Khalil Gibran said 
Your children are not your children. 
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you, 
and though they are with you yet they belong not to you.


As adults we are fascinated and exasperated in equal measure by children of today. ‘They are sooo smart!’ exclaims a parent about her children who create rap songs or score high on a game of ‘Angry Birds’. Teachers, on the other hand, feel that children do not respect Indian values and argue incessantly. They, also, complain about how children are restless and have poor attention span and those who write answers as if they are writing a sms or a tweet. Then, we see these child prodigies on television who dance to the latest Bollywood hits or belt out jokes in comedy shows. 


In this blog series we begin by interviewing three parents to find out what they think about children of today.

Saroj Chowla

1. According to you, what interests the Children of today?

I interact with two set of Children- one who attend the Art of Living classes and the other who attend the present day schools. I feel those who are associated with the Art of Living classes are more close to our Indian values and cultural heritage. On the contrary, children attending the present day schools have a greater western influence on them.

2. How do you think are the Children of today different from what you were as a child?

As a child I was more innocent. I was happy with my upbringing. I was more accepting of the decisions that my elders took for me. However, the children of today don’t acknowledge the experience that elders have and end up being confused.

3. What do you think are the Children of today missing and lacking in their lives?

They are very touched by materialism. This makes them miss on the joy that little moments in life can bring.






Sarika Thukral

1. According to you, what interests the Children of today?

Largely, I think they are interested in television, their friends and a kind of music that is not at all soulful. Even, the friendships they have don’t seem to have any quality to them.

2. How do you think are the Children of today different from what you were as a child?

I was more inclined towards music that is meaningful and friendships that are qualitative. I used to play a lot of outdoor games. This made me evolve as a more focused person in life. Today’s children are simply not focused.

3. What do you think are the Children of today missing and lacking in their lives?

They are missing badly on relationships. They are lonelier.


Arnav Sood

1. According to you, what interests the Children of today?

According to me, the children of today have a keen interest in sports and computers. These are the two things that almost all of them are really good at.

2. How do you think are the Children of today different from what you were as a child?

Thanks to technology, the children today are more exposed to the world around them. It isn’t limited to their immediate surroundings.

3. What do you think are the Children of today missing and lacking in their lives?

I will say that they are missing on the cultural values. We were more attached to our relatives and extended family.

In these interviews, we heard the perspective of parents and grandparents about the children of today. In the following weeks, we will unravel whether children share the same perspective. So in our following blog series’ A Window into the World of Children, get ready to meet the child of the 21st century and get an insight into their fascinating world. 

Hear them talk about what motivates and excites them, their interests and their aspirations… 

Teacher Training – A Real Need

So far in this blog series we have explored different aspects of a teacher’s life. We have learnt why they became teachers and understood the joys and the challenges they face in their classrooms every day. Getting to know the teacher led to us realizing the need for teacher training. Effective teacher training provides teachers with opportunities to supplement their knowledge reflect on their beliefs and enhance their skills.

Today, in the final blog of the series we explore the thoughts and ideas of Radhika Suri and Sameera Sood of Inspire Education. Since 2009, INSPIRE has been a pioneer in bringing about notable changes in the field of education by providing effective curriculum, impactful training and relevant school set-up solutions. Inspire’s work reflects its vision to enhance the capabilities of all the stakeholders in the domain of education.

While parents and students are impressed with swanky schools - a school’s reputation hinges on the quality of teaching - learning practices. Teacher training ensures that teachers' remain motivated and challenged. Teacher training also means that teachers get an opportunity to upgrade their skills and grow professionally.

– Sameera

The reality is that there is no training program where teachers can go to enhance or upgrade their skills. Also, the courses that are offered are very high on pedagogy and not on practice so there is a gap between what is being taught and what they

actually need.

– Radhika

The goal of teacher training should be to help teachers enhance the quality of their teaching. It should enable them find solutions to real problems that they encounter in classrooms. They should be able to re – examine their strategies and adapt it to reach every child.

– Sameera 

Our approach is simple. It first and foremost merges pedagogy and latest research with workable classroom practices. We are skilled at this as we have been in the class for over a decade and know the reality of the classroom. We make our participants take small steps and enhance their skills. We also offer support and assessment so that they stay motivated.

–Radhika

Teacher training can be ineffective if the teachers are perceived as passive receptors of knowledge rather than active stakeholders in the process. Training that introduces teachers to new theories and paradigms without helping them explore the class room implications can prove to be redundant.
 – Sameera 

It is because of the quality of programs that is being offered. One needs to understand the psyche of a teacher, the time she can spend on training and what she actually needs and wants to learn. Also the quality of the trainer makes a huge impact. In my view teacher training and teacher education is critical and needs attention. Programs can be a blend of human interface and technology.
– Radhika


From the interviews we can see that a training program can be effective if and only if it is based on a real and felt need.  Teachers learn best by exploring, experiencing and actively participating. Opportunities to demonstrate and practice the skills taught in the class will better engage the teacher.

Inspire offers a number of training modules that schools can opt for based on their training needs and teachers’ interests. Each training module follows the Inspire ‘Circle of Empowerment’ model to provide an interesting and engaging experience.

Effective teacher training provides teachers with opportunities to supplement their knowledge reflect on their beliefs and enhance their skills.

India is a developing country. The key to the development process of a country is a strong education system. The teacher is the building block of the kind of education system we aspire to have in our country. This is why teaching the teacher is as essential as teachers are the bridge between knowledge that is available and knowledge that is acquired.