For parents whod dislike Fascist ideas shoved down their unsuspecting childrens throats. Wonderfully detailed, about as comprehensive as it could get. By Raja Swamy. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Critical self-defense toolkit for parents and children – September 5th, 2014 So, Modis speech is going to be telecast live for Teachers Day, and schools are required to force students to watch it. Some schools and teachers may utilize their critical sense and attempt to subvert or avoid the spectacle, but this toolkit assumes a situation in which this is not the case. First, as parents, we should not panic. This is not the worst of what can happen; in fact it is an advance warning about what we may expect from this now openly fascistic regime in the coming years. Second, this event should be seen as an important opportunity for parents to rethink their own roles as teachers. For this of course we have to also remind ourselves that we need a lot of learning and unlearning to do as well. For that purpose, please watch the speech and take notes for content you can use to enliven the conversation with your child. Third, dont be afraid of children being exposed to fascist rhetoric. It is going to spread, and seep into all sorts of venues. Today we see it in media, they have already infected textbooks with their poison. Many of our friends and family members, neighbors, acquaintances, colleagues, bosses, etc. are already sympathetic to the fascist view. So let us acknowledge that there is a general atmosphere out there that has to be confronted with intelligent, creative responses. We cannot hide away from it, nor can we protect our children from being exposed to it. But we can and should fight it. What we absolutely can, and must do, is to nurture intellectual self-defense in ourselves and in our children. In our households, neighborhoods, families, communities, and so on. Let us reclaim our minds and spirits as free, compassionate, tolerant, and intelligent human beings on this day, September 5th, 2014. So, here are a few tentative ideas for how to go about doing this. Most certainly this can be modified, extended, revamped and so on by others, so feel free to suggest, or edit the document in the spirit of deepening and expanding its purpose. ---------------------------------- 1. Have a conversation about Teachers Day: Why is it important to recognize and honor our teachers? a. Brief mention of the origins – Dr. Radhakrishnans birthday b. Who was Dr. Radhakrishnan? Emphasize that he was a scholar, teacher, philosopher. [not just a president] i. some tidbits you can work into your conversation: 1. Studied at Madras Christian College, University of Madras. 2. Wrote about Indian philosophy – a learned scholar recognized around the world for his scholarship. [Emphasize that Mr. Modi on the contrary, is neither a scholar nor a teacher, but a politician]. 3. What were Radhakrishnans views? He taught students to value pluralism, tolerance, rational thinking, knowledge, dialogue, considering multiple viewpoints, etc. [you can elaborate on each of these terms using contemporary illustrations]. A good adjunct to this exercise would be to emphasize Dr. Ambedkars work also – as author of the Constitution, as a lawyer, scholar, teacher, and critical philosopher. Such were the leaders whose legacies gave us modern democratic India. 2. Have a conversation about teachers. A. Who is a teacher? - now, propose these one by one as questions, and converse with the child in a spirit of dialogue; dont give a ready-made answer, let them discover the answer by themselves. Ask students to provide examples of situations as they explore these questions. a. Is he/she somebody who knows everything? b. Is he/she somebody whose words are always absolutely correct? c. Can a teacher be wrong? d. Is a teacher somebody you should be afraid of? e. Is a teacher somebody who makes you feel safe? f. Is it okay to laugh at a teacher? Make jokes about him/her? g. What are the ways in which your school requires you to respect a teacher? [In each case, ask the child what he/she thinks about this. Share with them your own feelings, draw on examples from childhood, so they dont feel like they just need to give you correct answers. I tell my kids about how I once quietly threw a cane out of the window when the teacher was going to thrash the whole class with it] i. Standing while talking, addressing with “Sir” “Miss” etc. ii. Taking punishment without making eye contact iii. Accepting if the teacher pokes fun at you and all the other children laugh h. Ask the child what he/she thinks are the similarities/differences between punishment and abuse? i. If you are to give a report card to a teacher, how will you give marks? i. Does the teacher show compassion? Is he/she kind to the children? ii. Do you get excited when the class is about to begin? iii. Does the teacher show herself/himself as a bully or as a kind, caring elder? iv. Do you feel safe in the class? v. Does your teacher give preference to some children? eg. boys versus girls, or children from some communities versus others, rich kids versus poor kids. How do you feel when this happens? j. What are the ways that you yourself feel like showing your appreciation for a teacher? i. Doing well in class? Finishing your homework on time. ii. Being cheerful and courteous when you meet your teacher in or out of class. iii. Being attentive and asking lots of questions. iv. Telling your teacher about things from outside the class – like reading a book during holidays, or visiting your cousins in the village, etc. Sharing stories is an important way to build solidarity, and show that you find the teacher worthy of your consideration and respect. [Inculcate in the child the idea that he/she is the one who should decide whether or not somebody is worthy of their respect and admiration; the teacher should win their respect, and not get it as a free gift by demand or threats or abuse]. B. Have a conversation about students a. Is a good student one who obeys everything a teacher says? i. Provide examples of situations in which maybe a teacher is wrong. Rhetorical example: “if a teacher says you should hate somebody different from you, should you do it?” Emphasize that values of pluralism, tolerance, compassion, sharing, caring, these are more important than obedience and fitting in. b. Does a student know anything? i. Ask the child about some object or event, or an activity they know well – how to ride a bike, how to tie their shoe laces, how to fold their clothes, brush their teeth, etc. Pose the question, is this knowledge? Can you (the child) teach it to somebody else? Ask them to teach you how to do something. Emphasize that knowledge is not just locked up in books, or in the heads of all-knowing teachers, but is everywhere for people to partake in it. All it requires is our initiative, our desire to learn, to do, to act in the world. In short, we must emphasize to our children that they have the capacity to change their world, that the world is not beyond or above them. C. Conversation about Modi speech a. What is the format? i. Emphasize that you had no choice but to listen to him talk. ii. How was he different/similar to the teachers you know? [refer to conversations from above] iii. Remember, you could not speak when he spoke. 1. Did you feel like you knew anything when he talked? 2. Did you feel like you wanted to ask him something, and you couldnt? 1. What was it? 2. Would you have been scared to ask him if you had the opportunity? Why? 3. What are the advantages for Modi being able to talk through a TV instead of directly to students? 4. Ask what were some words, phrases, and sentences that you remembered from the speech: use critical dialogue to unpack, and explain these for the child. Emphasize that even if Modi said something correct that doesnt necessarily mean he is the source of knowledge. Remind the child that he/she may have already known this, or that he/she could easily have learned this by himself/herself. iv. Did he say anything that you hadnt heard before? 1. If so, what? [would this need critical intervention? It could be an ideological point Modi is making, such as “Hinduism teaches us respect for teachers....” etc.]. 2. For example, if Modi says (I doubt he will leave this out!): Matra devo bhava, pitra devo bhava, acharya devo bhava, consider the following: 1. Should you worship your teacher like you worship a god? 2. If a teacher is worshiped, then can he/she be questioned? 3. Are there other ways to think about respecting your teacher, say for example as the Buddha told his students: “dont just listen to what I say, learn the truth for yourselves, and take your knowledge to the world like a lamp to light other lamps.” v. Are you afraid that others might scold you if you dont agree with them about Modis speech? 1. Remember, you also have knowledge – you may be young, but you are an individual, you have a mind, you have intelligence, energy, a thirst for knowledge. 2. Remember, the world is not above or beyond you; you are the world too, and you can change the world if you want to, by putting the right effort into it. 3. Remember, you are not alone. You are one among millions of children, and you should strive to reach out to others like yourself – without any boundaries, boys, girls, short, tall, big, small, rich, poor, no matter what religion, community, caste, state, language background, able or differently abled – you, dear child, are the world. Take it, and make it yours!
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 20:03:33 +0000
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