“Stand in Line”, “Just do what I am Telling you to do, do not question too much”, “Show respect to teachers by being submissive and meek in school”, “respect by invoking fear of punishment” etc.. are some age-old techniques most schools and teachers and parents use to discipline their children.
Why is “discipline” or “uniform” behavior so important to all of us? Is it because everything orderly and structured seems nice to us? In the current world of work and the future of work, what kind of environment exists? Is it a structured, process based static environment, where everything is certain and fixed like old age “government” or “bank” jobs, where “two punches and a lunch” was the norm and you got a salary at the end of the month? Are employees expected to “stand in line” in “uniform” and obey the orders of a superior and only do what they are asked to do, without questioning the objective? Yes, there was a time, when assembly lines needed these kinds of workers, and our school system is perfect for those environments.
So, if you really want your child to belong and succeed at work in the future, what should the preparation involve? In schools, every child must be encouraged to question and challenge the facts, play and create stuff on his/ her own, research the world around to seek information beyond the academic curriculum, take initiative and start new projects. Creative thinking, problem solving, being accountable and responsible for important work, financial literacy, understanding sustainable environment-based inventions and innovations, are few focus areas that are absolutely needed to be learnt by youth, to be future ready. Unfortunately, the education curriculum may not include most of these. And it is not possible to transform the education system, so how should a parent or a teacher proceed?
Well, formal education and qualifications are just 10% of preparation and development in the current scenario. The parents and children need to prioritize and plan for alternate education options to develop these skills, which are in demand in all industries. Teachers need to be sensitized towards the future of work and the new age skills and attitude needed, which they need to incorporate in their lesson plans to enable the children to imbibe some of the skills while preparing their assignments or doing any school related activities. School authorities need to be sensitized by the Parent Association to focus on building these skills in youth, in addition to the curriculum.
Future of work is extremely uncertain, volatile, chaotic, and ambiguous, and therefore youth need to keep their ears and eyes open to the environment and learn to adapt quickly to the changes by re-skilling and re-learning the new skills quickly. Technology is going to be all pervasive and ubiquitious, so all children should learn to use technology and be able to pick up skills quickly. So, don’t police your children to keep away from devices, rather allow them to use devices responsibly and learn to use technology productively.
Sounds too idealistic, isn’t it? How do parents and teachers develop these skills? This is where “child psychology” jumps in. How do you ensure or enable a child to do things with responsibility and accountability, without being a disciplinarian? There is a great technique called “appreciative enquiry” which is needed to be learnt and used by most parents and teachers. Using this amazing tool of “positive psychology”, the child will develop a high self-esteem and confidence and also become inquisitive to learn new stuff. They will aspire to become great in whatever they choose to do and dream of big achievements. There is a structured way and many techniques of mentoring that can be used beautifully to build great bonds and deeper relationships with the children. Once the connect is made with the child as a Mentor- mentee, there is a very different response you will get from these children. This is the beautiful transformative period, where you will see them shift their energies towards seeking and learning on their own, and also take complete ownership of their own future.
Jeevan Pravaas, Life mentoring services, uses Appreciative enquiry and other amazing Positive Psychology techniques to mentor the child and parents towards amazing achievements and a happy life. More importantly, parent counselling and teacher training is also conducted to build new skills of “appreciative enquiry” and “positive psychology” while dealing with children. Get in touch with me to know more and create a beautiful future for you and the children.