Before delving into the range of
matters in which children need to grow, let us shed some light on the role of
parents in early learning.
‘A current trend is for young
children to learn more and more about the world in which they live from people outside
their own family in environments theoretically prepared for teaching and
learning’ (Raymond Moore, et al, “School can wait”, 1979). Moore wrote this
more than three decades ago and we can see how much children are learning from
television and the internet while parents are away.
A child relates to people and to
the world mostly through interaction with parents or parent-figures. It is this
relationship that enables the child to define him or herself as an individual
separate yet united to others by bond of family or community. This relationship
and quality of care have a tremendous influence on learning from birth and into
the school years. It is this affectional bond that gives rise to stability in a
child’s life in the face of an uncertain future. I recall by asked by an elderly
lady in East of England (in 2008) what kept me motivated and cheerful. Without
thinking very much, I told her it was the thought that I have parents I can
depend on and with whom I share communion in sharing family meals and
celebrations.
In order for parents to ensure a
positive environment and motivation for their child’s learning, the first
responsibility of parents is to understand their own relationship to their
children and their children’s developmental needs. Parents can be helped to make a contribution
as their children’s earliest teachers. This blog, by a father-to-be and educator
has been started to meet this need.
Of course parents will not be
able to teach children all they need to cope in today’s technological culture,
but they offer a very useful foundation.
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