High-achieving children don’t forget when term papers are due or arrive at a class without writing materials, writes GARDY CHACHA
In this era where competition for survival is cutthroat, it’s only proper to prepare your children for a future where they’ll be required to fend for themselves and be the steers of their lives.
Jean Piaget once said, “The principle goal of education is to create men who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done — men who are creative, inventive and discoverers.”
The statement captures the essence of providing motivation and a conducive environment for your child’s brain to attain an affinity for knowledge.
Families have a huge influence on children’s achievement in school and throughout life. Research has proven that when families work together to support learning, children perform better in school, stay in school longer, and enjoy their education.
Eight-year-old Hegel Muriuki is in Class Two, but already speaks Swahili and English with ease. His diction is above par and when speaking to him, you realise his IQ (intelligence quotient) is way up the scale for a child his age. He can manipulate a computer without a whiff of assistance and is able to execute digital commands and prompts on a desktop.
Looking at his report cards, he hasn’t scored less than 82 per cent from the time he began going to school.
Influence
His parents, James and Josephine Muriuki, are elated with his progress in school and level of understanding. They are happy, not just because of the positive aspects that come with excelling academically, but also because they’re playing a big role in carving out a well educated, knowledgeable child who will have a positive impact in society.
“High-achieving children don’t forget when term papers are due or arrive at a class without writing materials,” James remarks. “Children also learn good organisational skills from their parents. When my son sees me dusting the computer keyboard and wiping the monitor, he does the same with his calculator,” he says.
Hegel’s mother, on the other hand, has taken the task of showing her son when he has gotten a sum correct or if he committed a mistake. She does it with care and a lot of consideration so that the boy learns instead of feeling humiliated. She does not scold him or yell at him when he seems to be slow at understanding some facts.
In their guidebook Positive Parenting: Make Your Children winners, BK Narayan and Preeti Narayan advice that scolding is not known to convert children into good performers.
