Why It Is Wrong For Kids To Their Teachers Auntie or Uncle
Growing up in the eighties and nineties, teachers where
generally addressed as ‘teacher’. And, yes, at some point it was ‘master’ or ‘Mr.
A’ and miss or Mrs. B, as it may have applied, but somewhere along the line all
that vanished. One cannot say for sure when, but this phenomenon fashioned and
championed by, I think, the burgeoning private schools in Nigeria prevailed,
and the dwindling public schools eagerly toed in line as the government establishment
lost its value system.
Animated Graphics Firesale Upsell Pack - PLR
Animated Graphics Firesale Upsell Pack - PLR
It is a subtle, seemingly well-intended gesture that is
quickly translated to respect for elders, but one that realistically amounts to
mis-education in all appropriate senses. How do you make a child call total strangers
‘uncle’ and ‘auntie’ in schools of all places – the very first place where they are expected to be
properly educated?
When you address any individual as such, they must be
related to you by blood or some ‘specific’ way. According to the dictionary, Uncle
is defined as: the brother of one's father or mother or the husband of one's
aunt. And Aunt: the sister of one's
father or mother or the wife of one's uncle.
So, how does a teacher or any random, older individual fit
into this description?
The kids in my compound call the security man ‘uncle’; of
course I ensure my kids do not participate in that absurdity.
Also Read: Ben's Diary
When kids, from pre-nursery, are taught to call their
teachers ‘uncle’ and ‘auntie’ and then your siblings also introduced as such,
at what point in their upbringing do you start to separate the wheat from the
chaff, that’s after terribly confusing the child?
We have been educating our children wrongly, while under the
illusion that we are inculcating respect.
Do you know that when you introduce someone to a child as an
uncle or aunt, you unknowingly make them lower their psychological defenses towards
that individual because they develop some level of attachment or relationship?
Well, we know what happens when kids are rendered prone to strangers.
I do not say your child’s teachers are strangers, but they
are not uncles and aunties either. And maybe you have not noticed that because
your child has been so misguided, they now go on to call every older individual
uncle or auntie. And that is not respect! I’m open to being educated on the
rationale behind this practice.
Also read: A Letter to My Daughter
The teacher does not need a relationship title to properly
educate a child; neither does the child need to feel related to learn; what is
required is proper training for the teacher and such will be applied to tutor
the child. There are so many proven ways to make our kids go about their
growing up in respect of elders without being misled or mis-educated.
For instance, I still remember the respect and love my
English Mistress of over twenty years ago; I didn’t have to call her ‘Auntie’.
When my children talk about some auntie or uncle, I honestly
wish I don’t have to ask: which one?
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