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Charles Dube
MOVING in the suburbs you can tell that the boarders are indeed back from school. Note that I am talking about what is taking place outside the Central Business District (CBD). Over the years the CBD would be teeming with learners on holiday by this time of the year. This is not the case now as the economic situation is hitting hard and there is very little extra cash to spend recklessly.
Parents, guardians and their children are already planning for next term and with prices of literally everything running uncontrollably wild, one wonders what the beginning of the year will be like. You have to remain optimistic and only believe that you will cross the bridge when you get there. Learners only need to be passionate, persistent in whatever they do. They need to have passion in what they learn so as to do well in the fields they choose to pursue.
Much has been said about embracing technology of late. Everybody is encouraged to embrace technology these days. Learners at schools using modern technology should count themselves fortunate and grab that chance. Their understanding of issues surely should be better than that of their forefathers and their parents. They should be masters of technology and be able to use it to develop themselves and the country at large.
Learners should know that in as much as it is their right to go to school, to some it is a privilege afforded to them by well-wishers. It is a known fact that many children nowadays are orphans, not just orphans but double orphans in more cases than before. Given that chance to attend school, do not just be an attendant, but be an active participant who knows what she or he wants to achieve at school. This is where passion comes in. Make a good choice of what you want to do after school.
Learn to pass so as to pursue your goals. When children grow up they have dreams of what they want to be when they grow up. While it is true that most of those wishes remain as dreams, to some they grow up with them and live them. Some aspire to be nurses, doctors or teachers when they grow up. These are basically good dreams but they only materialise when you work hard to achieve those goals. Learners should be made aware that success does not just come on a silver platter but you have to work hard for it.
Learners should not be those who applaud their successful colleagues at their annual schools prize giving ceremonies without making an effort to challenge them. Some learners seem to resign to fate that number one in class is reserved for so and so. In other words they never imagine themselves coming out top of the class, but, such attitudes are dangerous in learning. These are the people who only have Birth Certificates and nothing else in their lives only to hear of their epitaph.
Most elderly people always regret the times they were born in because they never afforded them the opportunities they see now. Some of them were intelligent and gifted at school but their education was cut short because their parents could not afford school fees. In the olden days schools were sparsely spaced, several kilometres away from homes such that children could not get there on time. Some parents did not see the need of sending their children to school.
This mainly affected the girl child, but, it is also true with the boy child. Boys were sent out herding cattle than send them to school. It was worse with the girl child, some going as far as Grade Two or Three levels and were deemed able to write letters to their husbands and then married to prospective suitors. All this has gone with previous generations though there are some mini pockets where this is still practised. Generally opportunities have been opened for both sexes, what learners need to do is to work hard.
They should enjoy the holidays but take some time to think about what is coming next. As stated before in other articles, there is nothing wrong in looking back at what happened this past term. A learner can evaluate herself or himself in the various subjects. How was my performance this term compared to last term? Where are my strengths and weaknesses? What do I need to do to improve my sliding performances?
Such an evaluation will show the learner that she or he should not relax and totally forget about books. This will show areas that need to be worked on. Does the learner live near any extra tutorial work?
Nowadays parents have fallen into the habit of sending learners for extra lessons during holidays. As stated before on this page no one can stop somebody from doing what she or he thinks is good for the child. But all is wrong when the class teacher of that learner appears to volunteer to teach the same learner for an exorbitant fee.
I know there are perpetrators of this scandalous behaviour who seethe when reading this but it should be condemned in the strongest terms. Some will say: “If the cap fits you wear it.” Parents and guardians discuss areas of study with your children so that they make right choices. Do not force them to be doctors when they cannot do subjects like chemistry. Do not force your children to pursue your own careers when they do not have those abilities.
The issue of careers should be carefully considered, do not just let your child plunge into darkness and you regret later on.
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Online Reporter