“School is boring. Can I skip school today?
“I don’t understand what the teacher is teaching me at school.”
“Can I just study at home?”
Do these questions sound familiar to you? Perhaps you have heard it once or twice from your child and simply brushed it aside thinking that it was just a phase.
The truth is sometimes these expressions carry a deeper meaning and this is reflected by your child’s behaviour. Take a step back and ask yourself,
“Does my child look less motivated to go to school?”
“Has my child lost interest in learning?”
“Is my child hitting the books just for the sake of passing the grade?”
Now let’s cut to the chase, if you answered yes to all those questions then we know for a fact that you need to take necessary steps to mitigate the situation before things get out of hand.
School Activities Are There For A Reason
“School is boring. Can I skip school today?
The children of today are unlike past generations in the sense that their lives are saturated by mobile technology and social media. The iGens, as some may call them these days, are eager to engage and get noticed. They crave for independence, individuality and connection more than we ever did.
Ever heard of the “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” proverb? Sure, the aim of children attending school is for them to learn, but learning does not mean that it has to be limited to within the four corners of their classroom.
Active involvement in school-led activities will likely play a role in providing them the outlet that they need to keep their boredom at bay. Plus they get to release all that stress that has been building up inside them as well as acquire new skills, interests and hobbies.
For example, we encourage our students to participate in community events, where the activities vary from debates, to forums, trivia and book reviews. At first the students were reluctant to participate. However once they overcome that hurdle, you will be amazed at the transformation in their character, behaviour, interest and mindset.
Among the many skills they learn include how to have and express opinions, how to work in groups, and how to be competitive while having fun. These are just some of the skills your child can acquire outside the regular classroom setting.
Learning Can Be Easy & Fun With The Right Approach
“I don’t understand what the teacher is teaching me at school.”
While we understand that it takes a village to raise a child, teachers remain to be the core of the education system. We expect teachers to carry out their duties perfectly and religiously, but there are instances whereby the teachers are unable to perform at their level best due to limitations in the system.
A common scenario would be for a class of 30 students, not every teacher can cater to every student. Because learning does not come in a standard cookie-cutter mould. Some students may require undivided attention, while a handful may be fast learners. Then there are students that need some form of entertainment. Every student has his or her learning needs and for a single teacher to identify and tend to them all would be a remarkable feat.
At Pasxcel, we address the situation with three approaches. The first approach is by providing a tailored education to suit the learning style of every student. The second approach is we provide a small class size, with a five to seven students per teacher ratio. The third approach is one-on-one teaching sessions, where we target the strong and weak points of a student.
These seemingly simple approaches have been proven to bring positive impacts on student learning outcomes as they become more engaged, focused and motivated to learn. Students tend to perform better academically and socially too.
Embrace Technology As The Future Of Education
“Can I just study at home?”
When Covid-19 hit us, it changed the entire educational landscape all across the world. Over 1.2 billion children in 186 countries were affected by school closures due to the pandemic, leading to the drastic surge in online learning.
In Malaysia, the vast majority of us were not prepared to shift away from the traditional way of learning in exchange for online learning. The reason was clear. Online learning was not the norm then, yet students and teachers had to learn to adopt it and adapt to it.
Did everybody manage to embrace it? There are always two sides of a coin. But one thing is for sure, the pandemic changed education forever and online learning is fast becoming a preferred option for those who embrace the flexibility, freedom and accessibility.
As parents, sometimes we forget that school can be tough for some teens and tweens. As they go higher up in their grades, some start to manifest their frustrations and insecurities, and may even lose their interest in school.
Rather than getting upset with them, understand that your child needs your support more than ever. Find out what is bothering them and guide them to find solutions so they can deal with it. What you say, how you say, and what you do can help your child make it through school and later in life.
Reach out to our admissions officers to get your child get excited about school again!
