Parents of Schoolgoers  Discussion Forum

“My son has been getting 95 marks since class 1, but I know something is lacking in his life.” – a mother in a mega-city. “My daughter is all-rounder, good in education & sports but still she is not so confident” – a father in an upcoming township in south India.

Our education system focuses on kids to study hard to get “good marks” in sports we look for “winning medals”, but is it all to make a person complete?? Life is much beyond this dispassionate competition.

Some questions to be asked to ourselves - Are you winning or losing at the game of life? Would you like to be living a more extraordinary life? If so, then you will want to learn more about the basic skills you need to succeed in life.

Unfortunately, most of us missed out on learning a few of the essential skills we need to win at the game of life, as no one felt it was necessary in school or at home. So take a moment and think about the skills you need to thrive in a modern world.

What skills do you need to be able to make all of your dreams come true? What do you need to know, how to do to find your dream work and succeed at it? I have made an attempt to capture some of them:

Self Knowledge Skills

To know who you are, who you can become, where you belong and how you can excel in life.
To know what your life purpose is and the things that creates meaning and brings joy into your life.
To understand the challenges, opportunities, and obstacles in each life stage and be able to maximize the benefits each brings to you.

Work Skills

To know how the business world works as defined by the worldwide market, global economics, industry dynamics, company structures, hiring practices and career paths.
To be an intelligent, productive, hard working and ethical employee or employer.
To not only be self sustainable, but to earn a good living -- enough to be able to provide adequate food, shelter, clothing, education and medical care for you and your loved ones.
To have a larger purpose in life

Managing Money Skills

To not only be able to do simple math, but handle money, budget, spend and save wisely.
Appreciate importance of money and know “how much is adequate for me & my family” and what I can do something for the larger purpose in society.

Problem Solving Skills

To be able to think deeply and critically about problems. Specifically, to recognize the symptoms, trace them to the root of the problem, name it, identify and evaluate possible solutions, select the appropriate solution and implement it.
To know how the world works as defined by mathematical formulas and other representations of cause and effect in the physical world.
To be able to identify obstacles, understand their impact and significance, and know how to overcome them or go around them.
Communication Skills
To not only be able to read well, but be literate in all the best examples of the written word so you can spot common themes and think about universal ideas.
To be able to not only write, but communicate well with others about your thoughts, feelings, ideas, opinions, tastes, preferences, values and beliefs.
Relationship Skills
To get along with others, respect their individuality and strengths, as well as understand their areas of improvement and needs.
To be able to form friendships, alliances, temporary teams, study groups, and negotiate the world of cliques and social hierarchies.
To be able to listen to, understand, respect, and follow authorities as well as undertake leadership roles and use power wisely.
To be a thoughtful and informed citizen who votes, pays taxes, obeys the laws, participates in helping the community thrive and serves to protect and defend the rights and life of others.
To be a considerate, compassionate and responsible home owner, neighbor and community member.
To be a kind, loving and supportive family member.
To find and connect with another person and commit your heart, head and resources to nurture and champion their dreams -- and have them do the same to you.
To treat people with humility
Living Skills
To be able to observe the world, reason, and draw accurate and rational conclusions.
To understand how to live a healthy life and make life-fulfilling decisions about food, physical exercise, sleep, and the way you use your life energy.
To learn about the chain of consequences that flow from both small and large actions and to take responsibility for both your actions and all their consequences.
To be able to navigate the world around you and be able to travel safely where ever you need to go.
To be mindful of our behavior in public – while driving, talking, walking, dressing, eating, writing, using public property, behaving with elders and many more
To understand the major life decisions you face and know how to make good choices based on your current situation and future possibilities.
To understand civic rules – driving on road, behaving while talking, walking, playing
To understand universal life themes and how to turn them from abstract concepts into concrete actions. These include ... justice, freedom, honor, integrity, respect, fairness, ethics, love, jealously, joy, and greed.
We hope this evolving list helps spark ideas and insights. You can create your own list and take appropriate actions to work on them. It’s never late. You can help your kids to create their own list and guide them how they can achieve what they wish to. The priority of the above factors may be different for different people and may vary at different stages, but what we are talking are “Basic Life Skills” The challenge is that none of us are also trained on these skills, though many of us have learnt it by experience. So let’s start slowly and learn together with our kids (please don’t try to teach – let them learn! ) .


-Puneet Rathi
Founder
Atmachetna


hamsapriya replied. your article rightly points out what is neede for the holistic development of a child thhough many of us are aware ofit , we also know for sure that our schools are nowhere near to inculcating it in our children . so it is hopin gfor the best in the situation available to us