An inspirational story

joanlawson

Hi

I read this today about a 12-year-old girl in India who is teaching the other children in her village. That is their only way of learning, and it is a sad thought that 10 million children in India do not receive any education because their families are too poor.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article7100868.ece

This young girl is a real inspiration, and I wish education was as highly valued by some of the children in this country.

Joan

mellman01

Hi Joan it's crazy that there is so much money in the world but not enough to help those who try and help others like this kid, India is a super economy yet the still have total poverty in a lot of areas, I try and inspire my daughter to work hard at school and use these personal experiences to try inpress on her how lucky she is, at least she has the chance to learn, sometimes I think it falls on deaf ears!. :roll:

trisher

Hi Joan

What a brave little girl she is.

She walks all that way to school and back just to be educated. She pusher fear to one side as well.

When she comes home, she tries to teach other children what she has learned. To read that her father supports her and will not push her into an early marriage is one of the best ideas as well.

I do hope she continues to receive a good education and can choose what she would like to achieve as she gets older.

Trish

annie_mial

I'm glad, too, that her father is supporting her - as my father did me 50 years ago.

I hope she makes a wonderful future for herself.

Annie

ninakang

I always quote stuff like this to our girls - but for a tiny twist of fate, we were all born into a country where education is free and everyone has a right to have food and somewhere to live.

I'm also fortunate enough to have a dad who, in 1969 when my brother was 6 months old, left him and my mum in India and followed his brother to England to seek a better life. The part of India where my parents are from is beautiful, but very poor, much like this. He couldn't speak English and was illiterate but he took a chance to give his family a better life.

I'll never forget what my parents did, it was very hard for them to come to a new country, not knowing the language and find work and live here.

Sorry for rambling, but stories like this are a bit close to home for me, especially when we go back to India and see what our lives could have been like.

Nx

joanlawson

Hi Nina

It is interesting to hear about your Dad. He was courageous to leave India to make a better life for his family. You must feel very proud of him.

I don't know what is going wrong in this country. I just read this:

Around 67,000 school pupils are skipping lessons every day, according to government truancy statistics

That's a huge number of pupils playing truant every day, isn't it?

frogmorton

[I'm also fortunate enough to have a dad who, in 1969 when my brother was 6 months old, left him and my mum in India and followed his brother to England to seek a better life. The part of India where my parents are from is beautiful, but very poor, much like this. He couldn't speak English and was illiterate but he took a chance to give his family a better life.

I'll never forget what my parents did, it was very hard for them to come to a new country, not knowing the language and find work and live here.


Hi Nina

I am sure you a very proud of your Dad and rightly so too.

I too have a story a bit like this - my Dad came to this country in 1956 from Hungary and had lots of problems - no english spoken and met my Mum - otherwise we wouldnt be here either. It was the Hungarian uprising and he escaped via austria.

He bought a house in Essex on a 100% morgage (in1967) and had it paid off by 1976. Those values stay with you dont they?

Love

Toni xx

ninakang

Hiya

Yes, I'm very proud of my parents, it's easy to forget sometimes just what sacrifices they made, leaving their families behind and their homes and lives back there. They worked really hard to get where they are today and are an inspiration to us all. I can see why you feel the same, Toni, too.

It's shocking when I read about kids who skive off school - who is letting them miss so many days? When did parents stop caring about what their kids become in later life? I agree with Del that it's the collapse of the extended family - people are so isolated in their own homes now. Also, others daren't criticise peoples' children anymore, it's not the done thing. I clearly remember getting told off or the odd clout from neighbours when we were younger and my parents were more likely to give us another clout then go and have a go at the neighbour!

Nx

frogmorton

Nina

You are right - i think we have gone a tad the wrong way with our kids....they have what they want when they want and their opinions seem to be more valid than adults'.

Oooh! Sorry!

Not wanting to be nasty and i dont want to go back to teh days when children were seen and not heard, but now - we seem to be actually SCARED of kids!!

Love

Toni xx

Ps I too remeber many a clip round the ears

ninakang

Toni

I still GET a clip round the ear for cheek - in front of my kids too! I remember my neice telling me she'd fallen out with her parents (she was 16 at the time) and saying she'd been told off, but she was an adult and could do what she liked. They were having all kinds of trouble with her. It took us all sitting her down and explaining that whether or not she agreed with her parents, they had her best interests at heart and everyone feels the same at that age. I also pointed out to her that I still get told off by my parents.

It's hard when you're a child to see what's best for you sometimes, which is why I agree that we shouldn't just be giving kids whatever they want, when they want it. When I bought a new computer, my eldest got our old laptop. She did ask for a new one, but I said that was the best we could give her and she should save up for a better one if it wasn't good enough :-) There's too many parents out there who would have bought a new one, in my humble opinion!

Nx

frogmorton

OUCH!!

Nina's had a thick ear!!

I dont get one any more as both my parents are gone....but no way would I have back-chatted them ever!!!

A lot wojuld have given them their own computer yes a notebook probably - how are they to get values if not through us? I find we are fighting an uphill battle though when 'everyone else' has one!!

Love

Toni xx

joanlawson

A lot of it due to the breakdown of the extended family and the rise of the nuclear family and single mums and dads. Where both parents are working they have no control over what their progeny are doing. I would imagine that quite a few of those marked as absent have been taken out of school by their parent(s) for family reasons too.

That's true, but I think some schools are failing children too. If children are offered a poor standard of teaching and discipline, who can blame them for staying away :?:

joanlawson

I too have a story a bit like this - my Dad came to this country in 1956 from Hungary and had lots of problems - no english spoken and met my Mum - otherwise we wouldnt be here either. It was the Hungarian uprising and he escaped via austria.

Hi Toni

Your Dad was very brave to escape the Hungarian uprising. We have a friend who fled Hungary at the same time. He arrived in England, aged 16, and not speaking any English, having left all his family behind. He has been very successful, and made a wonderful life for his family, but I think it took real courage and determination to do that.

Joan