How I Learnt Learning...

             “How I learnt learning.”

              “The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.” –Sydney Harris.

        Its purpose is to create minds and personalities that would mould generations into creations...

                   However, moulding a generation doesn’t need uniforms; nor does it demand waking up early in the morning. Neither does it need a semester or unit test. Moulding a generation does not demand one to be in a grade or standard at a particular age. All it needs is a creative, unconventional, thinking and a questioning mind.

                 As per my observations I feel that the standard needn’t be decided on the age but the intelligence level of the child. That’s because it usually happens that when a child having the level of intelligence of a grade ten student, he may yet be giving his seventh grade exam. Similarly, a child with intelligence of a mere fourth grader is promoted to higher grades.

                 A child who has learnt synthesis and paradox earlier than the system wants him to learn is yet forced to write sentences converting present to past tense. Similarly,  by the time one may reach his matriculation, he may have to learn synthesis and paradox while he may be yet struggling with tenses and nouns.              

A child able to find is the H.C.F. and L.C.M. of numbers has to write 1 to 1000 and write number sequences. On the contrary, a child who yet doesn’t know the multiplication of numbers has to write the H.C.F. of numbers, which he is totally unable to do.
              

                 The former leads to boredom, frustration, behaviour issues, loss of interest in…studies, than education and then learning. The latter leads to frustration, helplessness, irritation and loss of confidence due to failure-again and again; and most importantly but sadly- loss of interest in learning.

                    Most of the great scientists who had dropped out of school had been cut off from education; but nevertheless they continued learning. Learning from life. They continued observing, exploring, learning, experimenting and then of course-inventing. They didn’t get frustrated because they weren’t being tested. They were exploring. Neither did they have the greed to get the highest marks, nor did they have the fear of failure. Even if they were afraid of failure, they had the courage and exposure to move on and continue exploring.

               If Newton would’ve been sitting in a classroom, studying about the parts of an apple, he wouldn’t have discovered gravity. If Edison would have continued schooling after being called “addled” he would’ve been called much worse of things. He didn’t. And the truth is that he invented the electric bulb.

             So if one loses interest in learning, can that person, mould generations into creations? Without learning, one can’t even mould clay.

“We don’t stop learning because we lose interest in life; we lose interest in life because we stop learning. “

        These futilities and lacks in schools-in aspects of crowd, people, discipline, health issues that I had and most importantly-learning, prompted us to take that plunge into home schooling. It wasn’t a split-second decision, it took us time and lots of decision making. What we realized was that Home schooling had a solution to all these. Being close to parents and being allowed the liberty to select the right company for me, I always have someone accompanying me. No one is jealous; neither am I with wrong company and nor do I suffer loneliness. The crowd and people around me are decided by me.

                Home schooling is more of self-learning. Apart from me, with my parents guiding me, no teacher, principal, coordinator or HODs can decide my life, what I shall learn, how I shall learn. No one decides how many marks I get for typing this blog. If I give that authority to someone it’s only me or my parents or you, my audience.

               I never played most of the weekdays with the sword of an exam, homework or fixed date of submitting something hanging on my head. This usually kept me agitated with a head ache. The first thing I did after coming at home was- not type my blog, not go for a cycle ride, not learn code, not learn something new and that’s what I do now.

           Also, learning wasn’t exploring, inventing; actually, learning was not learning. It was just the marks, the word to word answers and rote memory. No matter the child forgets the name of the chapter by the time he is handed over a checked paper, but if he has got 25 on 25 he has learnt, but not literally.

              After new avenues of learning and exploring have opened up to me, it’s been a beautiful journey so far- first unlearning, then learning and then again unlearning and beginning to learn a new way to learn.

                  Come; join me in this journey called

                    

               “How I learnt learning.”

                                                                   The                 Journey               Begins...                      

 

the Voyagers...and the Journey of infinite Learning Experiences...

 

              Good Morning?

     

  Part 1

The SUN is bright as ever, but am I???

              Good Morning! Is it a good morning? Do I ever feel it?  Why does school have to be early in the morning? Why does it have to be a dragging and pushing and sulking experience? Why do I have to go with drowsy eyes, aching calves and an inactive mind? How am I going to do anything creative innovative or new; if the very beginning of my day is full of boredom and agitation! Today, this day of March 2014(the day this series began), I have got up with a happy and satisfied mind, so am able to build what you are reading at the moment. This is because I am relaxed. Hence, my mind is able to produce  words and ideas; and recollect my own experience. 

A rested person is always happy, healthy and more innovative. 

            Rest is the most important aspect of a human being. A rested person is always happy, healthy and more innovative.My mom always insists on a Sunday afternoon nap, to compensate for the stress and lack of rest of the the previous as well as following week.

        Lack of rest also causes health issues. I have had sore and tired eyes. The heavy bags have caused me backaches. Not only I, but also a majority of my classmates in school experienced these problems and issues. Back and headaches are not healthy for children below 16. No more, after this journey began did I have any of these.  Lack of rest urged me to spend spare time (if I had any), lazing around, instead of practising recreational activities such as just running, cycling or badminton. Lack of rest, not only burdens the health but also makes one drowsy and unable to do anything appropriately.

          The entire day would be clogged up with assignments, homework, class-work and exam preparations. So, the number of activities I wanted to do, weren’t possible to fit into the limited time (after completing all those pending assignments) I had so many activities that I had grown interest in, never happened. I never got the time. I couldn’t make it. If I had been a not-so-good student, and would never completed my homework, it would have been better. At least, looking from the point of view of my health!

         Lack of rest made me sulk and get irritated every now and then. I was unable to focus on my study material. I couldn’t even concentrate on things I loved doing. I lost control of my cycle, once. I wasn’t able to type for my blog. And this isn’t only me. It happens with anyone who is not rested. I noticed this same behaviour in my classmates. Many of the students experienced sore eyes, headaches, aches and pains in calves and back.

     Most of my friends slept during lectures or after completing assignments.  Some (the weaker ones) would have headaches and spend the entire working day sleeping in the nurse room. Some slept in buses (including me) both to from the school.

      Primary years were less stressful due to afternoon shift. However, in higher grades the morning shift for almost 9 hours took a toll on my health. However, school had to be done, we had to go because everyone did. Only after decompressing, asking ourselves and reasoning the system, did a journey called Home schooling began.

           I asked myself when I witnessed these events. Hilarious, but stupid; but is school meant for sleeping or gaining education? Is it for gaining knowledge or losing rest and damaging health? Is it important to wake up that early?

        

Nine or Six, what matters is what I learnt.

         Today, I woke up at 9 instead of 6 (timings for school) for a medical follow up for my brother. Although, I didn’t learn the brief answer of all joints and bones in our body, I am happy I came to know that there is no need to remove a nail from a bone after a fracture.

          Questioning doesn’t end there. If the reason for waking up early is to be fresh and active for school, am I fresh and active? No!!! Then why the daily stress and headaches! Should a thirteen year old experience headaches? Is it healthy? No.

me- a product of Decompressing and Questioning

                  However, I repeat it’s only my opinion and all may have different ideologies. It was just a decompressing and questioning I did with myself. It was only decompressing from the daily conditioning to school, and questioning. I, questioned my self a lot of times.

 Beliefs may be different. Dilemmas may be different…

                      Good Morning?          Part 2 continues…

From The Same Series...
Good Morning Continues...
~Let's All Assemble~
All Assembled, Now The Suffer Begins...
English Vinglish

Do We need This Nightmare???

And Announcing...The Next Performance...

              Written By :A Product of Questioning and Decompressing

                                                                  Shahen Pardiwala
Education is not merely Stacking of Degrees but also Dressing up of one's Mind and Soul.What is Your Definition Of an Educated Person. And what is your opinion about Educated Illiterates. #Education
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