Understanding Children Developmental Stages

Parents, teachers be careful before you set a rule! Please kindly observe the children developmental stage, cultural background and social stereotype before do so.

When God gave me the opportunity to teach elementary students in an International School, there were many things I wanted to change immediately. One of them is to make the students speaks only English in the classroom. Almost all the students speaking in their mother tongue and totally ignore the Student Conduct Code they recite every morning: “I will speak only English in the school”

I decided to make a shortcut rule and told them “Children if you speak any other sentence beside English in my class, you will get one mark in your cheek” I said while holding a board marker and let everybody see it.

Soon my rule becomes famous. Most of them paid serious attention, thinking it is fun and in the same way, shameful.

I teach all the way from grade 2 to 6. After sometime I realized that the children at their level perceive the rule differently.

Grade 1 and 2: OBEDIENT

They fervently obey the rule and trying many efforts to communicate in English with me. They are lovely and cute, crowned me to be a proud teacher.

Grade 3 and 4: RULE IS RULE

Basically they still have this sincere obedience but they also give no compromise. When a new little girl later joining our class they wanted the same rule to be applied to her. I was reluctant because she was the only girl, small, quiet and shy. Look like she just knows little English.

The boys, bigger and stronger caught her uttered some non English sentences and demanding me to punish her. This situation reminded me when the crowd demanded Pontius Pilate to crucify Jesus. ):

They also caught me and forced me to cross my own cheek when I, myself failed to speak non-English sentence. They made me to be a confuse teacher, the victim of my own words. LOL.

Grade 5 and 6: REBELION

They deliberately rebel to the rule. When I took action to execute one boy, he refused it. I physically and verbally lost in the battle.

At the other time when I marked a girl, she cried. I came to her and apologized.

This situation paralyzed and nailed my pride. I am a shameful to my own rule. LOL

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The term development refers to how people grow, adapt and change over the course of their lifetimes. Effective teaching strategies must take into account student’s ages and stages development. That is every parent and teacher desire to give maximum impact to their children or student life without losing their own power and control.

Learning about Child Development has been a rewarding moment for me because of my passion for the children education and welfare. Besides, I am also mothering two smart little boys.

Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to you children and to their children after them. (Deut 4:9)

Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children. (Prov 17:6)

Learn more about Children Development:

Child’s developmental Stages

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_development_stages

Child Developmental Tracker

http://www.pbs.org/parents/childdevelopment/

Child Developmental Info

http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/index.htm

Children Developmental Milestone

http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/devmile.htm