The Humorous Homework

Most of us were not too fond of History when we were in school. Yet we were fascinated by the comic books that narrated stories of historical characters and olden times.

History can be fascinating - if it opens a window to the past- when life was full adventure, intrigue and accomplishment or it can be tedious if it is all about listing of dates, rulers and dynasties.

This brings us to the moot question why do children find a certain subject boring in class. The most obvious response is how it is taught in school.

Here we showcase a History project done by Akshat as a part of a school assignment.  Notice how the idea of creating a comic strip piqued the child’s imagination and encouraged him to think out of the box. Notice how a mundane project that could have involved simple downloading of pictures and information from the internet became an absorbing endeavour that showcases not just Akshat’s understanding of costumes down the ages but also his creativity, his skill at visualisation and his sense of humour.

Akshat’s project clearly shows us his wit and inventiveness. We, at Inspire, believe that every child possess an inherent creativity and intellect to come up with something original.

Therefore, as mentors, it is important for us to reflect on some vital questions.

Can we think beyond obvious kinds of assignments to trigger that inherent creativity of a child?
Can we try out innovative ideas to engage, challenge and motivate students?
Can we make a subject interesting for a child by the way we approach it?

Writing a Novel – It’s Just a Child’s Play

In the last blog post we shared some parents’ perceptions about their children. I am sure many of these thoughts resonate with what we think about the children of today.

We now showcase some samples of children’s work and hear their voices in an attempt to understand what interests, engages, motivates, and excites them. With this we would like all adults to re-examine their assumptions of children and see how valid or relevant these are.

Here, we present a novel written by 11 year old Yash Pradhan. Rather than introducing him formally we urge you to carefully go through what he says about himself at the end of the book.

1. Yash how did the idea of this book come about?

I was playing in the lawns with my Dad on a full moon night. That is when we both started talking about moon, earth, universe and all. 

I felt like writing something about it. So, I did a little research on the internet about the topic. Finally, I wrote this book. 

2. Tell us more about your interests.

I am extremely interested in Tennis. I go for Tennis classes daily. And, apart from tennis, I think my guitar is something that I am really interested in.

3. When you grow up, would you like to take up writing as a profession?

Writing is more of a hobby for me. I like writing when I am free. I am clear that when I grow up I will become a Computer Engineer because I am very passionate about Computers.  

This one to one conversation with Yash Pradhan popped so many questions in our minds. Are the Children of today really careless and confused? Do they really lack an eye for detail? Are they really lacking focus in their lives?