Shibumi School - May become my choice of school

I always believed that our current education system is not suitable for our kids.  Its not about the homework and syllabus. My grouse is how commercial the whole system has become and we are in an endless vicious cycle. 
Thankfully, I met this parent at an ice cream workshop and learnt her kids are going to Shibumi.  I have heard of Valley school in Kanakapura Road. 
I want to make Diya and Dhyan to study in such a school, especially Shibumi. 
I am even willing to experiment no-schooling for Diya.

Readers may want to visit these sites:
http://www.shibumi.org.in/
http://shibuminews.blogspot.in/

These schools are following the teachings of Jiddu Krishnamurti. And when I read his biography (half way through), I was impressed. I had answers for some of my seekings. I will blog about JK separately.

I had good education during school, but somewhere I believe all that I learnt was unnecessary. My childhood is lost in memorizing.  My daughter is going through the same in front of my eyes.
 
Lots of reforms are required in our education system.  I am glad Shibumi and other schools are effectively doing that.

More on this soon. 

CBSE's Open Book System for Analytical Skills

CBSE is planning to introduce Open Book system for the board students from next year.  This will help the education system moving away from 'memory based' learning to 'analytical thinking' based.  From what is called as Pre Announced Test (PAT), the students would know the passages from where the questions may be asked. Unlike the current system, students will not get a direct question - answer match from the books. 

Its a welcome move and this is how students can assess their analytical skills. It will be a good idea if this can be introduced even from junior classes partially. 

When I was a student, I broke the chapter passages into very basic questions and tried answering them. This helped me master some touch concepts even during my academic projects.

May be much more innovation is needed to take the academic load off the students and kindle the students' creativity and potential to the best. 

Dr. Haim Ginott

“I've come to the frightening conclusioin that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It's my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or de-humanized.”

Identity for the teachers

Identity for the teachers.  What is identity?

Each one of us believe that we support our family. We work. We do something.  We are here for something. We relate to each other. We are an authority. We do something for someone. We give something for someone. We receive something from someone.   We are all these, because of the identies.

We are a brother, husband, father, teacher, neighbour, engineer, philanthropist, social activitst, a book reader, a sponsor, a driver, an author, a poet, a cleaner, an artist and thus carry all these identities.  Above all, we carry a name.

These identities create beliefs.

Similarly for teachers, certain identiies influence them to believe.  A science teacher teaches science because she is one. A head master is strict because he is one. A primary school teacher does not look beyond because he is one.

An useful identity for teachers is "I am the architect of the future".

Hold on to this identity and see things transforming for better.

Our children are labeled

Accept the fact that our children have been labelled.  Either we as parents label them or the teacher label them.  I had been to my kid's school for the parents teachers meeting.  The class teacher had some observation and we responded. There was another parent to whom the class teacher was explaining the "labels" she has framed on the child. The body language and the language of the parent was shifting between supporting the teacher's view and then to advise the child.  The label the child gets during his / her formative days help construct beliefs, experiences, thinking models and the future itself. 

Talking of skills, we are in a world of peer pressure. We decide what skills our children should get based on what the other kids do. The kid cannot really differentiate (and also the parents), what is needed for her for that age.  A karate class on one side, a music on the other, a language class here and regular school there. What do you build or dump in your kid, finally?

Talking of disabilities, I believe there is nothing like disabliity. Every one has a different neuro structure.  We have been designed in a certain way. The moment we label a kid with a 'disability' tag, the tension mounts.  I would say 'anger' is a disability for the man kind. I would say 'worry' is another disability. Because both these emotions disable us from being a better human.

So, lets get off the tag, "disability" atleast for our kids.

The book "Our Labelled Children: What every Parent and Teacher needs to know about learning disabilities" is in my wishlist.

I touch future

I dedicate this blog to all the teachers and students community because they together constitute the future.  The world is better because of the teachers. The world is better because of the students.

Lets teach by living the principles.

Education is getting costlier

It is disheartening to note that our education system is getting costlier day by day. Right from an application form for Rs.500 to donation of Rs.1 lakh for a pre-kg admission, the cost of education right from the childhood is ever increasing.

The schools always have justification like 'building fund', 'charity donation' or 'education society' but I do not think it should be enforced on a public. All the interviews are mere eyewash; its based on the parents educational and earning background, seats are allowed.

On the other hand, the standard of the government schools, their education system, the logistics and every thing in bad shape.

If we do not control this now, one thing would lead to another and put a question mark in our value system.

I have written to the President of India, hoping for response and some action