Child at the crossroads

Author: Wang Canming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: Because of their love for play and mischief, naughty children are often criticized at school and home, even subjected to physical punishment, and denied the opportunity for active and free growth. American author Carolyn Orange once angrily accused her teacher, saying, "When I wanted to raise my hand to answer a question, the teacher never called me, but when I was punished for talking, he always made me sit at the desk in front of the classroom. At that time, I felt very helpless. I hate the fact that the teacher always lets the smart students do everything and ignores the existence of others." This is a typical form of exclusion. Behind this exclusion lies a hidden assumption about human nature, that naughty children are inherently "evil," believing that all their behavior is aimed at maximizing personal selfish desires. They are considered naturally lazy, lacking ambition, and irresponsible, so coercive or punitive measures are often used in their education. Practice has shown that these measures not only fail to cultivate talent but alsodemonstrate talent. Therefore, in the cultivation of naughty children, a very important point is to transform educational values. The renowned contemporary educator Alexander Amonashvili believes that mischief is a "manifestation of children's wisdom" and a "precious quality." If a child is not mischievous at all, it means that their inner wisdom and creative potential are dormant and have not been developed. Famous children's literature writer Bing Xin once said, "Naughty boys are good, and mischievous girls are clever." Behind this appreciation lies a completely different assumption about human nature, that naughty children are inherently "good," and their behavior is not aimed at maximizing unreasonable personal needs. They are equally hardworking, ambitious, and law-abiding, so incentive-based educational measures should be adopted. This is a classic story. A mother, because her child took the newly bought gold watch home and dismantled it as a toy, severely beat him and told the story to his teacher. The teacher humorously said, "I'm afraid a Chinese Edison has been shot." Then he further analyzed, "This behavior is an expression of the child's creativity. You shouldn't hit the child; you should liberate their hands and give them the opportunity to practice hands-on skills from a young age." "What should I do now?" The mother, after hearing the teacher's words, felt they were very reasonable. "There is still a way to make up for it," the teacher continued, "You can take the gold watch to a watch shop with your child and let them stand aside to watch the watchmaker repair it. In this way, the watchmaker becomes the teacher, your child becomes the student, and the repair fee becomes the tuition fee, satisfying your child's curiosity." This story took place more than half a century ago, and the teacher in the story was the famous educator Tao Xingzhi. He did not get angry because the child took a valuable gold watch as a "toy" and dismantled it, but instead had sharp insight and discovered the child's precious spirit of inquiry. He believed that if this precious spirit of inquiry could be nurtured, perhaps it could give rise to a "Chinese Edison"! It is clear that he placed great importance on protecting the curiosity of naughty children.