"From Education to Culture: Bridging the Gap"

I recently attended a conference and heard a retired Supreme Court judge mention in his speech that the number of criminal, cybercrime, and domestic violence cases has increased, and the majority of them are committed by educated people. Yes, educated people, but not cultured people. We are not promoting culture within our organizations and that is more paramount. That statement hit me hard. I checked the statistics with the article from Business Standard. The significant escalation in reported cases is evident from 2019 to 2024, with 26,049 complaints recorded in 2019, 257,777 in 2020, 452,414 in 2021, 966,790 in 2022, 1,556,218 in 2023, and 740,957 in the first four months of 2024 alone. 

That very evening, I was catching a flight back home. While boarding, the staff announced the zones for people to queue up. My zone was announced first, and while we were in line, the staff announced that the next zone could join the boarding line. To my dismay, well-dressed people just jumped the line and pushed towards the gate. I simply could not fathom the behavior as it was obvious they could see that we were already in line. I did try to talk to them but the effort could have been more successful. Moreover, didn't they realize that the flight wouldn't leave without taking every passenger?

The judge's line resonated even more: "Most people are educated but not cultured." As an educator, I meet people around the clock. My work deals with human emotions. Over the years, I have observed a shift. Most people want an instant response when they send an email or want a document stamped. They send messages at odd hours and expect immediate action. They are also quick to believe everything they hear without even once confirming it with the other side.

Recently, a parent couple came barging into the office asking for me. I was busy watching the annual day practice, so my office staff asked them to wait. They immediately started screaming and ranting that it was meeting time, so I should be available. The next thing they asked for was the class teacher, who was busy in class. While they were waiting, they caught the teacher moving from one class to another and spoke agitatedly. In the meantime, I walked back into my cabin and asked for the parents who were creating a ruckus. The parents entered very aggressively and introduced themselves as people in very high positions and so on. Their concern was that their child was unhappy because they believed a few students were bullying him and the other students should be given some value education classes. We called for the teacher.  

Now hear her version: the child has many friends. The previous week, the child had a fight with a friend and thus did not want to come to school. The child has now made up with the friend and is smiling. So, the child simply gave an excuse. After this interaction, I made sure that the parents realized their actions and what kind of role models they were becoming for their children. They came angry but left laughing at their outburst. The concern here is having only one child and pampering them so much that now it has become difficult for us to watch them cry.

Our students left for educational excursions this week, and Std. III students left for Pune by bus. On the main road, the bus honked at a scooter many times to move from right to left as it wanted to pick up speed. The lady on the scooter got so angry that she came in front of the bus and refused to move until the driver came down and she could slap him. The teachers folded their hands and requested the lady to let the bus move as there were 40 children around age 8. She refused to understand, and finally, after two hours, the police had to be called in, and then the bus got permission to move. Seriously, I have yet to comprehend this conduct. What did she gain from this entire incident? An apology was already rendered; why was there a need to get physical? Once again, educated but not cultured.

Shouting and screaming give you no results; in fact, they take away from your cultured behavior. Additionally, you have already fallen low in front of the people you are addressing. Message to note, 'Your power does not come from your position but from your humility'.

                              

On the other hand, I have seen ordinary people command respect simply through their presence because they foster a culture of peace and love. They inspire others to view life with meaning and treat one another with kindness and respect. My sincere request to all institutions and organizations is to prioritize a culture of respect over money and status. Invest in building this culture and bridge the gap, as the memories of how you make others feel will endure far longer than your physical presence.

References: 

1. Singh, R. (2024, May 27). Here is how much Indians lost to cyber frauds between Jan and Apr of 2024. Business Standard. Retrieved from https://www.business-standard.com/india-news/here-is-how-much-indians-lost-to-cyber-frauds-between-jan-and-apr-of-2024-124052700151_1.html

Build your STEM Competency through AI - Part 1

Open any search engine or social media tool, and you'll find AI popping up everywhere. It's tempting to explore it, but there's also a sense of apprehension about the unknown. As a Physics teacher, it reminds me of Lenz's Law, which states that the direction of induced current in a conductor by a changing magnetic field is such that the induced current opposes the change in the initial magnetic field. Simply put, when AI gets close, you may want to distance yourself, but when it's far away, curiosity draws you back in.  

The big question on every educator's mind is how?  Let me start with my humble beginning simply by navigating the net and attending a few webinars. 

The OECD webinar, 'How teachers can use AI effectively' shared some good insights. My friend, Vineeta Garg showed great MS Teams tools under assignments like learning accelerators for reading progress, speaker progress, and search progress to enhance class experiences. Do explore it and hope it supports language learning within your classrooms. 

It is my exploration that revealed to me the magic of AI. 

1. Presentations - I stumbled upon the app, 'gamma ai' and to have it create a presentation for me within minutes was phenomenal. Moreover, it is free and you can create 5 presentations. You can upload your own PPT and get it modified. You can even create websites or documents. You can increase the number of presentations by referral. The link to the app is gamma.app  Initially, I felt like a child playing with it, discovering what more it could do for me. I've shared a small video below, but believe me, the potential is even greater. 

2. Classroom content and assessments - The next AI tool an educator, truly enjoyed is MagicSchool AI. It offers a free version for 15 days and then you need to pay but the benefits are enormous. Create lesson plans on 5E's, create assessments, create rubrics, create questions related to real life in Math, simulate science experiments, address misconceptions, and even access a free course to guide you. My video below will demonstrate the vast benefits. 

3. Video generator - The next app is Pictory AI and it can create a video for your class from scripts, from articles, and also help you edit recorded videos. Many of my colleagues have created videos on the workings of a roller coaster to show the laws of physics. Why don't you dabble in and create some exciting videos for your class? 

I recently conducted a teacher training session at my school, bringing together educators from across the city to share insights on AI integration. The response was overwhelmingly positive. This enthusiasm signals a future where we will cultivate a group of teachers proficient in balancing AI tools with social-emotional learning (SEL). This blend will ensure that education becomes truly inclusive and impactful for all students.

A word of caution: AI can create content and visuals, but it may not always be 100% accurate. As the expert, it's crucial to verify the content yourself. Use AI to help you reduce the effort spent on routine tasks, allowing you to focus more on supporting your students' social-emotional learning (SEL) and achieving their learning goals.

Additionally, be aware that AI-generated images often portray people as attractive and slim, which does not reflect the diversity of the real world. Addressing this bias in your classes is important.

In our next blog, we will explore more AI tools that can help alleviate your workload.

"Navigating Teenage Turbulence: A Parent's Guide to Overcoming Challenges and Building Stronger Bonds"

Consider the scenario in a school. It is an Open House for senior secondary students, and Raj has not performed well in his academics. His assignments are never on time and he idles away his time on his mobile. The parents are called along with the students and requested to ensure their wards are consistently studying. The response you expect is 'YES, we will ensure' but the response you receive is 'Raj does not listen to us, please look into the matter'. 

There is a helplessness expressed by the parents that is so palpable. 

Similarly, when you talk to educators or people in the community, they all voice the same concerns. In the past decade or so, the parents did show some control but over the years, there has been a struggle to cope. How did we arrive here? 

Now let's visit a regular family with young children or a single child in most cases. The child, let's call him Raj is the center of their parent's affection. Both parents are highly protective of Raj and thus everyone else is excluded from ever disciplining the child because they have taken complete responsibility and shielded their ward. So, when the child is sent to school or classes any minor inconvenience becomes a squabble with the authorities. Every attempt to address behaviour or attitude is reviewed as denial or targeting. Eventually, every party involved lays down any claim as peace is preferred. Over a period, everyone begins to accept this behaviour of the parents too because the ward belongs to the parents and they have the best interests of the child in mind.  

Now perceive this from the child's angle. Raj observes that he matters immensely to his parents, he follows his parents and anyone else who claims otherwise is not to be heard. His world has narrowed down to his parents and himself. So, when his teachers say something, the neighbors complain, and the elderly advise he might acknowledge it but he will look to his parents only for confirmation. 

Fast forward by a few years, the parents observe that Raj is spending more time with his friends, he demands electronic gadgets and gets very upset with them when it is not offered. There is a lot of emotional drama when he is denied anything or asked to study. The parents find it very difficult to handle Raj because where he kept them at the centre of everything now they are completely sidelined. His desires and pleasures are all that matter to him. He has begun to care only about himself. 

In fact, the article,  'The Teen Brain Tunes in Less to Mom's Voice, more to Unfamiliar Voices' published on April 28, 2022 - By Erin Digitale resonates with this behaviour “Just as an infant knows to tune into her mother’s voice, an adolescent knows to tune into novel voices,” said lead study author Daniel Abrams, PhD, clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. “As a teen, you don’t know you’re doing this. You’re just being you: You’ve got your friends and new companions and you want to spend time with them. Your mind is increasingly sensitive to and attracted to these unfamiliar voices.”

Perceive it from Raj's end. Raj now has friends, he has access to technology, he is consistently on his mobile and social network and confident that his behaviour and attitude are acceptable. His parents have endorsed it. As he grows, he is exploring more and perhaps driven more by hormonal changes. He now perceives his parents as friends rather than an authority and does not appreciate interference. He believes he knows what he has to do. 

 

Today the parents are helpless, and isolated and look up to everyone for support but Raj has already realized that the support team is something he does not need to heed. 

How do we help him reflect on himself when he feels he has done nothing wrong? How do we get him to trust an outsider's advice? 

Here's my view on the issue. 

1. Begin with Positive discipline: Positive Discipline is a program developed by Dr. Jane Nelsen. It is based on the work of Alfred Adler and Rudolf Dreikurs and designed to teach young people to become responsible, respectful and resourceful members of their communities. Positive Discipline teaches important social and life skills in a manner that is deeply respectful and encouraging for both children and adults (including parents, teachers, childcare providers, youth workers, and others). 

One way of instilling it is having your ward intern with NGOs, NPOs, and social welfare departments. The sensitivity inculcated through the case studies is phenomenal. Moreover, it will teach him rigour and resilience. 

2. Modeling of behaviour - Modeling is one way in which behavior is learned. When a person observes the behavior of another and then imitates that behavior, he or she is modeling the behavior. This is sometimes known as observational learning or social learning.

To help Raj, parents need to show Raj that they respect the school policies, and the advice of the grandparents and well-wishers. Only when they start believing and expressing positive thoughts, will the child model it. 

3. Bring in Holistic education - As parents, the focus is more on marks than behaviour and that is where we all go wrong. We have given intellectual quotient so much importance that the other quotients have been negated. My friend Swaroop Rawal talks of six quotients in her YouTube video on 'Holistic Education & the ‘whole’ child'. She stresses AQ and SQ also called the 'Dharmic quotient' to support value education. Every religion teaches harmony, respect for elders and compassion so read some good stories. As parents, we should emphasize school and community celebrating a student's proficiency and talent apart from academic achievement. This mindset shift is mandatory to create a generation of students who care for others, the environment, and themselves. 

4. Seek professional support - Schools have counselors who can observe the child at school and collaborate with parents to offer the right counsel. Parents can also connect with psychologists outside the school premises if they need further support. 

I believe in 'OUR STUDENTS' profusely and have faith in them.

As an educator, I have observed over the years that students today are much more intellectual, committed, and caring in the right environment.  All they need is a nudge in the right direction from us working as a team, and a commitment to balance their time between gadgets, social media, and OTT and building all their 6 quotients as mentioned in the image. 

इन्द्रियाणि पराण्याहुरिन्द्रियेभ्यः परं मनः।
मनसस्तु परा बुद्धिर्यो बुद्धेः परतस्तु सः॥ ३-४२

The senses are superior to the gross body, and superior to the senses is the mind.
Beyond the mind is the intellect, and even beyond the intellect is the soul.

THE SOUL REIGNS SUPREME