Book Review
Rama Gaind
By Rama Gaind
PS News Books

Educating your child: it’s not rocket science!
   By Dr Kevin Donnelly (Connor Court Publishing, $19.95, softcover, 80 pages)

Parents ensure that their children have the best in life and one of the “most precious” gifts we can give them is a good education.
   As the child’s first teacher, realise that you can’t live their life for them, but you can advise and give guidance and not wrap them up in cotton wool.
   Give children a moral compass that will help them to decide right from wrong, allow them to take risks and make mistakes.  
Educating your child: it’s not rocket science! by Dr Kevin Donnelly.
Educating your child: it’s not rocket
science! by Dr Kevin Donnelly.
    A former teacher with 18 years experience and one of the voices of reason in Australian education, Dr Donnelly says: “A good education will teach your children the difference between right and wrong and how to live and work with others …will help them discover what they are best at and what they most enjoy … will lead to future careers and teach how to gain the most from life”.
   However, education is no longer simple and straightforward as children today are growing up in a very different world to what their parents experienced. New technologies are spreading like “wildfire” and social networking sites are “radically changing the way we communicate”. The benefits are many, but there are imminent dangers too.
   Dr Donnelly, the founder of the Melbourne-based education think-tank Education Standards Institute,   lays down ‘10 commandants’ of do’s and don’ts that will either reinforce general thinking or have people up in arms.
   He says it’s important to say ‘no’ to children and teach them respect and self-control; dinner should be a family affair, at the table, away from televisions, computers electronic readers, game boys; no computers in the bedrooms; and oh, make sure that mobile phone is turned off.
   As every child is different, enjoy and love being a well-meaning parent because there is nothing that will ever equal the experience!
Edition 329, 4 September 2012

To find out more about Rama Gaind click here.
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