A talk on good parenting was recently organized by Than Hsiang Kindergarten at the Hall of Great Compassion (Da Bei Dian). The speaker was Mr. Tan Kek Chee, a very experienced educator. Mr. Tan, a retired headmaster and trainer, was the Education Inspector in Central Kedah and had conducted KBSR curriculum training courses throughout Malaysia. He visited Beijing and Xia Men to survey their Preschool Education there and attended children counseling courses in Taiwan. Recently, Mr. Tan organized a training course for the teachers of Than Hsiang Kindergarten.

In his opening address, Mr. Tan said that learning is fun and is a life long educational process. Mr. Tan emphasized that teaching is important but knowing the correct method of teaching is more important. For children, learning is important but knowing the correct method of learning is more important. Children, taught by using the correct method, will absorb the correct method of learning and will develop positive learning attitude, which will take them very far in life.

According to Mr. Tan, it takes the cooperation of both parents and teachers to see that the children develop a positive learning attitude. He said that the enlightened educational process had been abandoned in Malaysia. Nowadays, most parents have the idea that proper education meant doing plenty of homework, when actually, kindergarten is mainly about play and games and not examination.

Mr. Tan stressed that education should be taught in a creative manner and not simply follow old stereotype methods. He demonstrated this by asking five teachers to walk from one side of the hall to the other side by different methods of ambulation. One teacher hopped across, another skipped her way over, while two teachers went hand-in-hand, and the last just simply walked. Similarly if these five teachers were to use five different ways to teach, the education of the children could be very creatively done.

Mr. Tan showed the parents the correct way for their children to hold a pen or pencil. He told them that w hen a child is forced to hold a pencil at an early age between two to six years of age, it was important that the children learn the correct method as their bone structure was still under-developed and if the children were to do it the wrong way, it would affect the development of the fingers and the child would make this error through out his or her life.

Parents tend to have a high expectation of their children and put a lot of pressure on their children by sending them to learn a lot of skills like dancing, drawing, music and so on. Mr. Tan informed that research had shown 13% of this pressure came from parents, school teachers and tuition teachers.

Here are some ways by which parents could show their love for their children:

* Everyday tell them you love them.
* Greet them each morning, afternoon and evening.
* Thank them for whatever little things they do to help.
* When the children are naughty, talk softly to them; don't scold them with harsh words.
* Praise their good action and attitude.
* Let them listen to music.