The Gap year

 

Oh god! Won't she lose a full year?

How can you let that?

This was the question that people asked me when my daughter decided to leave Kalakshetra and come back home. The idea of joining Kalakshetra and focussing on dance hadn't gone down too well with everyone in the  family.

Now she had the audacity to leave the course! 

The idea of losing a year in an academic career is blasmephous in itself in our country. It's a crime. It's a crying shame

As children grow into their teens it's has been noticed that their thoughts are fiddled.  They lack clarity. This happens because of the way the brains are wired.  

While we expect them to grow smarter and sharper as promised by the multitude of health drinks and the schools campaigns we may not see that happening. This doesn't mean schools didn't do thier job or health drinks didn't work.  Teen brains function like that.

Some teens need that one year gap to just get their thoughts in place. Some are not clear with what they want to do in life.  Some are not clear how they will reach there. Some are not sure what's your role in helping them reach there.

One of the saddest part of parenting is parents usually are the last ones to know of the dreams of their children. 

Being an educator helped me bridge that gap. I knew what my daughter wanted and was ready to support her through it. Or so I thought.  

When she told me kalakshetra was not working for her I was convinced she was not working at it. I tried to motivate her to keep at it . I gave her stories of how all places are similar and problems never can be eliminated and how new places will have new problems.

Finally when all that didn't work I decided to bring her home.

One year gone! Was the reaction of many people.  But I figured an unhappy soul will not learn anything. One year in a long life is not everything.

She came back and joined a school as a pre nursery co teacher. She loved the job so much. The little kids healed her. She was happy ; dancing and teaching. She had more clarity in life now. She wanted to be a dancer and a teacher!  She told me now that she is very clear with what she wants to do.

In my career as a teacher I have met many students who are confused as to what they want to do with thier lives. Parents seem to stuck up with chooses of engineering medicine and commerce. 

There a strong star rating that parents in our country follow when it comes to careers

Five star for engineering and medicine and mba

Four star for commerce

Three star for architecture.dentistry and other semi medical professions

Two star for teaching 

One for preforming arts.

Vocational  Subjects are not even counted. 

This  star rating is so ingrained in our psyche that schools want to cater ot it ao that they can get in the numbers. Parents believe that a good life is possible only with this.

Teachers believe that they are in the teaching profession because they didn't succeed otherwise .

Tuition classes churn out toppers like icecreams in a factory.

In this when a seventeen year old says I am confused and I need time society comes down heavily on her/him.

I am glad mine stood up for herself.  She is today a post graduate in dance and successful teacher, loved by her  students. Most importantly she is happy with her self and has the confidence to take her own decisions.