In an alternate world she would have chosen freedom
Aliya is 7 years old, she is often shouted at at home for not sleeping early. She has early morning school, Aliya does not like to wake up early.
She is often dragged out of the bed. she is dreamy when she brushes her teeth till her mother screams at her. She is forced to gobble breakfast because there is no time left.
She manages to take bath after her mother shouts again and she is ready just before the school pick-up van reaches her house.
She meets her friends in her school, gets busy playing and learning in the classroom, and forgets what happened in the morning.
She follows everything her teacher expects her to but she is bored mostly. It’s not the same in the art class where she loves to participate. She helps other students as well. she mixes colors, and she almost dances with her brushes. It’s like someone is playing music as she paints.
She comes home, she is again forced to eat in a hurry. She needs to finish her homework and go for tuition.
She is too tired to play. she spends the entire week with the same drill, just that the days change.
When her exams are near, she is often scolded by her mom to sit and study. But mostly she is not sure what to do. She sits with her books for long hours but she cannot make much sense.
Sometimes her father helps her with the spellings and concepts she does not understand, her father teaches her with patience and love. He gives her various tricks to remember the spellings. she wishes her father helped her with her studies.
Aliya is a dreamer, she likes to talk to herself. she can play with her dolls for hours, she loves to paint and create crafts. and she loves to listen to stories.
The truth is she will be spending her days going to school one day after another. she will not know the joy of doing what she wants to do, the way she wants to do it.
She will not have the time to dream. she will not have the time to be a child.
Imagine Aliya in another world, where she can wake up when she wants to, learn what interests her, and play when she feels like playing. She will be able to experience the joys of childhood.
1. She woke up relaxed and fresh- She got time to walk around the house, and she took her own time to brush and bathe. She helped her mom in the kitchen, she likes to observe when her mom cooks, she sees the ingredients being added without ever getting bored of it. Her mom tells her stories while she cooks.
2. She had time for breakfast
Aliya gets to relax and enjoy every bite of her breakfast, she loves to sit with her family and eat without rushing. She often daydreams while eating, her family enjoys watching her.
3. She chooses what she wants to learn
Aliya loves to learn new things, she is curious about the world around her. she is not forced to learn things that don’t interest her. She gets to choose what she wants to learn and when she wants to learn it. she walked around in the garden, took her easel, and spent some time painting.
4. She gets to play when she wants to play
Aliya gets to decide when she wants to play, she can play with her friends or by herself. She likes to explore different things, she often makes up games that she plays by herself. She loves to play in the rain, she loves to lie on the grass and look at the clouds.
5. She gets time to dream
Aliya spends time dreaming about different things, she loves to imagine different worlds. She often talks to herself, she likes to make up stories. She is always busy doing something or the other, she never gets bored. She has recently taken interest in reading because she loves to know stories about little girls. Her favorite book is The Secret Garden.
6.She learns without stress
Learning is no more stress for her, she chooses what to study on a particular day and her father makes time to help her. she mostly prefers to study in the evenings, and she likes to sit on the balcony and study while enjoying the breeze.
7. She was happier
Overall, quitting school made Aliya a lot happier. She was able to focus on things that she enjoyed, and she didn’t have to deal with the stress of school anymore. This made her a lot more confident and content in life.
Not all kids fit into the strict curriculum, some of them seek freedom to learn. Some kids are stuck in the loop, parents believe schools will fix this. But children will get promoted from one class to another without discovering the joy of learning.
Can we give a chance to kids to explore what they love, dream, and be a kid? The nature of a kid is to be able to play, that’s what a kid deserves.
If parents take time to explore alternatives to traditional school methods, they will be surprised to know that their child can still learn without being in school. There are many resources available online as well as offline.
It is important to note that not all kids are the same, each kid has a different learning style. So, it is necessary to find what works best for your child and then make a decision.
The most important thing is that the child should be happy and should enjoy the process of learning. If the child is not happy, then it is not worth it to force them into something that they don’t want to do.
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I am Priyanka, I write about education and parenting here — educationnext.in. I send weekly newsletter to parents with tips to bond with their kids. subscribe here educationnext.beehiiv.com.
