The beginning of education

“Education is not the preparation for life; education but is life itself”. This famous quote has rightly been said by John Dewey on the importance of education in our lives. Education is crucial in shaping our lives. There is no doubt that it defines us, a nation, and even a whole civilization.

We begin this perpetual journey of education when we start going to schools and educational institutions. We learn facts, concepts and gain knowledge. This is the norm. Education begins from the day we join a school.

But there is one very important place where education takes its roots. It is the beginning of all education. A place we have overlooked for decades. And that is ‘the home of a child, around his caretakers’. Education does not begin the day we join school or colleges, it begins the day we take birth.

The word education has been defined as the process of receiving information or training in various subjects. This processing of information begins automatically from the day we are born. We process the language spoken around us and learn to speak (without any prior knowledge of learning a language), we train ourselves to walk, dance, understand the things around us, read and everything else to become a full-grown adult. All these aspects (speaking, moving, socializing, understanding the ways of people around us) are part of our lives and we learn them without schooling. During our early years of childhood, we imbibe everything like a camera. We adapt these traits from the environment we live in, like a blueprint. We educate ourselves.

These early years were as if gifted to children to learn the very basics of life. Without properly learning these basic aspects a child can face difficulties in learning and develop problems like delay in reading or speaking. That is most importantly why, as parents, as caretakers and educators, we must educate ourselves in order to provide the child with the right help at the right time, so that he/she does not miss out on the things they need to learn.

Education is learning, learning that prepares children for the real world. A strong emotional, behavioral, and moral foundation helps a child to become an active and independent learner, for life. This strong foundation can only be built in the early years of a child’s life easily and effortlessly. However, to create this strong base, we need to understand the importance of the early years of educating the children.

We start by changing our outlook towards children. Children who are going to be the future. And we have the power to make their future bright by providing the correct mechanism.

• Treat your baby like an adult and you will already be distant from so many problems. Our child needs our love and support but most importantly our faith in them, to allow them to become self-reliant and boost their morale. Studies show that children become educated through their own play and exploration, without any adult directing them (supervision is still needed), and go on to be fulfilled, effective adults in the larger culture.
• Learning happens naturally through children’s self-chosen activities. The idea is to prepare a rich setting for our children to play and explore wherein they can educate themselves. Children love to play, and their play is the work required for them to develop all their skills. They explore everything available around them, by the way of touch, that helps them to feel things they find interesting to themselves. We can help them by creating an environment which meets the intellectual, social, physical, and emotional needs, which further enhances their learning. This kind of an environment can easily be created and without much cost.
• Another important factor behind good learning are the people around the child. During the early years children are bound to watch you, they imitate the behaviour they see and inculcate them. This is when it’s our responsibility to become a positive role model for our child and to leave a positive impression on his/ hers mind becomes crucial.
• What you are doing within thebaby’s presence is extremelyimportant, that is why you model the behaviour you want to see in your child. For example, being true and open about your feelings around the child, “oh i feel happy that we got the tickets to the game”, can teach a child the meaning of gratitude. This will also help them to express their feelings better and keep things transparent. You are the role model in your child’s life, they look up to you for anything and everything, we must make sure that we set the best possible examples for our children which help them to become better human beings in the future. This part of education is the core of their lives, and during this period they instill all kinds of behaviors that stay with them forever.
• In the early years, we must also focus on educating them about the elements from the place he lives in and the world outside. Connection drives the urge to know more. Children when given recognition tend to become better learners, we must help them by providing the practical knowledge they seek. Yes, they desire to gain information about each and everything they see around. Teach them the way to use similar items they come across every day, introduce them to your culture, talk to them about your surroundings, explain to them the importance of basic gestures like, saying goodnight before going to bed or watering the plants or thanking somebody. Talk to them about the plants in your environment, teach them how they can take care of them.
• Your children want you to include them in your daily routines because that is where they learn so much more about themselves. Have them help you in the kitchen or let them pick their clothes everyday. Ask them which activity they wish to do, if not help them choose one.
• When outside, introduce to them the significance of traffic signals, zebra crossing, and different types of trees. The more they know, the easier for them to adapt to the environment and world outside. These learnings help them to have a sense of self and included which makes them feel secure and loved.

The most important aspect of education is Independence. The choices and decisions they make in the early years, set the core of development for the later years. When a baby enters our lives, we need to imagine in our minds the foundation we will lay. Because the most important years of our learning are early childhood when we are tiptoeing to master the world around us. Now, it is upon us to not just understand how we begin this journey of education but more importantly when we begin it. For education begins at birth, whether we are ready for it or not.

This little endeavor of words, I hope, will let you be ready for the same.