I will not let an exam result decide my fate: A letter to the recent Class XII passout

Hi Dude/Damsel,

So, I am not writing to you to give you some advise or Gyan...as the entire world must be giving you now...including some of your 'wise' friends.

Just want to share myself with you as your pal. Its just that I am way too older than you.

Anyhow, I guess you passed the exams. Perhaps there's another letter to be written to those who didnt. But I will leave that for another day.

Either you got great marks or average or dismal. I know you wanted more...everyone...even the ones who got 100. Thats human phenomena...we want more. No matter we dont know what to do with those extra.

My brother once told me, "Paise kabhi poore nahi honge life men" or "You will never have money enough in your life". He was perhaps true, no matter how much I earned in life, I always wanted a little more... so that I could buy a better phone, better car or a better house.

Its the same with marks I guess. Even if, you would have got a percent or two more...life would still be the same...you would want more. Thats the reason of these ads Ýeh dil maange more', Aur dikhao...aur dikhao

Now you may tell me to cut the crap...that you wont get admission in a college


...but let me tell you it wouldnt matter in the long run.

Go out interview your relatives...a little older...who are now finished with their education and ask them what really matters to them in life. Definitely it wont be the Class XII results! I will love to hear in the comments below on what they shared.

Ok! Ok!

I get it...you are there and you have to face it. and you dont want another homework of going around talking to people.

So...face it. But Face it powerfully.

Dont let it kill you man. You are much more than your examination result...even if you are a 100%, 90%, 80%, 70% or 50 %

As Suli Breaks sings...I will not let an examination result decide my fate.

And let me tell you a truth I realised long time back...and bloody well wrote it on the last page of my book. I dont even remember 5% of what I read in school university and college and whatever I am doing right now...I could have done right after grade 10.

And I can bet it its true for most adults whether they admit it or not. 80% of adults will fail if I ask them a Grade 7 maths algebric equation. And they have the gall to tell you...perform better in Maths.  They never used that Maths and will never use it. And by the way neither will you. Its just that we have to do it still.

Seriously, this education is a pre-decided game made for you to pass your time and fail...no matter what. It doesnt make you think. It doesnt make you happy? A Board cannot decide who you are and who you arent? Is it only education that matters? Then why didnt these 100% guys or toppers really mend the roads in India or the poverty around the world. The system has failed us. Dont let a failed system decide what your worth is?

Ok Admissions!

Does it mean that if you dont get the right marks, you dont get to study what you want...what you really want to do? If you are really passionate about what you want to do...you will do it anyways.

Go ahead guys...enjoy your life and make this planet a better place to live. If 80% or 90% is bad then those who got 70% should commit suicide....right! but would it be worth it ? NO. NEVER

Enjoy whoever you are? whatever you are?

Life is like a series of 1 day internationals, T-20s and test matches. No matter you got a duck in the world Cup Final. But you still keep playing?

Remember even if you didnt perform your best in this World Cup (read Class XII boards)....there are many more World Cups to come in your life.

A for Almirah, B for bedroom,D for Door: Home is the best design for a pre-school

Was reading John Dewey in his School and Society, very interesting book and may I say a must read for Early Childhood Educationists. I have been hearing a lot about Maria Montessori and Reggio Amelia in the early childhood domain, but I saw John Dewey to be straight away hinting at what early childhood education should be.

He says that there is very stark change from a home to a school for a child. The school is totally different from the home, in its appearance, warmth and practices. You don’t do at school what you do at home. They are two completely isolated places, which do not want to connect with each other. While John goes on to fully explain, how he wants the school to be connected to the society, I got my idea of an ideal pre school from his thoughts.

 Imagine a school or rather a pre-school, just like the flat next to yours. Same...Ditto. Drawing room, dinning room, three bedroom, kitchen, toilets and the balconies. When you drop the kid to this school. It will be like leaving him in another flat in the neighbourhood or rather just like your home. The child will not feel alienated and would be at home in this home pre-school.

If we look at the primary objective of a pre-school in the society, we find that all the society requires is that the child learns some basic hygiene and may be start muttering the alphabets and numbers. I see no reason why this cannot be taught in a preschool whose architectural design is similar to the house.

The walls of the drawing room could be used to put whatever you want to display. All items in the house have to be marked starting from the door. Alphabet D should be written on the door and also

Door along with it. Its weird that we say A for Apple and then show an Apple even though in many parts of the world Apples don’t grow and aren’t available. To make education contextual instead of putting a chard of A for Apple, this home pre school would have the alphabet A written on an almirah. K fo Kitchen. T for Toilet. B for Bedroom. R for refridgerator. I am clear the alphabet would be in their hearts in no time. The teacher wouldn’t have to introduce alphabets also.

The basic aim of teaching alphabet and numbers would be achieved in no time in this school. Even the rest of the agenda or lets say curriculum of preschool education can also be taken care of appropriately in this set up. Everything taught in terms of hygiene will be taught at the appropriate places.  Hand washing at the washbasins. Eating at the dining table. The kids may even sleep if they feel sleepy in the bedroom. I am not trying to comment right away on the pedagogy of early childhood education adhered to in the schools, but strongly believe that such an environment and set up would be most conducive to the learning, which we intend to happen in a preschool.

The obvious question hearing this idea is that how do we see this ‘home-school’, if I may use that term, convert into a full fledged school model. Would the children continue to stay in this home-school?

How this home-pre school will transition into a school is also organic. One of the rooms in this home pre-school would be a study, where you will have books and a table and a chair. This is the room that will later transition into what we call a traditional classroom. I can envisage the home preschool till early childhood and as the child grows up, the study grows larger and larger until it transforms into a library of sorts with individual workstations for each student. This will also prepare them to take up professional life, when they come out of school.

At the policy level, there hasn’t been much done in India, pre-schools are not governed by any rules, so there should be no issues with opening a school in a flat. Moreover, it requires minimal capital investment and logistics to start a school. Only thing required is a bent of pedagogy. Though I know the larger chain of pre-schools will criticise this pedagogy as they have invested a huge capital in their infrastructure, nevertheless, the idea cannot be shunned just like that.

Most of my ideas are based on actual experiments done on the ground. However, this idea is yet to be tested. But so much is the strength of this idea I believe that even after implementation, its core is unlikely to be changed. There would be a lot of improvisations which may happen in terms, of where the maximum amount of learning will happen, how it will happen but the premise of the preschool to be just like a home wont change. I wish this idea is taken up by some school chain and pray that I take up this idea soon, so that I am able to theorise this and present it to the larger educational fraternity.

Book Shops, Smoking, School Library et al

It took me a while to decide, where I should be putting this blog entry...on my personal blog or on this 'professional' blog. Finally decided to put it here because the subject matter is about a book shop and book shops surely influence education.

A group of enthusiastic educators from Dehradoon invited me for a book reading to the city in a book shop. For me it was just another book shop until I entered it and engaged with it. I had read about the smoker's room in the bookstore on the web and was interested to explore it. A bookstore which boasts of a smoker's room is something interesting.

I was introduced to the charming store owner, Mr Ashish and I started with the enquiry about the smoker's room. It took me no time to find out the reason of the smoker's room...the store owner himself was a smoker. But the moment I entered the smoking room...it was clear that I was perhaps in my world of judgement and opinions. And...I recollected what somebody shared with me a few days ago at a chai shop. A person who recently got to know that I am an author was smoking there and he offered me a cigarette. I politely refused saying that I dont smoke (I had quit at that time). He wondered and said "Writers are usually smokers. How come you dont smoke?". There is perhaps a connection between writers, readers and smokers. A painting in the smokers room actually connected it to artists as well.

Anyways, coming back to the main story, I complimented Ashish (pic below) on this unique venture and he started sharing his perspective on book shops. He shared such interesting insights on a book shop that I actually put my mobile phone on a recording mode. Fundamental No. 1

"You don't choose a book...a book chooses you"
As I started thinking about this, he shared that most often people just walk into a book shop, just looking around and suddenly you find an interesting book to buy. I agreed somewhere as I am in the habit of picking up a book randomly. He shared that he had deliberately not created marked sections in the shop, placarding the subject matter of books. The customers were supposed to just go around and explore.

Fundamental 2
'A book shop is a place to relax and to have a conversation'
He says that you need to find a shop, where you can go and have a conversation with the owner and generate love.

Fundamental 3
'I dont blame the readers, if they dont come to book shops. The book shops need to generate interest. And thats what I am up to'

My conversation with Ashish moved me to start thinking of opening a book shop.

Anyways...

Linking this to education is my job here. I have shared my bit on school libraries in my book.

If children are not interested in reading in a school, its the problem of the librarian not the children. A librarian perhaps needs to a friendly person, who just engages with children and shares books that interest them. Unfortunately, most schools recruit librarians, who are the most un-interesting people around. They may have a degree in library sciences but they cant figure out the interest of children. A true librarian for me is a person, who can generate that interest in children to read.

I would want to see the school librarian in the playground, sharing books about Sachin Tendulkar and Dhoni with cricketers, so that when they visit the library, the pick up that book. Thats where reading will start.

Also, just as Ashish has a smoking room in his book shop. In a school library, you could have a section, where children can talk. You cant expect them to be silent all the time. May be they want to share about an interesting book with fellows.

P.S - 1. I do not endorse smoking in any manner.
2. I also never edit my writings. Please bear with typos etc.

Happy Schools

My Dad used to say...I know what everyone wants in life...Happiness. And each one of us gets Happiness through different things. Someone gets it from work, some from leisure. Some from music, some from sports. But the truth is that everyone wants happiness. Its unfortunate for us that some people in this world get happiness out of violence.

Anyhow, Happiness is a very much sought after thing. In the development world, though the discourse has primarily been around 'well-being' rather than 'happiness' for the simple reason that it is very difficult to objectify or perhaps quantify happiness.  Bhutan  as a nation has been grappling with the concept of Gross Happiness Index and has set parameters for it but its yet to establish itself as a credible index.

All said and done, one cannot deny the fact that the moment you hear the word 'Happy', there is a smile on your face. I happened to be at a seminar yesterday and there was a seminar going on in the next room called the Happiness Seminar. People were all cheerful and happy.

Its for this reason that when I first heard that UNESCO Bangkok office has started something called the Happy Schools Project, there was a smile on my face and I was interested immediately. Forget well being...I want be happy"- thats what a child would perhaps say. Thats the precise reason, I like that its called the Happy Schools Project rather than another serious educational terminology.

They are doing a survey to find out what a happy school is for you...which is a good thing...its participatory. You can take the survey here and its in different languages as well:

http://www.unescobkk.org/news/article/how-can-we-make-schools-happier-places-you-tell-us/

I was happy to find an option of a 'student' in the survey options. Despite the fact that everybody talks about a child centric education, everybody forgets to listen to children... what do they want.  I have been a strong protagonist of participatory learning and execution processes and have advocated a lot about participatory curriculum making, where children make their curriculum. I would be really happy if this project takes a participatory approach.

I was just posting about this survey on facebook and what I wrote on my status is...what does a Happy school look and feel like. If I were to take a cue from there...thats the first question which comes to mind. A survey may then be a limiting exercise. It should be extended perhaps to a drawing competition or a essay competition amongst children to draw what a happy schools looks like. What does a child in Vietnam imagine a happy school to be? What does he see children and teachers doing in it.? It will be good to compare the paintings drawn in Vietnam, Mongolia, India or any other place.

Every school should be asked to do an exercise with children in a participatory manner and send a report of what the school children envisage or imagine a happy school to be. It could be a Happy Schools Report.

It could be an interesting exercise in listening to the imaginations of children across the world.

Let the children create this project and let it be child led. After all...whom are these Happy Schools for...and whose happiness are we talking about? 

The Problem with Packaging

God knows why I haven't written about it till now as I have been practicing this for over a decade now. A debate on facebook triggered me to write about it now. Someone was doing a campaign against unnecessary packaging around Diwali...gift wraps etc.

Though I have been terming such initiatives as pseudo-environmentalism but I think its a lack of critical thinking and sense of enquiry amongst people, which make people relate to environmental issues superficially. So, I am not a Holy Cow. But just let me vent it out guys. Also, do read this piece on illogical environmentalism around Holi - http://educationandenvironment.blogspot.in/2013/03/save-water-on-holi-illogical.html

Anyways, let me get to packaging.

Packaging became essential in history when products produced enmasse needed to be preserved and transported. Leaves, Wood and rope were primary packaging materials used at some time. Then came paper and it was paper packets we had to deal with along with Glass to pack liquids. As these packaging materials were not durable, the thirst of humans took them to plastic and pet.

Thats when the problem started. biscuits, chips etc started getting packed in plastic packets and so did liquids in plastic and pet bottles. Packets became sachets and we littered everywhere. Initially it was less but then even the basic groceries started coming in packets - pulses, paneer, spices and even dahi.
Today you cant even think of buying groceries without packets.

While we thought we were getting cleaner, nicely packed items. we started throwing things here and there. You would find a chips packet even on a trek in the mountains and in fresh water streams. And this would lay in the jungle for ages, never to be degraded. And I dont think even 5% of these packets are recycled. Mixed with wet waste, they lie in the landfills of cities and dumping sites near towns and villages.

There have been movements to ban plastic bags. But thats just perhaps 20% of the entire plastic waste. The real culprits are the packed big companies products that you consume.Nobody dare ban them. Himachal Pradesh High Court was going to take a decision to ban them but I think the case has gone in cold box now. After all its the economy of so many companies involved.

We can deal with this at a personal and policy level.

I have been dealing with this at a personal level for quite some time. I avoid packed products as far as possible. So, very rarely would you find me consuming packed biscuits and chips. I would rather eat biscuits from a local bakery or naan khatai in a paper packet. I know I miss out on life and Kurkure, but I am ready to give that much for environment. I remember at a party I hosted in my house, what a pain it was to get fresh juice from a local shop to serve fresh and get open or khulla paneer. I was a radical then. Now I know there is as much  I can do. But I try and do the best.

Many people laugh at me, open a packed chips packet and offer me saying...now its not packed. But I am clear I want to do it.

Its the same with liquids. You buy coke mobile and then throw the pet bottle away, which is unlikely to be recycled and even if it gets recycled it will create nuisance in terms of gases emitted during recycling. I say...where have the glass coke bottles disappeared. Why cant we consume in glass bottles and get a refill. No damage to environment. Milk used to be sold in bottles in Delhi at sometime. Why cant it happen now? World Conferences on environment happen and pet bottles of drinking water adorn the panelists tables. What the hell is such environmentalism for?

I carry a water bottle and there are some interesting initiatives of refill going on. Read http://publicsolutions.blogspot.in/2013/02/refill-your-water-bottlecola.html

I think Modi's campaign of cleaning up India is well intended but we cant live by cleaning up and hiding our litter. What happens to the litter in the dustbin is the key question if you are talking of real environmental sustainability.

I invite everybody to take responsibility for the waste they generate on a daily basis. Quit packaged products. Lets talk to companies and promote sustainable packaging.

Parle G biscuits were once packed in paper packets. Why cant Coke and Pepsi promote glass bottles. I know its difficult and perhaps may even cost more to the company. But tell me, is it ok to do a karma which will be there in this world for centuries.

Lets clean up and do the karma, which liberates us and the world. Lets avoid and perhaps quit packed products.

BLACK HOLE INFORMATION SYNDROME

I watched Alia Bhatt's Genius of the Year video yesterday and found it to be hilarious...a number of laughable moments...but at the same time as an educationist, I found it disturbing underneath. It takes so much for a girl to prove that she's not dumb.

It speaks a lot about our society's obsession to know trivia of general knowledge...and also the impact it has on people who dont know this trivia called general knowledge. It has a huge cost especially if you see from an educational angle. Thousands of teachers despise their students when they dont know whats obvious...and not all students reach the Dumb Belle Mental Gym.

Knowing or not knowing something doesnt make a zilch of a difference as far as education is concerned. And the biggest mistake an educationist can do to make somebody learn is to mock that person about not knowing something.

Now I know she said Prithvi Raj Chauhan was India's President or something and I dont know why she said what she said. And you could consider it as an information important enough. But frankly speaking how does it matter if she doesnt.

Though it was a spoof kind of thing, but when Alia cried in the end. It was all the pain of the person, who has to prove herself...prove herself for what. Thousands of people make this effort to attain trivial general knowledge to prove that they are cool. They dont even know the pain they are in...of having to know everything...because its endless. Thats what I call Black Hole Information Syndrome. Are you suffering from it.

I was just sharing with a friend how annoying it is to sit with people who know everything...music, politics, films, international affairs, food, science, history etc. And then my friend remarked...actually all these people must perhaps be very lonely in life and have nothing else to do but to gather information. Dont know if thats true...but I am sure they are out there to prove...they are not dumb.

Guys you are not dumb...stop gathering this information...stop proving yourself.

Its all right to know something and not to know something.

On a different note and I have written a lot about it earlier...Quiz is the most dumb thing educationists created. Testing people on information they memorised. When I was in school people memorised country capitals and currencies. Why would any sane person do it? What use is this information? But somehow Quizzing has reached our DNA...Imagine KBC. We enjoy us being challenged around the information we have? Its a sport or a game to get more marks or less? Hardly do we realise that in this game of information gathering we kill the real learning? No wonder then the information gatherers are in IITs and in IAS, while the real learners do some odd jobs. Ha ha.

P.S- The movie also has a pedagogical discourse on teaching methods...teaching through dance etc. Enjoy the film...even if you are not an educationist. Its meant to entertain not to educate.

Learning from Conflict

The entire country and especially Bangalore is protesting the rape of a 6 year old in a school. Parents are out protesting on the road demanding action. CM’s remarks are making the news. All parents with school going children know about the issue and are talking about it at home, office and public places…everywhere.

But what about the children? Somehow we tend to leave children out of all conversations with regards to the ugly side of the society. For most parents and even educationists, children must live in a cocoon, not only unharmed but even uninformed about what’s happening in the society.

But do you think a child doesn’t get to know when the parents fight? Of course they do because they have been watching you closely. However, the same may not happen when it’s a social issue. Children often get misinformed or illinformed, making their own meanings of a situation.

Having said that, what most of us parents and even educationists miss out is the opportunity available to us to talk about these issues with children at such points and consequently impact their learning. This is the time for parents to talk to their children about the menace of rape.

I checked with a fellow educator friend. Thankfully, she told me that she spoke to her daughter about it but not the son. She now plans to have a conversation with her son as well.

Krishna Kumar, former director NCERT had taken this matter up beautifully in the book ‘Learning from Conflict’. He shares that every time there is a riot or bomb blast in the city, while everybody talks about it, the schools remain silent. The teachers don’t talk to the children about it. I am told that’s what’s happening in Bangalore.

While the entire media is talking about the issue, all that the schools around India are doing is gossip about it in staff rooms and corridors. It’s a time for schools to ‘learn from this conflict’ and engage students in a discussion around the issue, appropriately. There is a lot of learning which will happen in the process. They will be surprised of what comes out of it. At least get the teachers in a room and have a discussion on the issue.

There is a lot of discussion around the issue of sex education in this country and its still a big taboo in the top schools of this country.  People see the Bangalore incident as related and desist from the topic. It’s the same mentality of women not talking of abuse. But what would explain the schools not discussing the Muzaffarnagar riots or the Gaza invasion and killings?

Its high time we realise that we could utilise conflicts as great learning opportunities for us as well as our children. Are we really educating children merely to become great professionals (read Maths/Science) or are we educating them to become citizens of this world? who know how to deal with issues like hatred and conflict. Its time to reorient education. Its time for education for peace and sustainable development.