Wednesday 14 May 2008

Who was your best teacher?

Was it your very first teacher when you first started school? Was it your last primary school teacher who made the biggest impression on you? Was it the Games teacher who coached the first 15 at secondary school, or that slightly hippy, trendy Classics teacher?

Or was it your dad?

It was for actor James Nesbitt, and you can find out why over at the TES website.

Obviously, unlike James Nesbitt, not everybody's mum or dad is going to be a teacher but Nesbitt's comments made me think. In fact, I would argue that everybody's mum and dad - or whoever it might be who nurtures them early on in life - is a teacher! They teach you to speak, by talking to you, they teach you what love is, by loving you, they show you how to brush your teeth, get dressed, tie your shoelaces... you get the idea.

And this is where I bring it all back to Match Wits with the Kids.

Match Wits is the ideal book to help parents continue to have an active and positive part to play in their child's education. Children succeed at school when parents and school work in partnership. A child doesn't only learn when lessons begin at 9 o'clock; they're learning all the time. However, what a child learns is up to you.


Children learn what they live


If a child lives with criticism,
He learns to condemn.


If a child lives with hostility,
He learns to fight.


If a child lives with ridicule,
He learns to be shy.


If a child lives with jealousy,
He learns to feel guilty.


If a child lives with tolerance,
He learns to be patient.


If a child lives with encouragement,
He learns confidence.

If a child lives with praise,
He learns to appreciate.


If a child lives with fairness,
He learns justice.


If a child lives with security,
He learns to have faith.


If a child lives with approval,
He learns to like himself.


If a child lives with acceptance and friendship,
He learns to find life in the world.

1 comment:

C64 Mat said...

Words of the wise indeed :)
I believe that being a good & nice person and being pleasant with other people can make the world a better place to live in no matter how old / young you are, and that stems from my mum teaching me to be nice to other people as a kid. As you correctly point out, she taught me the meaning of love and I in turn passed that on to my Brother whom I love dearly. We have always been close and have always been good people and that comes directly from Mum's attitude towards us. A lot of places I go, I see people not being nice and not having respect for one another. I think dedication and care from parents at an early age can make a better change in the world one person at a time. The education of parents is essential. Hopefully books such as Match Wits with the Kids can contribute in some small way towards that, by giving families something fun AND educational to do together. Then crack the Monopoly out :)