Moving From Disciplinarians to Facilitators

Dr. Anil Kumar T

Principal, Amara Jyothi Public School 

Dr. Anil Kumar T. is the incumbent Principal for Amara Jyothi Public School, under the aegis of Amara Jyothi Group of Institutions, Bengaluru. With a Ph.D. Degree in Education from Commonwealth Vocational University, he is known for his prolific contributions to the Education Sector for more than two decades now. Adorned with an array of awards, recognitions and certifications, Dr. Anil has been enlisted as one of the eminent Speakers at the 12th National Conference on K12 Leadership and has also been awarded the Certificate of Excellence- Dynamic Principal Award.

A teacher in heart and spirit, Dr. Anil has the coveted ‘Best Teacher Award’ by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and ‘Best Principal Award’ by the Honorary Education Department of Maharashtra, to his credit. He has also been felicitated with the prestigious – School Crusader, Guru Samman Award- Academic Year 2025-26, recognising his visionary leadership in the field of education. An avid reader of classical literature Dr. Anil is also involved in many social and community initiatives.

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I have always strongly believed in the adage ‘Go in their way and come out your way!’ It can’t hold more water than when applied to the tender sensibilities of young children. I have deeply believed in the fine nuances of understanding a child’s world rather than force our way through them. After all, today’s young minds don’t understand the techniques of force, albeit the language of love is well understood!

To put it simply, each child is unique and has come with a special purpose to this world. Any comparison, whatsoever, between children is to be least engaged in. Our task is not to be judgmental with them rather to be supportive with a ‘no comparison’ yardstick guiding our way. Yes, I agree we all have had our share of dreams for ourselves, always overwhelmed with the beatitude of those unfulfilled desires.

However, this doesn’t entitle us as parents to push our children towards pursuing the same goals/aspirations which we couldn’t fulfil for ourselves. In hindsight, whether we aspired to be Doctors, Engineers, IAS Officers, our children may aim at new-age career options like Wildlife Photography, Forensic Science, etc. The challenge here is to understand that each child comes with his/her unique set of dreams and career options.

Yes, we can mould them, guide them, but we cannot force ourselves on them for any life-changing decisions. Can we get into our children’s shoes and lead their lives? It’s a crisp NO. Then, in the same continuum, how can we expect our children to lead their lives in accordance with our wide generational shifts and gaps? The only solution here is to find a MIDDLE PATH - a path that allows us to correct/guide our children towards the right decisions and at the same time delicately balance their individual beliefs and vantage points.

The new generation has been wired with an inbuilt, technically driven environment of smartphones and social media engagements, our generation was totally bereft of. So, allow yourselves to be not overbearing and overprotective and permit a positive sense of exploration and exposure to them while safeguarding their interests, too. Quite remarkably, at the schools, we should collectively embark upon initiatives wherein children are allowed to share their life encounters, sojourns and childhood experiences, opening new pathways of friendship and love for them.

The young generation’s juxtaposition of ideas and perspectives is thrilling! They are way more logical, rational and cannot be underestimated for their craft, in the least. Our job as parents entails monitoring them and seamlessly allowing them to experiment and explore with their thought process and umpteen questions. The fire of inquisitiveness and curiosity needs to be aglow with our support as facilitators and not as staunch disciplinarians.