By Jan Vicente B. Pekas
One after another, this season has already provided everyone with the much-needed respite and days of joy. The only kind of happiness left that can thwart it is the fact that it is not yet done, new year has yet to arrive. Surrounded by an environment of familial faces and all kinds of delicacies, what was once the tired and destructive mindset of a stressed student, employee, young and adult seemed a time so long ago. A time to forget and our current time a moment to thoroughly remember for years to come.
Though the days of norm in our modern world, days filled with strict schedules, come ever closer, there is no point in thinking about them just yet. Not at least until we welcome the new year in drunken zeal. It is still a time of peace before the battles start once again.
The restoration of the mind and body is in good progress, I would say. Though almost all students are resting, this is also a time for them to actually learn what they want, instead of the same old usual words written on the blackboard. It is a privilege to have this time for young people that allows them to pursue their own individual interests.
Not everyone progresses in the classroom at the same pace and not all learning must be done inside the same place. Young people can add in the fun factor in their own learning. The factor that immerses one in a subject for a long period of time. Whether it is through reading a novel, playing their sport, or whatever activity, learning comes in many forms, especially for the younger minds. Without the added pressure of a deadline, learning in this season is very much worth it.
One can learn how to drive a vehicle in this free period, improve their imagination through books, or even learn once again how to manage their time. Both the young and old can even use this time to reflect on their wrongs and think of better solutions for next time.
Vacation time is a time for students not only to rest but expand their own identity. Being submerged in a classroom where more often than not teachers want uniformity and their students to adapt to their school philosophy, it becomes all the more important for the young to continue in building up the character that they want.
Individual characters who prefer to stand out, while a stain to look at for some old-school educators who prefer discipline, conformity, and obedience above all else, plays a part in building up the young to being proper adults. For a long time, students have been conditioned to be obedient employees in the future, to be mere bland and boring parts in a machine. A person deserves a future much brighter than that. And a young child deserves a better childhood.
The holiday season is yet to conclude, thankfully, this is not just a time to waste away, but also a precious moment to let the young make their own initiative in how they want to grow, how they want to use this time. To let the young learn how to think for themselves, what better lesson for them to learn before entering the new year.**
