my thoughts

  In continuation to my last article and my deductions from the book ‘Get Better at Getting Better’ by Sh. Chandramouli Venkatesan, I am reminded of a statement given by Late Sh. G D Birla to the students and teachers of Birla Public School, Pilani, where he spoke about the importance of moving forward continuously, or else other people would take over. The statement truly conveys the need of continuous learning and growth to be able to stay relevant in today’s highly competitive scenarios. Human Beings by nature are capable of understanding and appreciating evolution. Everyone wants to become better; nobody wants to remain the same. It is only when even after putting in efforts, we do not see enough improvements that we give up and eventually stagnate. Thinking about why our efforts might not reap the required results, I am compelled to draw your attention towards our learning techniques. We are usually more inclined to know the answers rather than finding the path to reach to t...

MARKS CAN NEVER EQUATE LEARNING I hope all are well and finding ways to fight this unprecedented time and situation which forced all of us to change our approach towards many things in life. There are many people who are finding it difficult to cope up but majority of us have been able to face this challenge successfully. The word successfully does not mean we are through this pandemic but finding different ways and solutions to either live with the virus or avoid the virus till vaccines are available. This sort of problem was not at all thought or predicted by anybody hence we did not know how to solve it. However, this period has given opportunity to people to learn from books, movies and webinars etc. While reading a book titled “Get better at getting better” by Sh. Chandramoli Venkatesan, I came across an analogy related to the education system of our country. As the results of many public examinations conduced by different examination bodies have been dec...

‘Going through things you never thought you would go through will only take you places you would never think you would get to.’ This quote indicates the empowered state of the education sector given the present state. We had never foreseen the current state of affairs but it is rightly said that one emerges out best in challenging times. Keeping this in view, the teaching fraternity is all geared up to venture into the all-new world of the remote teaching-learning process. My focus is learning because this phase has taught us so many things that we had never thought of earlier. It has also taught us to grow through the change instead of going through it. It is time we the educators, deliberate and devise ways in which our children are benefitted from remote learning amidst all the apprehensions that surround us about its possible disadvantages. It is already the end of June and we are sceptical about the ‘in-person’ classes. If the circumstances go better we might switch to ‘i...

At the outset, I would like to take you back in time. It is the evening of 23 March 2020 and all were anxiously waiting for Prime Minister’s address to the nation. Most of the school going children were not into the discussion of what was likely to come. They all had their plans for coming days, ranging from activities like meeting friends, preparing for a mock-test at the coaching centres,   a friend’s birthday celebration, family function, watching a movie in the multiplex, shopping etc. The same evening all their programs are put to rest as the Prime Minister announced a nationwide Lockdown 1.0 lasting for the next 21 days in the wake of the global pandemic Covid-19( which was later extended three times). It is not that only children got affected by the lockdown but everyone from government to all the citizens. For the first few days most of us thought it as an opportunity to stay home, away from work place. After a few days we realised that life had come...

“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” Today, we enter a new month but the future remains uncertain. As the second phase of lockdown nears its culmination in India, the government along with the corona warriors such as dedicated medical teams, police system, NGOs, banking sector and those in other essential services, continue to work at the front foot. We salute their commitment and bravery. It’s rightly said that when the going gets tough the tough gets going. One such tough and yet most humble and significant section of dedicated contributors is somehow not being acknowledged as far as I have observed. In many of my previous articles, I have elaborately discussed the role of a teacher. This guide, facilitator, counselor is quietly and patiently shouldering a dual responsibility in this testing time. During the month gone by, I have received a lot of feedback from parents and students appreciating the efforts of teachers an...

“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” The first part of lockdown ended yesterday and today we enter the second and more crucial phase of the same. The world is experiencing something it had never experienced befor e. In my last article, I discussed the ways to remain positive and to make the best use of the situation at hand. In this article, I would exclusively focus on the teacher-student-parent community and the thoughtfully committed and innovative way it has dealt with the state of affairs. Teachers all over the world remain unperturbed. They have become more dedicated, creative and are constantly engaged with their students through various online platforms, attesting that education never takes rest. At the outset, I must accept what parents and students across the world have acknowledged. There is no better feeling than being in the physical and tangible world of ...

“Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It is about learning to dance in the rain.” As we fight against COVID-19, there is a beautiful realization that cannot be ignored. The world has come together in solidarity. All the trade wars, economic and political conflicts, religious differences and community clashes are at a halt. We do have time but absolutely no inclination to invest ourselves in these topics. Life has become slow-paced for the most of us but there is still a significant section of society that is providing its undeterred services in these testing times. Many of us haven’t experienced such a situation ever. But it’s indeed commendable, the way we are dealing with it. With all of us trying to cope up and adjust with the sudden stagnancy, I have observed that parents all over the world are focussed on keeping the academics of their kids on track. Committed to begin the new academic session, when it’s due, many schools have switched to exclus...