Extremely interesting to see the UAE making it mandatory to teach Moral Education in all schools. We are privileged to live in a forward thinking country .
There is no denying the fact that we are living in troubled times  . On a regular basis we read of mugging, shooting, rapes, plunder , knifing , stealing , robbing in almost every city and community in the world .
The bigger picture- corruption and bribery , war mongering and threats everywhere around the globe.
Things like Terror attacks  & shooting on college and school campuses  are everyday occurrences .
We have become so conditioned that such news has ceased to faze us any longer and this is sad but undeniably true.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said “Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” When we ponder on  what a complete education includes, Dr. King’s words of advice help us understand that pure academic knowledge &  intelligence isn’t enough. Examinations , grades and marks do not matter .
 In reality, its the content of one’s character that helps to ultimately determine the choices and actions an individual will ultimately take. Dr. King also compared education without morals to a “Ship without a compass on a choppy sea with no destination in sight "
Never a truer word was spoken.
A number of world scholars   have linked the implementation of character education in schools to the improved academic performance of students. A  study done in 2003  of 600 California schools states that character education “Reduced office referrals, improved attendance and test scores, increased skills for conflict resolution, lessening of risky behavior, and overall improved school climate and civility.” Another study determined that the most commonly affected outcomes included positive impacts on socio-moral cognition, pro-social and behavioral attitudes, and problem-solving skills, among many other areas.
 It is very obvious that over the years the focus of education has shifted drastically and there is no denying the  fact that  our children are being taught too few moral values in school today and if Moral education is included in the curriculum it is at the bottom of the list and given a cursory glance at the most . THIS MUST CHANGE .
This has led to increased violence as evidenced by the regular  attacks in school and college campuses  . Societies all around the world have been affected with manifestations of increased crime and disrespect for parents, teachers, elders, and other people in authoritative positions.

Moral values help in improving behavior, instilling respect and enhancing relationships with others.
Knowing what is right or wrong is a key element in life that shapes the character of an individual. Good moral values allows a person to make the right decisions and improve their interactions with other people. It help to produce better human beings and this is the need of the hour .
Thus the UAE is definitely on the right track.
What is critical is that school Heads and all staff buy into this and embrace it wholeheartedly.
There are two types of resistance- active and passive .
Active resistance has people disagreeing with an instruction openly  . Passive resistance is even worse and difficult to spot . People say yes and agree whole heartedly and then go and do just the opposite .
The initiative of teaching Moral Education and making it compulsory aims to instill ethical values among UAE school students and to promote such concepts as tolerance, respect , love and community participation.

It hopes to develop a spirit of entrepreneurship, positive interaction and responsibility, and encourage a love of learning, creativity, innovation and ambition in pupils.
 The challenges of the 21st century required governments, educators and parents to work together to teach ethics and community values to young people, and build an educated, cultured society.
As Educators of the present preparing our pupils for the  future , it is imperative that we  all must work to ensure that this important initiative succeeds.


 

 

Extremely interesting to see the UAE making it mandatory to teach Moral Education in all schools. We are privileged to live in a forward thinking country .
There is no denying the fact that we are living in troubled times  . On a regular basis we read of mugging, shooting, rapes, plunder , knifing , stealing , robbing in almost every city and community in the world .
The bigger picture- corruption and bribery , war mongering and threats everywhere around the globe.
Things like Terror attacks  & shooting on college and school campuses  are everyday occurrences .
We have become so conditioned that such news has ceased to faze us any longer and this is sad but undeniably true.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said “Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” When we ponder on  what a complete education includes, Dr. King’s words of advice help us understand that pure academic knowledge &  intelligence isn’t enough. Examinations , grades and marks do not matter .
 In reality, its the content of one’s character that helps to ultimately determine the choices and actions an individual will ultimately take. Dr. King also compared education without morals to a “Ship without a compass on a choppy sea with no destination in sight "
Never a truer word was spoken.
A number of world scholars   have linked the implementation of character education in schools to the improved academic performance of students. A  study done in 2003  of 600 California schools states that character education “Reduced office referrals, improved attendance and test scores, increased skills for conflict resolution, lessening of risky behavior, and overall improved school climate and civility.” Another study determined that the most commonly affected outcomes included positive impacts on socio-moral cognition, pro-social and behavioral attitudes, and problem-solving skills, among many other areas.
 It is very obvious that over the years the focus of education has shifted drastically and there is no denying the  fact that  our children are being taught too few moral values in school today and if Moral education is included in the curriculum it is at the bottom of the list and given a cursory glance at the most . THIS MUST CHANGE .
This has led to increased violence as evidenced by the regular  attacks in school and college campuses  . Societies all around the world have been affected with manifestations of increased crime and disrespect for parents, teachers, elders, and other people in authoritative positions.

Moral values help in improving behavior, instilling respect and enhancing relationships with others.
Knowing what is right or wrong is a key element in life that shapes the character of an individual. Good moral values allows a person to make the right decisions and improve their interactions with other people. It help to produce better human beings and this is the need of the hour .
Thus the UAE is definitely on the right track.
What is critical is that school Heads and all staff buy into this and embrace it wholeheartedly.
There are two types of resistance- active and passive .
Active resistance has people disagreeing with an instruction openly  . Passive resistance is even worse and difficult to spot . People say yes and agree whole heartedly and then go and do just the opposite .
The initiative of teaching Moral Education and making it compulsory aims to instill ethical values among UAE school students and to promote such concepts as tolerance, respect , love and community participation.

It hopes to develop a spirit of entrepreneurship, positive interaction and responsibility, and encourage a love of learning, creativity, innovation and ambition in pupils.
 The challenges of the 21st century required governments, educators and parents to work together to teach ethics and community values to young people, and build an educated, cultured society.
As Educators of the present preparing our pupils for the  future , it is imperative that we  all must work to ensure that this important initiative succeeds.


 

 

Courage .............and fear

There are only 2 reasons for professional stress . Either it's your fault - In that case you must

definitely try and remedy the situation as fast as possible - you up your game, do your best , work

smarter , harder and deliver .There is no other way.

On the other hand if it's the other person's fault, you must tell them so - clearly, politely ,

professionally and in no uncertain terms.

 You must make them realize they were wrong - they must change and you must continue to knock 

 on all doors till that happens .

 Suffering in silence is for the weak and the timid .

Far too many people in the present day and age are afraid to speak up even when they are certain they

 are right - and therein lies their folly .

 To quote Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice "There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear

 to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.”

Courage .............and fear

There are only 2 reasons for professional stress . Either it's your fault - In that case you must

definitely try and remedy the situation as fast as possible - you up your game, do your best , work

smarter , harder and deliver .There is no other way.

On the other hand if it's the other person's fault, you must tell them so - clearly, politely ,

professionally and in no uncertain terms.

 You must make them realize they were wrong - they must change and you must continue to knock 

 on all doors till that happens .

 Suffering in silence is for the weak and the timid .

Far too many people in the present day and age are afraid to speak up even when they are certain they

 are right - and therein lies their folly .

 To quote Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice "There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear

 to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.”

A war in the offing?

So An Indian post was attacked and there was a lot of rhetoric . Politicians and all,of us arm chair critics had our say . The press went to town . The 2 Prime Ministers have attacked and counter attacked each other . Political parties have jumped into the fray . Budding Politicians on both sides of the boarder have marched around their hall rooms with swords , guns and machetes threatening bloodshed like never seen before - then after a drink or two they have gone to bed to... do the same the following day .
Now what?
China has jumped in the fray and made it amply clear that it will brook no interference in Pakistan's affairs.
It has vowed to crush anyone who dares step on Pakistani soil .
This is both an economic and a political tactic.
The USA is so embroiled in own its farcical soap opera that it does not have the inclination or the time to play Big Daddy as it has often done in the past .
Putin is playing the wait and watch game as usual. Japan and Israel need to be looked at closely as well because they are both game changers in their own right .
These are trying times for the world indeed . One wrong move could spell disaster , not only for the subcontinent but the world in general.
In the midst of all this chaos we have various terrorist outfits waiting in the wings for a window of opportunity to put their sinister plans in place and wreck havoc , more often than not on innocent bystanders .
We pray that better sense prevails .
Human beings can do without another world war. I do not want to sound like a prophet of doom but the signs are ominous .

A war in the offing?

So An Indian post was attacked and there was a lot of rhetoric . Politicians and all,of us arm chair critics had our say . The press went to town . The 2 Prime Ministers have attacked and counter attacked each other . Political parties have jumped into the fray . Budding Politicians on both sides of the boarder have marched around their hall rooms with swords , guns and machetes threatening bloodshed like never seen before - then after a drink or two they have gone to bed to... do the same the following day .
Now what?
China has jumped in the fray and made it amply clear that it will brook no interference in Pakistan's affairs.
It has vowed to crush anyone who dares step on Pakistani soil .
This is both an economic and a political tactic.
The USA is so embroiled in own its farcical soap opera that it does not have the inclination or the time to play Big Daddy as it has often done in the past .
Putin is playing the wait and watch game as usual. Japan and Israel need to be looked at closely as well because they are both game changers in their own right .
These are trying times for the world indeed . One wrong move could spell disaster , not only for the subcontinent but the world in general.
In the midst of all this chaos we have various terrorist outfits waiting in the wings for a window of opportunity to put their sinister plans in place and wreck havoc , more often than not on innocent bystanders .
We pray that better sense prevails .
Human beings can do without another world war. I do not want to sound like a prophet of doom but the signs are ominous .

Stories from here and there: The BOARDERS in BISHOPS

Stories from here and there: The BOARDERS in BISHOPS: Often when I have  met a group of ex Bishopites , the topic of Boarders and day scholars has come up. We have discussed the pros and cons o...