On education and it’s possibilities
Once upon a time,
there was a school, and a girl went there.
And she’d sit in class, and listen and doodle and after some years,
she’d be in a mess. And after some more
years, she would sleep in class…… (She
did win a Arab Regional-Mathematics-Olympiad when she was in Std. XI, and an
All-India-Rank-3 for her admission to M. C. A.), but then she was just
naturally brilliant, gifted by God, as everyone is, in some way.
Anyway, that was
all that was presented to her, every day.
She’d go to school, listen and learn.
How was she to know there was more…?
There would be
games period, probably once or twice a week, when she would run and play and
sweat and enjoy herself, and feel free.
There was music
class when the whole class would file into a room, and a master would play the
piano, and they’d all sing either “Waltzing Matilda” one year, and for a guest
appearance by another famous performer, they’d sing “Jana gana mana” (which is
the National Anthem, informed by the guest-performer that it should be sung in
about 53 seconds, or something like that….’twas many years ago).
So the point is,
there is more to life than academics.
Present your
children with vistas to be explored.
Sure they go to school. And sometimes
they need to go to special music or games or tuition classes after
school…… Who has the time for that….? Why
not just fit into the regular class timings.
And besides, the
country needs representation at all fields of work and play. The Olympics needs people too….. So do the Asian games….
It’s not really
fair to expect children to sit and read when their package in life is something
else. Sure, there was a time when
academics became really important, and still is…..
But some students
are gifted in so many other ways….. Why
put their noses to the grindstone when they’re actually just waiting to spread
their wings and fly? Or run and play all
day…. Or maybe sing and shout…. Or maybe swim or dive…. Or maybe play cricket or football…. Or maybe cook and eat….. All these are career options too.
It’s not fair to
expect a child to learn something for 10 years and then change direction and
expect them to become something else. A
child who expects to learn Medicine, will not be able to sustain the blow after
XIIth standard, of being expected to go for Engineering….. They might just curl up and do nothing
properly…. But maybe even the dream of
doing Medicine is just the advertising – if they did actually try Medical
college, they might find they are confronted with dead bodies for dissection
(oh yuck!), and after some time live bodies with blood and fluid (oh yuck
again). Who in their right mind would
willingly do something like that…? Well,
apparently there are some people, but um, not me…..
So the thing is,
the advertising might be great, but not factual.
The wish to help
somebody would probably be better placed in running a gym, where people can
exercise and be in good health and strength (of course, without supplements,
lest they look like pumped-up-chicken).
So another way to
help people would be to actually feed / give / inform them about good food so
they stay in good health. (Let me do
that here – any herb with seed, shrub with seed, tree with fruit with seed in
it (Genesis 1), and any animal that has both cloven hoofs and that chew the
cud, anything that moves in the waters which has both fins and scales, and
birds which, well, are not vulture, raven, crow, eagle, etc. (Leviticus 11) – chicken, turkey, quail etc.
appear to be good to eat).
And then of
course, they’d need somewhere to let off that energy, with a lot of force to
start with, and then as they become good, maybe a little more quiet, but more
vibrant. Who knows ….
So let us start a
new curriculum in school – which presents a more comprehensive and factual view
of life to children. More games, more
music, more art classes, more drama, more subjects for the first year, in Class
I, and then they can choose a stream in Class II, and then follow that for a
few years, and then further specialize something in that for the next few
years, when it becomes Class XII, and then they can specialize in it for the
next 3 – 5 years in college. And then
they can keep doing that for as long as they wish. It will be something that they know and can
do….
And of course,
there should be the option to change – someone who didn’t have language in
Class XI and XII (as in CBSE) and who joins B. Sc., will need to study a
language paper, and then might try Hindi, and decide the level is too high, go
to Sanskrit class and decide the Hindi they already know has the same words as
in Sanskrit, but with different meaning, and so get confused, and then go to
French, where they’re just starting the class, and so all is learnable.
Details;
For example,
someone who likes to run and play and who options for the Sports-Curriculum,
could learn the theory and history of a game for 40 minutes, have an interval
of ten minutes, and then a practical games period of that game for 40 minutes,
followed by a wash. Then the next
“Theory-and-History” of another game for 40 minutes, a 10 minute interval and
then another Practical session playing that game for 40 minutes and a rest for
10 minutes.
Each game thus
gets (50 minutes + 50 minutes = 100
minutes) a day. And 2 games in
the morning session = 200 minutes = 3 hours and 20 minutes, and another 10
minute interval.
And then lunch
time.
And then another
(50 minutes + 50 minutes = 100 minutes a day) – 2 game sessions in the
afternoon.
And then the
school day is done.
So basically each
session is
(40 minutes
theory-or-history + 10 minutes rest
40 minutes
Practical + 10 minutes rest)
Chosen subjects
(Choose any 4)
Academics
|
Music
|
|
Art
|
Games
|
Subject 1,
Subject 2,
Subject 3,
Subject 4.
Class I:
Class
|
Session
|
Subject
|
First set of
years
|
1
|
Subject 1 -
Maybe Academics
|
|
2
|
Subject 2 -
Maybe Music
|
|
Lunch
|
|
|
3
|
Subject 3 -
Maybe Art
|
|
4
|
Subject 4 -
Maybe Games
|
|
Go home and
wash.
|
|
Choose 2 out
of the 4 subjects opted for in the first set of years
|
|
|
|
Second set of
years
|
1
|
Subject 1
|
|
2
|
Subject 2
|
|
Lunch
|
|
|
3
|
Subject 1
|
|
4
|
Subject 2
|
Choose 2 out
of the 4 subjects opted for in the second set of years
|
|
|
|
Third set of
years
|
1
|
Subject 1
|
|
2
|
Subject 1
|
|
Lunch
|
|
|
3
|
Subject 1
|
|
4
|
Subject 1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Category
|
Possible subjects
|
Academics
|
Mathematics
|
|
Science
|
|
Social Science
|
|
Language
|
|
History & Civics
|
|
|
Music
|
Piano / keyboard
|
|
Guitar
|
|
Singing
|
|
Drums
|
|
|
Games
|
Walking
|
|
Running
|
|
Badminton
|
|
Swimming
|
|
Tennis
|
|
|
Indoor games
|
Monopoly
|
|
Cards
|
|
Chess
|
|
Carroms
|
|
Badminton
|
|
|
Art
|
Abstract art
|
|
Geometric art
|
|
Painting
|
|
Drawing
|
|
Colouring
|
Academics subjects
Mathematics
Science
Social Science
Language
History &
Civics
…..
Music
Piano / keyboard
|
|
Session
|
Subject
|
I
set of years
|
1
|
Subject
a
|
|
2
|
Subject
b
|
|
Lunch
|
|
|
3
|
Subject
c
|
|
4
|
Subject d
|
|
Go
home and wash.
|
|
Choose
2 out of the 4 subjects opted for in the first set of years
|
|
|
|
II
set of years
|
1
|
Subject
a
|
|
2
|
Subject
b
|
|
Lunch
|
|
|
3
|
Subject
a
|
|
4
|
Subject
b
|
Choose
2 out of the 4 subjects opted for in the second set of years
|
|
|
|
III
set of years
|
1
|
Subject
a
|
|
2
|
Subject
a
|
|
Lunch
|
|
|
3
|
Subject
a
|
|
4
|
Subject
a
|
|
|
|
So if music is chosen,
then
|
|
Session
|
Subject
|
Each year
|
1
|
Keyboard
|
|
2
|
Guitar
|
|
Lunch
|
|
|
3
|
Vocal
|
|
4
|
Drums
|
|
|
|
This way, the student can learn every note in every music piece for every offered instrument. So there is sufficient material in the existing syllabus to occupy the music student with one grade for a year.
This is an option for those who wish to study music full time. There are many children like this. They may be good at music, but not at academics or other things. Especially children who are academically-challenged may be musically-brilliant..... Of course, they should try because who knows if their talent is in music or in sports or agriculture or iron-ore....
Then after they finish this preliminary education, they can apply for college education in music.
The fees can be same as for academic-schools.
Or maybe, just introduce a music time in academic-schools, where the entire school has music in that period. Then students from each class can attend the Grade class of the grade they have reached. Thus, the Grade 1 class could have students from Std. I through Std. XII.
The Grade 2 class would have other students from Std. I throught Std. XII, who have passed the Grade 1 exam.
Similarly, students from Std. I through Std. XII who have passed the Grade 2 exam can all collect in the Grade 3 class session.
Grade 4...
And then Grade 5 and onwards....
So to present each theory class, a recording of the theory presentation should be made.
Then during the theory class, there should be a teacher (called a "facilitator") who will play the recording, which should have pauses in between, and answer questions from the class. This will simplify the presentation of the topic and uniformalise it since it can be presented by an expert in that subject. And one recording serves all.
Those who show aptitude can then be invited to attend music school full time, where they have music from morning to evening, as mentioned ;
|
|
Session
|
Subject
|
Each year
|
1
|
Keyboard
|
|
2
|
Guitar
|
|
Lunch
|
|
|
3
|
Vocal
|
|
4
|
Drums
|
|
|
|
So the student can try this, and continue as far as they are able to go. And when they need a change, they can take a year off and try sports....
Or something else....
Or just rest for a while till they're ready to start again.
