BY EDISON MARTE SICAD
“Going to school is not just about learning the lessons, important they may be. Fundamentally, we send our children to school for them to learn how to make decisions.”
MY ELEMENTARY English class teacher shared to the class that his parents were very strict. After dinner, he has to spend his time in the library studying.
I don’t know why I cannot forget this story. Maybe because I was amazed that there is a library in their house. And that he was so obedient that he can spend his weeknights studying instead of watching TV.
I told myself then that I now have a valid excuse why I cannot study diligently: We don’t have a library at home. Maybe this is the reason why I go to school libraries.
I like the library atmosphere. After lunch in school, when almost all my classmates would decide to run and play around, some shouting and laughing, others chasing each other, I would rather enter the library and feel relax because of its soothing silence. During my student days, I immersed my consciousness at the scholarly imposing silence of a library.
But why do some houses — even of those who have the financial means — do not have a library or study room?
We can argue that there is not enough space. But it could also be just a matter of priority.
Maybe, we have to consider that rigorous study should also be done at home. And to stop treating home studying as a conflict with family time. Of course, family bonding is necessary, but so is serious studying, especially to kids. And parents have the responsibility to create such an environment.
Home library
The family home of Jose Rizal has a library. The family home of the late Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago also has a library. I am suggesting the idea that a home library should be normalized. That it should be an integral home element of Filipino families.
In the old days, it was maybe so much easier to study because there were less distractions. And this could also mean that with the many distractions nowadays, it has become even more necessary to have a home library.
Home entertainment
Due to the busy work schedule of parents, they do deserve some relaxation and unwinding at home. This is mostly done in front of the TV: to indulge in much needed movie time or to continue watching the seasons. This is indeed revitalizing and, in a way, good for the mind so as to maintain our sanity and escape reality for a while.
As an alternative: To arrive home and spend time for dinner. Then to unwind, sitting on your favorite chair in a cozy corner, with a book in hand. Also, as an escape to reality. Page by page, conversing in silence, the children in the library studying (not because there is a quiz but because the goal is to master the lesson).
Discipline and hard work start at home and must also be an expected home behavior.
Unfortunately, it is very rare for modern household members to consider reading a book for entertainment or as a form of leisure.
Learning as home-school collaboration
There is a reason why the school is the second home. It is not only because schools must be like our homes. It is also that homes must be like our schools. Learning must also be seriously considered by parents when their children are at home. The children must be able to see how the school and the home complement as environments conducive for learning. And appreciate that teaching is also a role of the parents as well as of the teachers./PN
