What does your child do during the crucial period of Grade 8 -10 ?

 Yes Soham tell me about you ?

 I said in a friendly tone to the student sitting infront of me along with his parents.

They had come for career counselling

Soham, a bit of overweight  10^th grader sitting with drooping shoulders seemed to go blank .. he murmured something and looked at his Mom..

His mom began to speak … I signalled her to keep silent

And waited for Soham to speak up …

He was clueless.. couldn’t say anything meaningful.

Then I allowed his mom to speak up.. and she started… “ Soham just  finished his exams and we are confused about what to do next……  

This is almost a daily scene in my coaching room

In India, these days usually most students focus on academics from grade 8th onwards and reduce their co-curricular activities. Many students who were enjoying their multifaceted, vibrant days till grade 7 suddenly or gradually scale down their co-curricular activities owing to more pressure to focus on studies since grade 10 boards are on the anvil (  and this anvil is of 2 years )

Many of them start attending fulltime foundational engineering or medical coaching classes and some their regular tuitions after their schools. And you see , unfortunately in many cases the smile on the handsome and beautiful faces fades away to be replaced by an awkward seriousness – sadness

More Importantly what they miss upon is their profile development or  simply put their personality development.

In this age group what you see is mostly ( of course with some pleasant exceptions)  kids either chitchat with their defined groups of friends or they are on mobiles or gadgets . Whenever they come across any relative or friend of parents, they don’t have much to talk about, rather they shy away in their rooms after answering or ignoring some questions if at all asked to them.

Physical activities with exception of those having some compulsory classes like swimming or cricket or basketball etc is almost reduced to zero.

12-15 years – an age which is about energy, passion, bubbliness, sparkling eyes, hope , active limbs … seems to be completely a thing of distant past..

When this age is about gathering more information about various fields, they actually lack in basic knowledge about career fields like Science / Arts/ Commerce or even general knowledge and skills, soft skills like public speaking, listening skills, team work, problem solving etc seem to be completely out of their zone

 This puts them at an disadvantage when they have to take career related calls like career choice decision, when in grade 11.

I meet such students, daily at least 4-5 for career coaching and when they say I am confused about career choice  ( Actually  90 % of time they don’t speak up easily and their parents say it… )  When I ask what is the confusion ( assuming they know about many fields and are confused what to choose ) what I discover almost daily is 10^th graders are actually ignorant and not confused. They don’t know what are the basic pathways available ahead. So they are ignorant about what to do and how to move ahead…

What they know at the most is because they hate Maths and Physics they should not go for Science and choose commerce or arts  or because they love languages they should go for Arts and so on .

Keeping a basic information of the roads ahead is a necessity and it doesn’t mean you are choosing a particular field by just keeping  yourself updated with information. Most of the times even parents’ awareness isn’t beyond what it was when they were in 11^th or 12^th. Specially with internet at the fingertips it is much easier.

So I urge all parents and students to keep yourself updated with  basic information. It will help your decision making process a lot.

Secondly , focusing solely on academics and coaching classes leads to a lack of overall personality development and affect career decision-making abilities. Therefore, it is important for students to engage in profile-building activities that can help them develop their personality, soft skills, and decision-making abilities. Here are some suggestions for activities that students can focus on during Grade 8, 9, and 10:

1. Participate in extracurricular activities: Students can participate in a variety of extracurricular activities such as sports, arts, music, drama, debate, and other social activities. This will help them develop a well-rounded personality and hone their social and teamwork skills.
2. Volunteer work: Students can volunteer their time at local charities, NGOs, or community events. This will not only give them an opportunity to give back to society but also help them develop empathy, compassion, and leadership skills.
3. Reading: Encourage students to read books on a variety of topics to improve their general knowledge and critical thinking skills. They can also join book clubs or discussion groups to share their perspectives and ideas.
4. Online courses: Students can take online courses on a variety of topics to expand their knowledge and skills. This can include courses on soft skills like public speaking, communication, and leadership.
5. Internships: Students can explore internships or apprenticeships in fields they are interested in. This will give them a chance to gain practical experience and exposure to different careers.
6. Travel: Encourage students to travel and explore new places. This will help them gain exposure to different cultures, languages, and perspectives, and also help them develop independence and adaptability.
7. Self-reflection: Encourage students to take some time to reflect on their interests, values, and skills. This will help them understand their strengths and weaknesses and make more informed career decisions.

Overall, engaging in these activities will help students develop a well-rounded personality, gain exposure to different career options, and build the soft skills necessary for success in their future careers.

It may be noted that your talent will open roads for you but your personality will decide how far you would travel.  Personality development is a lengthy process and hence should begin at an early stage and should never stop .

 Let me know if you liked this piece

 

Warm regards

Avinaash Deshmukh

 

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