Creative and practical approach
I have been a teacher in both regular and alternative schools and have been reading Teacher Plus issues for long now. I appreciate the depth and creativity it brings forth in each issue. The approach of Teacher Plus that emphasises classroom learning is also praise-worthy.

Meeta Mohanty, New Delhi.

Happy didn’t know where he was. He saw some strange creatures walking around him. “Who are you?” asked Happy. “We are the Aliens. We are getting ready to invade a beautiful planet called Earth. “Oh dear! That’s where I live,” said Happy. “Why do you want to invade it?” “Look down, and you will soon know why,” they said. Happy looked down anxiously on Earth through the special telescope that they gave him.

Happy’s dear friend Drip-drop, the water drop was very very sick. He had become very tiny and was almost disappearing from the rivers, lakes and seas. People all over Planet Earth were suffering. They did not have water to drink or wash nor to water the fields to grow food. “You see, the people on Planet Earth are very careless with Drip-drop” said the Alien. “They waste Drip-drop when he is healthy by letting him flow uselessly through leaking taps or while washing and bathing. Otherwise, they make him sick by throwing all kinds of things in his home in the seas and lakes. Chemicals from factories and waste material thrown by people has made Drip-drop sick and now everybody is in trouble.”

The authors are partners in Edcraft, Hyderabad, a firm engaged in making teaching-learning materials, conducting workshops and providing consultancy services. They can be reached at edcraft94@gmail.com.

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“Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises”, remarked Demosthenes. Indeed the Teaching Aids exhibition is one such event that seems to grow in leaps and bounds every year.

The year 2007 was truly a red red letter day in the history of teacher training, for a challenge was thrown open by Prof. Jayasree Mohanraj (English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad) to the fourth batch of B.Ed (English) participants. They were asked to prepare teaching aids that were not only simple and easy to make but also explored the different ways of teaching a topic.

Teaching becomes successful and effective when it is associated not just with textbooks or lectures but with auditory or visual supplements. These supplements, called teaching aids are in sense a must for a complete teacher. Such complements further make the teaching and learning process more effective.

What started of as a low key event drew so much admiration as well as feedback that the audience was keen to visit the event the following year as well. The responses from the audience also culminated into two first time milestones. Firstly, the entire event was captured on a video and a DVD was compiled to that effect. It showcased the diverse ways of creating and using the teaching aids for developing integrated skills. Secondly, for the first time a teaching aids book was put together titled “Pedagogic Treasure Trove”. This book is one of a kind and is handy for a teacher. It not only provides information on the various aids that can be used for teaching a particular topic but also on the materials used how to prepare as well as how to use it in the class. This book is a must and is a priced collection for all teachers.

Devices like a computer or an overhead projector are still out of the reach of teachers teaching English in schools located in the remote parts of this sub continent. However, a teacher can refer to this book and prepare a volley of low cost teaching aids. With the said objectives and ideas in mind a two day exhibition was organised by the B.Ed (English) participants this year on 19^th and 20^th March 2009. A total of 155 exhibits were displayed for two days. There was an array of teaching aids that ranged from models (based on lessons in various textbooks) to word games, puzzles to puppet shows, flash cards and cue cards to the use of language activator. It also focussed on skills development-be it LSRW or even study skills. There were plenty of aids that addressed the needs of the teachers to teach grammar as well. The list is so pluralistic that it seems that hardly anything was left by.

Around 2000 visitors attended the event and eagerly listened to all the explanation and notes shared by the “authors” (B.Ed participants). The extreme contentedness that one could perceive as the visitors left the place was testimony to its undoubted success.

The authors are B.Ed students at the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad.

Traditional teaching methods are based on the assumption that effective learning is a matter of conditioned response or ‘conditioning’; failure to respond to a question correctly is punished and successful responses are rewarded. Motivation for learning is derived from the need to gain rewards for success and avoid punishment for failure. These needs or motives are extrinsic to the learning process and form the basis for ‘extrinsic motivation’.

Conditioned learning is passive learning. Learning becomes passive because it is based on the memorisation of set patterns, i.e., ‘rote learning’. Superficial learning and so-called ‘knowledge’ is evaluated and measured in terms of a standardised system of evaluation, i.e., ‘grades’ and grade averages. Emphasis on grades creates a dependency on extrinsic motivation. The teacher transfers knowledge and depending on the way he/she does it, learning may or may not take place.

On the other hand, learning is an active, natural process. Natural learning is meaningful because it takes place in the context of experience, i.e., ‘experiential learning’. Experiential learning is a function of the brain’s natural capacity for learning which we will call brain-based learning. In the new paradigm for teaching, the teacher’s function is to enhance the learner’s intrinsic motivation. Effective teaching methods place the emphasis on the facilitation of self-directed learning. The teacher becomes the architect, designing experiences that will lead students to make meaningful connections.

Facilitative teaching methods are effective because they comply with the natural holistic functioning of the brain. Teaching for effective learning is teaching to the brain’s natural functioning while engaging the learner’s personal development.

Brain-based learning involves optimal functioning of the brain and depends on the unconscious motivation for the intrinsic rewards of knowledge and understanding, i.e., ‘intrinsic motivation’. In the new teaching paradigm emphasis is on intrinsic motivation.

Becoming a teacher today is more daunting than ever, and teachers must be prepared inwardly for the challenges of this role as well as outwardly in relation to their instructional knowledge and skill in the classroom. Teachers must be concerned with excellence, both for themselves and for their students, and this means breadth and depth in content studies as well as higher order thinking, complex and critical thinking, creativity, technology infusion, and values-based education.

The teacher is a leader whose influence appears in many forms, sometimes quiet and unobtrusive, but always persistent. The teacher-leader envisions possibilities – that all students can learn, that schools can get better, and all teachers can achieve high levels of success professionally, witnessed by their students’ accomplishments in learning. The teacher-leader encourages, recognises resources and talents, offers comfort to those in stress, challenges students to achieve deeper understanding, interprets the world and events meaningfully, and walks the moral road. He or she is an advocate for the helpless student and empowers the ineffective student, inspiring colleagues to adopt the same disposition. The teacher-leader is also an effective colleague in the process of school renewal. He or she views a school as a learning organisation and seeks skillful means to encourage thoughtful change processes. Whether faced with a colleague in despair, a school in chaos, or a child in need, the call to educate is a living vocation in the teacher-leader.

Skills to be developed by the teacher of today

Leadership Skills: Create the habit of learning in children through a thorough knowledge of how they learn and their individual learning styles. The Multiple Intelligences theory by Howard Gardner is an essential tool in identifying and understanding the various styles in which a child learns. Every child has many facets of intelligence in varying degrees. Gardner’s theory helps us find out how each child is gifted.

Technology Skills: Optimise the use of open and distance learning technologies to make the best use of their power to create interactive feedback between the learner and the learning program. Use technology as a tool for organisation, communication, research, and problem solving.

Classroom Management Skills: Organise classrooms into hives of active personal learning using all the resources available. Pre-empt typical behavioural problems that might arise in the classroom. Proactively prevent or at least minimise these problems from occurring in order to ensure the smooth management or functioning of the class. Equip yourself with strategies that will help deal with possible behavioural problems in the classroom.

Networking Skills: Develop all the ways of using communication technology to stimulate innovative learning. Network learners with other learners on a local, national and international basis and develop.

Counselling Skills: Empower each learner by helping to set and monitor personal goals through personal learning plans, mentoring techniques and individualised learning modules.

Self-Improvement Skills: Respond to the new lifelong learning world by continuously updating skills and competencies. Recognise the value of “self’ in teaching.

Inspirational Skills: Stimulate learning into an enjoyable and creative experience through a thorough knowledge of the psychology of learning motivation and how to overcome barriers to learning confidence.

I would like to share this incident, which a friend mailed me, with all teachers: “The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, ‘What’s a kid going to learn from someone who decided his/her best option in life was to become a teacher?’

He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: ‘Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.’ To stress his point he said to another guest;

‘You’re a teacher. Be honest. What do you make?’ The Teacher, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, ‘You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, and then began…)

‘Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can’t make them sit for 5.

You want to know what I make.’ (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.)

‘’I make kids wonder. I make them question. I make them apologise and mean it. I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions. I teach them to write and then I make them write. I make them read, read, read. I make them show all their work in Math. They use their god given brain, not the man-made calculator. I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe. Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.’
(She paused one last time and then continued.)

‘Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn’t everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant…

You want to know what I make?
I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make Mr. CEO?’
His jaw dropped, he went silent.

The author is an educational consultant with Sparsh, a division of SEED Infotech at Pune. She can be reached at shakun.jaisinghani@gmail.com.

Exam time is a period of anxiety for most parents. Once the exams are over, the students and their parents heave a sigh of relief. But their worry does not end with the exams. Fear of the results also causes anxiety. If the child is intelligent and studious, the parents have no reason to worry. But if the child has performed poorly, the parent hopes that the child will just be able to pass the exam. If the child has failed, it is as if a calamity has befallen the family. The parents lament, and try to find out what has gone wrong and the blame game begins. They blame the child for not working hard. The parents blame each other for not taking enough interest in the child’s studies. And many a time the parents find fault with the teaching system and the teachers for not taking adequate care of the child.

Praises and complaints
Take the case of a highly educated couple who have two children, one of whom is brilliant, while the other has no interest in studies. When in school the young girl is unable to concentrate on what is being taught. Everyday her mother rings up her classmate’s parents to find out what was done in the class. Parent- teacher meetings are a nightmare for the couple. While the son’s teachers heap praises on the boy, the girl’s teachers have a long list of complaints and say that they will have to withhold the child in the same class if she does not improve. Some teachers even point an accusing finger at the parents for not guiding the child enough. Being responsible for 30 or 40 students the teachers say they cannot attend to each child in the class.

Prestige issue
Parents often feel they have failed somewhere when the child is a poor performer. Or they feel the child has not studied enough. Comparison also sets in which makes the situation worse. Parents are unable to accept that their child is different from their friend’s or relative’s child who is academically inclined and performs well. The academic failure of the child becomes a prestige issue for the parents. They do not try to find out what has gone wrong. They take out their frustration on the child and abuse the child physically and mentally.

The school policy
Most schools have a policy of promoting the child up to the primary section. Once the child leaves the primary classes and enters middle school, his or her performance is under observation. The school management realises that if the child continues in the same school, he may bring down the pass percentage of the school in the board exams. So they call up the parents and politely give them the option of pulling the child out of the school or the child repeating a class. Many parents not wanting the child to lose a year admit him or her in a lesser known school. The new school is in need of funds and admits the child. And finally when the child writes his or her exams he or she fails miserably.

Analysis of the child’s performance
The sad part is that neither the school nor the parents think of taking help from a counsellor, psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist depending on the need, to analyse the child’s performance. So many factors can come into play when a child performs poorly. A psychologist tries to find out what is hindering the learning process. First, the child undergoes a psychometric test to determine the Intelligence Quotient. If the child’s IQ is average and yet he or she performs poorly, then other tests are undertaken to identify the cause. The specific learning disability which the child is facing is identified. The disabilities can be in areas such as hearing, reading, comprehension, writing, reasoning, memory retention, etc. Once the learning disability is identified the psychologist suggests remedial measures to overcome the problem. Dyslexia is one of the most common learning disabilities. When the child has an average IQ with no learning difficulties and still gets below average marks, then factors related to environment and behaviour are looked into. A death in the family, adjustment, domestic violence, etc., can cause mental disturbance in the child and manifest itself in the studies.

The problem parent
Sometimes it is the parent who is the problem. The expectation of the parents from a child exceeds the child’s performance. Every parent knows the intelligence level of his or her child and how much they can expect from him or her if they are monitoring the child’s performance closely. After consulting a psychologist or child psychiatrist, the parents should adopt different methods of teaching to benefit the child. They should be happy if the child’s performance is average. The child should not develop inferiority complex due to parents’ scolding and teachers’ sarcastic remarks. Instead the parents and teachers should encourage the child to develop certain hobbies and excel in extra-curricular activities which will raise his self-esteem. These can be sports, dance, drama, music, art and craft, etc. When self-esteem rises, the child will perform better in academics as well and win appreciation from his parents, teachers and peers.

Emotional block
One of my nieces failed in her fourth standard. I advised the parents to consult a child psychologist. Through a few tests the psychologist analysed that the child had an average IQ but her fear and anxiety levels were high and were interfering with her learning. Plus her motivation level was low which was due to low self-esteem. On counselling the parents it was found that the father did not have time to explain the lessons. So he made the girl memorise the answers. The mother was unable to teach the girl as she studied in the vernacular medium. There was no motivation since the child did not have a role model to emulate. The child was never provided with story books and other reading material which prevented her from mastering language. Further, the parents used to yell at the child if she showed unwillingness to study which contributed to her anxiety. They made her sit for hours at a time to study. The parents were counselled to teach the child by new and innovative methods of learning.

Remedial measures
Parents whose children have learning disability can join together and form a self-help group. They can employ special educators as tutors for their children. If the kids are unable to cope with the regular curriculum of the schools, they can opt for the open school examination system. Select schools where remedial measures for children with learning disabilities exist and can be considered by the parents. Some organisations are doing pioneering work in the field of learning disabilities. Find out from the internet and contact the nearest organisation which will help in identifying the disability and give remedial measures to overcome the disability. Also keep in touch with a pediatrician who has specialised in learning disabilities. NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) tests the child and certifies the learning disability. This child can avail special provisions when appearing for the board exams. For instance, they are given one hour extra to write the exam and are also provided help to read or write depending on the disability. Instead of getting depressed on the day of the results, parents can gently motivate their child with learning disability to study well and come up in life.

The author is a freelance writer and conducts soft skill programmes for schools students in Hyderabad. She can be reached at radhika_writer@yahoo.co.in.

Should a child be failed?

Harekrushna Behera

If the recently introduced Right to Education Bill becomes a law, both the private and government schools will not be allowed to force a child to repeat a year or expel students until class VIII for any reason. But for now we still have the pass and fail system that separates the best from the worst. Though we all know that every child is unique, somehow due to circumstances surrounding the child, he/she may be unable to produce good results in an exam. But, instead of discovering the qualities or uniqueness within the child, if the school and teachers fail the child or expel him/her from the school are we doing the right thing? Should a child be failed or expelled from school?

What generally happens in a school is that importance is given to the child who is good at studies. The best student or scholar award is given to children on the basis of academic achievement. We neglect the extracurricular achievement of children. A child who doesn’t really understand Science maybe good at something else like sports, music or art. Schools have to start recognising these talents as well and stop showering attention only on those who study well. When a child is failed or expelled from school do we even stop for a minute to understand the emotional turmoil that he or she will go through? It is often this tag of a failure that causes children to take the extreme step of committing suicide.

The question we need to ask ourselves as authorities is do we still rate children as successes or failures on the basis of their marks in exams alone or do we allow the children to show us how they can all be successes? After all we cannot expect one size to fit all. It is time that we as teachers and educationists let the children tell us how best we can teach them. If music is someone’s forte then let us develop methods to teach that child Science, Maths or English through music. Let us formulate systems that allow children to showcase their capabilities and potential in the best way they can and not insist that they write exams and pass in them.

The government is trying to introduce a ‘no fail system’ in every school up to class VIII. This is a step that has to be appreciated. But, the government is yet to decide whether it will simply promote the ‘academically poor’ children from class to class until they reach class VIII or provide alternative methods to test them. When every child is helped to realise how worthy and bright he is, as their teachers and guardians we would have done a good job.

The author is a teacher in Social Science at Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh. He can be reached at hare_321ku@rediffmail.com.

A recent report in ‘The Gazette’ that is published from Colorado Springs, USA, states that many students understand what is being taught to them, but have trouble copying material from the blackboard or a book.

According to the report, a student David, from the Palmer High School, was “twice-exceptional – a term educators use to describe students who are both gifted and challenged enough to qualify for an individualised educational plan.”

In our country we have a long way to go in this area. We must first understand that gifted children think in a different way. We have to move in this direction and collaborate with the government when it comes to education and learning differences. This is an issue that affects more than just a few students. It is hard for such ‘twice-exceptional’ children to sit in class knowing that they can do the work but not being able to write as well as they can think.

Beth Busby, a twice-exceptional consultant in Colorado Springs School District says, ‘If students are not identified as having learning and writing issues, it can lead to hours of wasted education.” Many intelligent youngsters know how they learn best; but they are unable to put them on paper in an effective way.

The twice-exceptional
The twice-exceptional children are a unique population, differing markedly from their age groups in abilities, talent, interests and psychological maturity. They normally conceal their ‘talents’ in standardised surroundings. The resultant waste in human terms and national resources is tragic. The relatively few such students who have had the advantage of shining in society come from affluent families where their potential is noticed and parents are able to channelise their efforts in various fields. Such children who had had the advantage show remarkable improvements in self-understanding and in the ability to relate to others, as well as in improved academic, creative and unique extra activities other than academics.

With all kinds of students in a class teachers have to be flexible. There could be students who take a little extra time to complete homework or assignments and there could also be students who finish their work before the given time. I know of some teachers in a school in the United States who allow students to e-mail their worksheets from home or give them extra time on assignments.

In India, educationists are not advocating an easier curriculum. They are only saying that there may be times when a teacher has to explain a particular concept to a particular student in a different way. It will be difficult for teachers to do this on a regular basis in a typical Indian classroom, but it will give them satisfaction if they try and succeed.

Identifying the twice-exceptional is not easy. Many such children mask their abilities in order to adapt to the group they are in.

Parental intervention
Parents, especially in our country, are so preoccupied in sermonising to the younger generation that they hardly recognise their children’s worth as individuals. They should understand that their children are individuals in their own right and that they cannot force them into their way of thinking. Many schools are so over-crowded and understaffed that most of the times the teachers are struggling just to man the classrooms instead of working towards creating stimulating environments. Evidence indicates that government-run schools have the extra burden of supervising the ‘free-meal’ programmes meant for children that they hardly have any time on their hands to kindle creativity. Environmental deprivation has its most adverse effect on the scholastic aptitude even of the brightest children.

The Western experience
Many countries in the west have elite secondary schools where ‘gifted’ children get selected after undergoing specific tests as they go through the school to the University.

In Sweden where this process has advanced the farthest, schools wait until the students enter the 7^th, 8^th and 9^th grades and later direct them to appropriate streams towards University Education.

In France, students are differentiated by the type of course and they are selected for university courses even when they are in school.

In Russia until 1987 all children went to a neighbourhood school, but they had special arrangements for the ‘twice-exceptional’ students. Recruitment in Russia was by competitive examination where Mathematics and Physics were the deciding subjects.

Brain development
Joseph Chilton Pearce, an authority on the brain development of children says, “Intelligence can only grow by moving from that which is known into that which is not yet known; from predictable into the unpredictable. If a child is not allowed to discover for herself what the world around her is like, she is not likely to develop her intelligence to its utmost. Intellectual growth is a biological process, taking place below awareness as non-consciously as the growth of hair or teeth. Our conscious awareness is the end product of biological functions. The infant learns from every interaction, and all future learning is based on the absorption of these early automatic body-brain patterns. This primary sensory organisation and response takes precedence over all future learning.”

If adults around her dominate her life and direct her every move, a shallow dimensional world view based only on adult-dictatorship will take shape in the child’s mind. The ability and curiosity to interact with the unknown and the unpredictable is snatched away and anxiety predominates. Thus, parents are the first concrete outside influence who stunt the intelligence of a child in her quest for exploration.

The conclusions are that there is a strong tendency for children to fulfill early promise and their performance in later years reflects this. Remember, intelligent young minds need stimulation and excitement. Don’t crush the urge to explore, experiment, examine, and probe.

The author has been in the field of education for the last 25 years and has published articles on education and children. She can be reached at srijaya68@gmail.com.

Language, etiquette and good body language are some of the crucial elements of effective communication. Put them all together and you will feel the difference.

When Charles Darwin proposed the theory of the ‘survival of the fittest’ he spoke about physical survival on the planet. However in today’s times it appears that intellectual survival is more important, especially if you are in the teaching profession. Like physical survival, intellectual survival requires a host of abilities and skills. You need to be greedy for knowledge, curious and desirous to learn, think out-of-the-box, and accept and embrace change as and when needed. All these attributes can only be achieved if one is a good communicator. Effective communication therefore is an essential skill necessary for survival.

There are several essential elements that are necessary for communication to be effective – one of which is the choice of language. Very often we try to speak in a language we are not comfortable with. For effective communication to take place it is important to choose a language of communication that both the speaker and the audience understands. The speaker should also take into account other characteristics of the audience like the age group, educational and professional qualifications, cultural background, and understand the pulse of the audience. Care should be taken to pronounce words correctly, putting special emphasis on proper nouns.

The author is working at St. Teresa’s Institute of Education, Mumbai. She can be reached at radhika_143s@yahoo.com.

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It’s all around us, whether we like it or not, and even when it’s not, we notice its absence, or create it in our heads. Sound is an essential backdrop to our lives. A project on sound offers so many possibilities for all subjects and so can become too vast for a teacher to control. Instead, why not concentrate on one familiar kind of sound – music – that holds within its study all the properties, concepts and illustrations that we need to learn? This project does just that. All music is sound, but only some sound is music, and that very fact leads us to all kinds of discussions about sound, music, noise, silence and speech.

Even a teacher with limited resources can handle this project satisfactorily. You don’t need an expensive science laboratory or fancy gadgets. Even if you do not have access to a CD player, never mind, your students can create enough music to fuel the project! Our outline concentrates on the scientific aspects of music and sound but there’s plenty of scope for language activities, and history and geography too. Think about it.

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I don’t mind the teaching hours or the time involved in preparing for a class. What throws me off balance, even after two years of teaching, is the presence of unruly students in some of the classes. I really am not sure how to handle some of them. Sometimes I feel threatened by their very presence. Is it me or is it something that affects the performance of all teachers?

The stumbling block that most teachers encounter in the classroom does come in the form of the unruly student or the class bully, who manages to not only threaten his classmates, but also the teacher. Lay down rules from day one to make it clear to potential bullies that you are a teacher who will not take any nonsense. Spell out explicitly that everyone in the classroom has come to learn and therefore there will be no unpleasantness in class, particularly no teasing or harassing of fellow students. In the light of the learning that is to take place, tell your class that you will not tolerate a poor listener, an impertinent questioner or one who is just plain rude to his classmates or to you. The majority of the students will appreciate you because they know that they will be protected by you and so will offer you the kind of support you need in getting on with your teaching, in spite of the interruptions from the class bully.

It is the so-called bullies who put pressure on you, leaving you stressed out and hence unable to focus on the task at hand – which is the teaching and development of the students. Hence, don’t waste time in hesitating to deal with any kind of unacceptable behaviour; however, do it calmly and in a dignified manner. Do not stoop to the level of the bully by either shouting or threatening; instead, adopt strategies that will help you control the class so that the learning process goes on uninterrupted.

The entire class must never be held responsible for the unruly or rowdy behaviour of a single student or group of students. Sometimes teachers tend to hold back an entire class as punishment. This is completely unfair towards the innocent students who had no role to play in the disruption of the class. What the teacher will inadvertently be doing by this mindless act is to unite the entire class against her because the innocent students will harbour a grudge against her. Acting only against the guilty will get the bullies to understand that they cannot afford to misbehave. The well-behaved students will approve of the act; the students who may be in two minds, will naturally lean in favour of the teacher. The unruly students will understand that the teacher means business and will respect her.

An unruly student does need to be sent to the principal’s office after two or three warnings. It doesn’t really help talking alone to the student after class hours because there is no sense of embarrassment or remorse since the interaction takes place in private. If the school permits, call the parents and talk to the parents about the disruptive behaviour of their child. Point out to them that it upsets the balance in the class, thereby negating any kind of productivity. It is imperative to remind the parents that you are involving them in the discussion so that together you can work towards making learning more pleasurable in school. At no point of time should you exhibit your helplessness to the parents. You must inform them that the child’s behaviour is as much their responsibility, as it is yours.

Sometimes the class bully has to be singled out and seated separately so that he does not have the opportunity to either disturb fellow students or be heard. By pushing away the student, the teacher will be able to get back her composure and be in a position to deal with the rest of the class pleasantly. As you tackle the class bully or bullies, remember that you are doing so for a cause: so that other children do not get hurt and so that you can teach the errant child self-control and discipline for his own good too. By being patient and focussed on your goal, you can tame the wild ones in your class. It takes a while, but then that is one of the greatest challenges that teaching offers.

The author is a teacher educator and language trainer based in Chennai. She can be reached at manaswinisridhar@gmail.com.

When was the last time we saw a multitude of Indian men and women lose their individual selves and come together as one nation – at the cricket stadium? The whole country erupts with joy when India wins and the gloom is palpable when we lose. The India fever grips us only in the cricket season. This time the IPL tournament and the General Elections are running parallel so our sense of nationhood gets a piggy back ride. Why not use this opportunity to get students thinking about this important event in a democracy’s life?

India is the world’s largest democracy. It is gearing up for the 15^th General Elections in its independent existence of 61 years. The exercise of franchise by all eligible citizens is at the heart of a democracy. By exercising this right we have the power to shape the destiny of our country. Yet a majority of Indians choose to stay away from this political process. In the 14 general elections conducted so far the voter turnout according to the Election Commission of India, has averaged between 55-63%. Experts say the majority of the non participants are urban, educated and rich. So why don’t they vote?

The author is a freelance writer based in Hyderabad. She can be reached at sujata117@yahoo.co.uk.

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