撰文：張偉菁校長
眼前有這樣兩組鏡頭：
鏡頭一：
在熱鬧的街頭，正隨父母一起閒逛的小男孩，發現腳下有一個廢棄的汽水罐，他走過去撿起汽水罐，準備扔到不遠處的垃圾箱。不過，媽媽發現了後，要求孩子將手中的汽水罐扔掉，但孩子不從。接著，爸爸也走了過來，訓斥道：「笨蛋，怎可以撿起這麼髒的東西，你又不是清道夫！」小男孩卻說：「老師說過了，要愛護環境，不能亂丟垃圾！」媽媽說：「這又不是你扔的，管它呢！」小男孩看起來很困惑，卻又不得不把撿在手中的垃圾扔回地上。
鏡頭二：
在熙熙攘攘的火車站月台，一位年輕的媽媽帶著一個大約5、6歲的男孩。孩子在喝完果汁之後，隨手就把空盒丟在椅子底下。媽媽趕緊拾起空盒，交到兒子手裡，對兒子說：「乖孩子，把空盒丟到前面的垃圾箱裡去。」一會兒後，這對母子又親切地擁抱在一起，媽媽輕聲地對兒子說：「要愛護環境，不可亂丟垃圾啊！」
鏡頭一裡的男孩是否很可憐呢？他一定被父母和老師不同的教育方法搞糊塗了。
學校教育，除了教授孩子們課本知識之外，也著重德育的傳授。愛護環境是人人皆知的道理，當學校和老師在全力培養孩子這種公德意識時，如果父母能夠與學校配合，鼓勵孩子跟從老師的教導，自己又作孩子的榜樣，孩子才能獲得正面的教育，而非在校學的是一套，實際生活又要面對另一套標準。
家校合作 培養孩子品德
學校對學生有很多要求，例如守時、守規、守秩序、服務、清潔衛生等等，都是德育訓練，希望孩子自小意識到自己是社會的一分子，對社會有責任和義務，而不單是獲取利益。試想想，假如鏡頭一的男孩在聽了父母的理論之後，即使以後在家裡發現垃圾，也會抱著「既然不是我扔的，我就沒有必要去撿」的心態，父母會有何感想呢？每位父母都希望孩子能自覺愛護家裡的衛生環境，能懂得珍惜父母的勞動成果。可是，又可曾想過：如果你從未教育過孩子要尊重清潔人員的勞動果實，又從未在孩子面前身體力行地愛護過社會大環境，孩子又怎會懂得去愛護家裡的小環境呢？
Written by: Mr. Cheung Wai Ching, Principal
There are two scenes in front of us:
Scene One:
On a bustling street, a little boy walking with his parents notices a discarded soda can at his feet. He picks up the can, intending to throw it into a nearby trash bin. However, his mother sees this and demands that he throw the can away, but the boy refuses. Then, his father comes over and scolds him, “Idiot, how can you pick up such dirty things? You’re not a street cleaner!” The little boy responds, “The teacher said we should protect the environment and not litter!” The mother says, “You didn’t throw it, so why bother?” The little boy looks confused but has no choice but to throw the trash back on the ground.
Scene Two:
On a crowded train station platform, a young mother is with a boy about 5 or 6 years old. After finishing his juice, the boy casually throws the empty box under the seat. The mother quickly picks up the empty box, hands it to her son, and says, “Good boy, throw the empty box into the trash bin in front.” A moment later, the mother and son hug each other affectionately, and the mother softly says to her son, “We must protect the environment and not litter!”
Isn’t the boy in Scene One quite pitiful? He must be confused by the different educational methods of his parents and teacher.
School education, besides teaching children textbook knowledge, also emphasizes moral education. Protecting the environment is a well-known principle. When schools and teachers are fully cultivating this sense of public morality in children, if parents can cooperate with the school, encourage children to follow the teacher’s guidance, and set an example themselves, children can receive positive education, rather than learning one set of standards at school and facing another in real life.
Home-School Cooperation in Cultivating Children’s Character
Schools have many requirements for students, such as punctuality, discipline, orderliness, service, and cleanliness, all of which are part of moral education. The aim is for children to realize from a young age that they are part of society and have responsibilities and obligations, not just to gain benefits. Imagine, if the boy in Scene One, after hearing his parents’ reasoning, adopts the mindset of “since I didn’t throw it, I don’t need to pick it up” even at home, what would the parents think? Every parent hopes their child will consciously care for the cleanliness of their home environment and appreciate their parents’ hard work. But have you ever thought: if you never teach your child to respect the labor of cleaners, and never personally demonstrate care for the larger social environment in front of your child, how will the child learn to care for the small environment at home?
有調查發現，近八成的學童在長輩或家傭幫忙時，甚少向他們說「謝謝」，更有部分孩子認為家傭的工作是要照顧自己，所以不需要對其特別有禮。而會向父母說「早安、晚安」或「大家吃飯」的學童均不多。
為甚麼小朋友會不懂得禮貌呢？因為家長自身也不會向他人或家傭說「謝謝」，亦有家長經常或間中駁斥及責罵長輩，或打斷別人講話。除了乘搭交通工具會「霸位」外，也有家長會在公眾場所打尖或不排隊。父母師長都是孩子模仿的對象，我們的一言一行，時刻影響著孩子的價值觀。父母必須時刻警惕個人行為，也應盡量即時指正子女的無禮態度，但緊記語氣及用字得當。每日也應抽時間指導子女反思個人錯誤，令他們對事件更為深刻。孩子的品德培育，須透過家校合作才可成功，家長在其中擔當了比師長更重要的角色。
A survey found that nearly 80% of schoolchildren rarely say “thank you” when helped by elders or domestic helpers. Some children even believe that it is the domestic helper’s job to take care of them, so there is no need to be particularly polite to them. Additionally, few schoolchildren say “good morning,” “good night,” or “let’s eat” to their parents.
Why do children lack manners? It is because parents themselves do not say “thank you” to others or to domestic helpers. Some parents frequently or occasionally rebuke and scold elders or interrupt others while they are speaking. Besides occupying seats on public transportation, some parents also cut in line or do not queue in public places. Parents and teachers are role models for children, and our every word and action constantly influence their values. Parents must always be vigilant about their behavior and should try to correct their children’s impolite attitudes immediately, but remember to use appropriate tone and language. Parents should also take time each day to guide their children to reflect on their mistakes, making the lessons more impactful. The cultivation of children’s character must be achieved through home-school cooperation, with parents playing an even more crucial role than teachers.
