released thus this gives birth to the foetus (baby in the womb) right?

This simply signifies symbiotic relationship thereby symbolizing COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY IN CHILD FORMATION

Please note: Isolated sperm cannot form a foetus neither can an isolated egg.

Also, remember that the absence of sperm is what leads to MENSTRUATION in females!

Now, back to the topic CHILD TRAINING, Whose responsibility?

An Educational Philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau said a child has 3 Teachers which are
1. The Parent
2. The Teacher
3. The Environment

This will help in doing a great justice to the topic. Please follow closely.

1. PARENTS: Knowing well that the first learning institution (though informal) of a child is the home and the teachers/instructors here are the parents and the siblings.

WHAT DO THEY TEACH?: They teach core values and morals basically.

HOW DO THEY TEACH? : Through imitation, children observe their parents and the rest of the family members and as time goes by they begin to follow suit.This is why you will see a 2 year old child pointing at his “potty” indicating that he is pressed and needs to defecate because prior to time he has been consciously watching his mother carry the same potty to sit him on it every day simply this is called TOILET TRAINING.

THE COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PARENTS DOES NOT STOP AT CHILD FORMATION BUT CONTINUES IN CHILD TRAINING BECAUSE IT IS A DUAL RESPONSIBILITY

I hope you are following?

2. THE TEACHER: This person has so many things to teach a child. Hence, a student spend more “working hours” in the school than when at home.

Assume a child who goes to school by 7am and closes by 4pm in the evening daily. Approximately, he has spent 9 working hours out of the 24 hours and here is the reason why the Teacher has a greater chance of teaching the student more things during the day

He/she becomes a STUDENT in the school environment but remains a CHILD at home

The learning environment is more structured and organized than when a child is at home, there are rules to be obeyed and the teacher interprets the regulations guiding the school to the student. A breach of any attracts punishment

The student has a conscious respect for the teacher because the knowledge he acquires in the school is in a well organized setting and any unruly attitude will not be condone.

The student while in the school does not only acquires knowledge from the teacher but also among his peers in the school environment (The learning ranges from the four walls of the classroom to the Pentagon of the school compound while interacting with other students in the school environment)

This is why a child language who enrolled early in a school is fast regulated than a child who begins schooling later than his mate( Early child Education)

The parent must work in collaboration with teachers for proper training of the child

I am not oblivious of some teachers excesses in terms of punishment but parents should never commit the error of correcting a teacher in the presence of his student, No matter what happens because it demeans the teacher and gives room for some children to misbehave the more

3. The ENVIRONMENT: This can also be called the community or society and it consists of people who resides in a particular geographical location.

The people here includes the age grades and the elders.

It is perceived that a child who lacks home training will learn the hard way in his environment in the same vein a child who is well trained will be highly respected in his community.

The influence the community has over a child is not as strong as the influence of the parents and the teachers, remember that the environment is the third teacher!

Sometimes, the environment determines the exposure of a child that is why there will be differences in the deeds of an urban-based child and a rural-based child due to their association and exposure.

This is why parents and teachers must first indoctrinate the child with the acceptable morals of the society to avoid CONDEMNATION of the child in the community

Like the Yoruba Adage that says “ile la tin k’eso rode”

A Child who is deficient of either of the first 2 teachers (parents and Teachers) is “Likely” to receive CONDEMNATION in his community.

Permit me to reiterate this CHILD TRAINING IS A COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY always remember the analogy of the CHILD FORMATION

To achieve the training of a Total child, ALL HANDS MUST BE ON DECK! Parents, teachers and the community all have a role to play!