Education in Singapore

Hello,

Education does not start nor end with literacy which is just one of the important rungs on the education ladder. A baby's education -- learning, starts the day it's born, along with the caregiver's. A prime example of learning is; crying brings food or a change of diaper or company!

If the child doesn't have the two fingers and a thumb grip, it's difficult to hold a crayon. If a teacher is not well trained, the child does not learn at its optimal ability. 

In today's post Sagar and Sapna talk about education.

Meera   

Education in Singapore

Twelve year old Sapna found her sixteen year old brother, Sagar reading from an old newspaper.

Sapna asked, "Bhaiya, are you reading a Hindi newspaper? How much do you understand?"

Sagar, "I am trying to figure it out, and it's not Hindi, it's in Marathi!"

"I didn't know Hindi and Marathi write the same way."

"Yeah, they are both in the Devanagari script, the same as Sanskrit."


Sapna said, "Oh, I get it, it's like English, Spanish, German and others that have the same letters but different pronunciation and vocabulary."

Sagar said, "Right. But listen to this, when a student in Singapore writes the wrong answer to a question in the answer sheet, the teacher writes the correct answer before returning it to the student. The teachers get punished if a child fails to understand! And if you want to be a teacher, you have to be in the top one third in your twelfth grade."

Sapna nodded, "That's cool, unless the teachers know, they can't teach."

Sagar said, "That's all fine and dandy but the population of Singapore is just around five million! I wonder if it can be implemented in the US or India or anywhere else in the world!"

Sapna agreed, "I guess, it can't be done here." 

Sagar said, "Hey, listen to this, the students get 'skill education', vocational education in different fields including, baking and experiments in farming!"

"Experiments in farming?"

"Yeah, there's no farming in Singapore. Also, if you want to study beyond the twelfth grade, you must take military education too. Now I like that. Of course the education after twelfth stresses research.  Hmmm, now they want to invest in 'critical thinking'!"

Sapna said, "I am okay with all these points except the military education."

Suchi and Soori had joined their brother and sister by now. 

Soori said, "Military means shooting, does the school you are talking about have guns?"

Suchi said, "That sounds neat, learning to use a gun, safely I guess."

Sagar patted her head, "Dream on girl, you are not going to this school, it's in Singapore."

Sapna asked, "What else does it say?"

Sagar smiled, "Yeah, no exams in the first grade, board exam after the sixth grade. You get only letter grades. And you start school at age seven!" 

Soori said, "Start school at seven? That means, Suchi, we'd be in the first grade just now, and no exam for us!"

Sapna laughed, "Ha! Again, dream on girls, we are not going to Singapore. And, you'd be in second grade, you are eight."

Sagar said, "But Suchi-Soori, you get four vacations for going to school from January to December. I'd say that's a good deal, right Sapna?"

Sapna said, "Yep, four vacations -- study in Singapore."

Suchi said, "Okay, we'll pack our bags and go to Singapore."

Soori said, "Yeah, we'll go to Singapore, Bhaiya, you and didi will have to come with us because we need chaperons!"

Sagar said, "Okay, let's all go to Singapore, we'll have to study Tamil and Chinese along with English."

Sapna said, "Girls, Bhaiya is just pulling your leg, let's do our homework, we all have a test tomorrow."

Suchi said, "I want to learn Chinese..."

Soori added, "And Tamil is fine with me. Let's go." 

Sapna, "Yes, sure, let's go to do homework."


The End



© 2014, Meera Desai Shah

Seeing Underground

Hello,

I read an article about new computers the other day and was reminded of a story my father told me about his father, my grandfather, who passed away in 1969 at the age of 89. Hmmm, that means he was born in the eighteenth century and passed away in the nineteenth. That was more than a life time ago!

My father gave his dad a battery operated radio. When the first time he heard the radio, he was amazed to hear person talking from such a small device. At one point my grandfather said, 'What, what did you say?' It so happened that the announcer repeated the sentence! My grandfather was flabbergasted!

Technology has changed many, many folds since the days of my grandfather or even my father who came to the U.S. in the 1930's by a ship, from Mumbai to L.A.

Today'a story is about something new that's coming up in cell phones.

Meera

Seeing Underground

Sagar removed his muddy shoes near the front door, "Mom, where's dad? I think our sprinkler system has a leak or something."

"Mom's in the shower, why do you say there's a leak?" Sagar's 12-year-old sister, Sapna folded the last piece of laundry in the den. "And, Bhaiya when you were investigating the broken pipes in the yard, I folded all the clothes. The next time you have to do all the folding."

Sagar said, "Yeah, sure, thanks, next time. But where's dad? We better fix the leak before it floods the house."

"Let's call a plumber, the guy Mom called last time when a pipe in the sink burst open and flooded the kitchen."

Sagar looked up from mom's list of telephone numbers on the bulletin board.

Mom joined their conversation, "Sagar, Dad is talking with our neighbor about detecting the leak." 

Sapna said, "Are they discussing a plumber who will use a 'thermie' to detect the leak?"

Sagar put the phone back, "Thermie? What's that?"

Sapna said, "Let me read what it says here, 'using the infrared camera attached to the back of your iPhone, a picture of the heat emanating from body is taken.'"

Sagar snatched the paper from Sapna's hands, "Let me see it."

Sapna said, "Hey stop grabbing it, you are going to tear it."

Sagar read on, "Apple is opening a whole new way of looking at the world. Da...d..d..d and..." He read on, "It's like everything glows in its own light, warm things light up the iPhone while cold things are dark."

Sapna was back from putting the clothes away, "Yep, Bhaiya, two objects that differ by 1/5th of a degree of Fahrenheit, can be spotted."

Sagar continued to read, "Yeah, real neat, huh? Cool, you can see the footsteps on a carpet, or a brief heat trail left behind by a hand on the wall. Wow."

Sapna said, "I know it's real cool. Imagine the military has used this technology for years and now sailors, electricians, plumbers etc have started to use it."

"Plumbers? How much does it cost?"

"Ha, keep dreaming Bhaiya. It's for $995/. Wait till it comes on sale."

Sagar said, "Expensive. But how does it work? Hmmm, the resolution is low, only 80 X 60 pixels, or 4800 pixels. The iPhone's near camera is more than 1600 times sharper at 8 megapixels. Wait a minute, Apple stores sells FLIR One at $349. It has second camera that creates a faint overlay of object contours and the thermal image shows."

Mom joined them, "What are you discussing? Oh, I read the story. Thank goodness the camera picks up human skin as a blotchy image, like the hide of a giraffe."

Sagar said, "Yeah, Mom, It can spot heat leaking through insulation, invisible water leaks, wild life lurking in the forest. The article says that it is useful from gaming to medicine."

Mom said, "Children, Dad read it this morning and he went to the neighbor for some research."

Eight-year-old twins came in, "Mom, let's get out, house is going to be flooded... the yard is sopping wet."

Little Soham tracked his dirty shoes in the den, "Water, water everywhere... "

Dad also walked in with the neighbor, "Okay, we are going to turn off the water for an hour or two and trace the leak in the yard."

Sagar said, "Sapna, let's follow dad, twins, you stay with mom, take Soham with you."


The End


© 2014, Meera Desai Shah

Adults Don't Bite

Hello,

Recently I heard that Memphis is very good for sports. This was deduced from the way we, (Yes, I live in Memphis, TN) support our basketball and football teams.

In this post, Sagar brings sports news from the computer and the youngest sibling Soham's sports experience together.

Meera

Adults Don't Bite

Sapna called out, "Bhaiya, you were supposed to keep an eye on Soham, not just pick him up from his soccer practice."

Sagar kept on reading on the computer, "Huh, what? Yes, Soham was fine at soccer. Didn't go beyond picking grass on the field. I paid more attention to the game, well, sort of a game."

Sapna dragged Soham with her by grabbing his arm, "I know, that's how you missed this note that came from his coach."

Sagar shot up from the computer, "A note? What does it say?" He snatched the note out of Sapna's hand and read it. He frowned.

Suchi-Soori walked in with their art work.

Sapna complained, "And you didn't see it?"

Sagar held Sohams' right arm and looked at it, "Hmm, the coach says the skin didn't break, so no action taken."

Suchi asked, "What are you looking at?"

"Bite marks."

Soori said, "Soham bit his own arm?"

Sapna said, "N...O.... some other kid bit him. Thankfully it left just bite marks, no bleeding."

Suchi said, "What did Soham do to the guy to bite him? Soori, remember that time when in preschool a kid bit you and he was put in timeout?"

Soori said, "Silly, it wasn't me, YOU were bit by Tommy in our preschool. And he had to sit on the thinking chair for four minutes."

Sagar said, "The biters have their own hidden reasons for biting."

Sapna said, "I guess they bite because that's how they deal with their frustrations. And in your school, you got a timeout according to your age. Four years, four minutes' timeout.""

Sagar said, "Yeah, unless you are an adult then you get thrown out."

Suchi said, "Adults don't bite."

Soori asked, "Thrown out of what? School? Grownups go to work... "

Suchi added, "And you can't get thrown out of work."

Sapna said, "But you can get fired."

Sagar picked up Soham, "Guys, come on down to the computer. I was reading a story about a grownup biting another grownup?"

Sapna-Suchi-Soori screamed, "WHAT?"

All five gathered around the computer.

Sagar opened a page to soccer, "Yep, this is an old news about a game between Uruguay and Italy during World Cup Soccer (Football)."

Suchi wondered, "What kind of cup was it? It has to be big if it's a world cup."

Soori said, "Silly, it must be a huge cup for the winners, not for the whole world."

"Oh, like the ones we get after our games."

Sagar said, "Girls, listen to what happened. There's Uruguay team's striker, Luis Suarez. He bit the Italian defender, Giorgio Chiellini. This is the third time he bit."

Suchi said, "The Italian guy should learn to keep away from him if he was bitten twice before by this Luis guy."

Sapna said, "Silly, he didn't bite the same guy three times. He bit three people on three different occasions."

One twin asked, "Did he get thrown out of the game?"

The other twin said, "He must have been put on a bench, how old was he? It must have been lots of minutes' timeout."

Sagar got up, "Girls, stop letting your minds go wild. He was banished from playing World Cup for four months."

"Four months?"

"Yeah, that's a lot of minutes."

Sagar and Sapna shook their heads.

Soham raised four fingers, " I am four."

Everyone laughed.


The End



© 2014, Meera Desai Shah

What We Value the Most

Hello,

My apologies for skipping writing a post and a delay in this post. 

Children as well as adults lose things that they value -- a special book, a toy, or a piece of jewelry. No everything can go in a bank vault, some things have to stay in a bag, in your home or in your pocket!

The following conversation occurs between two siblings, ages 12 and 16. 

Meera

What We Value the Most

Sapna sat in the den with her eight-year-old twins, playing a game of dominos. She looked up from their game.

Their brother Sagar entered the den with a very red face. He threw one shin-guard in the hallway along with his soccer shoes. He said, "Again, my one shin guard went missing at the soccer field."

His sister asked, "You played without a shin guard? Isn't that dangerous?" 

"Not dangerous, just not very good for my shins, and yes, my leg could get seriously hurt."

Sapna retorted, "Then why don't you take care of your shoes, socks and the shin guards? You are not our four-year-old brother, Soham. Someone always has to keep an eye on him and his belongings."

"Yeah, sure. Thats easier said than done." 

Sapna got up from her game, "Okay, my big Bhaiya, I am going to tell you a story mom told me about losing my friends."

"A story from our mom? She's always telling us lessons in life."

Sapna said, "This one may help you save something."

"Okay. What was the story?"

"Here it is. There was a guy who got tired of misplacing the pen or just losing it. He learned to keep only a cheap pen in his pocket. He got tired of his carelessness."

"So? He should not carry a pen."

Sapna shook her head, "And when he needs a pen? He did not like to borrow."

"Oh."

Sapna continued, "A friend suggested he should carry only the most expensive pen in his pocket. And so the man bought a 22 carat gold Cross pen."

Sagar said, "And he didn't lose the pen.?

Sapna said, "You guessed it bhaiya. The lesson is, if you value something, you take care of it."

"Hmmm."

"Bhaiya, if you really value your game of soccer, you'll take care of your things. Mom told me this evening that if you lose one more shin guard, that's the last game you play."

Sagar said, "If I don't wear shin guards, I don't get to play. Guess what? I did not throw away the second shin guard the last time I lost its pair. I value playing soccer,  I will take care of my shin guards."

Sapna smiled, "Good for you. Or Bhaiya, you find a game where you don't need any extra equipment!"

Sagar came over to his younger sister and patted her on her head, "Yes, my wise sister, the lesson will be remembered. What I want to know is how in the world do you lose a friend? "

Sapna smiled, "I used to lose them by getting my feelings hurt at what they did. I learned to value my friends by letting small things go."

"Good for you, sis."


The End


© 2014, Meera Desai Shah


If we value our health, we are careful about what we eat.

If we value our friends, we treat them with respect.

If w value money, we take care of our spending.

If we value time, we don't waste it.

If we value relationship, we don't break it.

The Hottest Time of the Day

Hello,

I wanted to get this post out before hot summer turned into cool autumn.

Sometimes we tend to skip a column because we know the answers, we don't care, it is what it is, it goes too deep in math and science, any excuse to avoid reading.

Sagar generally reads it.

Meera

Hottest Time of the Day

Twelve-year-old, Sapna, stirred the batter for the cake she wanted to bake for her eight-year-old, twins sisters' birthday. She figured out a way to make it an ice cream cake. The summer temperatures kept rising.

Her sixteen-year-old, brother, Sagar walked in, "Do little Soham and I get to lick the batter spoon and the ice cream scoop after you are done?"

Sapna scrunched up her nose, "How can I give you free licks? I waited till four so I could bake it in a cooler weather. I wish I could wear Audrey Hepburn's Tiffany sunglasses to avoid this heat. "

Sagar laughed, "Don't be silly about the sunglasses. Okay then, no licks but four is not cooler than noon, infact, it is the hottest part of the day in our part of the country."

"Says who?"

Sagar sat down and dipped a finger in the batter, "Marilyn vos Savant, the lady with the highest IQ."

Sapna gave a tap on Sagar's hand, "Hey, stop that, you'll get a piece of the cake. Tell me why four in the afternoon is not cooler than noon?"

Sagar licked his finger, "Mmm...tastes good. Well, she said that even though the Ultra Violet radiation of earth and air peaks at noon, the surface temperatures keep climbing for hours."

Sapna covered the batter with cellophane, "Well, I need the cake for tomorrow evening, I can't do it tomorrow at noon."

Sagar rinsed the spoons without licking them, "Well, the delayed heating is called thermal response and often it's the hottest around four p. m."

Sapna put the bowl in the refrigerator, "In that case I will make the cake at seven when it is definitely cooler."

Sagar said, "I'll help you then, Soham and the twins will be getting ready to sleep. Mom and dad won't be back till after midnight."

"Thanks, that would help. I need someone to wash the pots." She gave a sly smile.

Sagar shrugged it off, "No problem. Sapna, do you know recently Bill Gates poured a whole bucket of ice on himself?"

"Why? Was he feeling too hot in his mansion? Ice is cold at any time of the day or night."

Sagar said, "He did it to raise money for Lou Gehrig's Disease, ALS. I think it's a disease where progressive degeneration of motor neurons occurs."

Sapna nodded, "I feel like the twins, too many big words."

Sagar said, "The neat thing is, no one poured the ice on him."

"Huh?"

"That's right. He came up with this gadget that poured it on him."

Sapna shrugged, "Ha, big deal for a guy who thinks up these fancy computer things!"  

"Ha to you. Never mind, do you want to look it up on the computer and understand it better?"

Sapna took off her apron, "Okay, I have nothing to do except kill some time."

Sagar said, "Did you know that Monaco has the most packed population per square mile and Mongolia has only five people per square mile?"

Sapna shook her head, "Why in the world do you keep learning these useless facts?"

Sagar laughed, "Maybe, one day I'll go on Jeopardy."

Sapana also laughed, "Sure and then I'll bake you a cake. But tell me how many people does Monaco have per square mile?"

"Ha, you are curious too, Monaco has 42000. and the US has 87."

Sapna smiled, "Now we can both go on Jeopardy."

Sagar said, "While we are getting ready for Jeopardy, might as well tell you that in the 12th-century China, judges wore dark quartz lenses to hide their emotions in court. The lenses came to the US in 1929, and plastic giant Sam Foster sold the first pairs of mass-produce shades in Atlantic City."

Sapna put her fingers in her ears, "La.. la..la...la... I don't want to hear any more of your factoids."

Sagar waited till she had her fingers out and said, "And they are going to map the oceans just the way Google has done with earth."

Sapna put her fingers back in her ears, "La...la...la.. you are so annoying...la...la...la..."

Sagar laughed again and they turned on the computer.

The End


© 2014, Meera Desai Shah

It's All About You, Dr. Randy Pausch

Hello,

Today's post is a conversation that the mother has with her older children, Sagar, 16 years and Sapna, 12 years.

In 2008 a writer, philosopher, Dr. Randy Pausch died of pancreatic cancer. His book, The Last Lecture, was a bestseller. I have taken his thoughts from the letter he left behind to his three children and wife.

Meera

It's All About You

Sixteen-year-old, Sagar came home from a jog on a Saturday morning.The exercise and the summer heat left him sweaty and breathless.

His sister Sapna was sitting in the kitchen with their twin sisters, eight-year-old, Suchi and Soori, eating cereal and milk.

Suchi covered her nose with a napkin, "Yuck, Bhaiya, you stink."

Soori also covered her nose.

Sapna said, "I don't know why you overdo it."

Sagar mopped his arms and neck and patted his belly, "Yeah, sure, you see this pot? I want to lose it in three weeks, before the school starts."

Sapna shrugged, "Maybe you should set a limit or something on your running."

Mom walked in with the four-year-old, Soham, trailing behind her. "Sapna is right. Dr. Rand Pausch, a philosopher, said, Don't over-do, keep your limits."

Still wiping his face, Sagar sat down, "Randy Pausch? Never heard of him."

Mom said, "He wrote some very valuable advice."

Suchi-Soori looked at each other, "Let's rearrange our desks, sorry mom, we are outta here." And they left before anyone could stop them.

Sapna got up, "Shall I grab them back? Why do they always get away? I hated it last week also, they ran away when it was their turn to empty the dishwasher, and also... "

Mom said, "No, let them be. Their time will come. Forget the issues of the past, they will ruin your present. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone."


Sagar said, "Yeah, Sapna stop hating your sisters. I don't hate anyone, but I am envious of these three girls who are so skinny."

Mom laughed, "They will also gain weight if they don't watch out about exercising but You Sir, stop being envious, you are in charge of your happiness. Envy is a waste of time."

Sagar rolled his eyes and plopped down with a bowl for cereal, "Sure, next you are going to say, you are here to learn." 

Mom said, "That's right son, don't take yourself too seriously, no one else does."

Sagar frowned and Sapna smiled. Sagar made a face at his sister, "Yeah, mom, next you are going to say, don't compare yourself with your sisters, You don't know what their journey is about."

Mom smiled and patted his shoulders, "That's right son, you got it, smile and laugh more. Invest your energy in the positive present moment." 

Sapna pushed her chair back, "That's right Bhaiya, get rid of your negative thoughts about things you can't control.  That's just me saying," She pushed her chair back to put her cereal-bowl in the sink.

Sagar leaned to pull Sapna's long braid, Sapna laughed and moved out of his reach.

Soham sat by Sagar to eat his cereal. Sagar put an arm around Soham, "Come on buddy, you are the only friend I have left in this wide world."

Soham smiled and they continued with their breakfast.

Mom also smiled and sat at the table to finish her  work.


The End

© 2014, Meera Desai Shah

Counting in India, part, II

Hello,
Last week the siblings, Sagar, eight-years-old, and Sapna, four-years-old, went with their Grandmother in India for vegetables-fruits shopping at the local market.
They continued their counting, from where they left off.
Meera

Counting in India, part II 

Lorry = truck. Accepted in most Indian languages

Baer = a little fruit with an oblong or a round pit, depending on the variety

Chiku = a fleshy sweet fruit with brown skin

SIX women sat on the sidewalk with huge cane baskets.

One woman sold big squash-like papayas. She cut one open and offered a bright colored orange piece to Sapna. The girl shook her head and moved on.  Mummy had said: don’t accept food from strangers or ever eat an unwashed fruit, and in especially in India, never eat uncooked food.

The second lady separated guavas from an oblong as well as round fruits called baer.

The third woman offered a kiwi like fruit with a smooth-skin to Sagar. “Take, take, very sweet chiku, for you.” Sagar hid behind Granny and pulled Sapna with him.

The fourth woman had ripe mangos. Sapna stood by the basket and sniffed. “Granny, can we buy some mangos?”

“Absolutely, summer's the mango season.” They bought one dozen mangoes.                

Sagar whispered to Granny, “What, no custard apples?” 

Granny smiled and answered before moving on, “They come only in winter.” 

Sagar frowned. "Oh, too bad, I love those.” 

The fifth lady was rolling newspaper sheets to make packets of salted peanuts, roasted chickpeas and crispy rice, all mixed together.

The sixth lady sat with a basket full of bright marigolds, fragrant roses and jasmine. She strung them in garlands for women to wear in their hair.

SEVEN kinds of vegetables sat in neat piles in an old, beaten cart.
fresh, fresh, very fresh vegetables, just for you,” a man shouted.

Sagar and Sapna helped Granny pick some green beans, okra, sweet potatoes, carrots, eggplant and bunch of leafy coriander and spinach.

"Hey, Sagar, check out those ladies in beautiful saris.”

“Sorries? Oh, saris.”

EIGHT women wore colorful saris.

"But Mummy rarely wears one.” Sapna whispered to Sagar. 

“I think she finds shirts ‘n slacks more comfortable.”

“I guess so.”

At last they were out of the market. Sagar grinned and touched the two mangos in his shopping bag. Sapna had some vegetables in a bigger bag while Granny carried the biggest bag with the rest of the items.

Granny sighed, “Oh my, it’s hot and the bags are getting heavier by the minute.” She wiped her brows with her sari. “Let’s take a rickshaw.”

“We love rickshaws.” Sagar and Sapna said together.

They walked past NINE yellow-black three wheelers and stepped into the first one. Sapna sat in the middle, Sagar and Granny took the sides.
Once again the they weaved through the crazy traffic and reached near granny's bungalow. They stopped.
Sapna opened her eyes wide, "Look at those fat, black cows, Bhaiya."
Sagar laughed, "They are not cows, but Indian buffaloes. How about you count them?"
Sapna counted TEN buffaloes that kept their rickshaw from entering the bungalow.

At last the rickshaw stopped in the porch. Granny paid the driver his charges and they went in the house. Granny put different sized stainless steel bowls on the dining table and they emptied their wares into the empty bowls.

Sapna looked up at her grandmother, “That was so much fun.  I can’t wait till tomorrow to go out and count some more things.”

The End

© 2014, Meera Desai Shah

6: six: chheh: छह:  ६    O O O O O O

7: seven: saat: सात: ७   O O O O O O O

8:  eight: aath: आठ: ८    O O O O O O O O

9: nine: nou: नौ: ९         O O O O O O O O O

10: ten: das: दस: १०      O O O O O O O O O O