my thoughts

The role of a teacher or an educator refers to the person who helps students acquire knowledge and virtue. Despite the overwhelming consequences of COVID-19, this global crisis has also been an extraordinary time for learning. The roles and responsibilities of the teacher changed drastically during the pandemic. On 24 March 2020, the Government of India ordered a nationwide lockdown for 21 days. Although the citizens didn’t know how to react yet they took it as a break from the hustle and bustle of life. The lockdown affected the different sections of society, differently. The affluent were relaxed but the daily wage workers had to migrate to their villages for their survival. The fear of illness, social restrictions and economic insecurity had all taken their toll on the psychological wellbeing of these adversely affected ones. Therefore to build up the morale of the nation, various government agencies and organisations came up with many unique ideas like lighting diyas, beating thal

There was a n advertisement of detergent which was very popular sometimes back and many people still remember the same in which a lady say s ~uski sari meri sari se safed kyun? ` Meaning thereby , why is her sari white r than mi ne? And then the name of the detergent appears. You will come across many other such examples in which one brand tries to prove self-better than the other by tagging the competitor inferior.  Does it happen in case of ads only or is it common in our day to day life? An employee appreciated for her good work is usually envied by many co-workers and some of them start trying to prove her wrong. A sibling praised by family members might offend the other sibling and then he/she may try to prove her wrong by raising allegations. The same happens in political arena where we find one party trying to prove the other wrong in spite of proving self-right.   The desire to prove another person/organisation wrong usually originates when we feel jealous, being

  ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee needs no introduction. For years now it has unarguably been one of the most popular, widely read and critically acclaimed modern classics. Though set in the 1930’s in a small fictitious town Maycomb in the USA, this book transcends all geographical and time related boundaries owing to its compassionate and deeply moving theme that takes readers to the roots of human behavior. Conveying an astounding number of truths, it powerfully yet subtly deals with really sensitive topics such as prejudice, racism, segregation, respect, kindness, bravery, cruelty, hatred, injustice, evil etc. - those which have and will always be a part of the human society. Throughout the course of the book, readers are exposed to various scenarios, circumstances, conflicts and characters that the six year old protagonist Scout associates and deals with and how they help her grow into a courageous, mature and good natured person. The book has many import

  When it comes to career advice, ‘follow your passion’ or do ‘what you are interested in’, seems to be the order of the day. And while this slogan may be as popular as the sun - splashed across books and magazines, heard in speeches and pep talks and vouched for by coaches and experts, it may actually, in my opinion, not be a very sound notion. Uncertainty and ambiguity that children, as also their parents face when it comes to making decisions about ‘choosing the most befitting and right career option’ is not an unusual phenomenon, most of us experience it. And with the current overemphasis on ‘letting children follow their dreams’ making a choice that is both appropriate and practical can at times be tricky. The solution to this probably lies in understanding what ‘interest’ really is. Interest, as stated in the Merriam Webster dictionary is ‘a quality that attracts one’s attention and makes one want to learn more about something or to be involved in something.’ The next questio

  The beginning of schooling or formal education is an important event, not only in a child’s life but also in the lives of the parents. Rigorous research and contemplation over multiple parameters for assessing various options precedes the decision making of narrowing down on a few ‘good’ pre - primary schools. The next stage consists of preparing the child (and also parents in some cases) to ‘crack the entrance test’. Those who are able to clear more than one test have an upper hand - the liberty of choosing a school of their preference.     A sequence of similar events may generally also be associated with a lot of things in life -getting into schools, colleges, universities, jobs, starting a business, getting a loan, etc. Assessments are an integral part of our daily life – definitely more structured for students but equally constitutive of our professional and personal lives. But do we really understand the meaning and purpose of assessments?   Brown's definition of

“ जीवन की एक बड़ी विडम्बना यह है कि हम सदा दूसरो के कार्यों को देखते है , उनकी समालोचना करते हैं । कभी न अपने विचारों और कार्यों पर दृष्टि डालते हैं , न उनका आकलन करते है , बल्कि हम हमेशा स्वयं को सही मानते हैं । अपने इस अहंकार की मार हम पूरे उम्र खाते हैं । ” – Shri Gulab Kothari Ji in Raj Patrika (One of the greatest ironies of life is we always look at the actions of others and criticize them. We never introspect nor do we assess our actions and thoughts and always consider ourselves right. And this arrogance holds us back, all our life) A student at the Ambedkar University Delhi was recently stopped from taking her final semester exams till she paid fine for derogatory remarks posted by her against the CM and state Education Minister during the university’s online convocation ceremony. Following which, the Education Minister reached out to the university to cancel the fine, stating that ‘no student should be punished for exercising their right to free speech within the unive