A small card based flash game.
http://kongregate.com/games/m0rkeulv/castlewars
Thursday, May 31, 2007
I get called like this ...
- Nithihalan - One of my prof.
- Nithibalan - Librarian in my CBSE school
- Nitilin - Hindhi teacher in my 6th grade
- Nithyan - My friend Ram's mother
- Nithilon - My client
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
"Education"
I thought a lot about what to write about education. I am not here to write a Wiki for people to read and get "Educated". So I finally came to a point where I am going to write about my experience in getting educated and my experience in educating people.
My first experience with getting taught was when my father taught me the basic letters in Tamil (my mother tongue). He used to sit beside me and make me repeat every letter. This was basically to make one "remember" whatever he or she reads. Here you get to associate what you say with what you see. A co-ordination between the sound and the visual is done.
Unlike other children, I did not go through LKG (Lower Kinder Garden) and was put directly into the Upper KG. I remember the first mark I scored - ZERO. I think I was taught to write my words here. Here is where one gets the hand - eye - sound co-ordination. You see, you hear the teacher say, you say what you hear, and finally you write what you hear and see. I think the basic mechanism required to express oneself is taught in these sessions. Something like a common medium through which one can interact and express.
Also in these sessions we were taught crafts and art. I remember doing some craft work with the pencil shavings (some kind of flower designs) and a collage work with sand (a horse diagram where you fill the image with glue and put sand over it. The sand sticks in the place where the glue is present and so finally u have a horse shape out of sand). Even though I it was done my my teacher I had the experience of seeing it and understanding it.
Then the next thing I remember is my first standard class. I still remember the class teacher. Her name was Mrs.Kusmalatha (little odd and thats the reason I remember it too). I remember these days as more of interaction with other students. I see three prominent scenes. First, two of my classmates carry me to my teacher complaining about me. Second, I playing in a open ground under trees and I remember collecting seeds of the tree falling from it. Third, in a small ground where we play in the swing, sliding board, merry-go-round etc. Here, we used to play a different game on the sliding board. We used to jump from the top, land somewhere in the middle of the board and then slide down to the ground. It is fun unless you jump too high so that u miss the board and land on the ground ;) .
Then my family had to shift and so my school. It was second standard (Std II Section A). New place, new people. The process of finding friends starts again. The teaching style changes. The process modified. Unfortunately, I was affected by one such change. In my earlier school, for every exam we just go with only our pads. But here for some exams (which they like to call as mid-terms) we need to use a notebook. I (at the time) being a silent and shy guy, did not know this and forgot to bring the notebook and went to the exam with the pad only. (I do not remember what happened after that).
Here, is where I met my first close friend, Arvind. Also, here is where I loved to study. Thinking back I loved the process by which they imparted education.
Being a central board based school, we were taught to think rather than mug-up (a art which I find it difficult to master even now). We had text books which taught us the basics. In these text books, we had introductory material which describe what things are and then follwed by examples of how to use it. Then followed by exercises which are not mere replication of the examples but are more of applications of what we understand.
I remember instances, say, in one of my math class, when were taught Geometry, I remember my teacher bringing in huge Set-Squares and Compasses to explain the concept of circles and bisection. In science classes, we were shown models of the ear (how removing each layer would result and what was inside each), we had experiments to be done at home like growing plants (understanding photosynthesis), we were shown lab experiments like centrifugation used to separate heavier materials from lighter materials. I remember more interaction with teachers (not individual but as a group) rather than the theory classes.
When I was here, it was like you learn at school and play at home. I do not remember any hectic pre-exam preparations since most were done at classes. Further, you need not remember anything since the way one reads is by understanding rather than memorizing. In my later years, I remember one of my teachers saying that the best way to know more is to understand something completely and then forget about it. Since you understand it you can always the recall it at a later date.
Also in this period I had a respect for teacher (not of fear). I used to feel bad even if I was scolded.
When this was at school, at home I was always made to think of what I do. There were no hidden things. I was very much interested in drawing and paintings. When I was in my 4th or 5th Standard I used to fancy about using sketch pencils and water colors. Whenever, I asked for it I was said that for the drawing you do now it is better to use pencils rather than these and I was presented a water color set in my sixth grade.
Also, we in our small family have a habit. We used to have long walks on Sunday evenings (basically my father being a doctor, had this day dedicated to spend with family). During these walks, we had hearty discussions fun and jokes exchanged.
Further, whenever I am with my parents anything I do or say was put up with questions of why? what? how?. Say, once when we were making a trip from triunavelli to chennai and we were in a railway station. When we were waiting for the train, my father used to ask questions regarding the railway station - things he knew things he understood. It would start like say you see a train coming into a railway station. You see a engine in the front. So if the train wants to go in the opposite direction how would it go? Then we used to think and say that may be there is a engine on the other side or the engine is capable of moving forward and backward and for one direction it pulls and for the other it pushes. Then next question would be like how does a engine turn itself (shunt yards were introduced). Then the next question would be what would happen if you throw a bangle in air inside a train and the same bangle with you hand stretched outside the window. In the first case it would land in you lap but in the second it would land somewhere outside while the train moves forward. Then the next question would be why? and the first law of newton comes to light.
Also, education is not only knowledge but behavior also. The adolescent period is when one knows more about the society and a transition happens. I had problems like any others. During my sixth grade, my classmates started to grow their vocabulary with new additions like f**k. I knew that these are bad but when the entire class talks and uses this u feel that as if u are making a mistake. When I took this problem home. My mother after hearing the problem said, "As you say these are bad words. First, it is not bad that u feel odd to use this since it is right. Then when u understand the actual meaning of these words then u would know why one must not use these words. If you still feel that this is hard stay this way, u can talk to me about these word. Say it to me". I told her about the words used by people and from that day I have not used those words (until recently). Also, there were times when one slips the tight rope and get distracted. Whenever I feel I am distracted or going in a wrong path I remember the simple golden words of my mother "Anything you do is for your own good. If you work hard and achieve then you are the one to be benefited from it. It is not me, your father or the other people around you. So whatever you do you are the one who needs to reap th fruit for it." Encouragement is also something that carries you to great heights. Whenever I failed or scored low in a exam my parents used to say "There is always next time" and when ever I scored good and say came first in my class we had a treat a present a get together something to celebrate the occasion.
The next stage, I was in my High School (XI and XII Std.) To be continued later
My first experience with getting taught was when my father taught me the basic letters in Tamil (my mother tongue). He used to sit beside me and make me repeat every letter. This was basically to make one "remember" whatever he or she reads. Here you get to associate what you say with what you see. A co-ordination between the sound and the visual is done.
Unlike other children, I did not go through LKG (Lower Kinder Garden) and was put directly into the Upper KG. I remember the first mark I scored - ZERO. I think I was taught to write my words here. Here is where one gets the hand - eye - sound co-ordination. You see, you hear the teacher say, you say what you hear, and finally you write what you hear and see. I think the basic mechanism required to express oneself is taught in these sessions. Something like a common medium through which one can interact and express.
Also in these sessions we were taught crafts and art. I remember doing some craft work with the pencil shavings (some kind of flower designs) and a collage work with sand (a horse diagram where you fill the image with glue and put sand over it. The sand sticks in the place where the glue is present and so finally u have a horse shape out of sand). Even though I it was done my my teacher I had the experience of seeing it and understanding it.
Then the next thing I remember is my first standard class. I still remember the class teacher. Her name was Mrs.Kusmalatha (little odd and thats the reason I remember it too). I remember these days as more of interaction with other students. I see three prominent scenes. First, two of my classmates carry me to my teacher complaining about me. Second, I playing in a open ground under trees and I remember collecting seeds of the tree falling from it. Third, in a small ground where we play in the swing, sliding board, merry-go-round etc. Here, we used to play a different game on the sliding board. We used to jump from the top, land somewhere in the middle of the board and then slide down to the ground. It is fun unless you jump too high so that u miss the board and land on the ground ;) .
Then my family had to shift and so my school. It was second standard (Std II Section A). New place, new people. The process of finding friends starts again. The teaching style changes. The process modified. Unfortunately, I was affected by one such change. In my earlier school, for every exam we just go with only our pads. But here for some exams (which they like to call as mid-terms) we need to use a notebook. I (at the time) being a silent and shy guy, did not know this and forgot to bring the notebook and went to the exam with the pad only. (I do not remember what happened after that).
Here, is where I met my first close friend, Arvind. Also, here is where I loved to study. Thinking back I loved the process by which they imparted education.
Being a central board based school, we were taught to think rather than mug-up (a art which I find it difficult to master even now). We had text books which taught us the basics. In these text books, we had introductory material which describe what things are and then follwed by examples of how to use it. Then followed by exercises which are not mere replication of the examples but are more of applications of what we understand.
I remember instances, say, in one of my math class, when were taught Geometry, I remember my teacher bringing in huge Set-Squares and Compasses to explain the concept of circles and bisection. In science classes, we were shown models of the ear (how removing each layer would result and what was inside each), we had experiments to be done at home like growing plants (understanding photosynthesis), we were shown lab experiments like centrifugation used to separate heavier materials from lighter materials. I remember more interaction with teachers (not individual but as a group) rather than the theory classes.
When I was here, it was like you learn at school and play at home. I do not remember any hectic pre-exam preparations since most were done at classes. Further, you need not remember anything since the way one reads is by understanding rather than memorizing. In my later years, I remember one of my teachers saying that the best way to know more is to understand something completely and then forget about it. Since you understand it you can always the recall it at a later date.
Also in this period I had a respect for teacher (not of fear). I used to feel bad even if I was scolded.
When this was at school, at home I was always made to think of what I do. There were no hidden things. I was very much interested in drawing and paintings. When I was in my 4th or 5th Standard I used to fancy about using sketch pencils and water colors. Whenever, I asked for it I was said that for the drawing you do now it is better to use pencils rather than these and I was presented a water color set in my sixth grade.
Also, we in our small family have a habit. We used to have long walks on Sunday evenings (basically my father being a doctor, had this day dedicated to spend with family). During these walks, we had hearty discussions fun and jokes exchanged.
Further, whenever I am with my parents anything I do or say was put up with questions of why? what? how?. Say, once when we were making a trip from triunavelli to chennai and we were in a railway station. When we were waiting for the train, my father used to ask questions regarding the railway station - things he knew things he understood. It would start like say you see a train coming into a railway station. You see a engine in the front. So if the train wants to go in the opposite direction how would it go? Then we used to think and say that may be there is a engine on the other side or the engine is capable of moving forward and backward and for one direction it pulls and for the other it pushes. Then next question would be like how does a engine turn itself (shunt yards were introduced). Then the next question would be what would happen if you throw a bangle in air inside a train and the same bangle with you hand stretched outside the window. In the first case it would land in you lap but in the second it would land somewhere outside while the train moves forward. Then the next question would be why? and the first law of newton comes to light.
Also, education is not only knowledge but behavior also. The adolescent period is when one knows more about the society and a transition happens. I had problems like any others. During my sixth grade, my classmates started to grow their vocabulary with new additions like f**k. I knew that these are bad but when the entire class talks and uses this u feel that as if u are making a mistake. When I took this problem home. My mother after hearing the problem said, "As you say these are bad words. First, it is not bad that u feel odd to use this since it is right. Then when u understand the actual meaning of these words then u would know why one must not use these words. If you still feel that this is hard stay this way, u can talk to me about these word. Say it to me". I told her about the words used by people and from that day I have not used those words (until recently). Also, there were times when one slips the tight rope and get distracted. Whenever I feel I am distracted or going in a wrong path I remember the simple golden words of my mother "Anything you do is for your own good. If you work hard and achieve then you are the one to be benefited from it. It is not me, your father or the other people around you. So whatever you do you are the one who needs to reap th fruit for it." Encouragement is also something that carries you to great heights. Whenever I failed or scored low in a exam my parents used to say "There is always next time" and when ever I scored good and say came first in my class we had a treat a present a get together something to celebrate the occasion.
The next stage, I was in my High School (XI and XII Std.) To be continued later
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