Interview with Mr. Testudinidae (Mr. Tortoise), the Legend

Today we are interviewing a species, a personality which has assumed legendary proportions over the generations, about whom we learnt in our schools.  To the ordinary human beings, they may be just a species that co-exists in the eco-system and not have anything to do with us.  But legend and old wives tales have it that they have served to teach us some very important lessons in life.  New management experts have given them these theories a new dimension, of how peaceful co-existence and team work can lead to “win-win” situations for all.  We are talking of the Famous Tortoise who lives up to an average of 200 years and can travel 0.27 km/h.

CC:     You are a legend.  How does it feel to be referred to as someone who could never win a race but ended up winning twice?

TT:     Well, I don’t think I am a legend but if that what’s you all prefer to call me, I am fine with it.  Personally, I didn’t intend to be a part of the race that the Hare challenged me to.  So I had a very interesting dialogue with myself in solitude.  The first question that came to my mind was “What if I did?”  Why should I leave chances to fate?  Anything can happen to the opposition? Well, he has through generations been gifted with this amazing skill of speed.  But has he ever been challenged to prove it?  I took a chance and the result is there for all to see.

CC:       What if you had lost by a good margin?

TT:      Oh yes! There was always a good chance for that to happen.  By the time I would have covered one percent of the distance, he would have already crossed it.  And it happened that way too, which is why the Hare stopped to take a big nap and I managed to stealthily pass by it and cross the line too.

CC:     Imagine that you were just crossing him and he would have woken up, sensing your body odour?

TT:     I knew this could happen.  Which is why I took a detour and took a longer route just to avoid the situation.  You see, I know all the behavioural traits of the Hare species. I know they have a powerful nose and they are light sleepers.  The route I took was longer but since it was marshy land, I had to make less of an effort than I would have to on hard surface.  I contemplated between the two but since I could use my abilities to my advantage, I preferred the longer but the marshy ground.

CC:     In the modern management version of the story, the Hare challenges you once again and you accept the bet knowing fully well that this time around, he would be aware of his own mistakes and what happened earlier may not get repeated this time around?

TT:     Very True.  But for me it was important to maintain that sporting spirit.  I could not just win a game and keep on basking in the glory forever.  I might have been construed as a “stroke of luck” or that I won because of his weakness.  I wanted to prove myself that I could win on my own merits.

CC:     You lost the second race by a good margin and yet you challenged the Hare to a third race.  What were you thinking?

TT:     I did some smart thinking and some introspection.  The Hare was 2-1 up on me.  When I set up the new route, he did not realise that there would be a water body mid-route. I tricked him into the race and he lost because swimming has never been his forte.  He did not take consider the fact that I may be slow on earth but I am can swim with ease.  Here, I was at an advantage.  I had two skills and gifted with these abilities.  The hare never tried to learn to swim.  He was confident of his only skill, i.e. to run fast.  Had he learnt to swim, he could have beaten me to it too. Perhaps not.

CC:     In the fourth race, you end up striking a deal with the Hare and complement each other in situations that are not conducive for each one of you.

TT:     The Hare is a smart guy.  He knew that I am an amphibian and am equally at ease on both land and water.  In deep or shallow waters, I am at my best because my weight does not matter anymore there.  I can swim on the surface or dive deep into the water too.  Soon realising that the forest has all types of terrains, and the Hare would not be able to cross rivulets, shallow or deep rivers, he struck a deal with me.

         

          To me, the Hare had learnt a meaningful lesson that unless we work in a team, we cannot expect to win a race, else he would have not agreed to it.  We all have different skill sets.  While we may have attained domain expertise in one subject or profession, we cannot be equally good at other skills.  Which is why, when people with unique skills like a Marketing Person, the Operations person, an Information Technology Guy, the Financial Expert Person, the Legal Expert, the Production Expert, the Research and Development expert, the procurement expert, the designing expert come together, they make a formidable team and produce excellent results.

          None of them can expect to operate in a silo.  Companies that have been successful have the team concept in their DNA and that brings out the best in each one of them, making them work together.  It is therefore, equally important that your hiring decision is very prudent, selecting people that will get absorbed in your corporate culture.  Any individual who varies or tries to deviate from the organisational culture will end up messing the whole environment, causing permanent damage.

CC:     In the modern age, would you both have succeeded if someone else placed a bet against both of you?

TT:     You see, it’s quite simple!  We are not here to compete with anyone, even if they want to.  That does not mean that we are incompetent or we are shying away from competition and not ready to do anything to survive.  We are here to do our own thing which is to do some meaningful work while we are at it.  There are a lot of things do to other than running a race or proving others wrong all the time.  Yes, where the conditions are ideal, the race is between peers - people with same skill sets and competition is even, there is no harm in trying to bring out our best.  But competition amongst apples and oranges is not desirable.

CC:     As a creature, you carry a heavy shell over you all the while.  Do you feel that you should let go of the shell and lighten your body, enabling you to move faster?

TT:     If the shell was taken away from me, I would not survive even for a minute.  It is my core competency.  It shields me from enemies. You know how much young children love me. Can you imagine, any other animal that can carry my shell.  If I let go of this shell, what would happen to it?  Who will carry it? The shell is a blessing and I am thankful to God for it. And tell me, why the heck do I need to move faster? I’m happy the way I am.

         Whatever we have, must be converted into assets. Often, we do not see the positive aspects but dwell upon what we see as negative or the flip side but which is not.  Only when the realisation dawns upon you that you have a mine full of assets, then begins your journey towards success.  Sometimes, people do not realise it ever during their life time.  It is like the deer sensing the musk but never finding it.    That to me, is non-realisation of one’s own assets, potential and talent.  And that is failure.

          

          Not using your assets means (a) that you have not trusted your creator; (b) you have not had a good relationship with yourself.  You may have travelled around the world, seen the best places in the world but have not travelled deep into your own self.  You haven’t attempted to find out the resources that you were born with.  Each person must learn to recognise his gifts from an early age.  For this, parents must have perfected this craft themselves and then must train and teach their children to recognise them.  I believe that only a handful of people in this world have recognised their abilities, worked upon them, converted them into achievements and achieved success in life.  There is so much work to be done.

CC:    You have shared a great piece of wisdom with our readers.  We thank you very much and look forward to keep on learning from you.

TT:    I appreciate your kind words but that is no big deal.  I have learnt a few lessons in life which I have shared with you.

This is a purported dialogue between the Tortoise and CALIBRE CREATORS.  This is a work of fiction and CALIBRE CREATORS does not claim to understand the language spoken by the animal species.

This article was published in the  Calibre Creators LEARNING LETTER issue of July 2015, Vol. 3, Issue No.11.  

To  view and download the previous issues, please visit www.calibrecreators.com.

Or you can simply send us a mail to sarfaraz.calibrecreators@gmail.com to request your copy and receive the issue regularly. 

Get Your Child Assessed for Making the Right Career Choice.  Take the Aptitude Test – go to www.calibrecreators.com

Write to Calibre Creators to resolve all your education and career related queries.  Please visit www.calibrecreators.com/contact-us.  There are no charges for this service.  Make extensive use of the service.  All queries are responded within 24 hours.

MANAGING TO HANDLE LEARNING DISORDERS - EXPERTS SPEAK

This Exclusive interview given to Calibre Creators was published in the February 2015, Volume 3, Issue No.6 of Calibre Creators Learning Letter is reproduced here.

This month,  Calibre Creators met up with the wonderful team of Ms. Gulzar Bhimani (GB) and Ms. Kanchan Vishwakarma (KV), both successfully running an Education Management Company.  The objective was to discuss the delicate and very sensitive issues related to children and academics.  The issue of Dyslexia was very beautifully highlighted by the Indian Movie “Tare Zameen Par” released in 2007 which has also helped raise awareness amongst parents on this issue.

CC - Q.1 : Tell us briefly about the work carried out by your organisation.

WOLH – GB : Wise Owls Learning Hub assists the children with their learning concerns to produce positive results maintaining their individuality and distinctiveness of learning differently.  The learning is facilitated according to the individual learning style of each child. Remedial and Behaviour Therapy are part of the facilitation process. Parents are also counseled wherever and whenever required.

CC - Q.2 : Please explain to us the broad category of students and their typical behaviours?

WOLH KV: Children with above condition are often misunderstood and considered lazy, un-responsive or uninterested in studies.  However, they function as good as their peers, except in academics.

Learning Disabilities usually falls under 4 broad categories:

· Spoken language-listening and speaking;

· Written language-reading, writing, and spelling;

· Arithmetic-calculating and concepts;

· Reasoning-organizing and integrating of ideas.

Specific learning disabilities include:

· Dysgraphia:    Difficulty in forming letters, words with pen and paper and writing legible handwriting.

· Dyscalculia:    Difficulty in understanding and using math concepts and symbols.

· Dyspraxia:      Mixing up words and sentences while talking.

· Dyslexia:       The 2007 Bollywood movie “Tare Zameen Par” has made this a very Popular term: While reading, an individual often mixes up letters within words and words within sentences. Letter reversals are common. Some individuals may have difficulty in navigating and finding routes using right/left and/or compass directions.

CC - Q.3 : Why are some students attentive in class while others are not?

WOLH – KV : Children will be children and if they do not make mischief and be naughty who will? Most of the time the student is seen as inattentive or mischievous by the grades he/she scores and the discipline maintained. Level of LD is not appropriately (the child may be facing Learning Differences or Learning Difficulties rather than “Learning Disability”) defined. Various factors can be citied for non-attentive behavior but important and fundamental factor is to have ‘Understanding’.

· Pedagogy not in accordance with child’s understanding/learning;

· Language barrier (“kala akshar bhais bara bar”);

· Child’s learning style not taken into consideration;

· Child’s capacity not considered;

· Environment of the class is distracting, not allowing the child to concentrate, etc.;

· Teachers not equipped and adequately trained to handle such cases.

CC - Q.4 : How is the LD or ADHD in children caused? Is it genetic, is it because of the socio-cultural or socio-economic environment or because of any past incidents?

WOLH – GB : Researchers are studying the relation between functions of the brain and areas of brain with regards to LD and ADD/ADHD.  It is thought that learning disabilities may be caused by:

· Hereditary, family history, early developmental psychodynamic factors;

· Consumption of certain drugs by the mother during pregnancy;

· Medical factors, Premature birth, Malnutrition, Juvenile Diabetes (onset of Diabetes Mellitus at infancy stage);

· Environment, malnourished mother during pregnancy and poor pre-natal healthcare;

· Presence of toxins like high “Lead” content in drinking water and wall paint, head injuries and so on.

Whatever the cause, having LD or ADD/ADHD doesn’t mean one cannot do well in life.  Many famous people with learning issues or ADHD have carved a niche for themselves in life: For example, the most famous cartoonist Walt Disney, Fashion Designer Tommy Hilfiger, Scientist Thomas Edison, Scientist Albert Einstein, come to my mind immediately.

CC - Q.5 : What, in your opinion, is the scale or magnanimity of the problem of LD in India? 

WOLH – GB : In India, nearly 3% to 18% of all school children are affected by it; the extent of this is largely seen in boys who are 6-8 times more often affected.  A large majority of children start to exhibit symptoms by the fourth year and the gradual onset occurs before the child has completed about 7 years.

The ratio of children impacted by ADHD is nearly 10% to 20% of all psychiatric disorders diagnosed amongst children in the age group of 0-10 years.  These are huge numbers and must be reduced substantially over the period of years.

CC - Q.6 : How should a teacher handle students who are inattentive in class?

WOLH – VK : The child needs to know that he is respected, loved and appreciated even when the child is inattentive and the teacher must exhibit this through actions, care and words. The child’s behavior should not be the criteria to judge his intelligence. Not all inattentive and academically weak students are Learning Disabled.

Few simple tricks can be used to get positive results:

· Generate curiosity at the start of the class for the child to be attentive, learn and enjoy the learning process;

· Make learning visually appealing;

· Usage of Colors can be exciting;

· Extensive use story-telling as a teaching methodology wherever appropriate.

CC - Q.7 : How should a parent handle their children who are inattentive at home and have difficulty in getting good grades, and are not interested in doing their home work?

WOLH – GB : The above strategies can be fruitfully employed by parents too. Most of the time parents are aware of child’s aptitude towards sports and arts but discourage the child to transform that aptitude into professional career due to various, reasons mostly out of societal pressure and not necessarily due to financial compulsions. Nonetheless, the pressure on the child to focus only on academic performance is constant. Making the child understand the importance of academics without constant nagging about his interest in sports, recreational activities or enjoying art or other extra-curricular activities can bring positive results.

Practicing consistency in rewarding and punishment can also have great impact. A word of caution here: Avoid inconsistency in the practice of reward/punishment.

CC - Q.8 : How should parents handle two of their children, one of whom is very brilliant while the other has difficult in academics?

WOLH – VK : Understand that every individual is unique and is born with a package: personality, ability, capacity, intelligence and various other parameters.

Stop!!! I say STOP comparing children with their own siblings, friends, and cousins or with yourself when you were young. Being academically brilliant does not prove the child to be intelligent to adjust and adapt life fully.  Yes!!! A child must at least complete the graduation degree by using his capacity and to fully explore life and develop holistically. Parents must concentrate on the strengths of the child and explore possibilities of moulding the child accordingly.

CC - Q.9 : Can children/students with various type of Learning Disorders ever be like normal children?

WOLH – GB : Learning Disorder is NOT an ailment but a condition. Children with this condition are smart and intelligent in other spheres of life except in academics, but not completely. Professional support of especially trained experts can help enhance the latent skills and talents in them. Parental acceptance, unfailing support, high level of patience and understanding as well as care and compassion are crucial in bringing the required and positive changes in the child over a period of time. Trained teachers and professionals can contribute in developing a liking towards academics. Encouraging children to freely socialise with other children without any fear of encountering any biases from other children (like name calling, labeling, etc.) can also greatly empower them to feel normal and will help boost their self esteem as well.

CC - Q.10 : Should children with LDs be sent to special school or will regular schools accept them?

WOLH – VK : Isolating an individual for the reason that he/she has Learning problem is not the solution. Sending an LD child to a special school is like segregating for the reasons unknown to them. Peers and relatives and often parents name call such individuals, obstructing their normal growth and free socializing, putting their self worth in danger.

Many schools have opened their doors for such individuals (they are called “inclusive schools”). The need of time is to becoming “Inclusive” at all levels and not just stopping at caste, creed, race, etc. More and more teachers need to be trained to identify, assist, encourage and empower such children. Nationally and internationally, some of the most successful and renowned people had this condition and they overcame this disability and conquered the world.

CC - Q.11 : Is it important for parents to train and counsel relatives as well friends of their own children with LD and ADHD issues to be able to handle them and give them fair treatment?  At CC, we believe that this aspect is also important and has been ignored.

WOLH - GB : Most definitely!

Most often parents themselves are in denial mode. It’s difficult for ANYONE to accept these limitations in their own child. The feeling is of shame and to some extent guilt too. That’s human nature.  They fear exposing the children and feel extremely insecure about leaving them alone amongst the normal children in the neighbourhood. 

If parents invite the child’s friends and make them aware about being sensitive towards his needs, the do’s and don’ts, then the child’s life becomes easy.  Parents must ensure that the child does not get labeled or is not disowned by his friends.  The same process must be followed, first with close family relatives, then with family friends and neighbours.  It is important that parents must get trained from professionals on handling such issues which will make life easier for the child as well as themselves.

Also, once parents accept their child’s limitations, the progress to seek professional help becomes easier and faster thus overcoming and developing positively. Parents of such children can and must become volunteers in bringing about awareness within family friends and society. It can have tremendous impact. Such parents are seen as role models as they have gone through the same journey of heartburns.

CC - Q.12 : Are regular schools equipped with Counsellors and are Teachers trained to handle students with LDs?

WOLH – VK : The awareness now is better than the last decade. Schools and concerned leadership are moving towards bringing change but the process and progress are slow.  Approximately 16% of school children have the above condition.  Teachers are not fully equipped to manage the children with LD and ADD/ADHD condition.  Schools are struggling to run with core faculty.  It is an added burden on school to hire and retain counselor’s and special educator’s with existing shoe-string budget. Having a Trained Counselor and Special Educator in a school, requires allotting a separate room and investment of resources which schools can ill afford. Lately, few schools are finally taking the lead and contributing towards required change. 

I will end this with a quote from Peter Senge “Many children struggle in schools, because the way they are being taught is incompatible with the way they learn” .

About : WISE OWLS LEARNING HUB was incorporated in the year 5^th October, 2014 with the objective of spreading awareness about Learning Disorders, helping parents and the communities about the importance and handling them effectively to create an inclusive society.  We consider that all children need to realize their talent and contribute to the society’s social and economic development. We believe every individual has potential and if it is tapped at the right time they all can contribute towards a happy society.

Currently, we are associated with ‘Infant Jesus High School’, one of the reputed school in Malad offering our services to its students. It involves counseling of Parents as well. The new academic year 2015-16 will see us conducting need based workshops for Teachers, Parents and Students.

We have opened our doors for the underprivileged children under our NGO ‘Pagdandi Education Foundation’ (PEF) under which conduct Spoken English workshops.  Currently, we are catering to 60 children residing in the neighbourhood slums.

Our Mission is “Making positive difference in someone’s life by touching their heart and soul”. Individual Profile:

· Ms. Gulzar H. Bhimani, M.A, PG Diploma in Education Management, PG Diploma in School Counseling.

· Ms. Kanchan A. Vishwakarma, B.A, B.Ed. Special Educator.

Calibre Creators wishes them success in all their endeavours in this noble cause as well as their social initiatives under the Pagdandi Education Foundation.

Wise Owls Learning Hub can be contacted on:

Ms. Gulzar Bhimani : 9870185158

Ms. Kanchan Vishwakarma: 7506507511

Find them on :  https://www.facebook.com/wiseowllearninghub

For previous issues of the Learning Letter, log onto www.calibrecreators.com.

Or you can simply send us a mail to sarfaraz.calibrecreators@gmail.com to request your copy and receive the issue regularly.

Get Your Child Assessed for Making the Right Career Choice.  Take the Aptitude Test – go to www.calibrecreators.com

Write to Calibre Creators to resolve all your education and career related queries.  Please visit www.calibrecreators.com/contact-us. 

There are no charges for this service.  Please make extensive use of the service.  All queries are responded within 24 hours.

Preparing for Examinations - Guide for Students

This is the time of the year when the broad category of students (irrespective whether he is studying in an International School or in a local Municipal School) have the most difficult time of the year – preparing for the exams.  The pressure is more on students who are appearing for Board and University examinations (SSC, HSC and Graduation examinations).
 

Parents too have a tough time and they shut themselves from all engagements – social functions like parties, marriages, television, travel and vacations.  Their concern is whether their child is preparing well enough for the ensuing examinations.  Parents are feel the pressure and become more jittery than their children.  We will address the parents in the latter part of this article.
 

So dear students, the reality is that your exams are approaching.  Maybe your examination schedule has been announced.  Maybe not.  But irrespective, you will have to face the examinations.  The examination schedule, either favourable or otherwise, will not change your world or the prospect of facing the examination much.  You have to get through to it in any case.
 

So here are some practical tips for you to follow which will lead to success in your examinations:
 

Fear Nothing: Disassociate with your friends who discuss examination fear, who scare you because they are scared. Negative thoughts will cast a very strong influence. No use trying to convince them otherwise. Exams are just a step towards your success so why worry? If your parents or relatives try to scare you, tell them, you have it all planned it out and under control.  Self belief is very important.
 

Whenever, such a discussion comes up, tell them exactly how your academic year has been, what you have already learnt.  Give a few examples.  Such an activity not only assures others but your own confidence will improve and fear will be miles away.
 

You must not only tell, but plan it to be in control.  As one famous quote goes “If you fail to plan, you have planned to fail” and it cannot be more relevant than this.
 

Plan your studies: Prepare a study plan with which you are comfortable. Share it with your parents.  This will have dual effects: You will have taken your parents into confidence and also get feedback.  Second, they will be reassured that you are in the right direction.  Post your study plan on a common wall.  Allow your family to do a status check on your plan.  Don’t get irritated.  The best thing to do is to discuss it over the dining table so that everyone is updated simultaneously.
 

What to Study: Generally, a student must not have any likings or disliking for any subject.  After all, students like you are the toppers so why shouldn’t you? You already know the subjects that you know that you have a lot to catch upon.  Allot more time for them.  Also, take up at least two subjects per day to avoid monotony.  If you find the momentum is going good and have built a good tempo, continue.  Plans should be flexible.
 

You will need more time for practical subjects like Mathematics and Sciences.  This is nothing but a component of planning.
 

Keep time for revisions.  Your studies should get over at least 10 days prior to your exami-nations.  During the last 10 days you must spend time for revisions only.
 

How to Study: There are arguments in favour of, and against studying in a group or in isolation.  There is no fixed formula.  For some, studying alone can be boring and result in loss of motivation. If others in your friend circles, or cousins or neighbours are serious about studies, there is no harm in getting together.  It provides good moral support.  Take time off to discuss questions but not get carried away and deviate from discussions.  What happened in the school classroom is over and should be left there.
 

If you find your study group is not serious and more time is being spent on having fun, discussion sports or television or mobile applications, find another place.  Better still, spend a very small portion of your time studying together and the rest of the time study alone.
 

Ensure that your studying room is free of external sounds, distractions and other disturbances.  Do not lock your room but keep it wide open so that your mother or brother/sister can walk in just to say “Hi!” to you and ensure that you are on track.  Keep the discussion short and ensure that they leave you alone quickly.
 

Depending on your biological clock, determine the best time to study.  It can be very early morning say, from 5.00 a.m. for some, while evening is a good time for some, while for some late nights are peaceful and good time to study.  You and your friends don’t necessarily have to sync because each one’s biological clock works differently.
 

Remember time is ticking, quickly, very quickly!
 

Find a comfortable and peaceful place to study: The study place has to be neat and clean.  It must have bright sunshine coming in throughout the day.  A dull day will make you feel drowsy.  Make sure that the sound of television is not coming very loudly from the adjoining hall.  Children playing outside can be a great temptation so avoid such places.  Make sure that the room does not have a bed else you will feel tempted to take a short nap which then goes on for hours.

It is recommended that you should go to a nearby library, be it your school, college or one managed by a local social group as it will lead to discipline.
 

Remember time is ticking, quickly, very quickly!
 

Recreation is Important too:  “All work and no play makes Jack a Dull Boy!” Well, that adage applies to studies as well.  Indulge in some physical sports activities which helps you to distract your mind from studies, pumps up your blood circulation and rushes oxygen to your brain, both good for stimulating the brain, further activating it and helps increase your concentration.  Take a shower. Preferably, take a nap.  When you’re fresh enough, resume your studies.  Indoor games like chess, carom and other board games are also useful.
 

But remember, everything in moderation and that time is ticking. Quickly, Very Quickly!
Keep Your Calm : Do not link your studies to how many marks you will get upon writing that answer.  Have the confidence.

This is not the time to re-write your notes, or draft your answers by copying from the text book or class notes.  Rather concentrate on answering your questions from whatever you have learnt.
 

Don’t ever say to yourself, “Hey yaar, I still don’t know this or so much remains to be studied”. This will induce unnecessary stress. Remember, you have all planned it out.  Make necessary adjustments as you go forward.  Stick to your Plan.
 

There are other studying techniques like associating your answers to some favourite event, story or anecdote which will help you remember.  We will cover this aspect some other time.
 

Finally, never plan to cheat in the examinations.  That should never be your plan “B” and not even your plan “Z”.  Remember, an examination is a tool to assess the knowledge that you have gained.   Without knowledge, your career prospects may get affected.  A mark sheet will not be useful it there is nothing to back it.
 

Trust yourself.  Visualise yourself as a Top Scorer whose photograph is flashed in the headlines of all Newspapers, on hoardings across the city and see the difference.   You will get energy, will have the motivation and will have a great impact. 

Best Wishes!
 

By : Sarfaraz Lakhani,
Editor, Calibre Creators Learning Letter
www.calibrecreators.com