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.

Evil of Showrooming

The Time Magazine has an article on 'Evil of Showrooming' (link).  The concern is that people browse a bookstore, and later buy at Amazon (in our case / my case Flipkart.com).



There was a report in Times of India recently the book sales dipped signficantly in the recent times. (link)



Trends are changing. Here are something to take note of:



a) The bookshops like Crossword, Landmark etc in Bangalore do not really have a good collection of books. They sell much hyped and latest 'best sellers'



b) Like Brand Factory, they are also into Buy 1 Get 1,  or throughout the year Sales Festival.



c) I recently searched in 3 or 4 bookshops including Crossword, and Landmark some best books on Brains and Neuroscience.  They had them on their computers listed with zero inventory.



d) These book stores have not done to contain the local piracy



e) These book stores added eateries as additional attraction



f) My contact in Reliance Time Out was concerned that he does not get intentional buyers. People who walk into Reliance's electronic showroom, visit the 2nd floor bookstore to buy some stationery and cosmetics.



g) People have enough access to these books thanks to Just Books and other library formats. 



In my opinion,

- These book stores should sell best of books, rare collections.  They should organize events, strategies to encourage reading more. They should encourage concepts to build home library. You cannot just afford to remain a bookshop. The bookshop owner should build relationship with the buyer. I have not seen any intellectual book seller in any of the bookshops talking passionately to his customers.



Till then, evil of showrooming cannot be contained.



PS: I also would like to add, I regularly buy good books from bookstores despite online offers.

The Dog Trainer

I was in search of how psychology plays role in dog training.  It would be certainly interesting to know that. In the process, I came across this man's details: Ceasa Millan.



About Cesar Millan:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesar_Millan



Cesar's home page:  http://www.cesarsway.com/

 

Things to get better in 2012

Every year that passes by special in some way. And to me 2011 is very satisfactory year. I chose it to be.



For 2012, I see it as a year of getting things better.  Year end is a physical demarcation and provides a mental one to all of us.  But I believe, we should start anywhere anytime if we truly decided without waiting for the next year to come.



What would I get better at in 2012?




Health:  I was telling my friends that everyone plans to fall sick. I feel sad sometimes whether people take conscious steps towards health or not, they take conscious steps towards bad health patterns. What if one day all the doctors tell, we can treat only three times in your lifetime for any kind of ailment?  Wont the world be the craziest place where health is sought after, instead of gold?  



Language:  I recently fell in love with Kannada language for two reasons.  The Jyothiyali song from the movie Geetha.  And another reason is a "Geetha".  Geetha madam, a very senior teacher, whom I met recently in Chikamagalore and she spoke on stage a very beautiful literary Kannada rich in style.  By next year, my library will find me filling Kannada books. or you may end up reading my Kannada blog.



Relationships: I know me very well. I got better at relationships in the past ten years. I know my patterns, strengths and limits when it comes to relationships. Relationships are very subtle things; as human being we relate each others in some way.  Its part of the survival of the human race.  I will still get better at this and be a better person.  A quote that I read "Before you heal others, heal yourself".



Wealth:  I really have a love-hate relationship with wealth. If wealth were a woman, we like each other, we seek each other but we donot seem to get along :-)



Book:  Not of reading but of writing one. 



Neuroscience for you and me:  After NLP for the past ten years, it was the brain science that became my recent obsession. The book Evolve Your Brain, The Buddha's brain and few other titles, find prominent place in my new bookshelf.  I was thinking that I should create something called Neuroscience for Kids and explain the power of Brain to the young generation in a more effective way.





And there are some more!  I am sculpting my life, only to get better.  The Buddha in me, smiles.