Modern Childhood and Institutions - Essay Example

This study’s focus is to understand the influence that spatiality has in the construction ofmodern childhood and institutions. The study also explains how schools create space for children through various spatial disciplines. Spatiality facilitates people of different races, age groups, gender, language, or religion meeting in one place. The place can be where they interact and carry out similar activities together and can include a Church, school, workplace, or a playground. The space designated for the activities becomes a place where people with common interests gather to fulfill them. The people in that particular space are tasked with determining how the place will be and the set of rules that will govern it. The way that a person adapts to the spatial space depends on that particular individual. One may decide to let the place influence him or her or may be the one to influence the place. Schools have successfully managed to create space for the children through several spatial disciplines. For instance, they have managed to create a learning space for the children. Through this, children gain knowledge on various topics that they would have not attained had they not attended the institution. This is considered as an investment for their future because it is through education that they will have careers and they are encouraged to put plenty of effort to make sure that they succeed (Blundell 2012). Learning can be done in classrooms or any other means that the teacher deems fit. The teachers have a role of encouraging the children to study. Schools have also developed play spaces for children. Children need to relax their minds even though they do not do much. It is unnecessary to strain the brain of a child. They need time off and this is best done by playing. The playing area should be big enough to accommodate the children and allow them to play freely. There should also be a variety of games that the children can be engaged in. The children should always be supervised in the play area. This is because some children may get hurt when playing and it is important for a mature person to always be in charge so as to handle such a case efficiently. Schools also develop spaces that enhance social skills for children. The school environment facilitates the interaction of children from different backgrounds who come together with the aim of gaining education. The children interact and learn different things from each other. Friendships are made as they find it easier to relate with each other. Social skills will help the child to relate easily with friends not only at the schools, but also at home and other play areas. Positive behavior is developed in schools as they provide a space where children are taught how to behave in an acceptable manner acceptable in the society. They are taught how to behave with their friends, family, as well as strangers. It helps a child develop high discipline levels where they learn to do what is right whether someone is watching them or not. They are also taught how to correct their friends if they find their behavior wrong. This discipline will help them in future when they encounter different people (Robinson 2013). Children who engage in unwanted behavior are disciplined and they are told the consequences of their actions. They are told how the behaviour affects those around them, as well as, themselves. Children who have attended schools normally display excellent behavior as compared to those who do not go to school. This is attributed to the presence of teachers who help to guide them and correct them when they go wrong. Those who do not attend school have no one to guide them, and they have no means to know whether their behavior is right or wrong. Respect as a virtue is developed in space created by schools. Children educated on the importance of respecting themselves, their friends, elders, as well as strangers. They learn that you give respect to attain respect. They are encouraged to respect even those that are younger than them. They are encouraged to practice respect everyday and this helps them even in their future life. Children at school start by respecting their teachers because of the position they hold in the society. They know that failure to respect them will lead to disciplinary actions. They should, however, be taught to respect everyone regardless of whether or not they will be punished. Respect is a virtue that helps an individual even in his/her future activities. Schools also help to foster the virtue of sharing, which is a vital skill in life, where children are encouraged to share things with their friends. This is mostly practiced in the playground where children are encouraged to share toys or any play materials. They are taught the value of sharing and are encouraged to practice it even outside school. Schools create space that allows for teamwork. This is done by developing activities that encourage the children to work together as a team. This can be through study groups, during play time or other extracurricular activities. Children are taught how to form groups and work together to produce great results. During playtime, they are advised to form small groups where they work together. During learning, they are encouraged to create groups to deliver the assignments that the teacher may request them to do. Space is also created in schools where the children are taught new skills. This helps them develop skills that they do not know, and would not have developed had they not come to school. Some of the skills are developed in the classrooms where they are taught new ideas or in the playground when they engage in activities that are foreign to them. New skills help the children expand the knowledge of the children. Children tend to be fast learners and they are easy to teach and adapt new skills. It is, therefore, necessary that the teachers ensure the required skills are taught to them before they get tired and lose interest in learning new things. It is through the space created by schools that children develop the ability to manage their time. School schedules different times for different activities. Time is set for learning or playing. This means that the students cannot spend a long time doing the same thing, but the activities are given sufficient time to have an impact on the children. Through this, children are taught that they should develop a sense of time management that will help them manage their time properly, even out of the school’s environment. Schools also create an environment that allows the children to develop their creative and imaginative skills. This is mostly done in art classes where the children are taught how to draw persuaded to employ their imagination to create the perfect art. In writing, the children are encouraged to write essays that help them think out of the ordinary, and develop different characters. The children are helped to identify and develop their talent which would otherwise remain untapped if they stayed at home School spaces pave way for the development of physical skills for children. This is done by having the children actively engaged in physical activities in the play area. These activities include running, playing football, and they help to develop the physical ability of a child. The child manages to do things differently and with confidence. The physical skills may also help a child identify his talent. Spaces created by schools help a student to develop coping mechanisms. This is because they are taken out of their comfort zones which were their home, and are introduced to a new world that they are unfamiliar with. They meet new and different people. It is usually hard for them to adjust to the new surroundings, but with the help of the teachers and constant exposure to the area, they end up feeling comfortable. Some children will even prefer being at school than at home because schools has plenty of fun activities and they have made great friends. This gives them the ability to adapt to any environment they may encounter in their adult life. The skills learnt in their childhood will help them survive and perfectly fit in new environments in any part of the world. Schools help to develop the character and identity of a child. Most children go to school without having a clear understanding of what these institutions represent. The teachers take the role of helping them develop their own characters and have a distinct identity. Although they are taught together and do most of the activities as a group, it is important that they are also encouraged to develop themselves and be unique in their own ways. The child will understand who he or she is and the values he or she upholds. This will help them develop and advance their future character. He or she will also manage to set himself apart from the rest of his friends. Schools create an environment that advocates for self motivation. Through tests that are handed out by teachers, the students manage to understand their performance and work hard to become the best in what they do. It is a great feeling when one leads and teachers try to encourage this. However for the children who do not perform well, the teachers encourage them and are made aware that there is always a chance to perform better. Motivation is also experienced in the playground where the children are involved in activities where they compete with each other. Through these activities, the children gain important skills that will help in their adult lives, when they get careers. They will be motivated to perform activities to the best of their abilities, and this will help them rise in their chosen paths. Schools facilitate self confidence in children. Teachers provide support to the children and encourage them in areas that they think they are poor in. Giving up is not an option given to the children and the teachers utilise all avenues available to ensure that they succeed. Success gives a child confidence to do greater things. Once the children develop the attitude that they can do anything they come into contact with, they will never lose hope. This will in turn reflect in their lives as adults. Children are known to be the best imitators of practices. They grow to be who they have been taught. They believe what they are taught by their teachers, parents or guardians. What they are taught as children is what they believe to be the truth. It is, therefore, a hard task to change their mind to adapt to new lessons. This indicates that a child should be taught well when still young so that they can grow up in the right manner. This will help them socially in their lives where they will have the ability to determine where they would like to be, or who they would want to be with, and how they will perform various activities. On the other hand, even as they age, the children need constant guidance from their caregivers and teachers. This helps to keep them in touch with the values that were instilled in them as children, and prevent them from deviating from the intended path of their lives. Social constructionism aims at modeling the children for who they will be in future. As much as attention is paid to them when they are young, all that is done to ensure that as they mature, they manage to fit and adapt in the society well. Education, for instance aims at developing the child to attain good grades that will help them through their entire school life. After school, they are expected to get good jobs in top organisations that will help them live a comfortable and decent life. Parents spend significant amounts of money to ensure that their children attain high-quality education so that they can find a perfect place to fit in the society. Children are said to be unable to think for themselves and therefore teachers and parents adopt the role of their brain and determine what they should do with their lives (Desai 2010). The society is the major influence to the idea that emphasis should be put on the performance of children and disregards any activities. This is because the society believes that for an individual to be highly viewed in the society, he must have good education and grades, as well as have a good job that is well paying. Individuals have been made to believe that they must be employed for them to be viewed as successful in the society. Anyone that deviates from this path is considered a failure. Pressure is, therefore, put on individuals and in some instances they are forced to do what they do not want, but still does it to please the society. In conclusion, it is clear that spatiality contributes significantly to the development of children. This is through the space created for them in schools that facilitate teamwork, respect, and learning of new skills, among others. These spaces determine how the child grows and the values that he or she upholds in his/her future. It indicates that good values should be nurtured in the child while still young because as they age, it gets more difficult. References Desai, M 2010, A rights based preventative approach for psychosocial well-being in childhood. Springer, New York. Blundell, D 2012, Education and constructions of childhood. Continuum International Publishing Group, London. Robinson, K 2013, Innocence, Knowledge, and the construction of childhood. Routledge, Oxon. Read More