95% and nowhere to go

I was reading this article from India Today (July 4, 2011 edition). Some points mentioned in this article brought these snippets of conversation I was having a two friends of mine at different places, in an entirely different context ....

1st friend : I remember whatever I read like a picture. So, I never had to use my brain as such to clear my 12th exam. If you have practiced last 3 year's questions, you are all set for the exams. They don't even change the figures in Mathematics paper. So, just remember that picture with solution for this question & you are done with the exams.

2nd friend : I find it difficult to handle my 4th grader's English paper. They give a passage & ask questions which are directly not mentioned in the passage .... what would have been the premise for this passage, what should ideally come after the passage and so on.

The first friend is a university rank holder and she completed her 12th exam in 1997. The second is the mother of child who is currently doing her 4th grade. I can surely see the change in the education/examination system. Probably by the time this 4th grader completes her 12th grade, things would have changed in favor of the students.

Dreamzzzzz

 A couple of my friends & I were discussing about the weirdest dreams we have ever had and some interesting scenes unfurled.

Dream1 : I have dreamt that one fine morning when I woke up, I was unable to speak.
Pssst! I, being a talkative girl, can very well understand paranoia behind her statement.
Dream2 : I have dreamt that I lost all my teeth.
Dream3 : I dreamt that, I lost all my hair when I was trying to towel dry my hair after a bath.
Dream4 : I was kissing him on the lips and my teeth, the whole of it, fell into his  mouth.

No prizes for guessing who bagged the weirdest dream of the day trophy ... ;)

Know Your Child

One of my close friend is an active member of The Art of Living Foundation. On a regular day, he wouldn't ask me to attend any of their courses. But that day, he wanted me to attend the 'Know Your Child' course conducted at his residence. On any other day, I would have ran in the opposite direction. But that day, I agreed to attend this session.

The one thing that caught my attention was this question by the instructor - "Why do you want to limit your child's knowledge to what YOU know?"

Most of the parents I know, and I myself, have this urge to give 'technically correct' answers to all the questions raised by the children. And if we don't know an answer, we google & tell them. This question by the instructor opened a a whole new world of possibilities for me - The children might have an even better answer to it.

So, now when my child or her friend asks me a question, I try not to answer her question immediately. Instead, I ask her - "Hmmmm ... am not too sure ... what do you think it is?". And I was bowled over by their answers. I was completely amazed by the way they line up THEIR facts & THEIR observations & how THEY draw up THEIR conclusions. And we still call them kids!

PS.
Definition of Rain by a 3yr old boy .... I think they have switched on the air condition on the plane ... :)