S t r at e g y

My
Students are
MyTeachers
The chemistry teacher who teaches equations
through her poems

A mosquito cried out in pain:

“A chemist has poisoned my brain!”
The cause of his sorrow
was para-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethan

E
quations, as simple as
2H2 +O2 2H2O, bring
butterflies in many stom-
achs. And boring Chemis-
try lectures reflect them-
selves in the scribbles that decorate
the note book. “Can Chemistry be
ever made fun?” is a million dollar
question. “Of course, possible, with
14
14 matrixapril
ededmatrix MAY2008
2008

a little bit of imagination in teach-
ing”, says Ms Sumathi, the Chemis-
try teacher of Sir SivaSamy Kalalaya
Matriculation School at Chennai.
Before we could get into the details of
“how”, a quick witty brain would have
sensed the reason behind the placement
of the poem on top. That is the methodol-
ogy of Ms Sumathi who teaches Chem-
istry through her poems. The strategy
is to use rhyming poems, metaphors
and simile to bring fun and frolic even to
chemistry learning.
“It is the supreme art of the teacher to
awaken joy in creative expression and
knowledge,” said Albert Einstein. Sumathi
seems to have mastered this art. She
says, you can teach students a lesson for
a day; but if you can teach them to learn
by creating curiosity, they will continue to
remember not only the learning process
but also the content.
The poem below pictures the element
Oxygen to a student, easier than a Chem-
istry text book could, says Sumathi.
I’m element the eighth! I am! ‘Tomic
number eight I am! I am!
When I’m liquid, I am cold and blue.
My normal state is molecular O2!
I’m an oxidising element.
It’s me that makes explosive stuff
go BLAM!
In the periodic elements, Element
the eighth I am!
Sumathi writes poems in description of
equations and concepts and thus regis-
tering them in the minds of the students.
“Most teachers have little control over
school policy or curriculum or choice of
texts or special placement of students,
but most have a great deal of autonomy
inside the classroom,” said Tracy Kidder.
Sumathi uses this autonomy to a great
extent. She uses various innovative
methods of teaching. Junior Lab, Activ-
ity Card, Magazine, Seminar are some
of them. “I always wish to do some-
thing new in my subject and I keep ex-
perimenting new methods of teaching,”
says Sumathi.
S t r at e g y
Tips from Sumathi....
T
hrough my experience I
have understood that all
students do not grasp the
same way. Some learn through
visuals. Some understand through
application. To tackle this, I in-
troduced the “Activity Card”. The
card carries concepts explained
through pictorial representation
or application oriented exercises.
Depending on the interest of stu-
dents, I divide them into groups
and give activity cards with visual
representation or application ori-
ented description and encourage
them to discuss within the group.
This way they learn easily. I have
been successful using this for the
lower classes.
Ms.Sumathi
To help students reproduce what
they understand, I ask them to My teachers had been my inspira-
write in words, after teaching tion and I want to be a role model
every concept. They write it and to my students. If I expect them to
clarify their doubts then and be punctual, I should be on time,
there. This prepares them for myself. In fact, my students are my
exams too. teachers. I believe in the words of
Marva Collins- Don’t try to fix the
Having handled different students students, fix ourselves first.
in different schools, I realize that
the disposition of the students is Joseph Joubert says, “To teach is
very important when you teach. I to learn twice.” When I refer and
attended classes recently in view clear my students’ doubts, my
of my M.Phil. programme and I knowledge improves. Infact, they
do know how difficult it is to lis- are my teachers.
ten to lectures, continuously. Besides these, I initiated Junior
Usually, I take only two hours of Lab, where students use plastic ap-
my three hour classes and spend paratus in their own classes. I also
the third hour in implementing started a magazine for the class,
methods to develop their inter- to develop their interest in writ-
est in the subject. I wish there ing and painting. Periodically, I
give some seminar topics related to
were sufficient breaks in between
Chemistry, for students to organ-
classes. If a child was punished
ise. I believe that students can do a
in the previous class, he may
better job than teachers. With such
not be in a mental state to lis-
programmes they are able to shed
ten in the next class. He needs
their stage fear and improve their
enough time to recover from
knowledge.
the shock.
ed matrix MAY 2008 15
S t r at e g y

Be
a
Master
of
Paradox
14 ed matrix june 2008

A
braham Lincoln used to be a
celebrated name as it is now.
It is difficult, and sometimes
paradoxical, to think of
Abraham Lincoln as a man
who possessed charisma in much the
same way as, say, John F. Kennedy did.
After all, this is the same stoic-faced
individual we see in old photographs;
the never-smiling man of the statues
and busts; the man who dressed in
black, dull, ill-fitting clothes and rarely
combed his hair. But “paradox” is a
most appropriate description for not
only Lincoln the man but Lincoln the
leader. There were, in fact, numerous
paradoxes in Lincoln’s leadership style.
For instance, he tended to be strikingly
flexible while at the same time a model
of consistency.
Although Abraham Lincoln has not
generally been regarded as a leader with
charisma, there are many observations
that support the theory that he did,
indeed, possess a certain amount of
that magical quality.
His troops greeted him with wild,
sometimes frenzied cheering. And
there are numerous accounts of people
instinctively crowding around him
and reacting with excitement when
he approached. The tremendous
outpouring of grief after his death
is further testament to his immense
popularity. Moreover, part of the “Lincoln
Myth” bestowed on him a certain
amount of saintly virtue. He was a
father figure to many people of his day.
Indeed, his name, Abraham, literally
means father, and, like his height,
may have had a psychological effect
on followers.
During the four years of his presidency,
Lincoln was remarkably consistent.
Consistency became one of Lincoln’s
subtle trademarks and one of the
main cogs in the machinery of his
administration. Such dependability from
a leader inspires trust and naturally
makes people feel more comfortable
on a day-to-day basis. Lincoln was
consistent in how he treated people,
He’d committed himself
to doing whatever it took
to preserve, protect, and
defend the Constitution of
the United States, which
to him meant keeping the
country together
and how he made assignments and
promotions; consistent in his interaction
with his cabinet members and generals;
and consistent in how he administered
and managed the government and
its war machine. He ordered military
appointments and commissions only
“if it can consistently be done.” Lincoln
even used the “consistency” rationale to
justify his running for a second term.
Yet, while being a model of consistency,
Lincoln was also uncommonly flexible.
He was a leader who would not and did
not limit himself. “My policy is to have no
policy,” he’d say. “I shall not surrender
this game leaving any available card
unplayed.” Lincoln would always leave
“an opportunity for a change of mind.”
He’d committed himself to doing
whatever it took to preserve, protect,
and defend the Constitution of the United
States, which to him meant keeping the
country together. In a letter to Horace
ed matrix june 2008
S t r at e g y
Greeley, written in 1862, the president
described his view of this “official duty,”
which included an unbending devotion
to flexibility:
I shall do less whenever I shall believe
what I am doing hurts the cause, and I
shall do more whenever I shall believe
doing more will help the cause. I shall try
to correct errors when shown to be errors;
and I shall adopt new views so fast as
they shall appear to be true views.
Lincoln’s adept handling of paradox has
been confirmed by recent leadership
studies as an essential skill for all leaders.
Tom Peters, in his book Thriving On
Chaos, recommended promoting those
individuals who deal best with paradox.
“Managers at all levels,” he wrote, “must
come to grips with paradoxes that have
set conventional management wisdom
on its ear.” He offered “tips for that
paradox-loving manager who must be
the leader of the future: be out and about;
only by being at the front line will you be
able to feel the pace, the progress, and
the problems here it counts; listen and
provide listening forums; learn to love
and laud failures; and preach speedy
horizontal communication.”
Lincoln showed his mastery of paradox
by skillfully providing a rock-solid, stable
government as a foundation for the
nation’s security, while at the same time
personally instituting massive amounts
of change. He coupled this chief paradox
with many other seemingly contradictory
approaches that all leaders, in every walk
of life, must master to be successful.
Here are just some of the paradoxes
that are easily identifiable in Lincoln’s
leadership style:
• He was charismatic yet unassuming.
• He was consistent yet flexible.
• He was the victim of vast amounts
of slander and malice, yet he was also
immensely popular with the troops.
• He was trusting and compassionate,
yet could also be demanding and
tough.
• He was a risk-taker and innovative,
yet patient and calculating.
15
S t r at e g y

Making THE BEST OUT

OF EVERY SITUATION
I
nflation is on the increase. The
current crisis must teach us many
strategies for life. Generally we
draw strategies from people’s life,
but situation of inflation is about to
teach us something interesting. What
lessons can we learn from the current
crisis situation?
Inflation has already crossed over 11%.
At present we are forced into a situation
where we are forced to cut the costs of
our living even to the extent of reducing
the quantity of food intake. Because this
inflation will increase by 20% again, says
a bank manager. The fact that America,
Britain, France and other wealthy nations
are also suffering due to inflations comes
as a consolation.
We find many economists saying, ‘open
your purse,’ ‘don’t hide your money,’
‘spend’ ‘this is nationalism’. It is said that
the industrial growth takes place with the
expenses made by the ordinary people.
The word ‘saving’ was considered to
be bad. But now even in America, the
prices have gone up so high, that the
industrialists themselves have tied their
own belts tight with the price hike.
Those who were not even ready to spend
money on anything, now keep collecting
newspapers or magazines that come
with coupons or special offers. People the last bit of the paste from the tooth On the other side, David Suzooki, a
queue up in places where the word paste. Some flower gardens are slowly priest, and others who are insist on
‘Sale’ is written. With the fuel price hike, turning to be vegetable gardens. Instead living with nature say, ‘we have more
a new system called ‘car pooling’ has of beautiful flowers, there are tasty fruits money because of the things that we
been introduced among the workers who and vegetables. Most of the money buy. How much do we want? Are they
work in the same office. They take turns management specialists have come up needed? Even after amassing wealth
and choose to join in someone else’s with tips on how to reduce expenses and are you happy and peaceful?’ Spiritual
car to reach their office. Some people save money. The saving itself is looked masters keep posing the same questions
even buy some instruments to take out at as a special earning. to people.
14 ed matrix july 2008
 S t r at e g y

Websites have come up preaching

wisdom on saving and spending,
replacing the wisdom of grandmas in
olden style. Even ideas like saving liquid
hand wash, Fuel, Energy and time have
come up. There are also other ideas and
messages on how to go ahead in this
situation. The following points may be
useful for our people who still feel that
they live in America.

• Don’t buy big cars like Lorries to

show off, because petrol costs a lot
and at the time of repair, you may find
the parts costing more. Small cars are
comfortable and you can save a lot with
that. You can even get a car loan easily
if it is a small one.

• We are unknowingly forced to

become debtors by the number of
credit cards. We swipe unconsciously
while shopping. It shows up only when
the monthly statements reaches your
doorsteps. It is too late to realize that you
had spent money lavishly on things you
do not need. When you are careful you
have a better budget to spend later.

• The cancer affecting the middle

class family is to buy a things as soon
as they see them in the first instance. So
before leaving your home try to plan and
make a list of things that you will buy.
Don’t go beyond that limit.
• Before going to the super market
eat some chappathis and some curd
rice. Because when you go with a hungry
stomach for shopping you will tend to buy
all eatables available there.
• When you go along with your neighbours
you can buy at a wholesale rate.
• There are cheaper clothes to suit you.
Set aside big money for big occasions.
• After washing your clothes in the
washing machine take out and dry
them yourself instead of using the dryer
because it consumes more electricity.
• Those who have dogs with long
hairs can comb them on Sundays by
themselves instead of spending money
by taking them to the veterinary doctor.
• Let us not waste water, particularly
that which is purified and kept safe for you.
You should realize that a long process is
needed to purify the water you drink.
• Alter your food habits to suit your
health. It is good not to waste all the
money you earn in a hospital or a clinic.
• Buy some consumables not when the
price is kept at a very high instead when
the rush is over you will able to buy them
at a cheaper price.
• Do you have the habit of going out
for meals to hotels? If so keep the bills
safely and calculate all the bills at the
end of the month. You may hate going to
hotels later when you see them together,
although your partner may insist on going
to a hotel.
ed matrix july 2008
• On Sundays wives may like to go
out to eat in the hotels because they will
have to wash more vessels. If husbands
voluntarily come out to wash the vessels
and help out, you will not only save
money but nurture your relationship with
your partner.
It is often said that in America there is
a village called Aamish. The people of
Aamish live without car, phone, and
electricity, and grow ducks and hens. Yet
they keep living peacefully. To witness
this we don’t need to go to America. May
be you can visit a neighbouring village
or the village where you were born and
brought up.
These are lessons one must choose
without being forced during critical times.
Any rate of inflation will not threaten us.
We will live a contended life.
Remi
15
S t r at e g y

D
id you ever think that you have
to be rich to be happy? If you
are poor a little extra money can
bring you absolute happiness.
For people from a higher strata
it would mean that they have more luxury like
cars, flats, vacations etc., All look for comfort
in life. More and more money need not bring
more happiness. Money cannot be equated
with happiness. You better change your mind
if you think happiness can be bought with
money.
One of the ironies of life is that, while money
facilitates and plays a part in bringing
happiness to your life, it can also equally
sabotage your efforts to attain happiness and
rob you of the little joy you already had in life.
Constant struggle to accumulate wealth and
money can empty all your inner resources
and energy needed to lead an enjoyable life.
At the same time, the constant chasing after
money, after robbing you of your energy and
happiness, can also motivate you to refocus
your life on things that matter.
The fact is that the more control you have over
your finances, the lesser stresses you have. It
is quite natural that less stress allows you to
be happier. It is true that many things about
money are beyond our control. We cannot
alter the inflation, the rise and fall of stock

7 Ways to Grow with

market value, the control on oil prices and the
value added for gold month after month. At
the same time, we have the power to control
the money we spend on any item over which
others have controls. For example you can’t
control the markets; but, you can control how
much you can invest. You can’t control the
Your Personal Wealth
company you work for, but you can choose
to save some money so that when you are
Smart strategies to plan and take control of
thrown out of a company you can still pay
your rent and credit card dues and go to bed
your personal finances
every day in peace.
The following are the seven simple ways to clutter-free, a place that makes you feel you money fly out of the door can be weaken you
take charge of your financial destiny: are already rich. emotionally. Do it in bits and pieces.
1. Get yourself organised To reduce clutter, pare down your paper. 2. Spend sensibly
To plan for your finances, you don’t have to Get rid of old receipts and brochures. Set
up a simple filing system: one folder for your If you have trouble living within your means,
hire a professional or spend a huge sum of
investments, one for your insurance policies, you need to understand the specific items
money. All that you need is a simple system by
another for your credit cards. Then every day sabotaging your wallet. Once you’ve identified
which you know that you are safe financially.
spend 15 minutes going through your mail and them--whether they’re car payments,
All that is required is a piece of paper and
your files. Toss out junk mail. Open whatever restaurant bills, mobile phone charges or too
pen with a quiet moment. See if your life is
is necessary and deal with it. The goal is to many birthday gifts--you can make changes.
in a balance between money and happiness.
Just plan for four things. They are : Income, touch each piece of paper only once. There are small expenditures on hair, body
Expenditure, Debt and Savings. These are Pay your bills as they come in, rather than massage and other beautification. Initially
the key areas you should focus if you want stockpiling them until the end of the month. they all look quite inexpensive. Slowly,
to make money and increase your net worth. This will lower your stress levels and make people realise that they cost them very much
Your living space should be organized and you feel more in control. Watching all that when they total up the expenses. They learn
14 ed matrix august 2008

lessons rather late. But, they are valuable
lessons. Similarly with entertainment and
restaurant bills.
There are many ways to make deals with
yourself to live within your means. You
can avoid going to restaurants and have
a sumptuous meal at home. May be you
can cut down your budget on clothing. The
important thing here is to avoid all kinds of
extravagant spending that is essential for
financial control.
3. Minimize Debt
Having a very low level of total debt
does not necessarily make us better off.
In today’s economy, affording a house, or
undertaking and extensive home renovation,
means taking on some debt. Credit card debt
however, is a different animal. You can’t take
ownership of the rest of your financial life unless
you bring your relationship with your creditors
under control and reap the psychological
rewards that come with the bargain.
If you have borrowed so much that you have
trouble making the payments on your monthly
cards stop spending and stop borrowing. It’s
as simple as that. Do whatever is necessary
to make that happen—lock your credit cards
in a drawer if you have to. If you’re in a hole,
you’ve got to stop digging.
Beyond that, you can lower your payments by
shopping around for a credit card with lower
interest rates. Check with banks for better
deals; look for other types of loans that have
tax advantages. Also, be careful to avoid the
penalties and fees that banks are charging more
often these days. So pay those bills on time.
4. Save at least 5% of your income
When you are saving money , your control
over financial matters gets stronger and
stronger. The easiest way to save is to get
that five percent out of your hands before
you have a chance to spend it. Arrange to
have money taken out of your pay packet
and tunnelled directly into your savings .Or
join a good mutual fund scheme that takes
five percent from your saving account each
month and deposits it into savings –best also
to look into using a tax-advantaged plan. But
the fact is you can save only if you are living
inside the margins of your income if – you are
living within your means. Many people don’t.
But once you become a good manager of
your own money, you will get better at saving
.Habits make a substantial difference as well.
Budgeting ,tracking your expenses, balancing
your cheque book and paying your bills as
Credit card debt however,
is a different animal. You
can’t take ownership of
the rest of your financial
life unless you bring
your relationship with
your creditors under
control and reap the
psychological rewards
that come with the
bargain.
they come in all translate into better saving.
Once you find you can save five percent of
your income, the accumulation in your account
will provide encouragement to do more. Up
your contribution to six percent, then seven
or eight , until you are really putting away
enough to fund your future.
5. Work Towards your Goals
Says economist and American TV Personality
Ben Stein, ” The first step to getting what
you want out of life is this: Decide what you
want.”
A colleague of mine, a divorced woman in
her thirties, lives in New Delhi. She once had
the habit of shopping in order to feel good
whenever she was feeling low. She looked for
sales, thinking how much she was saving but
never about the fact that she was actually
spending. Eventually her creditors began to
call, and that made her take a look at her
life. She had a four-year-old son she wanted
to spend to a good school: She wanted to
Pursue a post –graduate degree for herself:
and looking at the price of New Delhi real
estate she realized how far away she from
being able to buy a place of her own.
My colleague decided her goals were
important enough to quit spending. She went
cold turkey-“Is there any other way?” she
asks- and it was far from easy. She would
look in the store window and say; “I want
that. ”But then She’d realize she didn’t need
it- what she needed was an education for her
son and herself.
Visualizing what you want is the first step in
setting goals. Think big, but be as specific
as possible. Setting a goal of “buying my
ed matrix august 2008
S t r at e g y
first house soon,” is too vague. Deciding you
want to buy a three-bedroom home within 30
minutes of your office before my 35th birthday
is better.
Write down your financial goals, then figure
out what steps you need to take to achieve
them. Break them goals is to save Rs.50,000
next year, seeing all those zeros may seem
daunting. But saving Rs.955 a week to
arrive at that is not so overwhelming. And if
you know you can come up with that much
money by quitting the health club you never
use and dining out one less times per week,
your course is clear. Don’t make the mistake
of looking at goals as points in times some
distance away. You are better off looking at
goals as a series of lifelong changes you
make to achieve those desires.
6. Check your desire to buy more
Enjoy the life you have been able to achieve.
Remind yourself that wanting more doesn’t
breed contentment, it breeds more wanting.
Think about that once-a –year raise you
typically receive at work. It’s only a matter of
weeks before you are spending to match the
new level of income. And a few months later
you can no longer imagine how you lived on
less. Which brings you right back to where
you started .
I think buying and owning a lot of “stuff” is
fine ,as long as you can truly afford it. But
people who over want believe that money
buys happiness, as well as independence,
security and control. The irony is that these
things actually control them.
The Way to achieve control and independence
is to adopt the good money management
habits of planning, Organizing and saving.
Control doesn’t hinge on how much money
you make. It hinges on how you handle them
7. Evaluate and plan your budget
The next important thing you can do is to keep
a constant check on the budget you prepare
every year for yourself and your family and
evaluate periodically to make sure that you
are in the right track. In the beginning of the
financial ear evaluate your previous budget
and plan your future budget carefully. If you do
not have some specific plans you can plan an
increase of 10% as most organsisations do.
All these measures will help you grow with your
personal finances. Just keep in mind one last
thing: “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”
Rajesh.V.N
15