learnings

Be it a relationship, personal or professional situation, exit with dignity. Do not play the blame game. Do not demoralize those who are 'in'. Do not drag the other down. Exit with your head held high.

I read with shock and pain that the age of marijuana users in New Delhi, my country's capital city, is as low as 12-13 years. These children belong to the high income group. Parents we have just one life.  Can we please let go of our ego and 'listen' to our children. Can we 'know' what is happening in their lives? Can we take note of their behaviour so much so that the slightest change alerts us? Can we take note of their personal hygiene? Can we enter their world of likes, leaving ours behind? Can we spend time with them, hang out with them? ( during early years if you do not make it a habit, you cannot barge into their teen years) Can we have dinner together more often without gadgets? Can we accept their opinion and views on various matters? Can we monitor their Internet schedule? Can we take interest in their music, movies and  games? Can we, please, can we be mindful of our children?  If we do not go on the journey along with them, w...

It is an era where teachers have to be more mindful of their students. An era where both parents are working/ climbing the social and career ladder. Teachers have more responsibility towards students especially at the school level. As a class teacher/subject teacher we must be aware, be mindful of the students in our class. Do we stop to observe them? Are we concerned when they are absent from school? Are we concerened about their eating habits? Are we taking note of their hygiene and turn out? (It is not just the responsibility of the Physical department) Do we care to know about their likes/dislikes/music/games/latest fads? Do we observe any changes in emotion/action/behaviour ? Oh Yes teachers we have a lot to do. It is not enough if we merely teach and exit from the class? Pursuing homework and assignments is only a miniscule in our teaching arena. Each child needs a champion. Let us each one of us be 'there', 'be the champ' for our students. If you h...

I read a beautiful article on the same topic by a popular behavioural consultant in my city. Being patient in some occasions, in some situations, in some places alone is not good enough. Patience is to be worn like a cloak through and through. Let us be aware of our behaviour all the time. How do we behave while waiting at the traffic signal? How do we behave while boarding or exiting the aircraft? How do we behave while waiting at the cash counter in a supermarket? How do we behave while standing in line for the school assembly? Lining up in queue is just not in our Indian culture. Might is right still persists especially when we travel in the northern parts of the country. The only decent queue I have seen during my travels is in Kerala where men of all classes stand demurely and oh so patiently- to buy alcohol! So can we wear patience like a cloak? Through and through?

There are several elements of communication and one of them is the tone of voice. I recently stayed at a favourite friend's place. I observed the tone of voice used by the couple while communicating. Any correction of terms or facts were done in a gentle tone, so softly that it is difficult for the third person to hear. The other person also took the correction by responding positively. I am rather a reactive person at home. This was an eye opener and I am going to work on my tone. Will I succeed? Maybe some blogs later I may answer if I succeeded or not.

Some years ago I read about Professors at Harvard  receiving feedback from their students. The article was an eye opener for me. Asking students for a feedback? Unheard of in the Indian scenario when we teachers expect our students to merely 'listen' to us, 'obey', 'respect'. Nowadays the scenario has changed at many urban areas where teachers are getting used to students being very open, speaking their minds and being assertive. Some teachers do not like it while some do. Upon reading the article, with great trepidation, I asked my students to give me a feedback. Most were scared to pen their thoughts. Obviously they were scared of the backlash. So I told them to write on paper without mentioning their names. I was overwhelmed by the positive comments. But the greatest learning came from those who mentioned about my temper! I, then on, became conscious and began working on checking my temper. I do not know if I succeeded in my previous school but I got bette...

I love the Kung Fu Panda movies. The 3rd one did not disappoint. Though the movie is intended for children there is a lot to learn for all age groups:- 1. Be yourself 2. Love is to be shared ( 2 parents sharing PO) 3. As a teacher it is not about the teachers, it is all about the students.. very student- centric ( it is not about me, it is about them) 4. Master's ego- Master Shifu was so ready to be a learner all over again. He was ready to learn from his student. Such open mindedness! Such humility. 5. Po makes use of the local talents. He makes use of each one's latent potential. He hones their assets into fine skills. One can transfer one's skills. Yet another powerful lesson. 6. It is alright to not succeed at your first attempt. Be bold enough to accept and move on or change your tactic. Have you seen the movie? Any learnings?

A young adult recently commented that he was not getting enough sleep. On inquiring I found, without surprise, that he smokes after dinner, watches TV or is on the net till midnight or past. Good habits are needed for a good sleep. I have found that having a routine is wonderful. My routine works from Monday to Friday. I have not been able to extend my routine to the weekends because I do not want to. Indulging in habits and routine that is interfering with our bodies and life is entirely up to us. We push ourselves to the the doors of the hospital and then shock ourselves into changing habits. Often it is too late... What sleep does to us: Rejuvenates all organs Builds up immunity system Improves Concentration and memory Improves decision making skills Strengthens Will Power. All of us know yet... I n the hall of silence Waves of serenity engulf me I am cradled in the land of nod I float into waves of dreamless sleep So nourishing and rejuvenating... And l...

The other day I read about a famous actor changing his long held belief. He confessed turning from atheism to gandhism. There was a frenzy among his fans and in the media. I admired him for the same fact though. He is past his prime and at this age he has taken such a turn. he has welcomed change. It is absolutely normal to change one’s values, viewpoints, beliefs as we go through life. As per psychologists, the values that are dear to us while we are students change when we enter corporate life. For example let us take honesty. While in school we are drilled on being honest and circumstances do make it easier to be honest. Once we enter the adult world, white lies, black lies, small lies and big lies become part of our social interactions. I went through phases of isms like atheism, communism, pluralism , agnosticism and I think I still do!!! Those who say that they will not change are the most foolish and the most dangerous.. Such foolishness leads to narrow-mindedn...