Children and science
Surprisingly children show exemplary scientific temper and spirit of inquiry, given a chance!
Here is a set of scientific musings of school children peppered with humor and creativity!
To explain nuclear reactions, one child said, “When they broke open molecules, they found they were only stuffed with atoms. But when they broke open atoms, they found them stuffed with explosions.”
Concerning astronomy, one child said, “Most books now say our sun is a star. But it still knows how to change back into a sun in the day-time.” And another said, “Some people can tell what time it is by looking at the sun. But I have never been able to make out the numbers.”
“Vacuums are nothings,” said a young physics student. “We only mention them to let them know we know they’re there.”
“Evaporation gets blamed for a lot of things people forget to put the top on,” one child observed.
“Rain is often known as soft water, oppositely known as hail,” reported a budding meteorologist. Another added, “Thunder is a rich source of loudness.”
Other children added these observations: “Isotherms and isobars are even more important than their names sound.” And, “It is so hot in some places that the people there have to live in other places.” And, “The wind is like the air, only pushier.”
These children have a way to go in their quest for more knowledge, but I applaud their efforts to learn more about the universe.
(The source of the aforesaid snippets has slipped out of my memory. I’ll be glad to acknowledge it if someone cares to point it out to me.)
It is time our parents and educationists imbibe a craving for pure science in the minds of children and provide a space for experimentation and error.
No public cause is worth your personal sacrifice
… and that of your wife, children and other dependents.
Yes. Looking after oneself is a duty befallen on you. And the family that you have created out of your own mischief! None of your children had sent an application (in triplicate) choosing to be born as your children! Haven’t you covenanted at the time of your marriage that you’ll take of your wife? What right have you got to derelict your duty towards your self and your kin for the sake of dogmas that you fancy?
In another vein, history is replete with instances where the result of sacrifices have seldom fulfilled the cause for which the stupid man has subordinated his self. Take the case of folks who had inflicted terrible suffering upon themselves while fighting for freedom of India from British imperialists. Thiyagi Subramaniya Siva is a classic example. Coming off a very poor family he chose to take up the role of a lone warrior against British. A married man, he brought his brought his family to abject poverty in this process. The same is the case of Mahakavi Subramaniya Bharathi.
What have they achieved in the real sense? Freedom from what, freedom for whom? The real fruits of freedom is enjoyed by which section of society - corrupt, unscrupulous, exploiters, cheats, black marketeers, profiteers…! The lot of common man remains the same.
But was their sacrifice worth it? The British imperialists would have anyway cleared of the Indian sub-continent since they had lost their status of a significant maritime power in the post-2nd world war scenario and also because India, as a colony had ceased to be of any real economic value addition to the British.
Think about it!
Seven-yr-old faces dowry charges
A seven-year-old has been charged in a dowry case in Bihar.
Santosh, a class four student has paid the price for a crime he did not commit.
”They framed me in a dowry case. I study in class 4. Police came to my house and asked for money. They threatened to send me to Munger otherwise,” he said.
Santosh was named in a dowry harassment case last year along with his parents and his elder brother.
Strange are the ways of police in India!
Read the full story from the NDTV web site.
Broken Bangles!
A heart-wrenching episode that appeared in Rediff.com takes you to another world!
No, never will anyone break anyone’s bangles, any tiny heart!
Read it here:: Rediff Diary by Suresh G O
Corporal punishment for class topper too!
A week after her teacher bashed her with a bulky record notebook, 17-year-old Caroline T. Daffadil, still struggles hard to move the swollen neck and lift her face. She is unable to stand without support. Tears roll down her chubby cheeks as the Plus-Two student of a government school at Ponneri, near here, tries to pick up a book to prepare for next month’s public examination.
“No, I am not able to hold the book,” she sobs, her neck tilted right. The class topper is unsure of taking her examination.
You can read more about this sordid episode in this news item that appeared in The Hindu
I wish God make yet another avatar to save the children from the evil hands of the demented pedagogy!
Ban corporal punishment!
And punish those rabid criminals who unleash violence on innocent school children! These sadists constitute a menace to any civilized society. Nothing can be more cruel than beating a helpless child which is defenseless in the face of such bloodthirsty maniacs. And to use such weapons like canes and bound volumes of unread books is nothing short of barbarism. The case of Ramu Abhinav, a 16-year-old boy in Chennai, India who committed suicide after being thrashed by his schoolmaster underlines a sadistic tendency among a class of people entrusted with the well being and welfare of children. If acts of teachers were to drive their students to death, it merely indicates a serious malaise in our society. It is unfortunate that many schools in India still have rules permitting corporal punishment. Well-meaning newspapers like the very popular The Hindu are running a campaign editorially against such cruel practices, but the basic mindset amongst the teachers and parents that the child is to be treated like a perennial delinquent must get transformed.
I reproduce the following lines from the leader of The Hindu which succinctly depicts the social effects of the child’s woe:
India’s education is handicapped in yet another way: an inadequate number of dedicated teachers. It is true that school-teachers continue to be ill-paid, and, obviously, the profession often attracts the mediocre or those who fail to find other jobs. Even those who are talented and are capable of moulding tomorrow’s India soon fall into a rut of poverty and disrespect. The rod comes in handy for them to deal with their own resentment and anger against a society that is callously indifferent to their interests and betterment. The weak and helpless student is thus reduced to a punching bag. Such bodily abuse can affect a boy or a girl for life. Research has revealed that corporal punishment is not merely ineffective, but also makes children defiant, rebellious and hostile. They can develop a warped personality; they can become spouse beaters, molesters, rapists. What is more, they begin to believe that might is right, and that violence is the answer to most problems.
.: Do fingers grow back? :.
I read this piece somewhere on the net and can’t control my anguish.
Will folks ever learn the lesson, I wonder!
A man came out of his home to admire his new truck. To his puzzlement, his three-year-old son was happily hammering dents into the shiny paint.
The man ran to his son, knocked him away, hammered the little boy’s hands into a pulp as punishment. When the father calmed down, he rushed his son to the hospital. Although the doctor tried desperately to save the crushed bones, he finally had to amputate the fingers from both the boy’s hands. When the boy woke up from the surgery and saw his bandaged stubs, he innocently said, “Daddy, I’m sorry about your truck.” Then he asked, “but when are my fingers going to grow back?” The father went home and committed suicide.
Think about the story the next time you see someone spilled milk at a dinner table or hear a baby cry. Think first before you lose your patience and become angry with someone you love. Trucks can be repaired. Broken bones and hurt feelings often cannot. Too often we fail to recognize the difference between the person and the performance. People make mistakes. We are allowed to make mistakes. But the actions we take while in a rage will haunt us forever.
Pause and ponder. Think before you act. Be patient.
YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE ANGRY, BUT YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO BE CRUEL…
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About Me
I am S.K!
Ok, what's the big deal, you may ask! But you may miss a good deal if you do not dwell deep into this web site, specially hand-crafted for you. But what about me, the person? Wait, I am not good at making things up. If you stumble upon a good-sounding résumé, please pass it on to me!
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