The learning environment of children is important in the development of the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual aspects of a child because his initial behaviour will reflect on what is his or her environment inside and outside their homes. More often than not, children tend to listen more to the teachings of people in their neighbourhood. Time and again, the said fact has been proven in numerous instances in the past or event in the present times.
It has been observed that children, most of the time, do not actually listen to the advises of their parents or their older brothers and sisters but when it is their grandparents, uncles, aunties or even neighbors who give similar pieces of reminders to them, they tend to listen and immediately attend to their errands in case they are being asked to do something for their own good.
Children or those who have reached the age of maturity should remember that what is being advised to them by their parents, older brothers and sisters, aunties, uncles or even grandparents are actually for their own good but what is puzzling to note is that they do not listen to them. Instead, they prefer that the ones giving the advise are those who are outside their homes who actually give them the same messages or reminders for them to do good school, study hard and strive for the best.
We do not also discount the fact that a good learning environment of a child inside and outside his or her home result to well behaved adults while a bad environment results to children being undisciplined and often times are the problems of not only their families but also the community where he or she belongs. It has been an age-old practice for adults to be the initial teachers of a child before entering formal education that is why once a child enters school, his initial behaviour and attitude is derived from the community where he or she comes from.
For us who were able to pass through a good learning environment from the community where we came from, let us pass on the good practice that we were able to derive from our older brothers and sisters by being willing teachers of young children in our neighbourhood. Let us not allow the younger generations to lose track of our good manners and right conduct because we did not only learn those from the school but we were taught that way at a young age, thus, we learned to show respect to those who are older than us, we learned to greet everyone we meet on our way, we pray before we eat, go to sleep and wake up among other simple things that matters to us and in our everyday life.
Certainly, the environment of a child reflects the behaviour of the person inside and outside the community.
By Rico B. Tayne
