School system

The other day, I happened to over hear a conversation between two young moms . They were discussing about school system. One of them said that the local schools here (Malaysian) are not that good and they don't encourage creativity in young children. The other one said the Australian school system is better where they encourage kids to improve their creative abilities. The other one quipped 'Yeah the Asian school system is bad'.
This sweeping statement about Asian system which inclueds Indian system set me into thinking.
I have some knowledge about the schooling system in US by interacting with Tejas who is here for his holidays. I had been with him while he attended school in USA. I have some basic knowledge about our school system. Of course I know that just by looking at one child I should not get into giving sweeping statements.
But I do have certain points to make .
I know creativity should be encouraged and it is very essential.
But I feel children need to be made to learn certain basic things by rote. For example I feel kids should learn the multiplication tables (upto certain numbers like how we did) by rote. When we learn this while young it will stay with our memory for ever. I have seen some teenaged kids stumble with basic calculations and search for calculator for even simple arithmetic. I don't think learning this by rote will hinder the creativeness in any child.
The second thing about which I strongly feel is about writing. Kids should be made to write a page or two of compostion everyday. I don't say that they should be burdened with lot of home work ala Indian school where they keep writing without even thinking. But writing a page or two will enable the kids to write neatly and faster. If children learn the way of writing English by joining letters (cursive way) it is better. In these days of computer they will have very little writing to do, but it is better not to depend on machines completely.

We have heard that any success story is 90 percent hard work and 10 percent talent. If the importance is given only for the creativity and talent when will the kids learn to do hard work.
I have seen that in America in the lower classes, they let the child do what they want without hindering other kids and the main aim is to see that the child is happy and they don't harm each other.
Well and good. But, parental guidance becomes very important to check if the kids have learnt the basics properly, in this system. I have read reports that many kids in US reach high school without even learning the basics of reading , writing and arithmetic properly. I have also read about Chinese and Indian children doing well in academics in schools. It is imbibed in us that education or studies or what ever you call it, is the most important thing and it is the bread and butter for every one of us. Naturally the Indian parents guide and help their children in academics at least in the lower classes till they understand the importance of studies. I am not saying here every child should become best in academics. I am talking here about learning basics properly even by compulsory methods, like learning by repetition and rote.
Any form of art also requires lot of practice. The children who are let to do what they want become bored very soon with what ever they are doing and tend not to have the patience and hard work which is needed to be successful in any field.
To a certain extent children should be made to do things cumplusorily so that they get into the habit of sitting and doing things consistently for a longer period.
I am reading in news items that many educators from abroad including US are coming and looking at Indian school system. They want to know how there are so many educated , brilliant youngsters in India and how we are achieving it.
I am not saying our school system is the best.
There should be a system, where enough importance is given to creativity as well as learning the basics well in Primary Schools.

Fan syndrome

Well must be wondering reading the title. Well this is to do with the saving of energy!!!!
Well I have experienced that some people are very particular that they should switch off the fan when ever not in use. Good Great savings and Good work. But the syndrome comes into picture when it becomes an obsession and the fan is switched off the moment they get up from bed. It will be normally a hall, where quite a few people (read children) will be sleeping. The Saver will just switch off the fan in spite of so many others still sleeping. May be he or she wants the others also to get the good habit of getting up early.
I never knew that I also had this syndrome till recently. I have this habit of switching off the water heater after taking bath. The switch has been kept outside the bathroom for safety reason. Recently I had a guest at home and assuming that the person has finished taking bath without even thinking consciously I switched off the heater switch , only to find out later that my guest had to have a bath in lukewarm water. I felt very ashamed for my action and I remembered my daughter always telling me not to get worked up about the heater.
That is when it dawned on me that ineed I also have the 'fan syndrome' which I abhor.

Air Travel

Traveling by an airplane was such a big thing when we were young. It used to be sort of Dream to travel by air. It was like traveling to Indra loka with lot of beautiful apsaras in the garb of airhostess.
We have come tooooo far from that myth. After the open sky policy or what ever it is called, air travel has also become a pain like any other mode of transport.
To travel with your leg kept in the minimum space possible for a stretch of 14 hours is something which has to be experienced. That is economy class for you while you travel towards United States of America.
I have traveled by quite a few of the airlines. Malaysian airlines which used to be the best, does give a good service specially in US sector. It has a small TV in each seat with some good entertainment program and also some vedio games to play. Food is not that good.
For South Indian vegetarians, Air India is the best, but where ever you go and when ever you go, you can be sure to see in the board the estimated time of arrival or departure 'unknown'.

I happened to travel in United Airlines. That was the time when it had declared insolvency or what ever. ( I never understand what it is and how they still manage to operate after all the 'hungama'). The crew and the others were so friendly and the captain himself came to ask if each one of us was comfortable. May be they wanted to re assure the passengers who were worried about the 'insolvency' that all is well and we will not be stranded in the mid air.

I did travel by NorthWest next time. My husband was excited and said it is part of some royal KLM or what ever and I would get the best of service. Ha! It turned out to be the worst. I could see the White Supremacy at its best (or was it worst), the airhostess least interested in serving us the basic meals and drinks. I had to go and request for some juice, and was asked to wait there while they were preparing the juice. Good for me as my legs got some exercise and relief from the cramped space between the seats.
Now that the sky has become more open we get airlines which don't serve any thing free and so it is just sit and fly and don't expect any thing. This was with a much publicized Air Asia and it was to Sabha from KL 2 hours flight. The airhostess understood that not to serve anything free means not to smile also. They kept such a morose face that inspite of our running to take a good seat we could notice their moroseness. Yes we did run to get a good seat as this is a no frill airline it was first come first serve basis that there was no seat number and all you had to do is run and take a seat. We noticed another tactic of this airline while booking tickets on line. The tickets are to be booked one way and the onward journey is quite cheap. But return journey is almost double that cost. They know that we have to come back to the mainland what ever the price.
This time I travelled to India by Jet airways. I really liked it as the people around were very genuinely friendly and smiling, not the customory smile of other airlines people ( inwardly cursing us for travelling by their airline and thereby adding to their work load). Again jet airways being an indian based airline the vegetarian food was very enjoyable.
While in India I had to travel to Mumbai. I was told not to travel by Deccan Airways as I was told it is highly unreliable. I traveled by air sahara and it was almost like jet airways and good. True to what I heard I was told the day I traveled, the Deccan Airways was some 7 hours or so delayed.
I was really shocked to see the crowd in the mumbai domestic airport. It was like any busy bus station. Any way good that more and more people are able to travel to their destination faster.
In USA many times air travel is cheaper than train travel and they just serve some juice or bottled drink even in a five hour domestic journey. They look the other way when we struggle to keep our hand luggage in the upper compartment.
Add to this list Singapore Airlines and Indian Airlines which are both ok and so so.(This is how I feel)