Posted by aglakadam in Uncategorized.
Tags: career, children, counseling, examination, guidance, parenting, school
Parents – be your child’s first career coach
My last week’s blog post “If your child is at the career cross road” evoked a sweet and sour response. I got many calls from readers telling why they intended to debate on some of the parenting views referred by me. Most of the responses came from the rich and the able. One gentleman said it’s about giving the best academic amenities to the child. One doctor opined that in today’s era parent’s cannot track the likes and personality of their child. One PSU employee could not digest my statement that “excess concern about child’s career borders paranoia”. A school teacher called me to thank for the write-up, she suggested me to elaborate on the subject and hence this sequel.
For those who might have missed the last week’s write-up I recapitulate the essence.
“When at career crossroads, a child is in an very sensitive stage of evolution because career decisions bear a significant impact on one’s life. Children ought to select the career which they are desperate for and not the one which gratifies parents unfulfilled ambitious. However in the process of guiding the child parents should ensure that they guard her individuality & self esteem. Irrelevant tinkering into their space will only display a lack of trust and surely backfire. Too much involvement as well as too less involvement in child’s career building process is harmful. Parents must play the role of a light house & a guide post. The light which they show should enable the child to take a career leap and also warn when there is danger. The student should be encouraged to take informed career decisions for a prosperous future.”
Parents are child’s first career coach and there are certain basic fundamental rules which a parent must adhere while career mentoring the child. The messages which a parent delivers can impact the educational and career choices of the student significantly. As per one survey, almost 80% of high school students stated that they look upon to their parents when it comes to career selection guidance. Children are very smart at observation and they learn a lot from the work behavior of their parents and other adult role models.
Children who are particularly gifted & super talented present unique set of challenges. We come across parent’s who boast of their child being much advanced in terms of technology. The frequently orated sentence by parents is: “My son is so smart, give him the latest model of mobile handset and he will not take more than a few minutes to explore all the features and apps tucked into it.” This brings a pseudo sense of overconfidence into the parents. Career selection is different to dissection of a technical device. It is important for parent’s to understand that their children might sound hi-tech & advanced but when it comes to career decisions, they might fail to take mature steps.
Parental involvement should neither be too high nor too low. Appropriate and inappropriate levels of involvement can either help or hinder the childs career takeoff. A balanced intervention can deliver positive attitude in the student which in turn will ensure better grades and effective decision-making skills. Decisions related to career swing around the fulcrum of family idiosyncrasies and students personality. In situations of dilemma, some parents offer unconditional support to whatever career choice the ward might opt for. This happens to be a well intentioned but a mal functioning strategy most of the time. A child might be capable of doing many type of jobs but in case she enters into a world irrelevant to her personality, there could be sinister consequences. Ideally at every such stage parent should offer two or three well researched choices and then leave it up to the ward to identify the most suitable out of those.
The key to a successful career is being happy and fulfilled at the end of the day. This can be achieved when there is a proper match between child’s interests, values, skills and abilities with the professional demands of chosen career. Being potentially influential in the career development process of their children, parents should know to explore and use career information properly. They should take interest to identify the potentials and abilities in their children and bridge it appropriately.
Lessons for Excellence :
- Always share closed ended solutions with your child, never leave them wondering in the wild when it comes to career decisions.
- Parents should encourage their children to day-dream more and more about their fancied job and develop an inventory of career dreams.
- Never forget to ask your child to have fun, in the zest to get a perfect student out of their child most of the parents forget the sports needs of their children.
- A successful parents is open to learn new things and accept the everchanging career scope around.
- Be open to discussions with your child, even if he has an eccentric career choice!
Ajit Varwandkar
Feedback : md@fsindia.in
Posted by aglakadam in Inspirational Story, Social Casue.
Tags: aglakadam, बच्चो, change, csr, guidance, inspiration, Management, mentor, message, Motivation, school, success, teacher, teachers day, winner
(This blog is based on the story of a boy from a small village who ventured out to make a mark in the world. Idea behind this write up is to inspire students from lesser Privileged places to think big and also to inspire people to connect with students and contribute to the society. The content in the story is based on what has been told to the auther by (the then ) teachers in the school . Names of the characters in the story are assumed.)
These days I have been on a mission to reach out to village schools. Seven days and seven different villages to address 2100 students on career selection. Main aim has been to inspire them and to educate them. I shared, with these less privileged students, the available career opportunities in the country. These children dwell in places where schools are scarcely equipped, students rarely have books in hand to read, computer and internet is out of question and hygiene & health are not just comfortably compromised but also taken in their stride. As they say lotuses bloom in the marsh! I get overwhelmed and amazed to see certain success stories coming out of these villages. Here I share one such story with you today.
I share a story as told to me by a set of school teacher from Karpawand which is is a small village 45 kms from Jagdalpur. With a sub 8000 population the place has not more than 500 hutments. The village is a nature’s paradise. So much of greenery that you can get overdose of oxygen! A village where you can see the greenery of Mais farming in every hutment. A lot of corn ( bhutta) is produced and sold in other parts of the country by the villagers. Apart from Corn fields the only other occupation is cashew nut farming.
A school dress in light blue and dark blue ( given by the government to students under special schemes) is the only luxury that a parent can afford to their children. Study books and other learning material is scarcely available for students. There is no stationary shop even in the village . Light from the earthen pot (only no moon nights) enables the student’s to learn their lessons at home on examination days.
Ganaram ( assumed name) lived in a small outfit in the region and studied at a local school in the vicinity. He always dared to stare at the sun and asked many questions about the sun to his teachers and parent. He was curious about the light and the energy coming from the sun. Ganaram demonstrated a keen interest in studying science . His parents wanted him to go for higher studies ( middle school) and as such sent him to a nearby village, for further education. He had to travel 14 kms on road or bullock cart or an occasional bicycle ride every day.
One old & retired teacher from the village tells that on one particular 5th September ( teachers day) one senior government officer was invited to preside over a function in the school. ( no one remembers the name of this noble government officer anyway ) While going round the school and chatting with children, this officer happened to meet a boy who looked sad. Ganaram was unhappy because he wanted to learn more about physics and science but his family had told him that this was his last year of school education. Next year onwards he would have to get into the farm and start cultivating mais. The officer listened to all that this boy had to say and what happened next is unprecedented.
Enthusiastic Ganaram got financial assistance from the holy officer to pursue his Bachelor’s degree from Jagdalpur and Masters in Science from some college in Raipur. Subsequently Ganaram qualified to be a part of some leading research institute as a scientist. Current status of Ganaram ( as informed by the local people) is that he is a well established researcher somewhere outside India!
If the wonderful officer did not extend his support to Ganaram would have we lost a great scientist? I guess Yes and am sure you will also agree with me on this. How great was that teacher’s day when Ganaram met with the angle! Not just for Ganaram , that was a great day also for the nation and for the humanity. In real essence the spirit of mentorship and service to mankind was demonstrated on earth.
Friends we do not need to be employed in a school to become a teacher. We all are teachers within. At least we all have the potential to be good teachers at home and in the society. Wherever and for whatever purpose we move, the network of being a teacher within should always follow us. Its time all of us took this responsibility to spread the light of education. Not necessary that we make financial contributions, sometimes just one word of inspiration can as well push someone to great heights.
This teacher’s day lets all pledge that we shall mentor at least one under privileged child in the society. This I think this would be the best tribute to Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakhrishnan. Let’s strive to make life much more knowledgeable and fulfilled for every child on this earth.
LESSONS FOR EXCELLENCE :
* Scientist’s can take birth in a remote village, but they can become so only when someone from better access extends a helping hand.
* It’s our social responsibility to contribute to the upbringing of every student in the society.
* Imparting education is not just the duty of school and school teachers. We the members of this society have an equivalent role to play.
*. You and me have a teacher within, rejuvenate it.
* This teacher’s day, let us all pledge to share the light of education to at least one student in the society.
Ajit Varwandkar
Email : info@fsindia.in
Post Script : Recently I got an email from a person, who lived in the referred village, stating that no such Ghanaram ( assumed name ) hails from the village and this story might not be factual.
My submission : Its not just teachers who are responsible to ensure the academic growth of the students, the society shares a collective responsibility. May be, the details shared with me by the school teacher could be distorted. However even if the story is imaginary, still it can inspire & suggest individual’s to support student’s in distant localities.
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