Baba
Hurting child by paying money
Namaskar,
In western countries, nowadays some primary and high school students are paid money by the government - and even by educators and parents - as an incentive for attending class, studying, and doing their homework. And some are even paying children money to refrain from eating or drinking junk food like soda and sugary drinks etc. We should consider whether this is appropriate or not? Please read these following teachings related with child education and the answer will be clear.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Some scare and terrorise their child
When children are still quite young, they being to verbalize their thoughts. And they ask all kinds of questions: What is this? How does it work? How come the leaves are on the ground? What is the name of that star? Why is the cat furry? Children at that age are extremely inquisitive. So they pose innumerable queries. Often times parents and caretakers become overwhelmed, impatient, and frustrated. In turn, those guardians scare and terrorise their kids, or they give them false answers in order to make their children quiet. The end result is that those children become timid, and lose their curiosity and zest for knowledge.
Ways to encourage learning
Baba guides us that the best way to help the child and foster their growth is to answer their questions truthfully. So, either give an honest answer based on the facts; or, if you do not know the answer, then directly say, "I do not know, but I will find out and tell you." That will be extremely helpful and will advance the child's learning. Whereas, scaring them or telling them lies is very dangerous, and indeed quite harmful, with long-term negative repercussions.
Every child enters this world with the potential for so much inquisitiveness and a strong desire to learn. That quality should be encouraged in a very natural way. Then the child will develop the inner inspiration to learn and grow as a human being. Then there will be no need to offer some type of external incentive to learn - such as giving them money.
Must awaken the thirst for knowledge in the students’ minds
Here Baba guides us that educators should inspire children to develop a desire to learn; in result, the child's innate curiosity will awaken and they will want to know more.
Prout philosophy guides us, "Education must awaken the thirst for knowledge in the students’ minds. The students themselves will create environmental pressure by persistent demands for answers to queries like: What is the answer? Is it correct? The longing, “I wish to know...I wish to understand and assimilate the entire universe” should be created. Such a thirst for knowledge should be created in the minds of students...So a tremendous thirst for knowledge must be awakened in the students’ minds. They will constantly pry their teachers, their parents and their neighbours with questions like: Why is this so? What is that? Why does that happen? Why does this not happen? etc. They are ready to assimilate the entire universe." (1)
Conclusion: fear or cash is not the way
The trend or tactic to pay kids for studying and giving them other cash incentives throughout the school day is not the proper way to manage students. On the opposite end of the spectrum, using fear tactics to force children to study is also a defective approach. Best is to inspire within them an earnest desire to learn via the avenues discussed throughout this letter. It is important for kids to cultivate a genuine yearning to learn. Every parent and school teacher should be keenly aware to help their children in this endeavour.
Namaskar,
In Him,
Arvind
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
~ In-depth study ~
Fear tactic: does not work
Here is Baba's teaching that employing fear tactics to force children to study is a defective approach. Rather it is important to cultivate a genuine desire to learn.
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "It is improper to extort anything from students through undue pressure and intimidation. Intimidation appears to work to some extent, but it does not yield lasting results. Whatever students learn from their parents and teachers out of fear fades into oblivion as soon as the agencies of fear disappear. The reason is that their learning and their fear were inseparably associated, so with the disappearance of fear, the knowledge that they had acquired in the course of their education also disappears from the more developed parts of their minds. As soon as the bullying teacher leaves the classroom the students heave a sigh of relief. Within a few hours, whatever they had committed to memory starts growing hazy. Out of fear of failing their examinations students work hard, poring over books, and accomplish ten days’ work in one hour. But after completing their examinations and playing a game of football or visiting the cinema, they forget much of what they had learned, due to the absence of fear." (2)
It will not do to impart education through intimidation
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "People in many countries throughout the world are painfully experiencing the detrimental effects of education through the medium of fear. Most educated people lose the abilities they acquired through education after they graduate from school or university and enter their field of work. If I were to assess the value of the education these people received, I would say that most of their time, ability and labour had been wasted or had been spent meaninglessly. So as I was saying, it will not do to impart education through intimidation. A thirst for knowledge must be awakened, and, to quench that thirst, proper education must be given. Only then will education be worthwhile and develop the body, mind and ideals of the student." ۠(3)
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "Children are by nature most inclined towards play, so a thirst for knowledge will have to be awakened in children through the medium of play – children should be educated through play methods. Children are also by nature inclined to listen to fantasies and stories. Through stories children can easily be taught the history and geography of various countries, and they may also be taught the initial lessons of how to practise universalism in their lives. Children love play and stories almost equally, so in their case the two should be equally utilized." (4)
Best way to teach adolescents: through realism and idealism
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "The dream of the future first crystallizes in the mind of the adolescent. So adolescents should be taught, without indulging in narrow-mindedness, through the medium of idealism."
"The minds of young adults are, however, somewhat inclined towards realism, so in their case pure idealism will not suffice. In order to educate such young adults, a harmonious blend of idealism and realism is required." (5)
Teacher should have sentient affection
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "Teachers must bear in mind that their students – whether adolescents, youths, old people or actual children – are, to them, all just children of different ages; and that they themselves are children like their students. If teachers distance themselves from their students or continually try to maintain a forced gravity, they will not be able to establish sweet, cordial relations with their students. The free and frank exchange of ideas is simply not possible unless a feeling of mutual affection is established. The lack of cordial relations causes many children to heartily wish for the death of either their severe teachers or their abusive parents." (6)
>From Time Magazine: “Money talks, right? So why should kids be any less susceptible to what the dollars are telling them? They aren’t, and that’s the problem. Enticing kids with monetary rewards for reading books or performing well on tests is certainly tempting for parents, especially if their children are game. But the latest studies on paying kids to do academic tasks like reading more books, or to improve test scores found a negligible to zero positive effect on their standardized test results, and other measures of academic performance.” (Courtesy of Time Magazine, Why Paying Kids to Do Homework Can Backfire, link appended below)
References
1. Prout in a Nutshell - 18, Talks on Education
2. Human Society - 1, Education
3. Human Society - 1, Education
4. Human Society - 1, Education
5. Human Society - 1, Education
6. Human Society - 1, Education
== Section 2:
Important Teaching ==
What to expect after death
Ananda Marga ideology states, “The Christian and Muslim ideas of heaven and hell and also svarga in Hindu Karmakandii Jaemini Partná, were derived from the fact that the samskáras which determine the requitals of actions exists exits in this loka. In reality no kośa will remain after death. The samskáras remains as the object of the átman. Thus the ideas of heaven and hell of the Hindu, Christian and Muslim mythologies are completely false, because after death there remains no mind at all to experience heaven or hell." (1)
The mind is incapable of doing anything without the brain. And after death there is no brain, so the bodiless mind remains dormant. It cannot do or experience anything: no pain, no pleasure, nothing. The whole notion of one enjoying the fruits of heaven or the tortures of hell after death is bogus.
It is a complete myth that people go to heaven or hell. After death the mind is dormant. And that is what is expressed in the above quote. Here we should understand that pain and pleasure are experienced in this world, not after death. So-called heaven and so-called hell are here in this world.
Reference
1. Tattvika Praveshika, Some Questions and Answers on Ananda Marga Philosophy
== Section 3:
Links ==
Recent postings
Other topics of interest
More important letters
- www (dot) healthland (dot) time (dot) com/2013/09/19/why-paying-kids-to-do-homework-can-backfire/
Reply to: anandamarganewsbulletin1@yogasamsthanam.net
~ Legal Notice ~
This email contains three sections:1. Posting: Hurting child by paying money
2. IT: What to expect after death
3. Links
~ Legal Notice ~
© 2017 Ananda Marga News Bulletin. All rights reserved. Ananda Marga News Bulletin content is the intellectual property of Ananda Marga News Bulletin or its third party content providers. Ananda Marga News Bulletin shall not be liable for any errors or delays in content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Any copying, republication or redistribution, part or full, of Ananda Marga News Bulletin content, including by framing or similar means, is against the court of law and expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Ananda Marga News Bulletin.
This email contains three sections:1. Posting: Hurting child by paying money
3. Links
