The right kind of clay………..

The right kind of clay…..

The terminal exams are over……..and phew!!!!…that’s some alleviation!!!! If I may confess that this evening, I feel as happy as my boys…….or may be happier than them. It was a medley of sorts for the past fifteen days.

The boys juggled morning and evening with different subjects…. While, it was History at 7 pm, for Anirudh, where, the struggle was with Slave dynasty…9pm was the call to understand the Plant Kingdom!! Anurag had his own set of jugglery with Physics, Economics, and Mathematic ……

Its over this evening……I am relieved. But on a more serious introspection, I am left wondering if either of them retains any of it that was learned in this mad frenzy! Can I really blame them? NO, I guess neither can I blame the system of testing children. We are yet to reach that level of society, where we look at each child as an individual, with his own set of good and bad. As of now, we have settled, accepted that the written examination is the only way to judge the caliber of a child. Well how else do we sieve them into universities and colleges?!

Anirudh’s composition topic for his language paper was “Private tuitions – a necessary evil”. The 12 year old was expected to give his views for or against the given topic. Although I am keen to know the mind of teacher who set the paper, I was taken aback by Anirudh’s logic. He firmly believes that Private tuitions are a necessary evil, as it “eats into his tennis playing time.” He went on to write, how important tennis is for him and then, if I am to guess he would have gone ahead describing the greatness of the game.

Prejudiced it may seem, but will Anirudh’s teacher see any merit in his composition? Well, I shall have to wait for the results.      (That may give me fodder for my next blog!!!)

 At the risk of sounding like a broken string, I feel our academic curriculum fails to cater to a student who is bubbling with new ideas and thoughts and wants to go beyond the pages that the textbook has to offer. I always believe that yes children must have some understanding of every subject so that there never comes a time when they have to shrug their shoulders and admit that they have no clue about a particular topic. But the focus on performing well in the all-important Examination provides neither the child nor his teacher with such liberties. The overall emphasis is on mastering a limited amount of information within a given term.

Only, if the schools can manage to take a brief walk away from the curriculum each day, allow the young minds to challenge the conventional ways of thinking and bring new dimensions to the class discussion. Allow them to dive into arguments and debates, not hesitate to question lest they be wrong and maybe discover a mutually enriching and fruitful interaction with teachers and peers alike. Ignite within them a curiosity that threatens to lay dormant unless tapped.

Ah…I sound like a mother in distress….which I am not, I know my children, they may have to answer innumerable exams to prove their mettle to the world…..to me, and they are my boys, individuals in their own aspect. When I see them struggle with digits in the Mathematics sessions…I wish, they would be fascinated by the number infinity… simply because of the promise it holds. The number cannot be explained and neither can a stopper ever be put… oh! How I wish,like the number, the boys are in an infinite exploration mode…wanting to read and know some more. Way back in 1996, when Anurag was just a year old, a friend of ours had gifted him a set of picture books…with a beautiful note “ Read from the beginning , carry on till the end..And then read some more”…Beautifully true words!

Of course, as a mother, I know, it’s not possible to either do everything or learn everything…but are we as parents game to let them explore before they find their niche??

 It’s TLC on my TV, this evening. A travelogue on India.. I can see an emaciated potter sitting in front of mounds of clay…. the host in an array of beautiful words is praising the beauty of the pots created and displayed by the potter. The potter is happy! He is a proud man! His art is appreciated! He is on Television! The host now asks the potter about his designs for the day and how he ensures the durability of the delicate designs…and potter in his rustic voice explains that what is most important is the right mix of clay… once the mix is correct, any shape would make the pot strong…

Eureka!!…this is it….this is what I wanted to express, but was falling short of words…and here……I have just learnt it from a rustic potter….I am exploring that right mix of clay, my boys…once they have the right mix, I know the shapes will be strong and perfect ……

Amen to that!