to scream or not to....

i always thought that it would be easy to put together an event with the help of students.i've since realised the naivete behind it all.if there are forty students there are that many dissenting opinions as well.sometimes i reach the nadir trying to convince a bunch of mulish students to give up being stubborn.i fail miserably.the national seminar looms in the not so distant future.i require devine intervention.so help me god.ciao

two little kitties

nearly twelve years ago my beloved pet dog steggy died leaving me completely shattered .i swore at that point never to care for another animal and leave myself open to pain again.but god willed otherwise.a week ago two scrawny kittens landed at our garden.my daughter and husband have taken to them easily ,she has named one lathy and the other pathy.i have opened up to them reluctantly.i protest but heartily give away the extra milk to the two poor mites.i am rewarded with grateful purrs and kitty rubs.i love it all.yet there is that latent fear of what ifs.of the two lathy is the healthy one ,a surviver.pathy is tired and seems to be giving up the fight she has given up food and the overwhelming heat of bangalore is too much for her.i have hinted to my daughter to be prepared for any eventuality.she cried her heart out just imagining such a possibility.i pray to god to take care of the kitties .give me and my family the strength to face what HE has in mind.dear kitties you are loved.

exam blues

i have always hated exams.i hate them all the more now because my daughter is over burdened by a slew of them through out the year and she is in grade five ! i cant imagine whats it going to be like for her and other kids like her in the coming years.as a teacher i lament the fact that we hardly test the intelligence of the students through these exams .its just a stream of facts learnt without much enthusiasm or love , a chore that has got to be completed well for most kids.i hate to see my daughter go through the tension and anxiety of the whole process.when i was a school girl(eons ago) i always felt that things would change in the future but it did not.my daughter sometimes wonders will it be different for kids twenty years down the line? i hate to disappoint her-little one dont have hopes on that quarter.i hope for the future generation we find a better method of evaluation.ciao.

welcomes and farewells.

its that time of year again -term end.another semester almost coming to a close.i love it and i hate it as well.love it because it promises new beginnings hate it because familiar faces are fast fading into a region of the future .a future that does not involve me teaching them familiar topics.well i guess every teacher experiences these disconsolate feelings.i am glad students today are cool about endings and farewells.no embarrassing bouts of gushy 'miss yous' with the present generation.they are able to handle' end of college' moments with equanimity and strength.bravo girls -you have indeed come a long way!bye girls,a hearty welcome to  the new kids on the block!