13/2/12
Kids are kids and they will remain so.I had made a timetable so they would all come in batches and we could get some work ,some progress done, but they refuse to not come! This little girl ,Neharika came and stood out at 4pm not taking a no for an answer and then someone mentioned to me that kids are standing out in the sun. Well, what to do , they all walked in , like little ants to the honey -pot and the class started.
It's all not about English, it's about giving them space, the confidence to speak loudly and to allow them to make mistakes so they can learn without reprimand. What I feel sad is , their inability to express to speak loudly and even if they know the answer to say it in front of me. They only know one way of learning, the GUIDE. This is how they learn , they remember everything by rote. Dismal .
The class went of as it does, three more kids . The standards vary from english school ,to a privately run academy by Buddhists, to the so called govt school. This I would write some day . The opportunities offered makes me wonder why .
My last student ( new student ) was Vipan Kumar , age 20 , a twelfth pass in commerce subjects. He is currently studying his ITI diploma course and commutes daily to Phagwara and then comes back by 4pm to learn computers ( God Knows ) at some seedy joint . The catch in the whole scenario .. he studied in punjabi . How is he going to get his degree or a job or for the matter ? He knows basic english , has learnt his accounts, business mgt in Punjabi , is learning his computers which translates into him getting no job,no financial independence , frustration and he would join the ranks of the unemployed .This young man rues the fact that no one, guided him or taught him english or for the matter got him enrolled into the english medium school.
I probably have been living in the world of my dream and have been so removed from reality. The ground reality is education , we need to educate everyone from the ground up to bridge this divide. How is a child going to compete with a nursery kid of Chandigarh ,where the child does not know his days of the week in English? Umm , my motto persevere ...but I would thank here my friends Pavenjit , Rupali who were the first contributors :)) thank you sweets both of you .
Kids are kids and they will remain so.I had made a timetable so they would all come in batches and we could get some work ,some progress done, but they refuse to not come! This little girl ,Neharika came and stood out at 4pm not taking a no for an answer and then someone mentioned to me that kids are standing out in the sun. Well, what to do , they all walked in , like little ants to the honey -pot and the class started.
It's all not about English, it's about giving them space, the confidence to speak loudly and to allow them to make mistakes so they can learn without reprimand. What I feel sad is , their inability to express to speak loudly and even if they know the answer to say it in front of me. They only know one way of learning, the GUIDE. This is how they learn , they remember everything by rote. Dismal .
The class went of as it does, three more kids . The standards vary from english school ,to a privately run academy by Buddhists, to the so called govt school. This I would write some day . The opportunities offered makes me wonder why .
My last student ( new student ) was Vipan Kumar , age 20 , a twelfth pass in commerce subjects. He is currently studying his ITI diploma course and commutes daily to Phagwara and then comes back by 4pm to learn computers ( God Knows ) at some seedy joint . The catch in the whole scenario .. he studied in punjabi . How is he going to get his degree or a job or for the matter ? He knows basic english , has learnt his accounts, business mgt in Punjabi , is learning his computers which translates into him getting no job,no financial independence , frustration and he would join the ranks of the unemployed .This young man rues the fact that no one, guided him or taught him english or for the matter got him enrolled into the english medium school.
I probably have been living in the world of my dream and have been so removed from reality. The ground reality is education , we need to educate everyone from the ground up to bridge this divide. How is a child going to compete with a nursery kid of Chandigarh ,where the child does not know his days of the week in English? Umm , my motto persevere ...but I would thank here my friends Pavenjit , Rupali who were the first contributors :)) thank you sweets both of you .
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