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| Principal, Fr. Avin Carvalho, speaks to parents. |
-Brian Mendonca
I was inspired by the way Fr. Avin, Principal of Don Bosco High School, Panjim, spoke this morning. After dropping off Dwayne and the kids I was ushered by the silence into the oratory where Fr. was to address us.
The vast expanse of the oratory made me feel very much at home. It reminded me of my school days in Don Bosco, Matunga, where I was a boarder till 1981. And now Dwayne (12) takes the baton from me,
Father began with a prayer. He told the assembled parents - sitting gamely on the stands - that the (academic) year had come to an end. Till then I had not realized it. I was grateful for the time and space Father gave to interact with the parents of Class 6.
Father thanked God for keeping us safe this year. Returning from the COVID years was difficult, he said, but the students -specially the younger ones - were doing well.
With the holidays on the horizon, he urged the parents to get the child involved in some activity. 'Holiday does not mean I sleep at 1 a.m. and get up at 11 the next day.' Across India, kids are doing creative things during the holidays. They come back to school with new ideas and are refreshed,
Every year Don Bosco high school organizes a Summer camp. One could enroll the child in it. The whole month of April stretches before us. Holidays begin from 1 April. (That's not a joke)
Father asked us to listen to our children, 'They may be small, but they have lots to tell you.' They are still at an age where they can be moulded.
He spoke of the need of monitoring the child. A parent needs to be aware of what the child does when he is away, where he goes, what he does. 'Attend tuitions with the child sometimes, so you get to know who are the students with him.' Very often the child picks up things in the company of boys in the bus or elsewhere.
Parents should be open to friendly criticism of their child. One should not react angrily to something which may be true of the child.
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