As the new school year begins, parents once again fret over their children's future. Mona Amin seeks expert opinions on the matter of education Being a parent, many assume, should come naturally. Well, not always. In this busy, competitive world, where time is never enough, and the options are increasingly bewildering, we, parents, often find ourselves at a loss. Are we doing the right thing? Are we providing the best opportunities for our children? Are we turning them into well-adjusted, hopefully successful members of this fast-changing world? Will our children manage to cope with an environment that we, grownups, already, find a bit over-the-edge, if not right away cutthroat? These are only some of the many questions young parents often ponder as they eagerly seek to give their children an edge over their peers, a chance to beat the odds, a shot at the ever-changing concepts of success and happiness. And those who want to explore the latest tools and concepts in child education will discover a simple fact; there is a lot for them to learn first. As globalisation continues to encroach upon our lives, the emphasis on education only grows. Now, our children need an education that is suited to all cultures, nationalities and languages. How do you do that? Across the nation's best schools, there is a growing emphasis on the early years of child development, the early stimulation of the child's latent skills. "We know that the first six or eight years of a child's life are the most important," Frau Malahias, headmistress of the German School's Kindergarten, said. "You can never learn as much [later on]. If the child's education is not fruitful, the child will always have to struggle and will have some sort of learning deficiency." Stimulation, she emphasises, comes in many different forms. "It's important that children learn how to listen," Malahias says. "Some parents talk to their children a lot and take the time to explain things to them and make them more aware of their surroundings. In contrast, other children just 'grow'. They are been fed, dressed, and taken out to the park to play, but without any instruction. There is a very big gap between these two groups." The key, she says, is in exploiting the phase of a child's development where absorption and learning is at peak. "When children start school at four, you see a big difference in them," she says. "Between the ages of five and eight, the process of learning language is at its best. After that, the process slows down." Early learning alone will not do the trick; pre-school teaching, is of crucial importance, according to Peter Laughlin and Anne-Loise De Buriane, principal and head of the primary department at the British International School Cairo (BISC), respectively. Educationalists used to believe that children at the pre-school level should be taught abstract skills. Now, the approach is different. The old methods of making very young children sit down and write or trace a letter is not done anymore. Children are encouraged to develop writing skills through a wide range of activities in the classroom, activities that enhance a child's motor control, like cutting and sticking. Writing then develops very naturally, from scribbles to a decipherable form and beyond. Educationalists refer to that process as "emergent writing". The key, Laughlin and De Buriane stress, is to avoid drilling such skills as writing and reading into children. Reading, for example, is something children develop a natural love for, without needing to be forced. What needs to be controlled, however, is what modern technology has introduced into the lives of our children. Television and computer games are things that educationalists believe can, if uncontrolled, hinder the sound development of children. Parents, they advise, should regulate the interaction between their children and these modern forms of entertainment. "You cannot eradicate television," Malahias says, "But parents must handle it effectively. They must not let their children watch everything and anything at anytime." Otherwise, she says, children may identify too much with what they see on the screen, and part of their time and thoughts would be lost to a parallel reality. "When children are exposed to too much violence on TV, they try to play it out," she explains. "Sometimes they become so preoccupied with TV images that they can't think of anything else. They find it difficult to concentrate, and therefore their learning is greatly affected. Too much TV may also cause their language to deteriorate." A new study on language reveals that 24 per cent of today's children have speech difficulties compared to just 4 per cent ten years ago. This is an alarming sign, and it is being blamed on the inordinate amount of time today's children tend to spend with computers, television and electronic media. The change in the family structure has also had its toll on child development. Today's children spend more time alone than was the case with their parents. Social interaction, Malahias deplores, has decreased significantly. "First and foremost," Malahias says, "language should be learnt through family and social interaction, and through dialogue between mother and child." It is important to laugh, talk, and tell stories to kids. Play with your children. This is the advice German and British educationalists give to parents. Play is critical, to the healthy upbringing of children. "Parents need to enjoy their children," Malahias remarks. "They need to learn how to play with them." Only then, she says, will children be able to learn through play. Such interaction is essential to the mental and psychological health of the child. This is not an easy task, and not one that comes naturally to all parents. In our eagerness to provide our children with the best educational techniques and opportunities, we sometimes overlook the instinctive part of parenthood that came so naturally to our parents and grandparents. Today's parents tend to fret to excess over the competitive edge of their offspring. Education is critical, and so is opportunity, but what matters more is the atmosphere in which we raise our children. The right educational stimuli must be complemented with a comfortable, relaxed, and reassuring home. The early years of child development prepare the individual for a happy and secure life later on. But good parenting involves much more than reading books on child development. In the end, educationalists remind us, there is no substitute for the unqualified tenderness, the unconditional love that only parents are able to give.
