Insensitivity scarring primary school students

IT’s a nightmare and no less than Albert Einstein was subjected to it.
One of his teachers ensured her future fame by saying that the little Albert showed signs of being, “Slow and mentally unfit�. Fortunately, Einstein proved her wrong, but not all children share his luck.
According to psycho-analysts, remarks passed by a teacher on a child’s ability leave an indelible imprint on his/her mind,which later on, take the form of inferiority complexes, scarring the child for life.This is especially so for children in their formative years, from kindergarten to standard five.
“I see so many examples,� says Netra Jain, who works as a counsellor for a number of schools, “In workshops conducted for students who constantly fail, are insubordinate or unmanageable, I have observed that such remarks and tags are given not just by the teachers, but by the other staff of the school.
Sometimes, even parents work in the most destructive way.� Netra finds the lack of awareness on the teachers’ part lamentable. Encouraging constant competition, comparisons and the traditional ‘blue-eyed-boy’ system in classrooms does not help.
“Even the selection process of an annual cultural meet can be devastating for a child, who’s not selected for any activity,� she says, “The same can be said about favouring bright students with class monitorship and the like.�
Parents are even more vocal about this. “We have never asked for equal grades or equal treatment for all,� says Manisha Revankar, a distressed parent. Manisha’s son Rahul tried to hit one of the school peons when the peon called him a dullard from a bad family. “We all suffered because of this incident.
Rahul now doesn’t want to go to school any more,� she complains, “I know he is overactive and keeps pulling pranks on the school staff. Their rage is justified, but then why did the man call him bad names?� asks Manisha.
Another parent who prefers not to be named, had to change her 8-year-old son’s school after the teacher passed ‘personal’ remarks about him in front of the whole class. “My son just refused to go to school. He began getting violent and venting his frustration on us at home. It was a nightmare. Now, in his new school, where sensitivity is high, he is a changed person,� she says.
Ragini Chowre, head of a parents-teachers association in one of Pune’s schools, says, “Small incidents like a teacher scolding a child in front of the class, or simply ignoring him or her, can permanently harm the child.�
Ragini’s daughter, Sapna, wasn’t selected for a group dance because she wears glasses. “It took me three days to convince her that it’s not her fault.� Pune schools admit this lacuna, though many of them don’t have concrete plans on how to deal with it.
Says Prabhavati Pillai, director, Sungrace Primary School, “To avoid these demotivating incidents, we have started to accommodate all students in competitions.�
Jayashree Tadphale, a teacher at Aksharnandan School, agrees, saying,“ We have stopped giving ranks to children in any competition. If we are to run,we say, let’s run, never let’s race.�
One of the school heads, who doesn’t wish to be named, calls for better attention to the training of non-teaching staff in schools. Father Alex Quarters, principal, Vidya Bhavan School, elaborates, “Schools have immense pressure because of the large number of children.
In a class of more than 60, it’s difficult for the teachers to pay individual attention to anyone,� says he, “It’s natural, in this case, that the brighter lot will attract more attention, though we try to ensure no unhealthy competition.�
sharvari.joshi@timesgroup.com