The Glowing Sky

  The roadsides can get noisy but sometimes not noisy enough to distract the young girl balancing on the rope. For some people it was not surprising but there were some who stopped by to notice the talent. This was happening in a city in North-west of India.     It is true that each talent requires a right platform so that one can build upon one's abilities daily and find meaning in this seemingly difficult life. The young girl walked slowly on the rope with some weight on her head and held a wooden stick with her hands. It was an inspiring sight.   The young girl through her balance was as if showing that there's a possibility of harmony in the chaotic environment and that gathering courage to act is not always a choice. Leaving all distractions in the background, the girl dressed in 'Salwar kurta' defined the 'unwavering focus'.    

  Today I happen to look at my old documents and found the report card of my early school days. Having switched later to an alternative education, this marking system felt restrictive. To be able to now view this card from an objective point of view, I feel the need of daily evaluation in the conventional system of education and the need of self assessment by the students who would be encouraged to be descriptive in explaining what one has found interesting and practically implemented the learnings in each subject. Then even years later that same score card would evoke more emotions and show the reflections of one's early self. Just the numbers on the report card are not enough.    The constructive evaluation would be possible when there is one to one consultation with the student and in the process teachers should make the student aware of the small steps he/she can take to improve oneself. The present marking system in the conventional setups is often con...