A Necessity
An interesting topic that has touched each one of us, one way or the other. Tuition classes I’d say are an extra option open to parents……a necessity for children whose parents are “first generation parents” into a particular medium sometimes and wanting to provide a better future for their children, at other times. Not everyone of us are lucky to have been educated. In a society where women are still oppressed, few girls are lucky to go to school and fewer still to learn the global language…’English’. But when it’s their child’s turn they want to provide them with the best…..Tuitions then are the best options for those parents who can not teach their own children. But they have every right to give their child the best education possible. Tuitions are a blessing for them.

A Support
For some parents tuition classes become a ’support’ and the only option that may help their children to understand lessons taught in class, which they couldn’t understand. We all agree that all children are different and unique in their own way…..and not necessarily of the same intelligence or IQ or grasping power or understanding. Some children need more attention which is sometimes not possible for the class teacher to attend to amongst 50 children in a class with a time bound syllabus completion. Children are at a complete loss and parents are left baffled! In that case…tuitions are the best option…..where a tuition teacher gives the extra attention the child needed. This does not excuse the class teacher…but that’s another topic completely.

Ladders
For some parents, tuition classes are ‘ladders’ that help them and their wards to climb to the top and stay there! They want to make sure that their children do not lose their rank/position in class. This unhealthy competition to push the child to perform is another reason why tuition classes flourish. If the child is good in studies he/she will do well…there is no need to push them.

Status Quo
Tuition classes are ’status quo’ for some parents….” my child attends English, maths and computers and science from different tuition teachers” is a very common statement these days!! It shows they have the money to provide so many teachers for their child….also how much they care and are concerned!!!! Whether the child really learns anything or not is not their concern….the very fact that they are providing their child with so many tuition teachers is important. They do not realize that they are robbing their child’s play time and natural growth.

Escape Route
Again, for some parents tuition classes are an ‘escape route’…that saves them from not having to bother about their child’s studies. “Oh, her tuition teacher knows”, is another common statement I’ve come across. I’m appalled at these parents who do not have time for their children.

Tuition/coaching classes in higher classes I think is a must though, as it is time for the child to be more attentive and competitive too…..after all he has to choose a career based on his performance. Moreover, kids are grown up by then and can decide for themselves.

So it is fair to say that tuitions come as a blessing for some children while pain for others. It robs the child of precious play time which is a MUST…..because most children go to tuition classes after school hours. A parent who is educated enough to teach his/her own child should not send them for tuitions and parents who require to send their children for tuition classes must take care to provide the child with entertainment time too. A child needs to play as much as he/she needs to study. Let us provide them a happy and balanced childhood.

- Barnali Sen

I would like to thank EII for giving us parents and teachers an opportunity to share our thoughts. It is a great pleasure to read all the posts.

The Guru-Shishya Relationship
The relationship between a teacher and a student is a pious one. To learn anything in life we need a teacher/Master/Guru who can show us the path. A Guru is one who is enlightened and a shishya is the lamp to be lighted. Without the knowledge and the teachings of the teacher we would be hapless about most things in life. We do learn by our mistakes and our survival instincts but learning through a teacher is a more thorough process…..moreover, there are many subjects that are completely unfathomable/inexplicable without the teacher’s guidance. A teacher keeps the ability to make or break a student. It is the duty of the teacher to nourish the growth of the student and ensure that learning becomes a process where the student enjoys the path, not just the reward. And the duty of the student is to have unfaltering faith in the teachings of the master. A guru/shishya relation is not limited to age….as life is a learning process, it is continuous.

Teaching Children
When it comes to teaching children, it is very important that teachers understand the basic nature of the child; is sensitive to their individual needs; know their family background by interacting with their ward’s parents and through interactive sessions. Encouragement, appreciation, persistence, perseverance, faith, disciplining, passion, expectation, involvement and making learning a happy process is what should make teachers click. We all love to remember those teachers who encouraged us and had faith in us to excel. A child looks up to the teacher who takes the place of a mother or a father as a mentor. A blind faith and belief that the teacher knows the best and knows everything is what helps a child want to learn from a teacher. It is often seen that a child really put in an effort to learn when taught by a teacher rather than by his own parents. It is because he believes that his teacher is the most knowledgeable.

From time immemorial the place of the Guru is even greater than the Lord himself….as the saying goes…

“Guru Govind do kharein, kake lagoon paye;

Balihari Guru aapne, jin Govind diyo batayen.”

Meaning, Guru(Teacher) and Govind(the Lord Almighty) are both standing in front of me; I am in a dilemma as to whose feet I should touch first. Then I reason out that I would touch my Guru’s feet first because he was the one who enlightened me about Govind. Without his teachings I would never have known or recognized the Lord.

These words are so beautifully woven and so explicit. So, the relation between the teacher and the student is a very pious one.