Day 2 Connecting Through Creativity

CONNECTING THROUGH CREATIVITY

SHOUQUOT HUSSAIN

Tuesday, 12 April 2011

CONNECTING LANGUAGE AND EMOTION ONE LOVED TO WRITE, THE OTHER

LOVED TO CLICK WHILE EXPLORING THE CONNECTION

BETWEEN LANGUAGE AND EMOTION IN CLASS, I ASKED THEM TO TEAM UP AND EXPLORE THE CONNECTION CREATIVELY

AND ALSO TOLD THEM IT WOULD BE GREAT IF IT RESULTED IN A TANGIBLE PRODUCT














REFLECTIONS ON THE EPISODE

MORE THAN 600 COPIES WERE SOLD DURING THE ANNUAL DAY CAS FUND RAISER – BUT THAT’S NOT THE POINT

IT DROVE A SIZEABLE NUMBER OF PEERS TO TAKE UP POETRY, AND AN EQUAL NUMBER TOOK UP PHOTOGRAPHY AND NATURE APPRECIATION

IT CAUSED AN EQUAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS TO QUESTION THE USEFULNESS OF SUCH A PROJECT IN THE “REAL” WORLD – AND IN THEIR URGE TO PROVE THEIR POINT, A NUMBER OF THEM GOT DOWN TO TRYING ALTERNATE CREATIVE PROJECTS - SO THEY ALL GOT DOWN TO ‘THINKING’


CONNECTING REASON AND PERCEPTION I READ OUT A PIECE OF WRITING GAVE THE SAME TO THE STUDENTS AS A

HANDOUT BROKE THEM UP INTO 4 GROUPS ASKED EACH GROUP TO DRAW

INFERENCES AND SHARE THE CONCLUSIONS WITH THE

OTHER GROUPS THE AFTERMATH OF THAT CLASS WAS


THE PIECE

One fine day, I was standing on the pavement, trying to cross the street. Behind me, a music shop was playing Beethoven’s ninth symphony. Ahead of me, a stray dog was being run over by a car. Tears streamed down my face. A passer-by patted my back, appreciating my concern. And he passed on-- before I could tell him that it was the music that made me


THE PIECE

Does that mean I don’t care ? No. It simply means that excellence moves me more than incidence- that human genius touches me more than human mistakes. Fallibility is a burden all of us have to live with. We shoulder the burden better if we can, once in a rare while, create something infallible


THE PIECE

Like a student who does not unlearn any of the ‘foolish’ ideals we impart, even when life and people around him leave him with no reason to continue believing in them.

Like a student who continues to carry with her the ‘values’ she imbibes during her schooldays – even when the world around her accords her the status of a relic.


THE PIECE

So there I was, in the middle of a mundane day, shedding cathartic tears for a work of art that cleansed my soul. And looking for that certain something in myself that would help me pass on the best of me to the children I teach – and allow the rest of me , even with the fallibilities, to stand tall.


THE REACTIONS FROM GROUP 1

THIS IS PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE AT THE COST OF THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS - SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE FIRST PARAGRAPH.

TOO RANDIAN IN CONCEPT, TOO OBJECTIVE

ADMIRABLE PACKAGING, BUT GNAW THE SURFACE AND THERE IS AN ELEMENT OF NARCISSISM

IDEALISTIC, BUT AT THE SAME TIME SELF


THE REACTIONS OF GROUP 2

A PASSIONATE AND ARTICULATE ADVERTISEMENT OF THE TEACHER AS HE OUGHT TO BE – DRIVEN BY THE URGE TO CREATE HONEST AND PRINCIPLED CITIZENS

ALSO AN EFFORT TO SAFEGUARD STUDENTS FROM THE PITFALLS THE AUTHOR COULDN’T AVOID

AN ADMISSION OF THE LIMITATIONS OF AN INDIVIDUAL, AND ALSO A CLARION CALL TO MUSTER ENOUGH STRENGTH TO FIGHT THOSE LIMITATIONS


REACTIONS OF GROUP 3

MANIPULATIVE MELODRAMATIC THE WRITER TAKES HIMSELF TOO

SERIOUSLY CARRIES TOO MUCH BAGGAGE AND

TRIES TO DUMP IT ON THE NEXT GENERATION

THE WORLD IS NO LONGER SO EASILY BRACKETABLE – HENCE THE PIECE IS


REACTION OF GROUP 4 – A POEM STANDING TALL AGAINST THE WALL, A HERO? OH WHAT GALL! YOU’RE NAÏVE BUT ENDEARINGLY SO. WE CAN SEE YOU REALLY BELIEVE, BUT MR HUSSAIN WE CAN’T DO SO ‘CAUSE IT’S NO LONGER ABOUT YOU OR ME IT’S ABOUT A WORLD THAT LIMITS ITSELF TO

REASON – A WORLD THAT LOOKS FOR EVIDENCE, NOT

INTENT NO CYNICISM HERE SIR, JUST BEING A

MIRROR!



I SAW A STRANGE PATTERN THERE 4 DIFFERENT GROUPS, 4 DIFFERENT

REACTIONS, BUT THE SAME REACTION FROM ALL MEMBERS OF EACHGROUP.

THAT OF COURSE IS IMPOSSIBLE. SO WHERE DID I GO WRONG?

I HAD PUT THE 4 LEADING LIGHTS OF MY CLASS INTO 4 DIFFERENT GROUPS, AND THEY BRUSHED ASIDE ALL DISSENT.

THE BIG POSITIVE WAS THAT THE DEBATE RAGED ON OUTSIDE THE GROUPS – IT EVEN ENCROACHED THE FOOTBALL FIELD


SHAKEPEARE’S RELEVANCE IN THE TIME OF ZUCKERBERG DID NOT COMMIT THE SAME MISTAKE

AGAIN – I ADVISED ABSOLUTE INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM TO EVERYONE TO TAKE SIDES OR REMAIN AMBIVALENT

PASSIONATE SUBMISSIONS POURED IN – STRINGENT ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST, EVIDENCE LADEN EXHIBITS (INCLUDING VIDEO CLIPS), SHAKESPEAREANS VS FACEBOOKIANS – A SLUGFEST AND A VERITABLE PANDORA’S


INFERENCES STUDENTS DREW

THE MOST ARDENT FACEBOOK LOVERS WERE ALSO THE MOST ARDENT SHAKESPEARE FANS

MOST FACEBOOK USERS STILL USE THE EXPRESSIONS “BATED BREATH”, “BAG AND BAGGAGE”, “BREAK THE ICE”, “FOOL’S PARADISE”, “FOREGONE CONCLUSION”, “GREEK TO ME”, “IT’S HIGH TIME”, “LAUGHING STOCK”, “SEA CHANGE”….I COULD GO ON TILL KINGDOM COME.

SHYLOCK IS DEAD, LONG LIVE SHYLOCK – RACISM LIVES ON

ROYALTY IS STILL A BIG DRAW


THE INFERENCES STUDENTS DREW ZUCKERBERG HAS SIMPLY MADE SHAKESPEARE

MORE ACCESSIBLE – AND SHAKESPEARE, MIND YOU, OWED HIS INITIAL POPULARITY NOT TO HIS GENIUS BUT TO HIS ACCESSIBILITY

ALL OF THE ABOVE ARE STUDENT RESPONSES THE SCHOOL SHAKESPEARE SOCIETY AND THE

SCHOOL SOCIAL NETWORKING CLUB DREW UP AN AMBITIOUS PLAN TO SCRIPT THE SCHOOL ANNUAL PRODUCTION – A MUSICAL ABOUT AN IMAGINARY PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN SHAKESPEARE AND ZUCKERBERG TO CREATE CRYPTIC VERSIONS OF THE LATTER’S PLAYS ON FACEBOOK. THE PROPOSAL WAS FINALLY SHOT DOWN BY THE SCHOOL MANAGEMENT IN FAVOUR OF “MAMA MIA”



IF SOMETHING OR SOMEONE IS CONTEXTUALLY RELEVANT, THERE IS ACCEPTANCE

TIME, CULTURE, POLITICS, RELIGION NOTWITHSTANDING

STUDENTS ARE FAR MORE OPEN IN THEIR APPROACH THAN WE PERCEIVE, AND CAN BE AMAZING LISTENERS – PROVIDED YOU HAVE DONE SOMETHING TO GRAB THEIR


ATTICUS FINCH AND HOWARD ROARK AN ETHICAL MAN IS AN ETHICAL MAN. PERIOD. IS IT THAT SIMPLE REALLY? BOTH FINCH AND ROARK ARE ETHICAL. BUT ARE

THEY SIMILAR? NO. DO THEY OPERATE FROM THE SAME PREMISE? NO.

I HAD USED BOTH “TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD” AND “THE FOUNTAINHEAD” IN PART 4 OF ONE OF MY ENGLISH A1 GROUPS.

A COMPARATIVE ESSAY WAS WHAT I ASKED FOR (WOULD PREPARE THEM WELL FOR PARTS 1 AND 3 I THOUGHT)

SOME STUDENTS DECIDED TO BE CREATIVE AND WENT FOR ORAL PRESENTATIONS, ROLE PLAYS AND INTERVIEWS


SOME EXAMPLES

2 STUDENTS PAIRED UP AND CONDUCTED A MOCK TELEVISION INTERVIEW – FINCH BEING THE JOURNALIST AND ROARKTHE GUEST.

Q – DON’T YOU THINK YOU SHOULD ENSURE YOUR QUEST FOR EXCELLENCE BENEFITS THE LESS PRIVILEGED?

A – I DON’T SUFFER FROM YOUR KIND OF SMUG CONCEIT. WHAT I CREATE WILL BENEFIT THOSE WHO DESERVE IT

Q- DO YOU FEEL IT’S WRONG TO HELP GOOD HUMAN BEINGS?

A- MY DEFINITION OF GOOD IS PEOPLE WHO HELP THEMSELVES. I DON’T WANT TO MAKE THEM WEAKER BY TAKING THAT ABILITY AWAY FROM THEM.


SOME EXAMPLES

2 STUDENTS HAD CREATED A BRILLIANT CLIPPING JUXTAPOSING SCENES FROM BOTH MOVIE VERSIONS, AND THE RESULT WAS POWERFUL. GARY COOPER AND GREGORY PECK LOOKING EACH OTHER IN THE EYE. COOPER STATING “YOU CAN’T MAKE OMLETTES WITHOUT BREAKING EGGS FIRST”, AND PECK REPLYING “YOU CAN’T UNDERSTAND SOMEONE UNTIL YOU’VE WALKED A MILE IN THEIR SHOES”. CAN YOU BEAT THAT FOR EEFECT?



SO MUCH OF ENERGY FLOWED, SO MUCH CHANNELISATION HAPPENED, SO MUCH PASSION ERUPTED BEFORE TAPERING OFF INTO NEW UNDERSTANDING…..

THIS WAS ONE EVENT I DID NOT HAVE TO IGNITE….IT JUST TOOK OFF.

THE KEY, I REALIZED, WAS LETTING THEM DO THINGS, ENCOURAGING THEM TO EXPERIMENT WITH MEDIUMS TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES.

THE ESSAYS, THE GREAT GRADES THAT CAME AFTERWARDS, WERE A BY–PRODUCT. THE REAL LEARNING WOULD LAST MUCH, MUCH


OUR OPPORTUNITY, OUR RESPONSIBILITY Dreams stand realized if they are

worthy of pursuance not just by the dreamer, but the multitudes who stand to benefit from that dream. If we can turn every student who comes our way into a leader who can make a difference, into a world citizen without biases – we will have done our bit.


THAT EXTRA MILE……

To be that world citizen tomorrow, children today need to be independent. If you are always judging people, you are not independent. If a person’s surname registers in your mind before his first name, you are not independent. If you notice a person’s colour before you notice her smile, you are not independent. If you are Indian, and you like another person just because he is also Indian – you are not independent. If you refuse to consider someone’s opinion just because she is younger, you are not independent. WE CAN HELP THEM GET THERE BY USING THE TOOLS OF OUR SUBJECTS


.....COULD BE A WALK TO REMEMBER To be that leader and change agent

tomorrow, children today need to be able to think and decide for themselves, and back up those decisions with reason and self belief. Freud said long ago – “ The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable man wants the world to adapt to him. Therefore all change, and all progress, is brought about by the unreasonable man.” If we can facilitate our little dreamers in their journey towards being that unreasonable man – we will have done


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Day 2 Connecting Through Creativity