Cooking and me

I love holiday baking . I actually love baking any day .But holidays are especially convenient since there are no immediate lesson plans or assignments that need my attention .

I  cook with all my heart . So what I need is absolute peace of mind to whip up something  special. The whole process fascinates me , or even the thought of the process, which involves measuring out the ingredients , mixing them in the correct order , whipping the eggs to a fluffiness or the cream to the required thickness .Then watching the outcome patiently through the glass door of the oven , waiting to see, the gentle rising of the cake , or the bread . The sheer sight of it makes me feel like an expectant  mother  viewing a sonogram.

The only thing we fight about at home is my reluctance to invite my husband’s friends at home for dinner or lunch. My husband calls me asocial and a sociopath. I am not really that , but on a regular weekend , I am not exactly relaxed to cook for people. When I cook, I need to know what you like. I prefer thinking  about the person I am cooking for ; not about the action plan I have to complete for the weekend . For me cooking involves love and passion and if you get an invite from me to dine at home, then you can be sure. Yes, I love you .

 I am an introvert and having friendly conversations with strangers terrifies me . Hence I avoid such situations .No offense meant .

Today I decided to bake cinnamon and raisin bread for dinner. After all, vacation is for unconventional  meals. The aroma and taste of cinnamon bread is to die for .I roll my bread dough tightly with a layer of cinnamon powder and sugar sprinkled, which would give the bread a lovely  brown streak when sliced.

To go along with it, I have my crispy baked chicken which was indeed the fourth item on Phinnaeus vacation baking list .

And here it is .

 

Difficult Choices

I have been extremely proud of the fact that I have always succeeded in giving satisfactory answers to the "whys" and "why nots" thrown at me by my children . Yesterday was an exception .I am yet to give an answer to a nine year old.

The nine-year old in question is none other than my younger son , Phinnaeus.

He is not the kind of person who would sit with books for more than an hour , be it fun reading or studying .His mind is always on an overdrive and hence he needs activity.The only time one would find him patiently concentrating is when he is on one of his creative projects ...drawing , craft, and innovations.

I let him have his way on all days except during examinations.Terminal examinations are a nightmare for me .He loves Science and is alright with English and Mathematics , hence no stress in that front.

Hindi is his bete noire. This time too he refused to study anything other than grammar .

The day of the Hindi exam, we were walking towards the car on our way back from school and I asked him .

"Baby, will you pass in Hindi?

Phin: How much is passing marks ?

Me: 20/50

Phin: Then I am not sure .Paper was very hard.

Me: You should have studied better.

Phin: Momma why do you want me to be expert in everything ? I am good at drawing and Science. Isn't that enough?

I have not found an answer that would satisfy him. I could say "It makes ME HAPPY when you get good marks" or "Your teachers and my friends will compare you with your brother and ask you why you are not scoring like him"

The first answer would be the most selfish thing which I could say because , he would do anything to see me smile , even if it is studying .

Comparison and how to deal with it , is a topic which I would address later .

Our children , most of the times do stuff , just because they do not want us to be disappointed in them .Parents know it very well. We ask them to excel in something , not pausing to think if that is what they really want .And what is our excuse as parents?

"Whatever we do, we do it for you . It is for your own good. You will get a plum job with high salary . We don't need your money anyway ."

This holds true.But isn't there an under current of hypocrisy?

I WILL FEEL PROUD

I WILL FEEL HAPPY

I CAN BOAST BEFORE OTHERS

What if , we let them choose their own path ? They may not always bring success in term of money , but they would be doing something what they are passionate about .

If we do the above and if our children don't succeed, will they turn back and ask" Why did you let me do what I want to do? Why did you not tell me that I am wrong? Why did you not force me to do something which would bring me a secure life ?"

I have no answers. I do not whether to wind the watch or bark at the moon. Trial and Error is the only way left with me .

So I am pushing one of children towards what I think would be good for him and I am waiting in the wings to see, to what extend he would let me do that . I am trying to get him hooked to the picture of his probable future which I am painting for him in fascinating colours .

The other one, I am letting him have his way , and waiting to pull him back on his feet in case he needs me .

In the end , who will LOVE me and who will HATE me for the choices I made or I didn't make for them , only time will tell.

Do We Need All The Modern Trends in Education?

Recently I was having a chat with one of my Grade X students who aspires to pursue a career in Sports on improving his grades and he asked me “ Ma’am how can I work hard for something I am not obsessed with?”
He is right. In our education system , parents and teachers push children where they want them to be. We hardly take the cue from the child and lead him where he wants to go .
How do we best educate the students of tomorrow? Is it really required to accept and implement the latest educational trends? Why can’t I teach them the way I was taught?
How do we best educate the students of tomorrow? What we teach our children – and how we teach them – will impact almost every aspect of society, from the quality of healthcare to industrial output; from technological advances to financial services. The world is racing ahead and hence it is the need of the hour to adapt to keep pace with the bewildering array of possibilities that will shape all of our futures.
What if a class consisted of words that led to information that led to realms of creativity set up just for students, created by students. The students then dictated what they learned instead of reluctantly ingesting information and standards imposed upon them by the education system . The students will follow their passion and dreams and might just learn what they want to learn and actually find success while improving the world around them.
This exists in some of the modern trends . Indian classrooms too have started adapting and evolving, learning to follow the lead of the learner . As of now , this is what everyone clamors for . The long term cons would be revealed only when the learners who learn using the new methods would rule the world .
Will the changing trends encourage wholesome development of the learner? Will it teach life skills necessary for surviving in a society ? Let us keep our fingers crossed and believe that we are building creative, entrepreneurial students and our modern format helps their talents to flourish and take shape ..