Set yourself a goal and hang it on the wall in front of you

Many were the suggestions put forward by pupils' mothers in Beit Hanoun during sessions held at the Tamayuz Educational Association and the Women's Programmes Centre on Thursday 17/2/2011. The mothers called for helping their children to set their goal, write it on a piece of paper and hang it on the wall in front of them, which would increase their motivation to study and work hard. For her part, Mrs. Heba Al-Baz, field coordinator of the project for reducing the risk of illiteracy among children in the Gaza Strip, addressed the subject of motivation and its decline among children between the fourth and fifth grades. The sessions brought together a select group of parents and teachers, who confirmed that their role complements that of parents in achieving more positive results for the children. Mrs. Al-Baz said there are many reasons for low motivation, such as teachers' poor treatment, parents' failure to follow up their children, not taking individual differences into account, and family disputes. The mothers spoke about some of the problems they face with their children, in that they do not want to go to school and devote most of their time to playing with friends without the slightest interest in their studies. The mothers also raised some of the obstacles their children face at school, such as being deprived of extracurricular activities, being prevented from attending sports and art classes, and being given heavy homework so that it becomes a kind of punishment, nothing more. The sessions concluded with a set of suggestions put forward by the teachers and parents, such as providing moral and material encouragement to children, explaining the purpose of learning, reducing family problems, watching over children to keep them from bad company, and helping them to organise their time between play and study.