my thoughts

These thoughts are shared with my readers after a gap of two months and I think this is the first time since Dec 2010 that I could not share my thoughts in a particular month. There were personal reasons for the same and also was finding it difficult to come out with positive thoughts for all of us. But now I am forced to share my introspection, which may be contrary to my beliefs but sometimes you need to realise the reality. Recently, about 15 days back, my son met with an accident and as happens with all parents we also got scared as he lives in a different city (the one which is closest to national capital and most sought after in north India) and we did not know how serious the injury was. We rushed to his place and had a sigh of relief seeing him comfortable and thankfully there was no head injury( because of the quality of helmet which he is very particular about). But this was short lived as we came to know that he got his ligaments torn and these are to be ...

                       ENDEAVOURING TO CONQUER ANXIETIES   This was 12 May 2023, a usual day for all of us in school. An alumnus of our school came to meet all her teachers. After meeting the teachers, she came to me and we discussed about her progress and how the school helped her achieve what she could. She fondly talked about her participation in namely all the activities of the school (elated to mention that she was the head girl of the school). It gave me a lot of satisfaction when the importance of co-curricular activities was given due credit by her because, in the last few years, I have been made to feel that marks are the only criteria to measure an individual student’s intelligence and potential. But this was a short-lived joy because, in the middle of our interaction, we came to know that the result of class XII has been declared by the CBSE and after some time class X result was also declared ( I do not kno...

The annual examinations of almost all the schools/boards in India are going o n or would start / finish in a few days. The children and parents of the school-going children know nothing else to do but prepare and appear to perform to the best in their respective exams. We talk a lot ab out the stress caused due to examinations of the children especially the board exams , which is true to a great extent. The parents are found taking off from their work and trying to be with the kids as much as possible. This is a ritual which is followed every year. In this, the teachers' stress, especially those teaching board classes, is sometimes ignored. They have to perform multiple tasks and play multiple roles. They are not only expected to take care of the academic part of their students but also the emotional and psychological issues are to be given proper attention. The examination in India and probably in other countries is highlighted so much that the real aim of education is lost som...

It is that time of the year again when school students and their parents across India are all set for the Board /annual examination. The Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi interacted with the students, teachers and parents on 27 January 2023, Pariksha Pe Charcha. In the last few years, it has been a regular feature when the Prime Minister speaks to the children directly and answers their questions on exams and how they can perform better in the forthcoming exam. The word examination in itself is a bit scary and it is quite natural for all to get stressed while going through the ritual because of the unrealistic expectations from self and expectations of others from the individual. Unfortunately, in our country, the meaning of examination has been considered synonymous with scoring marks and qualifying for various entrance tests. For this, the drill starts at the beginning of the academic year (and in most cases many years before). Hence concluded, the exam is a way to recall ...

The new year has started with a bang; as always, many of us would have promised many new things to do during the year. We, as teachers have only one thing in focus: the well-being of our children. It is not only what we do but also what impact the government policy and the parent’s expectations would have on the kids is also an important area to be kept in mind while having any resolution written for the year. Somebody rightly mentioned that before you plan for the future, you must walk through the year gone by. Though our academic session is from April to March, deciding in advance is key to success. The last week of the year 2022 was spent by us in an Asian country not so much talked about-Malaysia, which we visited as part of every year’s teachers’ tours to different places. This was not the first choice but once we were there, we realized that this was one of the best choices. During our stay there for about six-seven days we found the discipline and pride in the culture of the c...

A few years back I had written about the concept of a critical friend. Every individual needs some input and insight to become better in some specific area or in general. The concept of a critical friend is to have someone very close to oneself who tells about one’s strengths and weaknesses. You all would be aware of SWOT- strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats at a workplace. We also talk a lot about teamwork and its advantages. Whether it is the development of the team or an individual, there is a need for a coach, because critical friends can help us in knowing about our weaknesses, but how to overcome them can be advised and suggested by a coach. A coach is someone who would help an individual grow and do better in a specific skill or field. Though in our country we do have an idea about the importance of coaching that is mostly in the field of sports and lately seen in the trend of cracking entrance examinations. The corporates have a culture of mentors who help the newc...