Do children have freedom of choice in their education at all? Children start their lives in schools where they learn all kinds of predetermined subjects like languages, math and science. A general syllabus is usually applied for most students till middle school or in some countries high school.
By selecting only the subjects they like, students can narrow down their choices and be more focused on getting better at what they chose. This will lead to an exponential improvement as they can spend more energy on their subjects of interest rather than wasting time in classes they dislike. On the flip side, will children be limited or not as well-rounded if they were to pick only the subjects that they like?
Why We Should Give Children Freedom of Choice in Their Own Subjects
Interest Drives Effort to Practice
Developing a habit or skill takes time and a lot of practice. Giving children the freedom of choice to pick the skill they want to practice is an encouragement to follow their passion. When a child has a will to learn, they are more keen to spend more time practicing.
Though parents may think they know better than their kids, kids can sometimes surprise them. Traditionally, computers are associated with fun and games. Parents used to discourage children from spending too much time in front of the screen. Nowadays, we can find youngsters emerging with careers as full-time gamers without completing a conventional education pathway.
Having an education does not guarantee success, learning the right skills do. Take a football player for example, they would need to be really specialized at their skills to make it in the industry. Some are so successful that they are set for life at an early age. Imagine how different it would be for any of the football stars if their parents didn’t support their choice to play.
A parent or a teacher takes up a role as a guide and gives children insight before making a choice. By limiting a child’s freedom of choice, the world may not see what he or she is actually capable of. What children like may just be what will help them make a living and live happily. Isn’t that what most parents wish for their child?
Promotes Empowerment to Make Choices
Having the freedom of choice doesn’t necessarily mean being good at making choices, or at least feel confident doing so. Having an adult who respects your decision as a child can be very empowering. It helps the child to be more reliant on their own instincts. Of course not all of their choices will lead to an ideal outcome, but hey we make bad choices as adults too!
Whether it is to make a choice to learn something for 12 weeks or to marry someone, a person has a lot to think about. To be able to make sound decisions for a person’s own life is a skill one has to develop. So why not start young?
Learn to be Responsible for Own Choice
After making a choice, one must always expect a consequence to follow. It is inevitable to have consequences and a person will need to learn to deal with it whether they like it or not. A child who learns earlier on to take ownership of their choice gets to learn to be responsible from a young age. It is important that children learn to take credit or own up to what they did. Making mistakes is part of growing up so children must learn to admit if they are at fault and learn from their mistakes.
Learn to be Independent
As children become more responsible for their own decisions, they grow to be independent. In Japan, the government pays a lot of attention to the education sector especially in early childhood. Children are given much freedom of choice and many opportunities to learn in a safe environment.
Independent children of Japan learnt to deal with many daily activities from a young age. It is difficult for parents from every part of the world to let their children walk on the streets alone. However, helping children learn to choose would be one step closer to helping them learn independence.
Why We Should Not Limit Children’s Freedom of Choice in Their Own Subjects
Learn to Do Things Despite Being Uncomfortable
In life, not everything will go the way we want or plan. Limiting children’s freedom of choice in school subjects will allow them to try subjects despite their will. Though there will be unwillingness or reluctance to participate in the beginning, a child may start to develop sparks of interest in a subject. Even though they may not like the subject per se, they may enjoy being in that class due to the company of their classmates! At times if given a chance, a child may change his or her prejudice about a subject and find themselves excelling in it. This experience, if performed often, will give a child a taste of adulthood. Adulthood is an unending phase where we don’t necessarily enjoy everything we are required to do. A person has to learn to move forward and find the little good things that make life better despite being uncomfortable or unhappy.
Children May Not Know Better if Given Freedom of Choice
Children should not be given the freedom of choice especially at a young age. This is because they probably don’t even know what these subjects are about. Since they are not even exposed to the subject, they can’t make a sound decision early on. Parents and teachers would need to step in to determine what they should learn until children start to be aware of their wants.
Furthermore just because children already know what they want, doesn’t mean it would benefit them long term. They might change their mind and regret their choice halfway through their education. There’s no fault in that, but imagine how much time they would save if they got a second opinion while choosing. Though parents may not know everything, they would have a better idea of how the world is like.
Children May Not Know Better if Given Freedom of Choice
Children are like knowledge and habit sponges. They absorb what is taught very quickly and efficiently. It is better to expose children to a diverse set of subjects in the beginning of their schooling rather than limiting them. Learning an extra language or subject may be what may propel a child further later in their career. They can communicate more if they learn more languages. They could even have more topics in common to discuss with their future colleagues. Giving children a good foundation early on is important. Plus they don’t have to worry about a mortgage or bill so what’s stopping them?
How a Parent Can Support their Child’s Decision
Being a parent isn’t easy but the journey can be very rewarding. One of the most challenging things about being a parent is knowing what exactly is their child’s needs. Children have different ways of communicating, and not all of them are verbal. It would be easy for them to tell you exactly what they need but that’s not always the case.
As adults, parents are responsible for the awareness of body language or cues that their children give off. It may be difficult for a child to articulate if they feel pain but it is a dead giveaway if they cry. Non verbal cues like being lazy or being unusually lethargic are cues that they do not enjoy something. Body language or facial expressions of happiness and joy are affirmation that they should keep doing what they do.
Parents should be open minded. The child they gave birth to is made up of their DNA but they may not think or want the same things as their parents. A parent should treat the child as an individual and respect their likes and dislikes. Always calm down before passing judgment or get agitated towards the actions of a child.
Children usually look for affection and approval from their parents so they would probably do anything to win over their parents. A parent may not notice but their actions and choices could affect how their children think. By insisting, a parent will already influence the path that the child takes. What a parent can do is to sit down and ask the child. If the child is unsure, then the parent could step up and decide.
Final Remarks
Having the freedom of choice and picking a wrong subject in school will not be the end of the world. However, more often than not parents do know better. Much of parents’ input, guidance and support will be necessary for a child to succeed in school. Parents must learn to figure out the degree of freedom each child needs in their education. Every kid is different which makes it difficult for parents to be sure of what they need.
A child’s freedom of choice is completely up to their parents. As parents, one only wishes for the best to happen to their children. The decision is really up to the parents to determine what their children can develop under their care. The world is a harsh place, everyone is doing their best to prepare their children to face it when the time comes.
