Prakriya school and “competitive exams”…

Asmita's news, General Stuff

I got a ping about my kid’s school and its “green wisdom” approach to education. The teachers at the school are refreshingly laid back and have the Kid in mind, not his/her earning potential. A parent asked the following questions and my responses are inline:

 

-Is it for real?

 

Yes, my daughter, wife and I like this place. It appeals to my sense of values that teach kids from simple things. Like any good school, I don’t think it will make every kid a genius, but will let them develop as wholesome adults. It will equip them with a very balanced ability to make the right choices in life.


– Can the framework help them cope with competitive exams etc. required over the long term (not questioning the value of their model in the s/t)

 

Yes it will. A lot of the mindset depends on what you as a parent want. I don’t think this is the school for people who want to create a memory automaton device out of kids. Any kid who can get the proper vales will figure out the importance of a competition and get going when the need arises.  My personal view is, if my kid wants to  appear for any exam, I’ll be encouraging her go for it. But, I do not measure her as a person on the basis of an exam. I will encourage her if she prefers going for any avenue that doesn’t need exams too, with equal enthusiasm. If she wants to go be a painter, that’s her choice, how do I know what gets her happy and going ?

 

 
– Are they able to sustain their teachers/teaching quality over the years … as they have set very high expectations for themselves?

Of the two years my daughter has been there, we had people who we could see were loving and caring. She’s learnt a ton and is bright, charming and reasonable. What more can I ask? The joy of getting a lecture on recycling form a 5 year old is as good as any “ROI” I wanted.

 

 

Back from Vacation in Manali

Asmita's news, General Stuff

We all had a rollicking time in Manali, Himachal pradesh. The idea was to have Asmita experience her first snowfall , get her excited about the hills and skiing. The first two days were a let down as the snowfall till then was dismal. Luckily, the rest of the week saw fresh snow and we could go out and ski.

And ski we did !

Stopped in Delhi on the way to check out the Taj Mahal at Agra. It was a day trip steeped in history. The place was fascinating and haunting given that I had just finished the book “the Last Mughals”. Check my pics in flickr.

I have to mention my dismay (I have gone past being shocked at stuff like this) at the state of the Yamuna behind the Taj. The river was a just a sewage drain ! Black and with plastic and other disgusting flotsam. Agra will have to treat this water ASAP, but I suppose the UP government has other fish to fry given the gruesome stuff getting uncovered in Noida.