What are they doing to our kids?

I remember when we were in primary school we had loads of fun , swimming in the river, eating whatever fruits we could shoot down with our catapults ,playing in the rain and all sorts of creative games which we designed and created ourselves.We had fun, school was fun and just being kids was so meaningful.We had lots of time to play and we liked school because it was a place where we met our friends and played and played.Our parents generally left us alone in school and never bugged us to study which made us actually want to read our books and learn more. Exams were few and there was no primary school exam and the real test came when we sat for our Senior Cambridge Exam.Tuition was unheard of, homework was manageable and if you did not complete it at home it was a simple matter to copy from someone before the teacher concerned came in. Today as I look at the children I cant help but feel sorry for them .Imagine at pre school they are already exposed to exams and kiasu parents would want to make sure that their children do well.For what ? Is it for their own ego or is it because they feel it does the child good.What worries me more is when parents take it upon themselves to try to teach their kids.Parents are not teachers and its dangerous when people who are not trained to teach and educate try to do so. Can you treat someone and prescribe medicine if you are not a doctor ? and can you repair a car if you are not a mechanic ? then what makes you think you can teach a child if you are not a teacher.Sure you can teach a child values and principles of life, manners and good behaviour but to teach a child maths or language... come on . the teaching - learning process has been a big challenge to educationists since time immemorial and to teach so that the student learns and learns effectively has been one of the greatest challenges of education.Loads have been written and researched on child development, child psychology and effective teaching and learning .things like how to encourage the child to love learning and the knowledge which come with it are well researched topics and have always challenged teachers and educators.You do not just learn about life through text books .There is indeed much more to be learned through other medias. We have to understand that there is such a thing called readiness to learn and learning environment.education is the development of the mind and to do so you must first understand the human mind.You cannot expect a child to learn under threat or duress .Learning must be self motivated, learning must have a purpose.that is why we teachers always tell our students at the start of a lesson what we want them to know and then we plan our methodology which will enable us to achieve our objectives.We do not create a situation where a child dreads learning because its associated with scoldings , and even caning.When this happens the child grows up with an aversion for learning and this is how you get drop outs from the system. Educating a child must be done with care and it requires a deep understanding of a child's physical , mental and psychological development.That is why teachers have to go through training before they are allowed into the classroom. Let our kids enjoy their childhood ..they will be kids only once.Let them discover things themselves.Within this they of course have to be taught discipline, values and acquire some of our basic values and perhaps even tradition. This is where the parents can contribute as the home is where these things can be learned. Before this is possible parents themselves need to be educated as have paper qualifications does not necessarily mean you are educated.