"Abraham Lincoln’s letter to his son’s teacher"

  "Abraham Lincoln’s letter to his son’s teacher"

He will have to learn, I know, that all men are not just, all men are not true.
But teach him also that for every scoundrel there is a hero;
that for every selfish Politician, there is a dedicated leader…
Teach him for every enemy there is a friend,

Steer him away from envy,

if you can, teach him the secret of quiet laughter.

Let him learn early that the bullies are the easiest to lick…
Teach him, if you can, the wonder of books…
But also give him quiet time to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky,
bees in the sun, and the flowers on a green hillside.

In the school teach him it is far honourable to fail than to cheat…
Teach him to have faith in his own ideas, even if everyone tells him they are wrong…
Teach him to be gentle with gentle people, and tough with the tough.

Try to give my son the strength not to follow the crowd when everyone is getting on the band wagon…
Teach him to listen to all men…
but teach him also to filter all he hears on a screen of truth,
and take only the good that comes through.

Teach him if you can, how to laugh when he is sad…
Teach him there is no shame in tears,

Teach him to scoff at cynics and to beware of too much sweetness…
Teach him to sell his brawn and brain to the highest bidders

but never to put a price-tag on his heart and soul.

Teach him to close his ears to a howling mob and to stand and fight if he thinks he’s right.
Treat him gently, but do not cuddle him, because only the test of fire makes fine steel.

Let him have the courage to be impatient…
let him have the patience to be brave.
Teach him always to have sublime faith in himself,
because then he will have sublime faith in mankind.

This is a big order,
but see what you can do…
He is such a fine little fellow,
my son!

See the faith, this statesman reposed in teaching. This letter was written some 165 yrs back. It will be relevant at all the times & in all the times to come.

Zeal 

Are today's kids turning into couch potatoes ?

Children who watch TV for hours a day or more are less fit and do less in schools. The problem with watching TV is that it is passive . The viewer just sits there for hours without making any physical effort . It doesn't need much mental effort either. All you have to do is to watch the images flickering in front of your eyes and if you get bored, press a button on the remote.

Compare this with reading a book. You have to read the words and think about what they say as the story develops. As you are reading you will be increasing you vocabulary , improving your spelling and developing your thinking skills . On the other hand it could be argued that there are educational programmes on TV. But unfortunately kids do not watch such programs. Instead they zap the remote control and tune into a quiz show, a crime program or a horror film. Worst of all , they at times watch some disgusting programmes that turns them into more violent and hostile . At times they get frightened and withdrawn.

Another problen with TV is that it is a solitary pleasure. This is made worse by the fact that roughly 35 % children have there TV sets in their bedroom , so they are not watching it with the rest of their family. It is no wonder then , that the couch potato generation has trouble making friends and getting on with people .

And it is getting worse . There is computer on which kids are spending too much of time nowadays. This means more exposure to violence , [ shoot-em-up games , fighting games and Alien blasting games and could allow them to link up to the internet which is totally uncensored and could be very dangerous and disturbing for children of this age.

So perhaps it is time for parents and teachers to start laying down a few rules.

• No televisions in bedrooms .
• Not more than one hour viewing per night.
• Spend more time reading.
  
• No TV snacks.
• Homework must be done first.
• No viewing after nine 'o clock.
  
• Take part in a healthy sport.
• Join a club such as scouts or guides. The computer should be used for serious and genuine work only.
  
• No games allowed on computer.
  
• Only parent-approved access to the internet shall be allowed.