A Child is Human
March 20th, 2011 | 
Author: 
Jana* (Could Not Buy Consideration) is only 8 years old. She is in grade 2. She is our regular student in the tutorial center and she comes almost everyday. She is always brought by her overly demanding mother.
We are actually wondering why Jana is always brought to the center as she is smart enough. She doesn’t need a tutor. But her mom usually answers, ‘She got 2 mistakes in her test. I don’t like that. I like a perfect score.’ To that, we have nothing more to say.
As the school year is nearly through. Jana comes every afternoon for a 2-hour tutorial. But one day, the girl spoke in a very weak voice. ‘Mama, I’m so sleepy…’ and indeed, she was. She could barely open her eyes. So, I told the mom that I think Jana needs to rest and to come back next time when the girl is all right. But mom answered ‘No, she’s just acting up..’ (Nag iinarte lang yan.) I turned to our Officer-in-Charge but her look told me to take the girl in. So, I did.
I asked Jana if she is ok and why she is so sleepy. She said she usually wakes up at 4am, her mom teaches her for 30 minutes, then she would prepare to go to school as her class starts at 6am. After her class, she comes to our center for 2-hour tutorial. And after this she goes home to be tutored by her aunt. She would eat dinner and study again until 9pm, then she sleeps. That’s the way it is every day.
I looked at Jana and saw an unhappy, smelly, uncombed and exhausted girl with an inconsiderate mother. I didn’t like what I saw. I went to the faculty room and cried. That was one of those times that I feel helpless and useless. Jana didn’t need us, she needed rest, and we can’t give it to her..
*not real name
Posted in teacher's journal, teaching experience | 
Tags: abused child, domineering mother, non-fiction
I, too, do not understand why some parents are like that. Even though their kids are still very young, yung mga nanay, patay na patay nang maging first honor yung anak nila. It’s good to teach a child good study habits habang maliit pa, but not to the point where the child is too stressed. It can be traumatic and yield negative effects to the child later.
Too bad that Jana’s mother is a perfectionist. She’s the mother type who is usually an underachiever who would want her dreams to be realized through her child. And Jana is suffering from her strict discipline. She is driving her child to the wall until one day the child will just snap and become totally rebellious. Very sad indeed. Even a child deserves a life of her own. Thanks for the post. God bless you all always.
I feel for Jana.
When I was teaching Koreans in a winter camp last January, they were like Jana who studied from day to night with English lessons in the morning and afternoon plus math class in the evening. I saw how exhausted they were everyday and tried as much as to lighten their study time by incorporating games in between our 4 hours of class.
I hope that Jana’s mother would see beyond the grades of her child. Though it might not be evident now, someday this perfectionist attitude of her mother might be the cause of Jana’s rebellion. Jana is just a child and she needs to be exposed to other kids. She needs to have fun.
Thank you for sharing this post. Btw, you have an award from me. Please get it here: http://astoldbykarla.blogspot.com/2011/03/getting-and-giving-award-7-random-facts.html
Kawawa naman ang batang ito noh? Baka naman ung mali nya hindi dahil hindi nya alam, kundi dahil kulang sya sa pahinga
Thanks for visiting my MM entry
Tiger Mother? I do not have enough data to judge the mother on her reasons, but I think you are right and she should let the child relax sometimes.
Kim, I’ll cry too if I was there…
A child needs TLC and playing times!
I feel so sad for the girl. She’s exhausted and stress