ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN
Maybe we should develop a crayola bomb as our next secret weapon. A happiness weapon. A beauty bomb.And everytime a crisis developed, we would launch one first- before we tried anything else. It would explode high in the air- explode softly- and send thousands, millions, of little parachutes into the air. Floating down to earth- boxes of crayolas. And we would'nt go cheap, either-not little boxes of eight.Boxes of sixty -four,with the sharpener built right in.With silver and gold and copper, magenta and peach and lime, amber and umber and all the rest.And people would smile and get a little funny look on their faces and cover the world with imagination instead of death. A child who touched one wouldn't have his hand blown off.
Guess that sounds absurd, doesn't it? A bit dumb. Crazy and silly and weird.
Let me be clear about this. When i consider the horrible things we have developed at horrifying expense to drop out of the sky, and when i think about what those weapons will do-well, then, i'm not confused about what's weird and crazy and absurd.And i'm not confused about the lack of, or the need for, imagination in low or high places. We could do better. We must do better.
There are far worse things to drop on people than crayola.
ROBERT FULGHUM

My experiences as a teacher have been varied and at different points of time i have felt elation, dejection or a sense of purpose depending on the circumstances. It is only when you see your efforts bearing fruit that you feel fulfilled. In the initial years, while teaching junior classes, drawing four lines on the black-board and using coloured chalk to emphasise the shape of alphabets was a normal routine. Children were more than willing to copy the letters demonstrated on the black-board. Imagine my surprise when i started teaching senior classes. The fragmented and disjointed handwriting samples came as a shock. It was a perfect reflection of their mental state. It showed a singular lack of continuity in the thought process. For me it was torturous to go through such sheets as to me they signified a lack of equilibrium. In Sheiling House we follow the Marion Richardson script in the primary section. Richardson's general theories on the development of young children were considered revolutionary during the 1920's and 1930's in the United Kingdom.Richardson noted that little children found the looped style with the required thick and thin strokes physically difficult to achieve. She later in her career suggested that young children should begin their writing patterns using chalks, thick soft pencils and crayons. The staccato movements were to be discouraged by providing younger children with large sheets of paper and encouraging them to incorporate 'rhythm and swing' in their writing and writing pattern activities.
Convincing parents and students about the advantages of a neat and legible handwriting is a difficult task today. The most alarming trend is the usage of ball point and gel pens. This also adds to plastic waste as most of these pens are thrown after using. The art of calligraphy is dying and people have stopped using fountain pens. For me using a fountain pen is like having an extension to my thoughts. They flow out as words on a sheet of paper.....smooth and succinct. I wonder if kids today will rediscover the pleasure of writing.

SUNDAY......
Was in lucknow again today and managed to pick up some books from landmark book store.The service was personalized and atmosphere warm. I soaked it all up.........and also found ''This is it''-discover the man you never knew. Enoyed a relaxed lunch with the kids and the drive to and fro.........great music and bonhomie. Would love to do it again sooooooon.

CONSERVATION CONCERNS
ICSE has deciced to do away with Environmental Education as a subject from the session 2013. This step is most welcome as this subject was only an additional burden for students who are already buckling under pressure. The stipulated two periods per week assigned for this never proved to be sufficient considering the extensive expanse of the syllbi, especially in senior classes. Most students found it difficult to comprehend the technical jargon and therefore lost interest. Since conservation of environment is an issue which requires immediate attention, the main objective of the subject should have been to awaken in the students an active desire to participate in such endeavours. Instead, embroiling them in the nitty-gritties of verbose textual matter was a wrong beginning. They should be asked to participate in various activities like tree plantation, nature walks, cleaning up the environment in and around the school premises. They should be made to realise the importance of conservation by handing over their text book sets to their juniors to be re-used instead of buying new sets. Exercise books should be collected and recycled to make paper. Such an initiative can be taken easily by the school management.This will help to make responsible citizens and a new generation which is aware of it's responsibilities towards creating a cleaner environment. So the need of the hour is to take immediate steps and not preach through books. "A stitch in time saves nine''.Saving of paper will save our trees.

NOT SO GROWN UP AFTER ALL........
Was again in ''wattle grove'' today.The part of the building which has the playgroup section is called ''dilaram''. This is where i taught nursery classes in the initial years as a teacher. This can now be called a heritage building of the british era. I realised that no matter how old you are sand play can still be therapeutic.... It made me laugh when i overheard a parent trying to convince his son to go back home after the interview by promising to get him a sand-pit in the house.Another child only stopped crying when he was told that he could come into the interview room on the tricycle. Despite ample persuasion from all quarters he refused to walk in, he wanted to ride high while being questioned. The weather was lovely....a lethal combination of sunshine and rain!

Was at the junior wing of SHS today.....the peace and tranquility of the wing and the old world charm never fails to soothe and rejuvenate. Kids were walking in for their interviews and worried parents were fussing over them. It was a nice sunny day though the morning was a little foggy. Having smiling kids around uplifts the spirits.Some could'nt care less about what was happening...they just wanted to have a good time on the swings and ride the tricycles.Some were bawling loudly refusing to let go of parents.But the best part was sitting under the trees in the lawn and reading after the kids and parents had left. In all an enjoyable, relaxing day.:)

LOVE AFTER LOVE
The time will come
when, with elation,
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror,
and each will smile at the other's welcome,
and, say, sit here. Eat.
you will love again the stranger who was yourself.
give wine. give bread. give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
sit. feast on your life.
DEREK WALCOTT