Learning is Fun

“I hate school!” Ten years old Daniel Akan said as he flung his bag into the wardrobe.

“Me too and I hate reading also!” David His eight-year-old brother echoed as he followed him into the room. “But we love video games and football,” Daniel added as they both flung their shoes and uniforms on the floor in their room laughing.

The children did not like going to bed early and waking up early every morning to prepare for school and then there was all the reading and homework they brought back home every day. Daniel and David wished there was no school, so they could do anything they wanted when they want.

In the evening, they were sitting in the living room with mummy, when David asked, “mummy why must we go to school, it’s so boring and the assignments are plenty.”

“Yes, why?” Daniel echoed from the floor where he sat pretending to read his storybook.

“Is that so; if you don’t go to school, what do you want to be doing?” Mummy asked the two boys.

“Play, eat, sleep, visit our friends and other things more interesting than school.” They answered.

“Have you boys eaten today?” yes, mum, the food was so yummy that David ate three times. Daniel reported.

“Hmm, your stomach and mouth enjoyed it right?” the boys nodded.

Well, that is how your brain eats and enjoys learning also. When you read and learn new things, you are giving your brain food to eat. When you give your brain only football and video games, it’s like eating only biscuits and water all day, every day. It’s not a balanced diet and will get tiring.

“You know another thing education does?” both boys shook their heads, still fascinated at the idea of their brain eating food.

Mrs Akan continued, “Learning, both inside and outside the classroom gives you options. Let me give you an example, this house we live in and all the other beautiful houses you see, even your school building are built by three people; one is the owner, he wants the house and he puts things in place to get it, two is the architect, he sits in his office and draws the plan of the house for the owner, and then there is the labourer, who mixes and carries the cement and other things to build the house just as the owner wants it. Who do you think does most of the work? The labourer; what separates these three people? Education, the owner of the beautiful house and the architect sitting in his or her office worked hard when they were like you, till they were educated and could put what they have known to use, then they can do what they want, whenever they want. The labourer may not have had someone to send him to school or he said he was not educated for one reason or another. But the work he did not do when he was supposed to, he is now doing it every day by carrying a load up and down. Which do you want? Face your studies, put in the work now so you can do what you want tomorrow or you want to rest now so you can work hard daily tomorrow?”

Mrs Akan asked as she yawned. “Give me your reply tomorrow because I am going to bed.”

The boys did not give their mother any reply but from that day, they stopped complaining and put more effort into learning within and outside the school, they also learned to balance things. To David and Daniel, there is time for everything.