“There are obviously two educations. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live." – James Truslow Adams
As a child I learnt that people are divided into four groups based on their birth. Few days back I read in an ancient scripture that caste system is the ‘Varnashram’ where ‘Varna’ means color and not caste. People must be segregated based on their quality and work they do rather than by birth. We condition our mindsets according to what is taught at school. It is a shame that we call ourselves ‘higher’ based on birth and family rather than what qualities we possess. Children must, on the contrary, be taught that we are all born equal and similar and strive to become an asset to the society in any which way rather than inclining towards the negative and become a burden to the world.
I shall focus on Education and society in the next couple of paragraphs.
The need of the hour is effective teachers to prepare sensible youth for future who can differentiate good from the bad and right from the wrong. We say that India is great without realizing that people make it great. Our land and people are so diverse that it requires diverse teachers to shape it. Instead of asking students to do ton of homework, carry heavy bags, and nailing the little creatures, teachers must embrace children and their background as funds of knowledge. It has become a routine for teachers to consider children as blank slate. Blank Slate indicates children have no knowledge and teachers can pour anything and everything in their brains. Teachers must go beyond the textbooks and homework. They must possess knowledge and information that is original and meaningful.
Just imagine Obama administration decides to allocate 40% of college seats for the minorities like Afro Americans or Hispanic, where would foreign students go then? The schools here are striving to mix students from different races together in all activities rather than segregating. We have excellent teachers who are Blacks, Hispanics or Asians, for that matter. Our educational goals from the primary school should focus on higher achievement and equality rather than lesser important issues that foster caste and religion. It must be noted that Indians have proved to be better achievers than many others according to statistics. The intelligence and funds our children have must be utilized to the optimum level instead of letting them dwindle by discouraging them. National spelling bee champion Kavya Shivashankar is a good example in this context.
The recent attacks on Indian students in the USA and the myriad terror attacks in India and elsewhere have got me to think: what is the root cause for such events. I always believed that a strong foundation is required for a building to stand still for ages. Similarly children, if from the very outset, are trained to develop the qualities: peacefulness, tolerance, honesty, wisdom and other positive aspects, the day shall not be far where we can have a perfect utopian society. We say that children are the future of the country but are we working towards preparing them for better future? Maybe not!
-Nivedita Matsyaraja
I shall focus on Education and society in the next couple of paragraphs.
The need of the hour is effective teachers to prepare sensible youth for future who can differentiate good from the bad and right from the wrong. We say that India is great without realizing that people make it great. Our land and people are so diverse that it requires diverse teachers to shape it. Instead of asking students to do ton of homework, carry heavy bags, and nailing the little creatures, teachers must embrace children and their background as funds of knowledge. It has become a routine for teachers to consider children as blank slate. Blank Slate indicates children have no knowledge and teachers can pour anything and everything in their brains. Teachers must go beyond the textbooks and homework. They must possess knowledge and information that is original and meaningful.
Just imagine Obama administration decides to allocate 40% of college seats for the minorities like Afro Americans or Hispanic, where would foreign students go then? The schools here are striving to mix students from different races together in all activities rather than segregating. We have excellent teachers who are Blacks, Hispanics or Asians, for that matter. Our educational goals from the primary school should focus on higher achievement and equality rather than lesser important issues that foster caste and religion. It must be noted that Indians have proved to be better achievers than many others according to statistics. The intelligence and funds our children have must be utilized to the optimum level instead of letting them dwindle by discouraging them. National spelling bee champion Kavya Shivashankar is a good example in this context.
The recent attacks on Indian students in the USA and the myriad terror attacks in India and elsewhere have got me to think: what is the root cause for such events. I always believed that a strong foundation is required for a building to stand still for ages. Similarly children, if from the very outset, are trained to develop the qualities: peacefulness, tolerance, honesty, wisdom and other positive aspects, the day shall not be far where we can have a perfect utopian society. We say that children are the future of the country but are we working towards preparing them for better future? Maybe not!
-Nivedita Matsyaraja
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