GUIDANCE

The Structure and pattern of families and societies are changing. Distances are shrinking. People are not confined to one locality or even one country. Joint family system is cracking up and elders’ advice to young children is not so frequently available as was available in the earlier days. A child of a farmer may not work as a farmer. The daughter of a doctor may join a course in modelling or linguistics. Due to technological changes many vocational opportunities have emerged in the fields of education, technology or communications. One can choose from these opportunities according to one’s abilities, capabilities, interests and aptitudes. But how would one know where the opportunities are, how one can avail of them, whether one is suited to a particular opportunity or not, how to prepare and so on? Apart from choices of careers, there are many day to day situations one has to face and deal with. A child does not want to go to school, parents try their best, give him gifts so that he can be persuaded to go to school, he cries but refuses to go. Nobody knows why. Another child sits in the class silent, teacher asks him to participate and play but the child does not do so. Why? Some children in the class learn faster than others. How to teach the children who do not learn quickly? The answer to all such and similar questions lie in the concept of guidance.

Guidance has been defined as ‘a continuous process of helping the individual develop to a maximum of his capacity in the direction most beneficial to himself and to society.’ Guidance is must for children which can be easily provided by his teacher as well as his parents. Guidance has following needs:-

 
Educational Needs:-

· Choice of education streams.

· Choice of training course.

· Time management.

· Adjustment with School Environment.

Vocational Needs:-

· Choice of vocations.

· Vocational Development.

Personal Needs:-

· Facing new challenges.

· Coping with problems.

· Better adjustment in society.

· Development of soft skills.

Social Needs:-

· Encouraging and motivating. Social empowerment. 

Guidance is hence a very desirable force which should be used to help individual to understand and accept the positive and negative aspects of one’s personality, interest, aptitudes, attitudes and skills.

Vishwajeet Pandey

Asst. Teacher

The Mann School