Inculcating a sense of responsibility in kids.

We often use the word responsibility in our daily life. The word comes with a sense of heaviness, burden, weight. But do we really reflect on its meaning? The word responsibility can be split into two parts 'response' and 'ability' i.e. the ability to respond to a situation. So, the next question is how do we respond, when do we respond or need to respond? What would be the consequences if one doesn't respond to the situation? A child would feel agitated, ignored, frustrated if a parent would not respond to him/ her or a teacher feel frustrated when a student doesn't deliver the task at hand. Responsibility therefore is a crucial aspect and we have many situations that we have to respond to in our daily life that determine how successfully we fulfill our roles as parents, teachers, citizens, etc.

Responsibility starts at a young age. Here are aspects that contribute to one's sense ofresponsibility.

1. Independence- When a child learns to eat by herself or groom himself, the child is taking the first step towards independence by taking care of self or by cleaning his dish or watering the plant the child is taking care of the environment. The child feels a certain call, a sense of responsibility. Now as an educator you may wonder but this is the parent's job. The child must learn the responsibilities at home and merely fulfill the expectations at school, but we cannot be farther from the truth!
   A teacher plays a major role in inculcating a sense of responsibility in her/ his students. A teacher must empower the child by allowing the child to do things by himself and must be patient. Creating a culture of responsibility needs preparation and the right kind of environment. Are we allowing our early years students to eat food by themselves and put their plates in a dirty dish rack by themselves? Can they wash their hands by themselves, pour drinking water from a jug into a glass? Younger children can learn much from such situations that require them to respond appropriately. The teacher can make small changes to allow more opportunities for independence. Independence is liberating and leads to extending one's scope outside oneself and reaching out or responding to others. When one lacks a strong sense of self one evades responsibility of oneself and others.
2. Confidence and high self-esteem - when a person is confident, calm and feels in control and has a positive self-image one is more likely to take care of oneself or take action. One takes care of how one looks, one acts, behaves more conscientious when one is feeling high on confidence. The student would make sure she does her work, helps her friend, takes part in school activities, has a good relationship with her peers if she feels confident. A teacher therefore must allow a safe space where her students can voice their opinions without shame or guilt. The teacher must be kind and compassionate and gently guide her students and motivate them to learn without using strong judgements or labelling her students. This would also lead to a growth mind-set in her students encouraging hard work, responsive action.
3. General Well-being - when students are happy to come to school or to a classroom or are individuals who are healthy in mind, body and spirit are more likely to be responsible. If a student is mentally upset, emotionally disturbed or physically unable he or she may not be able to fulfill responsibility. A teacher can incorporate mindfulness practices, movement games/sessions, include social-emotional learning (SEL). She can make her teaching and learning more inclusive and differentiated. She can work closely with the pastoral care team as in the case at our school ABWA - a strong case in point with regards to its focus on wellbeing of their students.
4. Sense of ownership/choice and voice- when students are given choices to choose their topic of interest for learning or using various resources to learn it can be very empowering for students. When students especially in their teenage years feel like they are contributing to something significant, it helps them to ease the turmoil they are going through within. Working on a PBL with a focus on real - life problems would help them greatly in feeling this sense of purpose.
5. Practicing what we preach! A teacher must most importantly model the behavior and be a good example of a responsible individual by taking care of herself/ himself and understanding the various needs of her students social, emotional, mental, academic etc.

In a nutshell we as teachers are an important stakeholder in creating young individuals who are to become future global citizens. Here a few of my favorite Maria Montessori quotes that re-affirm all of the above:

Never help the child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.

To stimulate life, leaving it free, however, to unfold itself- that is the first duty of an educator.

If education is always to be conceived along the same antiquated lines of a mere transmission of knowledge, there is little to be hoped from it in the bettering of man's future. For what is use of transmitting knowledge if the individual's total development lags behind?

Also read,

How to impart leadership skills in school children? Find the best IB schools in Mumbai.

10 life skills to equip your child with. The best schools in Mumbai offer holistic learning.

Seven reasons why developing organizational skills in children is important. How are international schools in Mumbai factoring this in the curriculum?