VOLUME VIII – CHAPTER 2
BALANCING ACTIVITIES
Now the trend, the craze, the mania is for Computer Education. From education it has transcended to the level of entertainment. It is started right from the lower classes. Instead of Education it has become an Educational Enterprise. Association with the computer has developed into an attachment and grown into an addiction. The children are hooked to it for hours together and become couch potatoes.
The children wish to have a back ground music in the form of a T.V. sound. When they browse Wikipediae or Myspace, what he is doing- his homework while keeping in touch (with whom, God only knows) or is it vice versa. She says “ I am doing my project” but sending out e-mails or chatting or texting. In our days our parents used to say “no distractions; concentrate on your work” but for today’s children distractions seem to be an inspiration. This may result in a poorer understanding of the subject for lack of focus.
Some say that the ability for multi-tasking is necessary to survive in the modern world. But research study says that too much thinking leads to overeating resulting in obesity and paving the way for Cancer. So, which is correct multi-tasking or thinking?
If multi-tasking is okay, then why is there a ban on talking over the mobile while driving? Not without reason or justification. In the classroom the level of attention span is found to be decreasing. The habit of listening is fading.
The modern trend is activity based learning. And they say children learn better this way -play way. Fathers don’t have time for their children. So mothers take that responsibility. But they are appalled to see that with so many things done at a time, the children take a longer time to complete their work. Educationists worry that we are witnessing ‘ADD’ (attention deficit disorder) in the classrooms.
Because of this addiction to the new gadget or god-computer, children miss their breakfast often, go to bed late, and exercise is a word not found in their dictionary, but research says that those who have their breakfast, sleep a little more (for an hour) are saved from the risk of cancer and that jogging increases their memory power.
Excessive dependence on machines leads to an atrophy of their mental faculties. This preoccupation with the “small fellow” reduces their capacity for reflective thinking, reasoning analysis and imagination. It is sometimes necessary to have a shutdown of your mind, so that it can be rejuvenated. But now where is the time for it?
How will this affect them when they go for employment? Will it not make them entirely dependent on external sources rather than on their own internal strengths? Tangential thinking will become extinct because they are just recording data. In our days our teachers used to give mental sums but today if you ask a child to add half a dozen numbers he at once rushes to his calculator.
Planning has become a forgotten art. Language has taken a severe beating. Communication has become horrible. A special language-computer language- has been developed, by abbreviating every expression. When they go for a job, will they know how to write a “self-contained note”? When they attend a funeral will they have words to condole? When they are always in a hurry and patience becomes a concept unknown to them, will they have any other interest in life- an ear for music, a passion for photography, a love for the outdoors, an excitement about nature- all finer aspects which make life enjoyable?
This addiction makes the children highly imitable and unable to relate to elders. Respect, courtesy, compassion, kindness, affection, empathy, understanding, care, concern, sharing. obedience, humility etc have become sentiments, too far away from their hearts because their minds have obfuscated their hearts.
It is high time the Principals and teachers ponder deeply over this malaise-this rot setting into the future generations. With urgency and speed you have to evolve measures to wean them away from these octopuses and create in them an interest for the sublime things in life which add meaning to their existence.
Technology is good; but it cannot and should not replace the Teacher- his subtle personal magnetism. It is this which will shape the child’s personality in a holistic manner.
Shall we sit up and think?
VOLUME VIII – CHAPTER 3
GENERATION CONFLICT
A Principal’s primary duty is to remove painful memories from the minds of students and prevention of a feeling of conflict from one generation to another.
After the 26/11 Mumbai blasts the author visited some schools and in his interaction with the students, he heard one pupil saying- “we want to forget of course that painful memory” but the gory scenes are etched in my memory and it just can’t be healed”. Another student said” when i imagine children without parents, homes without inmates, children’s hearts seared and scarred, fear writ large on the faces of women seething with anger- these injustices refuse to fade away fro our hearts”
This kind of painful and abusive memory will carry the conflict from one generation to another. How can teachers remove this poison from their minds and hearts? How to wean them from developing the feeling of “us” and “them”?
In your morning assembly speeches, you, as Principal should highlight stories or friendship, peace, co-operation and sacrifice to save another person.
During his visits to the Harlem area in New York, the East end in London. The run-down areas in London, the run down areas in Sheffield the Berlin Wall, the border areas in Punjab, the author had invariably seen hatred in the eyes of the people, especially the youth who mouthed words of disgust towards the people on the other side. When asked why they said so, the uniform reply was,” my parents say like that,” .That made the author think how much we are responsible for moulding their minds. Our prejudices and biases are unconsciously and silently seen inside our children’s minds.
Can we avoid using words that denote a negative connotation like jealousy, anger, hatred, cruelty, frustration, and use positive words like forgive, pardon, apology, reconciliation, truth, justice, compassion and kindness.
The bridge over the Niagara falls unites the people of Canada and U.S.A. Though river Danube is a boundary line for many countries in the bridge across it binds Nations. Can you become a bridge builder and help remove misunderstanding between people? Can you sow the seeds for this metamorphosis? Then the future is safe. Emphasize the philosophy of clasped hands and not clenched fists. Spread the message of love and peace expounded by the Sufi poet Bullah.
The author was shocked to hear one student in a school situated near the border saying,” when i grow up, i will infiltrate into Pakistan and blow up the best hotel in Karachi” the teacher apologized to the author and said,” after teaching them for the last 10 years, to have a student who says he wants to turn into a terrorist, i am sorry i have failed in my career. This is the most saddest day in my life,”. This only reinforces the urgent need for us, teachers, to tell our students: “we are fortunate to live in times when we can reach out and connect with people”.
As a Principal, train your students to enlarge their hearts and extend their hands in friendship to all.
THINK DIFFERENTLY
The purpose of the modern-day school is to train the students in logical reasoning, analytical and quick decision making, skills which are vital for success in modern life.
When our students finish plus two or U.G. or P.G. they are all educated but unemployable because they lack the aforesaid skills. They would have been filled with layers and layers of information which have never been tried and tested.
Now-a-days in the interviews, candidates are not asked the usual standard questions. If the interview board member is like an “Enrico Fermi”, a Nobel Laureate, Physicist, he would not ask such unidimensional questions, having a fixed pattern of replies, but mind boggling brain teasers may be flung at the candidates to separate the “great” from the “good”.
In the 1940s and 50s Enrico Fermi used to challenge his Chicago University students with “fermi questions” which involved making logical assumptions that seemed difficult to contemplate with the available restricted information.
For example:-
How many cricket balls would be required to occupy the Wankhade Stadium at Mumbai? You may be wondering why on earth should we fill it with cricket balls. But your answer will decide your selection. He only wants you to assume some thing, try to show how realistic it is, attempt to make guestimate based on data available and then arrive at a correct answer which may not be correct, but be logical.
It will do you a lot of good to read William Pound Stone’s book,” how would you move my Fuji?” Microsoft cult of puzzle- how the world’s smartest companies select the most creative thinkers”. It will tell you how to use puzzles and riddles to find out how people react when there are no rules and how they deal with unforeseen situations tactfully. Tact- a quality very much needed today.
These types of questions help the students to test their degree of practical knowledge Mathematical skills, ability to deal with uncertainty and make approximations and estimates with scarce data. This will help them “understand the importance of the process” rather than the solution, help them to think of different approaches and enable them to go behind and beyond a problem and look into it, and not look at it.
When one candidate was asked “how many golf balls will be required for India annually” he started finding out on his mobile the number of golf clubs in India, the number of their members, and an average use of balls per golfer annually. His reasoning was quite logical and he got the job.
Poundstone gives another example how much does India weigh? The student has either to measure the volume by saying India is a wedge shaped country where volume extends from the surface all the way down to the centre of the earth or say that as it is orbiting freely in space. It is weightless.
Organise a “fermi club” where the students can not only hear eminent people give important insights into this area and also have a monthly newsletter having ‘fermi problems’ and solutions. If a student can answer such questions, in later life he can handle crises with confidence because he thinks alternatives and also examines the problems calmly. In one of her interviews, Mrs. Deepa N.Rao was asked,” how many Masala dosais will be ordered in Mysore tomorrow morning?
The author had the rare privilege of attending the class on “creativity” conducted by Dr. Paul Torrance in Mississippi University U.S.A. where he asked us 3 questions:-
How will you weigh an elephant?
How will you stop 2 cats fighting?
To how many uses could you put a gem clip?
In an interview the Head of H.R.-India and South Asia of Standard Chartered Bank asked a candidate,” if the axis powers won the world war, who came second ?”,t he candidate answered,
“either you win a war or lose it”
In an I.A.S. interview the author’s friend was asked “how many steps you did you climb up?” (the interview was held in the first floor) the candidate answered,” as many as i would climb down” he retired as the chief secretary of a State.
A candidate was eager to do M,A, In Sanskrit. The professor wanted to find out his ability to think out-of-the box, he asked him,” what is the essence of Gita?” Quick came the reply,” the inverted form of Gita i.e. Tagi,- sacrifice. He quoted the Sloka “Sarva dharman parityajya—.” And said he had learnt this aspect in Bal Gangadhar’s book. “Gita Rahasya” which he wrote while he was in the prison at Mandalay in Burma.
In a science class at KV IISC Bangalore, the author heard a teacher asking a student “if the earth were to fall where will it land?” The student replied,” it will not fall. Since it is rotating there is no question of falling”.
In a Mathematics class at KV 1 Kalpakkam, the author found the Maths teacher posing a problem to trigger the students’ thinking.
Position these 3 coins so that 2 heads are to the right of the line and 2 tails to the left. (picture)
Answer given by the student
The coin standing on the line will have its head to its right and its tail to its left.
One coin to the right will be having its head to the right and the other coin on the opposite side will have its tail the left.
In a Geography class at a Delhi school, the author found the teacher asking:-
Two cows were standing in a field. One was looking south and the other was looking north but they could see each other without turning around. How?
A student replied:-
“both were looking at each other”.
In the Burris Model school of Ball State university U.S., where the author spent a semester, a teacher posed a question:-
“a tourist in south America came across this sign which he first thought was in the local language but later discovered that it was English. Can you read it correctly?”
Ti emu lesh ere
One girl from Phoenix Arizona, U.S.A went to the black board and wrote.
Tie mules here
She said, “ I have gone on a mule to the Colarado river bed deep down the grand canyon and i saw a notice like this there ‘tie mules here’ that came to my mind”.
Can you develop this “fermi culture” in your school?
VOLUME VIII – CHAPTER – 2 & 3
ONE WHO KNOWS
(DIMENSIONS OF THE LIFE AND WORK OF A PRINCIPAL)
910) One who knows that the soul of the school is the warm vibe, the cheerful smile of the Principal as you enter and the entertaining, educative and elevating teaching of the loving teachers.
911) One who keeps in constant touch with his customers (students, staff and parents) and keeps on reinventing his offerings.
912) One who tells his staff everything exists to be shared. As the Chilean Poet Pablo Neruda said “recognize the fantasies of the children and tune into the pulse of their lives.
913) One who emphasises to his staff the need for constant up skilling in their fields
A) Important that you acquire skills or attend courses that will future-proof your career.
B) Institutions are on the lookout for staff who can add value and upskilling will attract them to you.
C) It helps you to understand the new trends in education.
D) Read journals and remain up-to-date so that you don’t become out-dated.
E) By showcasing your new skills, you can expect or ask for a raise in your financial status.
D) Your management will be happy to know your interest and fund your course so that you may be more useful to the school.
G) Upskilling gives you an edge over others. In some cases upskilling becomes a precondition or necessity to go up the ladder.
H) It may open a new career window for you.
J) Upskilling will give you a solid foundation and a new found confidence.
914) One who, in a Principal’s conference told his peers how a study found how much the famous employers were loved by the employees(top 100).
Rank (out of 100)
A) Jim Kavanaugh CEO- “world wide technolog ————– 2 (99% approval)
B) Mark Zuckerberg Founder CEO “facebook” ————— 10 (98%)
C) Sundar Pichai CEO. “google” ————— 17 (98%)
D) Shantanu Narayan CEO “Adobe” ————— 19 (96%)
E). Satya Nadella CEO “Microsoft” ————— 29 (95%)
F) Anant Zerdi CEO “Yardi Systems” ————— 32 (94%)
G) Jeff Weiner CEO “LMbed In” ————— 35 (94%)
H) Jack Dorsey CEO “square” ————– 38 (94%)
I) Tim Cook CEO “Apple” ————— 53 (93%)
He asks his colleagues to find out how much their staff love them.
915) One whose actions are characterised by form, focus and flow like Arjuna
A) Form – creating a meditative mind “Dharana” – holding the mind to a form – to an idea– a project planned.
B) Focus – maintain an unbroken focus – “Dharana” sustaining the attention. Overcome distractions that will lower the focus on the project.
C) Flow – state of unity.
Identify with the goal, sync between physical and mental vibrations- “seamless awareness” a clear flow of identity with the staff.
916) One who believes that a Principal without a good foundation of philosophy is shallow and without a knowledge of literature is dry.
917) One who cautions his peers to be cautious about.
A) A combination of complacency and over-confidence.
B) This-cannot-happen-to us “view”.
C) Before the downward trend starts, take remedial steps.
D) Arrogance overwhelming you.
E) The gravitational pull of the current success.
F) The mind set needed for the future and develop it.
G) Falling into the trap of administration instead of focusing on governance.
H) Risk of omission – doing nothing. Risk of commission – trying something different.
So act decisively and forcefully.
918) One who advises his staff and parents to beware of the “insidious advance of technology” into all aspects of our life where selfishness and “serve-me” choices are fostered.
He asks them to guard themselves and the children against an increased sense of “self-entitlement and self-worship”.
He advises them to take extra care about their choices made and examples set-about themselves, as they are responsible for or the society.
So he gives them a six point frame work.
Own responsibility
Work, leisure and family to be separated.
Obey your intuition regarding the correct path.
Restrain yourself from temptations and go your own way.
Realize what you are capable of. Don’t be blind to your weak spots.
Spell out what is most important to you and move assiduously towards it.
919) One who looks to his staff for their strengths to complement him without expecting them to act as his substitutes.
To him success is the ability to see the unpredictable, exceed what was thought beyond his capability to celebrate the one which he will always cherish.
920) One who classifies the parents as
A) Firm and Affectionate
1) Responds sensitively.
2) Places the child’s needs over their own
3) Understands the child.
4) Is firm in disciplining.
5) Makes simple rules.
6) Makes the child aware of consequences of disobeying.
7) Explains the reasons for the rules.
8) Allows enough flexibility within the rules.
9) Permits the child to express his views.
10) Sets high standards for achievement…
11) Sets realistic expectations.
12) Such a child.
Is independent
Is self-reliant
Is mature
Has higher self esteem
Is more generous
Is sensitive
Is less aggressive
Is friendly and gets along
Is willing to try out new things
Is more organised
Performs better at school
B) Rigid and inflexible parents
1) Use little reasoning to enforce discipline
2) Use power and authority
3) Set rules and demands compliance
4) Don’t explain rules
5) No freedom of expression
6) Discourages independent thinking
7) Are less warm and loving
8) Rarely praise the child
Such a child
Is discontented
Is distrustful
Is withdrawn
Is an isolate
Has a low self esteem
Is subdued and timid
Is aggressive
C) Permissive parents
1) Lax in disciplining
2) Give excessive freedom
3) Has no rules to follow
4) Children make their own rules
5) Don’t expect them to act matured
6) Allots few responsibility
Such a child
Is less mature and self reliant
Takes no initiative
Is not independent
Is aggressive
D) Neglecting parents
1) Not interested in the child
2) Don’t show warmth & love
3) Don’t control the child’s behaviour
4) Don’t expect them to act maturedly
5) Have a negative influence
Such a child
Has disturbed relationship with peers
Doesn’t have social skills
Shows anti-social behaviour
Has lack of motivation
Does not try to succeed
Asks them (parents)
Can you get behind the eyes of the child, see, think and feel like him?
921) One who advises the students “you can become what you want”.
The big question is ‘do you want’?
A simple advice by a teacher will improve manifold the student’s ability to cope with stress.
He quotes psychologists Douglas Labier and David Yeager who offer these small tips:-
A) Identify qualities that you think you may possess but have not bloomed.
B) Imagine your new look if you exhibited that quality
C) How will it change your daily life?
D) How would it modify your relationships?
E) How will you feel about yourself?
F) How will it change your view of your work?
G) Write a few paras describing yourself in your new avtar?
H) What should you do to reinforce the new strengths daily?
I) If you are not punctual now think of the steps you should take to remove that weak spot in you.
J) You can if you think you can.
922) One who asks his staff and students to reconnect with their “roots”.
He asks them to give up their obsession with European Culture and bridge the gap between what we study and how we have to live.
He cites for example the four seasons of the Westerners talk of and the six rithus (seasons) that our culture speaks of viz.
A) Vasantha rithu
B) Grishma rithu
C) Varsha rithu
D) Sarat rithu
E) Hemantha rithu
F) Sisir rithu
923) One who tells his staff to work closely with the Music teacher if they wish to modify their students’ behaviour.
A) Listening to certain ragas like Todi for 30 minutes daily for 20 days shows a significant reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, stress, anxiety and depression and enhances hope and optimism.
B) Memory involved in Carnatic music can be used to improve memory in other subjects– transfer of training
C) While doing a ‘neraval’ one has to deal with several structures and constraints; can’t break phrases in the wrong places. Emotion has to be kept alive. While also doing a lot of mathematical manipulation that involves startling mental processes.
If we know how the brain works in such complex situation, then we may be able to apply that in learning disabilities’ says Dr. Deepti Navaratna. He asks the music teacher to do a neraval in front of low achievers for a period of time.
D) He arranges for a konnakol recital once in a quarter to enhance memory and developing cognition in children. This he does for children of classes 4-6.
Selective compositions of ‘konnakkol’ act as an earthing point quickly defusing children prone to mood swings, anxiety and meltdown.
He tells the staff that music can become a “creative and transformative partnership with the brain”
924) One who knows when to bend and how much to bend without crumbling.
He knows it is inadvisable to take decision when the mind is on a boil and the best decision is to postpone deciding.
He knows that his disturbed mind may become a good fishing pond for others.
He doesn’t stand on prestige to bend. He knows it is prudent to bend when necessary without breaking.
924) One who overheard on his rounds a master commenting to a teacher just leaving for the rest room (inside the staff room)
Madam, are you taking ‘whisper’ in your hand?
He called the master and just asked him:-
Sir, if someone has asked like this to your sister or wife in another school where they are working, and if they report it to you at home in the evening how will you feel?
If you are in that teacher’s position and another has asked you like this how will you feel?
I leave it to your conscience to decide if you would like to be called a master by other teachers and girl students.
925) One who tells his staff and students the importance and value of our ancient songs and tradition and the benefits they will gain by practising them.
A) Sakalakalavalli Malai songs- Kumarakirubarar(for excelling in studies)
B) Thiruchazhal- 20 songs Manickavachagar(to become famous as an orator)
C) Panchaakshara Pathikam-11 songs(Thirugnana Sambandar) to get rid of problems.
D) Thirugnana sambandar’s kolvalai ammai pathikam 11 songs (for admission into good institutions)
E) Sri Mantra Raja Patha Stothram- 14 songs-recite in evening before Lakshmi Narasimha picture (for marriage, child, loan problem, family rifts, property dispute, separation, loss in business)
F) Narayana’s 24 namaas (for prosperity, health, happy family, peace, raja yogam)
G) Sun god’s 12 names for transfer
H) Sri Devi Ashtakam (for disturbed mind, bad dreams)
I) Thirunallaru Pathikam (to get relief from the effects of Saturn)
J) Durga Ashtakam (for a healthy life)
K) Thirumarugal Manicca Vannanar Pathikam 11 songs -Thirugnana Sambandar- (for delayed marriage)
L) Sirkazhi Thonoappar Sthothram – Thirugnana Sambandar – ( for failure at the last moment)
M) fasting on adi krithigai day and worship lord karthikeya – (for promotion)
He also advised them to recite.
A) Kanda Shasti Kavacham
B) Abirami Andadi
C) Dakshnia Murthi Sthothram
D)Vishnu Sahasranamam
E) Siva Panchaksharam
(for success in any effort)
He told them those will be effective only if you do it with absolute faith and not as a ritual.
926)One who advises his students what it means to be ‘smart’.
You can be smart as a ‘wimp’ glowing with insight, perception, humour and wit.
You may not be a high ranker but you can be street smart- savvy, practical and able to think on your feet.
You may be able to rid your mind of unnecessary garbage.
Correct the angles
Have a no-nonsense attitude.
You are practical and effective
You think smart, are well-informed and thoughtful
You are able to look into, to look behind and beyond a fact
You are able to log to the unspoken word
You are able to understand another from one’s body language
927) One who believes that the future of work lies in bringing down the walls–not only in hierarchy but in workspace also
As one always interested in staff welfare he wants to do away with the usual long broad table with a long bench on either side of the table. He wants to replace it with individual chairs and tables for each staff so that they will feel an environment that promotes fun, conversation, teamwork, sharing of knowledge, reflective thinking.
928) One who doesn’t speak much, whose voice is gentle, whose presence has a quietness and dignity, whose face emits an inner effulgence and on whose presence people were over -awed.
929) One who, as Member Secretary of a staff recruitment board, put these questions to test their mental alertness, attitude and various personality traits .
1). In “Julius Caesar” drama, Shakespeare says “Caesar was he” what does he meant.
2). William Cooper in his poem “On the Receipt of Mother’s picture” tells ‘the motherless child became an eternal dupe of tomorrow’. What does he want you to understand from this sentence?
3). When can a person be fearless?
4). Can you define “an Indian”
5). What is the difference between
On board
Aboard
Overboard
6). Milton said
“they too serve who stand and wait”
How can those who stand and wait also serve?
7). Why are rivers clubbed under feminine gender?
8). If a student uses computer language while writing an essay in English, how will you correct it.
9). You are asked to teach the poem “the Tiger” with four stanzas
How will you make the students learn it without teaching?
10). Can you differentiate
Learning
Knowledge
Wisdom
11). Honesty and integrity: do they both mean the same thing or are that different?
12). A person is said to be “moderately honest” – what does it mean?
13). Differentiate between skill development and self development
14). How will you make your students learn to learn?
15). Who is a superior officer? Who is a higher officer?
16). In a farewell to the Headmaster one pupil says,
“i can never forget our Headmaster’s longhandedness”
What does he want to convey to the audience?
17). A person tells his boss:-
I am not used to tell lies but now, I am not in a position to tell the truth to you
18). We have these punctuation marks in English
, ; . – ( ) ? ! /
How will you use each one as a tool for value education?
19). How would you teach “adverb”?
If a student asks: –
“Sir, can we say that all words ending with “ly” are adverbs?
20). Truth is a noun. Can “true” be called a verb?
21). When should these two be used
“may i enter”
“can i enter”
22). How will you locate the types of mistakes committed by the pupils in your subject in the examination?
23). Say a few sentences you will use to instil patriotism.
24). A person tells his assistant
“suppose if you don’t come
Tomorrow, this work will suffer”
How will you react to this statement?
25). The Principal asks,” will you resign or shall we terminate you?”
What is the implication?
26). ‘the thought of getting the arrears’ or ‘the act of getting the arrears’ which is more enjoyable?
27). Distinguish between
“detached attachment”
“attached detachment”
With an example.
28). Can you differentiate success and failure, using both the two words?
29). A person wrote an application for ½ day’s casual leave like this “since i came 2 hours late because of my wife’s illness i request i may grant half a day’s casual leave”. As a teacher of English what is your reaction?.
30). Why is number 9 considered higher than other numbers.
31). Is there really any difference between ‘invention’ and ‘discovery’?
32). What do you mean by “biological warfare”.
33). Can you give two examples of lateral thinking from Mahabharata?
34). Can you tell the essence of Gita?
35). In the beginning of the Second World War, the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill told his countrymen,
“I can give you nothing but blood, sweat and tears”. What message was conveyed to the people through these 3 words?
36). When Bishop Wallace came out of the Rangoon prison at the end of World War the press people asked him how he felt about the Japanese, he replied.
“I don’t see them as they were
I don’t see them as they are
I see them as they could become”
How did he want the press to interpret these 3 lines?
37). Two centuries ago French chef Jean Brillat Savarin wrote:-
“tell me what to eat.
I will tell you who you are”
How is this possible?
~~~~~
IT is a national disgrace if the sons and daughters of India (which was for centuries the Light of Asia and the Guru of the West) grope in the dark, blinded by the scintillations of the scientific inventions of the West. But Peace does not drop from outer space! It springs from the heart within. – Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
