Video killed the radio star

.... and the bad teacher killed the interest in the student. What makes a particular college or school good? How good the teachers are, of course. The words roll off your tongue easily. The reality of it leaves too bad a taste in the mouth for me to say it, though.

I know that coming from PSBB Chennai and then IIT, I've been taught by some of the best educators in the business, and hence I shouldn't be the one complaining. I mean, what about the people less fortunate than me?

Still, for the same reason, I feel the sting of the poor teachers severely. Consider the fact that my maths grades are D-C-D-C (thats 6.5/10 for those not familiar with the IIT grading system). If my old school teachers ever heard that I've been getting anything less than the top grade in maths they would be truly shocked. I've always been a keen maths student. But after four years in IIT I thought I lost it... until I read Simon Singh's book "Fermat's Last Theorem" (good book btw) and realized that I still am extremely interested in any kind of mathematics, as long as it is put across to me in the right way. And it is my opinion that if you are genuinely interested in something, you can't be bad at it for long.

Am I claiming that I had four bad maths teachers in a row? Yes, I most definitely am. It's not so hard to believe. I deliberately asked my friend whom he considered the best maths teachers on our campus. None of the four who taught me figure anywhere near the top of that list.

I've seen this story repeat itself time and again. My brother keeps telling me his high school chemistry teacher destroyed what interest he had for the subject. Many of my friends choose their electives on campus not according to the subject of their interest, but according to the Professor taking the course. Etcetera etcetera.

Having been a teaching assistant for a year, I know how hard it can be to be a teacher. But I feel that having one rule can nip the problem immediately: just remember, as a teacher, that your aim is to inspire. Your students should not just be taught; they should learn.

Cheers,
Prashanth.

Practice what you preach!

Of late I've been dishing out loads of advice to other people. Maybe it has something to do with being in the final year of college. Or maybe I just like to teach and preach. Anyway, I feel like I'm talking to myself as much as I'm talking to the others when I am doing so.

I was trying to convince a fresher not to hate his branch but have some faith that every branch is diverse and he will find something interesting. And I kept thinking about how I refused to put a 100% effort in my studies because I didn't find my subjects interesting. I guess thats how people end up becoming academic losers. Fortunately I didn't slip too much and cleaned up my act.

Realizing the problem is half the battle won, I suppose. I sure as hell know that if I do a PhD I wont let such things happen. Or am I not that diligent a guy? I was telling another guy that it is ok to do the things you love, like playing computer games, as long as they don't interfere with your studies. And I just postponed some work for tomorrow because I was busy playing my favourite RPG!

Is it human nature to succumb to temptation in that way? Is that the reason why some people can't quit smoking or drinking even though they want to? In that case, are the truly 'great' people who have made an impact on this world, the ones who rose above such things to do their duty, or is that just the stuff of romantic fiction?

Perhaps I should have a long talk with someone who is an achiever. Mentoring should do me some good. But then again, is the lack of guidance an excuse for any failure? Or worse, an excuse for incompetence?!!

Cheers,
Prashanth.

Apping is so SLOW

Everyone who's applying for graduate study complains about how painful the entire process is... and of course, everyone who's apped already tells them about how much more painful it was for them! People one year senior tell us how difficult it was before internet connectivity in the hostels. People five years senior tell us how difficult it was without online applications and online payment of the app fee. And, of course, there are the super-seniors. I was talking to Professor C. Rajendran the other day, and he described how he had to order brochures long in advance just for going through them for deciding the univ. Think about every subsequent step and you'll realize what a huge difference computers have made. Today we get our GRE scores the instant we finish the test. We can email our queries to any univ and contact seniors abroad for tips. Everything is now faster and easier than it was before... and still we complain!

Maybe it is something fundamentally wrong with human beings... we use only ourselves as the frame of reference and complain about how long the queue for the ATM is, or how terrible a search engine is. How ridiculous that would have seemed at the time such facilities first arrived! People who have learnt to accept what they can get are the ones who find true happiness in life. Make no mistake, you must utilize everything at your disposal - stretch things to the limit - but when there is no more, don't crib!

As such, I dont find the app process directly painful: it's just the enormity of it! There are simply so many things to do and keep track of, that it's impossible to put on a cheerful face while doing it!

Cheers,
Prashanth.