Jigna Desai`s chapter 2 post

This chapter caught my attention since as an Indian immigrant in United States, I wanted my children to have the best of education. I knew the needed supplementary education outside of the school and looked into tutoring centers. The tutoring centers like Kumon, Huntington center, Sylvan etc. were not  offering what I wanted my children to have. I was looking for a tutoring center that would be customized, built my children`s self-esteem, ensure that all their Homework from school is done and at the same time, help my children be intuitive and creative. A learning place that is fun,joy and students want to learn. I created my own Splendor Learning Center and am happy with the instructions which are essentially PBL mode that my manager runs. I am writing about my business, since as a parent and an educator, I had to create a place for my children and other children since I felt the need for it. I like what Kirk Phelps parent did for him too. I am very hopeful about the future of our nation`s educational system since Project Based Learning is the way to go in teaching these children in a way that helps them with critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration and creativity. Play is an important component of learning. I am from India and educational system in India does not allow for much play but, I remember mostly the stuff that I learned on my own and not what were taught to me in the school.However, it has to be a structured play. Every parent in India wants their child to be a doctor or an engineer. I grew up thinking I will be a doctor since my parents said so. I struggled with that decision until I started teaching poor children for free during my college years and realized that I was born to teach. It is nice to see that at least our generation in investing in children`s mind and consciousness. Our generation is thinking pro-actively about creating innovators and about things that most of the Indian Parents that I saw when I was growing up didn`t do. Even today, I have hard times convincing some Indian immigrant parents that let your child follow their own passion and don`t bog them down with the pressure of being a doctor or an engineer. When my husband makes a comment to my sons that they will grow up to be a better lawyer than him, I chuckle internally and wonder how the career clusters and professions will change in next 15 years and who knows what these kids will grow up to be?

These are excellent times to be a creator and especially a creator educator. As an educator and as a parent, I try too hard at times to offer opportunities for all the children that I teach with learning and Brain-growing  opportunities.