A Holistic Mode Of Educating Children

Inspired by my reading of Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo, my project studied the slums of India with a focus on culture, education, and economics. I interviewed women, children, professors, teachers, visitors to the country and international students. I collected data regarding their experiences with education, clashes with cultural traditions, and how education affects their socioeconomic status, and this project would prove to be instrumental in helping me figure out my passion. The poverty that I witnessed, such as children without clothes or shoes digging through the garbage for food, made me wish I had the power to help them. After I was done with my study I was left with the question of what to do next. I then realized that I needed to come back home and arm myself with the necessary tools to serve my community.

Barack Obama once said “The future must not belong to those who bully women. It must be shaped by girls who go to school and those who stand for a world where our daughters can live their dreams just like our sons.” This message is not only relevant in the United States. In fact, it has even stronger meaning in Africa. In Sub-Saharan Africa, more than 28 million girls are out of school (Camfed). It is important to raise awareness of the lack of education for girls in Africa because educated women are healthier, educated women can raise a country’s gross domestic product, and educated women can advocate for themselves.

Technology has changed! In high school over the last fifty years there was no computers, smart phones, or even tablets. Today we have many different types of technology: computers, laptops, tablets, smart phones, smart watches, smart televisions, smart boards, microwaves, etc. Most of the technology that we have is used in the classroom. According to the article, “In the Future, Diverse Approaches to Schooling” the author described the different types of schools Conventional, Online, Hybrid, and Broker of Instructional Experiences. Also in the article, “The Role of Technical Education”, the author described students going to a vocational school to learn hands on training. While some differences between technology in the past and technology in the present are noticeable, the similarities are pronounced.

Last Decade governments and high ranking officials from across the globe came together under the magnanimous principles of The Universal Declaration of Human rights giving birth to the millennium development goals.The 8 goals and 21 targets capture ambitious promises such as eradicating poverty and hunger and achieving universal primary education by 2015. (UN.org) Yet with just a few months away from the deadline this historic chapter will close in tragedy.The setting for this tragic tale is Sub-Saharan Africa where 50 million children and youth still remain out-of-school.Despite extraordinary progress in enrollment stark disparities still remain. Poor children across the region are victims of an insidious “lottery of life” where the family they are born into means everything and nothing. (efa governance matters)For a poor child born into poverty the chances of that child finishing school once they start are slim, and if that child happens to be female she can only dream of what it’s like inside a classroom. Experts have declared Africa’s education crisis a state of emergency as dangerously low completion rates, and poor learning achievement have left an indelible stain on educational goals. Africa’s education crisis is a result strong socio-economic and cultural barriers which have created major stumbling blocks in both access to education and learning outcomes.Consequently millions of of children and youth are being robbed of their futures.

Due to poverty, children’s social skills are limited as parents do not always have the time to have a consistent emotional interactions with their children. Without these interactions, children will have a hard time controlling their emotions and forming healthy relationships with their teachers or peers. Secondly, children will suffer malnutrition and poor health. As family facing poverty, food are scarce. Children does not have proper meal and obtaining the amount of nutrition they needed for daily intake, this will cause the child to be malnutrition and poor health. Mental issues such as sluggish and poor conduct occurred due to hunger and poor health, this could cause a high absenteeism in school and limits a child ability in class. According to the Children’s Commission on Poverty, more than 70 percent of family said that they have struggled with the cost of school and 51 percent of family said they had cut back on clothing, food and many more to afford school cost. As some parents could not afford their child’s uniform and school, the child either have to wear an old worn out uniform to school and missed out educational school trips as they are expensive to be afforded by the parents, this could cause the child to feel isolated by his peers as he is not able to be on par with

Africa: a continent that has gone through many hardships, but still is home to some of the strongest people, strongest morals, and strongest beliefs. Africa has been tested with so many trials, is strewn with poverty, and has been put through countless tribulations, but somehow manages to overcome all of it. The authors of these stories analyze these trials and how they overcame them. These stories showcase how Africa upholds well-armored values throughout their trials by examining their actions when fought with separation, exploring their strong religious beliefs, and analyzing how they value a better future. Africa was a separated, un-unified place, but valued, wanted, and acted to abolish this disunion.

Having an Education is taken for granted in industrialized countries. Education is a powerful thing in this world, and its value severely underestimated in our society. The essay “Kaffir Boy” by Mark Mathabane is a very well written piece that clearly outlines the value of education. The essay discussed a few points that are important for students to understand. The author gives examples of what happens to many of the people who don't get the opportunity to attend school. He touches on what having even a basic education can do for you in the long run and how it improves the quality of life. The sad truth of the matter, is that many people do not get the opportunity to go to school and many who do need to work for it.”Kaffir Boy” is a great piece for students to read, not just because it proves that essays do not have to be boring, but mainly because it helps to put school into perspective for students who take it for granted.

As a child, living in a developing country brought me closer to some of the stark realities of life. The existence of a village right across a posh locality as mine was a constant reminder of the presence of rampant inequality in the economy. Having seen child labor firsthand, I was made aware of the desperation, miserliness and suffering of the poor. A deep sense of pity would run through me whenever I would come across someone belonging to a less privileged section of the society. However, wanting to do more in the benefit of the impoverished, then, I could only sympathize.

Throughout his paper, Tooley shows problems that the public schools of Africa have. (Tooley 9) He shows the first problem by saying, “An estimated 40 million primary-school-age children in sub-Saharan Africa are not in school and in half of the countries less than 60% finish the full course of schooling.” (Tooley 9) Afterward, He gives the quote, “The United

All practitioners that come into contact with children and young people share a statutory responsibility of safeguarding also promoting welfare, regardless of the individual’s role. In order for practitioners and organisations to work together effectively, they should be aware of the role they play in the area of safeguarding children and young people. According to the Department of Education “safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility” Department of Education (2016)

Many opportunities are not present in terms of equality when schooling is the topic. An instance of a lack of similar chances can be identified between the high and low-class populations of different countries such as Nigeria or the Congo. These countries are rarely able to provide a consistently adequate learning system, leading to an insufficiency of attaining

Children in poor countries do not attend school unless they are the sire of wealthy parents, thus sealing their fate as impoverished individuals. In many countries no child labor laws exist and therefore a child is seen as a productive worker. Often these children work as many hours as an adult. In all fairness the harshness of life in many countries dictates that having one’s children educated is a luxury they can not afford even if state funded schools exist. The family contribution theory extends even to the children.

Verbal and physical abuse, a lack of sanitation, and long distances between home and school can all make schooling a hazardous experience and deter parents from sending their daughters to school. Also, poverty is a big issue for families to afford to send their daughters to school. In many societies, girls are not expected to make economic contributions to their families. For that reason, families prefer sending their son to school rather than girls. Moreover, girls are seen as relatively transitory assets, meaning not worthy of long-term investment as they leave their parents’ household upon marriage. A vicious cycle is thereby created. In these societies, girls are believed to be less worthy of education so they receive less.

“UNICEF Pleads For African Children Educational Rights.” Africa News Service, 20 Sept. 1999, p. 1008260u3868. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Accessed 8 Feb. 2017. Print.

This reading discusses inexcusable absences regarding minority girls in undeveloped countries. It suggests strategies on how to get the girls in school and ideas on how to help them succeed, while attaining a proper education. In addition to supplying strategies for getting girls into tradition schools in their countries, the reading also provides ideas on alternative schooling. The two themes constructed while reading this chapter are the power of tradition and change verses tradition.