One is who no more a child and not yet an adult .
One who is fighting to know his individuality. One who is worried of all the physical changes taking place in him , being unable to understand most of them .
An adolescent is a teenager who is finding answers to so many questions about himself .
A little adult trying hard to cope up with the physical , psychological, cognitive , pubertal and biological changes .
While our proud teenager is trying hard to make peace with these changes , we burden him with the pressure of performance, our expectations and the stress of his future in grade 8, 9 and 10 . What an age to worry about life !
We ridicule him , look down at him for his rebellious behaviour when all he is trying to do is to make his own choices . Don’t we get that , parents ?
Thankfully , there are some parents who understand how hard it is for these to be soon adults to deal with these changes . They take every effort to talk to their teenagers letting them know howmuch they are loved and supported unconditionally, just like they were as little children .
And then we have our teachers in our Indian schools dealing with 50 teenagers in one class believing that each child is a brat . We know exactly what disbelief in our adolescents can do to them . Isn’t a teacher responsible for bringing out the best in a child ? Isn’t it a teacher’s moral duty to groom them as productive citizens or is she supposed to believe how irresponsible and useless the children are ? Children who come across as rebels are treated as hopeless instead of taking out the time and effort to bring out the best in those who are unable to do it themselves . Whereas , children who are trying hard to stay away from peer pressure and keep up to their good language , manners and values are shown equal disbelief and blamed for things they haven’t done because it’s easier for teachers to generalise the behaviour of this agegroup rather than recognise and appreciate the good.
Yes , I agree that it is a task to deal with these large numbers . But , isn’t it the decision of the school to take in these numbers ? Isn’t it the decision of the teachers to work in schools with these large numbers ?What a pitiful situation for our growing adults !
It is time for the school to take responsibility to hire teachers having the capability and compassion to deal with adolescents . It is time that teachers realise the impact they have on a child ‘s personality . It is time that parents stand up and voice against teacher’s attitude towards children .
Adolescence is the most sensitive age in an individual’s life . It is crucial that we support them with love and compassion . It is imperative that we show belief in their goodness .
