The Top Ranker Who ( maybe ) Failed Somewhere Else ... ( with due respects to Robin Sharma )
Few days back, I was channel ( TV kind and not irc one ) surfing until I stopped on news channel - Times Now. They were telecasting a program called "Youth Diaries" (iirc) at that point. The programme was profiling certain types of schools/schooling - they termed it as "alternative schooling". I somehow got glued to the concept and kept watching the program until they stopped it in between for a breaking news of that hour - "Tibetian protests in Delhi and storming of the consulate in Delhi".
But the thought of "alternative schools/schooling" and the all things related kept lingering my mind. I wondered how does it work, which education board do they follow, it seems too good to be true and much more. I discussed it with some good friends - Barkha and Sankarshan. While chatting up with good old Sankarshan, I did a bit of interweb searching and found about the schools that were profiled in the program I saw couple of days back. Bhavya was one of them and another one was Shikshantar. I found their way of teaching kids very interesting and thought provoking. These schools don't teach the children to run behind marks. Teaching them about life and sensibilities whilst they learn to spell words and do math was their goal. Interesting!.Sankarshan liked the idea, it seemed so and wanted me to blog about it. For some reason I didn't and that in a way turned out to be a blessing.
Somewhere back of my mind, I kept thinking about this concept and how it works. Where it originated? Was there a center in Mumbai which followed these principles? Say hello to "universe and its conspiracies". :).
This weekend I bumped into a group of people, none of whom I have had met before or known before, never ever. No two people worked in the same domain. There was a doctor, home-maker, makeup artist, innovation strategist, counselors, remedial teacher, just out of 12th grade, yoga teacher, a fresh lime soda evangalist ( who sometimes talks and codes KDE ) ;) and more. 13 people in all.
Out of nowhere one of them - the remedial teacher uttered the word "alternative education". We were *NOT* discussing this topic at all. My eyes brightened up at the sound of those two wonderful words - "alternative education". I asked her, how does she know about it and she said proudly - "my children go there.". Later when I got a chance, I bought this topic into open discussion and oh boy apparently the most successful person ( one of the most brilliant minds I have met, serious fun talking to this person ) among us ( probably one of the best in the profession she was in ) said - "Our children go there.". By 'our' she meant hers and her friends - the counselor and the remedial teacher were her friends apparently. I mentioned about the news programme and how those children were taught and I could see them grinning widely and feeling really happy about it. Then this person told me things that I was subconsciously thinking about since the day I saw that news - suddenly all my questions about "alternative education" were answered.
These schools were basically based on Rudolf Steiner's school of thought. Also known as Waldorf Schools" worldwide. There is much more to it better read up if you want to know more. And there is a lot more to know.
Tridha is the Mumbai avatar of a Rudolf Steiner school and Sloka is in Hyderabad. Their children used to go / still go to Tridha in Vile Parle ( Mumbai suburb ). I had a lot of questions and pretty much did an impromtu interview. Asked them if their children found it difficult when they were compared to other children from the mainstream education. Pat came the reply 'No, they don't feel the need to compare themselves with others.'. She said that her children actually waited for exams and were mostly toppers - now that they have moved to mainstream school. ( Most of these schools add a class every year, so a lot of them have only uptil 7th grade or 8th and are adding new ones ever year ). Apparently these schools still come under the purview of ISCE board. The student-teacher ration is about 1:25 or so, which is wonderful. There are no exams until 7th grade, no uniform as well.
As the discussion progressed, she said - how many parents think about their children as marksheets and not children? She said she has stopped asking parents how their children were because the stock answer would be - "achha hai, lekin sirf 75% marks laata hai" and she is waiting to hear - "woh bahut aacha hai, bahut creative hai, sundar clay modelling karta hai. Gaata bhi accha hai. 70% marks laatah, lekin drawing mein har jagah first aata hai, aaj kal advanced painting courses be karna chata hai" or something to that effect. Her standard reply to such people is - "you have given birth to a child and not a marksheet.Think."
All of us should just do that THINK! THINK about it especially if we are parents or going to be one. I certainly will when I become one few years down the line.
( Sankarshan, Atul - Thanks!, you know why :)
But the thought of "alternative schools/schooling" and the all things related kept lingering my mind. I wondered how does it work, which education board do they follow, it seems too good to be true and much more. I discussed it with some good friends - Barkha and Sankarshan. While chatting up with good old Sankarshan, I did a bit of interweb searching and found about the schools that were profiled in the program I saw couple of days back. Bhavya was one of them and another one was Shikshantar. I found their way of teaching kids very interesting and thought provoking. These schools don't teach the children to run behind marks. Teaching them about life and sensibilities whilst they learn to spell words and do math was their goal. Interesting!.Sankarshan liked the idea, it seemed so and wanted me to blog about it. For some reason I didn't and that in a way turned out to be a blessing.
Somewhere back of my mind, I kept thinking about this concept and how it works. Where it originated? Was there a center in Mumbai which followed these principles? Say hello to "universe and its conspiracies". :).
This weekend I bumped into a group of people, none of whom I have had met before or known before, never ever. No two people worked in the same domain. There was a doctor, home-maker, makeup artist, innovation strategist, counselors, remedial teacher, just out of 12th grade, yoga teacher, a fresh lime soda evangalist ( who sometimes talks and codes KDE ) ;) and more. 13 people in all.
Out of nowhere one of them - the remedial teacher uttered the word "alternative education". We were *NOT* discussing this topic at all. My eyes brightened up at the sound of those two wonderful words - "alternative education". I asked her, how does she know about it and she said proudly - "my children go there.". Later when I got a chance, I bought this topic into open discussion and oh boy apparently the most successful person ( one of the most brilliant minds I have met, serious fun talking to this person ) among us ( probably one of the best in the profession she was in ) said - "Our children go there.". By 'our' she meant hers and her friends - the counselor and the remedial teacher were her friends apparently. I mentioned about the news programme and how those children were taught and I could see them grinning widely and feeling really happy about it. Then this person told me things that I was subconsciously thinking about since the day I saw that news - suddenly all my questions about "alternative education" were answered.
These schools were basically based on Rudolf Steiner's school of thought. Also known as Waldorf Schools" worldwide. There is much more to it better read up if you want to know more. And there is a lot more to know.
Tridha is the Mumbai avatar of a Rudolf Steiner school and Sloka is in Hyderabad. Their children used to go / still go to Tridha in Vile Parle ( Mumbai suburb ). I had a lot of questions and pretty much did an impromtu interview. Asked them if their children found it difficult when they were compared to other children from the mainstream education. Pat came the reply 'No, they don't feel the need to compare themselves with others.'. She said that her children actually waited for exams and were mostly toppers - now that they have moved to mainstream school. ( Most of these schools add a class every year, so a lot of them have only uptil 7th grade or 8th and are adding new ones ever year ). Apparently these schools still come under the purview of ISCE board. The student-teacher ration is about 1:25 or so, which is wonderful. There are no exams until 7th grade, no uniform as well.
As the discussion progressed, she said - how many parents think about their children as marksheets and not children? She said she has stopped asking parents how their children were because the stock answer would be - "achha hai, lekin sirf 75% marks laata hai" and she is waiting to hear - "woh bahut aacha hai, bahut creative hai, sundar clay modelling karta hai. Gaata bhi accha hai. 70% marks laatah, lekin drawing mein har jagah first aata hai, aaj kal advanced painting courses be karna chata hai" or something to that effect. Her standard reply to such people is - "you have given birth to a child and not a marksheet.Think."
All of us should just do that THINK! THINK about it especially if we are parents or going to be one. I certainly will when I become one few years down the line.
( Sankarshan, Atul - Thanks!, you know why :)