Moral of the story
SUZANNE Emily Naicker, an educator and an author, is on a mission to teach children morals and values through storytelling.
The 30-year-old mother of two – Joshua, 8, and Judah, 5 – was born in Pietermaritzburg. She now lives in Durban and has been teaching for 10 years. Naicker currently teaches English to grade 8, 11 and 12 pupils.
She said she started writing the first book in her Twiggly Town Moral Series – Dotty the Dinosaur: Liar, Liar House on Fire – during the lockdown last year.
“Twiggly Town is a utopian society where mummies and daddies always teach their children to do the right thing. However, the children of Twiggly Town are still learning the importance of morals and values, through the lessons they learn. Dotty the Dinosaur learns a valuable lesson about the consequences of dishonesty.
“The next book is in the pipeline. It will address the issue of bullying. Bullying is a pertinent and relevant issue. Most parents approach the issue from the angle of protecting their children from being bullied. However, how often do we teach our children not to bully others? The book is due to be released later this year.”
She said she chose to start with the themes of dishonesty and bullying as they affected society.
“These issues affect our schools daily. If unresolved in childhood, these behaviours filter through to adult life, which contributes to a deteriorating society.”
Naicker said she was inspired by a mix of her personal experience as a mother and as a teacher in writing the series of books.
“It is worrying, as parents, to bring up our children in a world where crime and corruption is rife. Many people have abandoned morals and values altogether. I, however, believe there is still hope for our children. I am inspired by my own two children as well as the children I teach.
“Teaching children who are older made me realise that simple morals and values are not obvious or prevalent in the lives of all children.
“Morals and values should be embedded in the minds of children from a young age. I have watched my own children grow and develop over the years, not to say that any child is perfect, but my inspiration definitely comes from watching their moral compass strengthen as they learn more about life lessons through moral stories.”
Naicker said the target age group for the book was 4 to 8.
“The aim of this series is to use moral stories to enhance the teaching and learning of morals and values in young children. The book series is intended as a teacher’s aid and a parental guide.
“Morals and values are seen as abstract concepts, which can be difficult for young children to grasp. Integrating moral stories when teaching morals and values can assist parents and teachers in creating a discussion around the topic. It makes the theme more understandable and relatable, and it visually stimulates children in the learning process.”
Future themes in the series will be based on research.
“I enjoy feedback from the public, especially parents. My future releases will be based on research which identifies key factors, concepts, and the challenges of teaching morals and values to children.”
◆ Dotty the Dinosaur: Liar, Liar House on Fire can be purchased at www.moralseries.co.za, on WhatsApp at 067 230 8882 or via admin@moralseries.co.za
◆ Follow the Twiggly Town Moral Series on Facebook and Instagram.