N Sai Prashanti
Education does not mean literacy alone, but is and has to be much more. What we need in today’s volatile world is educare and not just literacy—education with values. So, how can we build human values? With the 3 Is.
Inclusiveness: Inclusiveness is a quality every child needs to imbibe. They should have that feeling of belonging, only then will they think and feel for the people around them.
How to instill this quality:
Begin by asking the children to set aside an hour per week to clean and maintain the school and its compound. When children actually clear garbage, water plants, etc., they will begin to feel a sense of ownership towards their school and will work to keep it neat and clean. Slowly this exercise can be extended to the street and colony as well.
Inspiration: Early childhood plays a vital role in shaping a person’s life. Our education system only focuses on bombarding students with information and there is no scope for inspiration. By sharing how great leaders, sports champions, and business leaders have worked and achieved great things, teachers can inspire children to start thinking in the same direction.
How to instill this quality:
- By conducting sessions where achievers come and share their experiences with the children.
- Providing children with animated stories of renowned leaders.
- Giving them inspiring novels.
Inclination: A person can do his best only when he loves his work. There are many unemployed engineers and failed doctors in this country. If these people had pursued their interest, they may have led successful lives. Children should participate in different activities, such as art, music, dance, acting, sports, etc., so that they can find their passion and accordingly plan their career.
How to instill this quality:
Schools can organize sports and arts competitions to boost children’s confidence and sportive spirit.
Apart from the 3Is these are a few other activities that we conducted to help students imbibe good values.
- Fruit bowl activity: Students were taught to make fruit and vegetable salad bowls and sell them. The money collected was used for purchasing blankets to be distributed to the poor.
- Sensitivity towards nature: We taught students to dig water pits in their schools for birds and animals in summer. These pits are filled with water and food every day. Students were asked to narrate their experiences.
Every weekend, students are encouraged to take up composting to fertilize their school gardens. The children use flowers and leaves from the garden to decorate their schools on festivals and other special occasions.
Our idea has been to inculcate values in children, but in this process, we teachers have transformed into different individuals as well. The process helped us become more sensitive and adaptable to situations.
The author conducts practical science classes for children as part of her work for Breakthrough Science Society, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. She is a student of microbiology from Osmania University, Hyderabad. She can be reached at saiprashanthi.neelda@gmail.com.