Q: Is Bharathi Academy an Indian School or Sri Lankan School?
A: Neither! It is a Tamil School. Our teachers come from both backgrounds. Whichever that may be, we make sure that every teacher is knowledgeable on both backgrounds and is trained to teach / handle all students. They are conscious about the subtle differences in the usage of words and accent. Parents have found that this is not a significant issue in consideration of the big picture. In Bharathi Academy, we have had students from both backgrounds right from inception in 1994. Important thing is that the student is studying in a professionally managed school in a safe, friendly and pleasant environment.
Q: My child always replies in English even though we always speak in Tamil. She understands Tamil well. What can we do?
A: This is the way many kids are! Don’t give up. Keep talking in Tamil even though the child is answering in English. You will find a turning point… May be when you visit India or Sri Lanka or some other time when the level of interest is up…
Q: Our child is not happy at all in going to his Tamil school….
A: Not a great situation and something is wrong here. Some of the possible causes can be: not achieving enough in class, boring teacher, teaching methodology, irregular attendance, inadequate support at home, relationship with other kids, bullies… etc. Don’t force the child as it can cause negative outcomes. Try to diagnose the cause and give support to the child. Speak to the teacher or school management. We at Bharathi Academy are very concerned about drop out and try to prevent it. We look for ways to motivate the student. Also we offer two pathways after they reach Grade 5.
Q: How do I know that Tamil school is going well for my child?
A: Look for the following indicators:
Going happily to the school Good progress in learning Tamil
Increasing ability to speak Tamil
Q: When children act plays, is anything and everything acceptable so long as it is in Tamil?
A: No. The concept and theme must be appropriate. The language and words must be simple and appropriate to children. They should be able to develop good artistic taste. Otherwise the effect will be negative.
Q: Tamil my not live in Australia for long… There is no point in my child undergoing all the trouble to learn Tamil language and culture?
A: Predicting how long Tamil will live is an irrelevant issue. That depends on us, the parents. If you do not give your child the exposure to the language now, the child is quite likely to blame you after growing up. Tamil is very important for our next generation.
There are lots of benefits in going to a language school including social interaction and development of cognitive skills. Try to gain access to the numerous articles and research information available on this subject.
Q: To help learning Tamil, can I encourage my child to view Tamil films?
A: This is a desperate situation. Children should view what is appropriate to them. Unfortunately in Tamil language there is a big problem that we don’t have enough videos or programs made for children.
Be absolutely sure about what you are choosing for your child. Some Tamil films are better and decent than others. The way violence, blood and crime including rape are presented in many Tamil films is not acceptable. Many films are not fit to be viewed even by adults! The problem is not unique to Tamil. Unfortunately our fast track life style doesn’t always allow us to spend time with our children and talk to them in Tamil.