I am trying to compile a list of books that I may like to read based on either reviews that I have read about them or have heard about them from my social network. This post will be regularly updated to include new names. I welcome your recommendation of adding books to this list.
1. "What I wish I knew when I was 20" by Tina Seelig. She is currently the Executive Director of Stanford's Technology Ventures Program
2. "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall. The review of Born to Run listed below has been verrbatim taken from Amazon.com.
Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong.
Isolated by the most savage terrain in North America, the reclusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s deadly Copper Canyons are custodians of a lost art. For centuries they have practiced techniques that allow them to run hundreds of miles without rest and chase down anything from a deer to an Olympic marathoner while enjoying every mile of it. Their superhuman talent is matched by uncanny health and serenity, leaving the Tarahumara immune to the diseases and strife that plague modern existence. With the help of Caballo Blanco, a mysterious loner who lives among the tribe, the author was able not only to uncover the secrets of the Tarahumara but also to find his own inner ultra-athlete, as he trained for the challenge of a lifetime: a fifty-mile race through the heart of Tarahumara country pitting the tribe against an odd band of Americans, including a star ultramarathoner, a beautiful young surfer, and a barefoot wonder.
With a sharp wit and wild exuberance, McDougall takes us from the high-tech science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultrarunners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to the climactic race in the Copper Canyons. Born to Run is that rare book that will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that the secret to happiness is right at your feet, and that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Presedential Award of Excellence for Tanya
I attended an award ceremony yesterday, May 27th 2009 in Tanya’s middle school, Thomas Russell. The function was to award talented middle schoolers in all spheres of school activities. Tanya had earlier told me that she will get a 4.0 GPA award for maintaining that grade throughout her 8th grade. I used to see her getting 4.0 GPA every quarter in her 8th grade whenever the progress report was sent by postal mail and hence I was not very surprised to hear this news. While I was happy to see her maintain 4.0 GPA throughout and get this award; I must admit that I now expect her to maintain 4.0 GPA (good Dads don’t do this – expectations; never). I am willing to work with her for her to maintain this GPA. See, I am not shying from my responsibilities!!!!
I know she missed her 4.0 GPA in Seventh Grade by a whisker, something she could not complete or was not sure how to complete some of the requirements in her Leadership Class. That one mistake cost her 4.0 GPA in seventh grade. That made her straight A’s in eighth grade more satisfying and I was looking forward to attend this event.
Once inside the multi-purpose hall in Thomas Russell School, I took my seat and as usual preferred to sit at the edge (1st chair of the row towards the aisle) though that seat was way back in the rows of chair. 2/3rd of the seats were already taken by the time I entered the hall. That’s what happens when you don’t get a bit early for such events. After a few minutes, I got up and went to the reserved student rows to take a picture of Tanya with her friends. When I came back to my seat after clicking the photo, I saw a lady sitting on my chair and refusing to get up. Not sure if she was taking drugs!
I got another seat at the last but one row but the one closet to the aisle. The ceremony began and various students were awarded based on the achievements. It’s always nice to see the result of your hard work at the end. I could see the proud parents of the kids who received the awards. All the while I saw Tanya rooting for almost all the winners. Don’t know if she cracked her voice towards the end.
Finally they called the 4.0 GPA students on the podium and there went Tanya along with 6 other students. I felt proud as well as a lump in my throat. I was never a 4.0 GPA student myself and seeing your daughter collect the award for 4.0 GPA makes your heart fill with joy. To sweeten the deal further when I looked at Tanya’s certificate and lapel pin, I saw it signed by Barack Obama, The President of United States. In fact the pin that she got has a seal of the office of the President of the United States. When I relooked at the invitation for the day I saw that all the 4.0 GPA students indeed were listed to get the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence.
So the first Presidential Award for excellence for Tanya. I pray that she maintains perfect GPA in each and every school year and more. Way to go Tanya. We are all proud of you Didi.
I know she missed her 4.0 GPA in Seventh Grade by a whisker, something she could not complete or was not sure how to complete some of the requirements in her Leadership Class. That one mistake cost her 4.0 GPA in seventh grade. That made her straight A’s in eighth grade more satisfying and I was looking forward to attend this event.
Once inside the multi-purpose hall in Thomas Russell School, I took my seat and as usual preferred to sit at the edge (1st chair of the row towards the aisle) though that seat was way back in the rows of chair. 2/3rd of the seats were already taken by the time I entered the hall. That’s what happens when you don’t get a bit early for such events. After a few minutes, I got up and went to the reserved student rows to take a picture of Tanya with her friends. When I came back to my seat after clicking the photo, I saw a lady sitting on my chair and refusing to get up. Not sure if she was taking drugs!
I got another seat at the last but one row but the one closet to the aisle. The ceremony began and various students were awarded based on the achievements. It’s always nice to see the result of your hard work at the end. I could see the proud parents of the kids who received the awards. All the while I saw Tanya rooting for almost all the winners. Don’t know if she cracked her voice towards the end.
Finally they called the 4.0 GPA students on the podium and there went Tanya along with 6 other students. I felt proud as well as a lump in my throat. I was never a 4.0 GPA student myself and seeing your daughter collect the award for 4.0 GPA makes your heart fill with joy. To sweeten the deal further when I looked at Tanya’s certificate and lapel pin, I saw it signed by Barack Obama, The President of United States. In fact the pin that she got has a seal of the office of the President of the United States. When I relooked at the invitation for the day I saw that all the 4.0 GPA students indeed were listed to get the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence.
So the first Presidential Award for excellence for Tanya. I pray that she maintains perfect GPA in each and every school year and more. Way to go Tanya. We are all proud of you Didi.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Logic of the mind & Playing On
“How odd is the logic of the mind - it seeks compromises when we are wrong, and it asks for justice when others are wrong !”
If people start criticizing you, hurting you, shouting at you.. don’t be bothered. Because in any game, spectators make noise, not the player. So just play on !”
...source : anonymous
If people start criticizing you, hurting you, shouting at you.. don’t be bothered. Because in any game, spectators make noise, not the player. So just play on !”
...source : anonymous
What makes all Mother’s special –
ANSWER :
When I came home drenched in the rain my brother said –
“Why don’t you take an umbrella with you !”
My sister said –
“Why didn’t you wait till the rain stopped !”
My father angrily said –
“You will only learn after getting a cold !”
But my mother while drying my hair said –
“Stupid rain !”
...source : from Amitabh Bachhan's blog
When I came home drenched in the rain my brother said –
“Why don’t you take an umbrella with you !”
My sister said –
“Why didn’t you wait till the rain stopped !”
My father angrily said –
“You will only learn after getting a cold !”
But my mother while drying my hair said –
“Stupid rain !”
...source : from Amitabh Bachhan's blog
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
My Thoughts on Leadership
Leadership has become so common a word that it is used nowadays in every context without understanding the complete meaning of a leader. What is leadership then? Some of the common ideas that others include in leadership definitions include exerting influence, motivating and inspiring, helping others realize their potential, leading by example, selflessness and making a difference. Here are some other common definition of Leadership
The Collins English Dictionary. ( © 1998 HarperCollins Publishers ) leadership (n) 1. The position or function of a leader. 2. the period during which a person occupies the position of leader: during her leadership very little was achieved. 3. a. the ability to lead. b. (as modifier): leadership qualities. 4. the leaders as a group of a party, union, etc.: the union leadership is now very reactionary.
This dictionary definition of leadership focuses on the position (singular or collective), tenure and ability of leaders. As such, it misses key points about the purpose and hallmarks of effective leadership.
Peter Drucker : The foreword to the Drucker Foundation's "The Leader of the Future" sums up leadership : "The only definition of a leader is someone who has followers." To gain followers requires influence (see John Maxwell's definition below) but doesn't exclude the lack of integrity in achieving this. Indeed, it can be argued that several of the world's greatest leaders have lacked integrity and have adopted values that would not be shared by many people today.
John C Maxwell : In the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John Maxwell sums up his definition of leadership as "leadership is influence - nothing more, nothing less." This moves beyond the position defining the leader, to looking at the ability of the leader to influence others - both those who would consider themselves followers, and those outside that circle. Indirectly, it also builds in leadership character, since without maintaining integrity and trustworthiness, the capability to influence will disappear.
Warren Bennis : Warren Bennis' definition of leadership is focused much more on the individual capability of the leader : "Leadership is a function of knowing yourself, having a vision that is well communicated, building trust among colleagues, and taking effective action to realize your own leadership potential."
Both George Bush and Barack Obama has been the President of the USA. Can we equate George Bush to Barack Obama within the guidelines of leadership. Yes, we can. However, are they two viewed by the public being a successful leader? No they are not. Obama of course towers over Bush in every respect.
Here is my take on the qualities of a successful leader though not in order of priority. These are the traits I believe based on my personal experience that will help distnguish a succesful leader from the crowd:
1. Never take credit of your team’s success. If you and your team is successful people will associate you with that success.
2. Take the blame for your teams failure : Most of the time your team will fail not because of their inherent abilities but lack of proper guidance from you
3. Praise others : If someone working for you has done something good then praise him in front of others without being judgemental. Such praises will allow people to align themselves very distinctively with your goals and vision
4. Never admonish people in front of others. They will start hating you and however, good you are you will not be able to reverse the trend. Always communicate the failure in person to absorb the negative feelings failures and giving the other a chance to reflect on one’s mistake and a strong shoulder to lean on, if required. Your respect will magnify.
5. Respect the absence : Don’t say bad things about others in their absence. people don’t get chance to put their views across when they are not present.
6. Don’t think what you think is right: Views from others will always add value to your decision making and make your team feel good
7. Empower : Empowering your people and your team is the single most trait of successful leaders to get an ordinary team do extraordinary work
8. Create environment for people to freely air their opinion : Creating right environment for free flow of ideas will eliminate need for lot of transactions that would otherwise be required for you to spent time on
9. Respect Others : Leadership position should be earned rather than asked for or thrusted upon. In the case of later, people will not open up
10. Lead from the front by showing examples. This will generate the excitement in your team
11. Communicate as frequently as you can: The more you communicate the more you will understand where is the bottleneck for your people or your team to work effectively.
The Collins English Dictionary. ( © 1998 HarperCollins Publishers ) leadership (n) 1. The position or function of a leader. 2. the period during which a person occupies the position of leader: during her leadership very little was achieved. 3. a. the ability to lead. b. (as modifier): leadership qualities. 4. the leaders as a group of a party, union, etc.: the union leadership is now very reactionary.
This dictionary definition of leadership focuses on the position (singular or collective), tenure and ability of leaders. As such, it misses key points about the purpose and hallmarks of effective leadership.
Peter Drucker : The foreword to the Drucker Foundation's "The Leader of the Future" sums up leadership : "The only definition of a leader is someone who has followers." To gain followers requires influence (see John Maxwell's definition below) but doesn't exclude the lack of integrity in achieving this. Indeed, it can be argued that several of the world's greatest leaders have lacked integrity and have adopted values that would not be shared by many people today.
John C Maxwell : In the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John Maxwell sums up his definition of leadership as "leadership is influence - nothing more, nothing less." This moves beyond the position defining the leader, to looking at the ability of the leader to influence others - both those who would consider themselves followers, and those outside that circle. Indirectly, it also builds in leadership character, since without maintaining integrity and trustworthiness, the capability to influence will disappear.
Warren Bennis : Warren Bennis' definition of leadership is focused much more on the individual capability of the leader : "Leadership is a function of knowing yourself, having a vision that is well communicated, building trust among colleagues, and taking effective action to realize your own leadership potential."
Both George Bush and Barack Obama has been the President of the USA. Can we equate George Bush to Barack Obama within the guidelines of leadership. Yes, we can. However, are they two viewed by the public being a successful leader? No they are not. Obama of course towers over Bush in every respect.
Here is my take on the qualities of a successful leader though not in order of priority. These are the traits I believe based on my personal experience that will help distnguish a succesful leader from the crowd:
1. Never take credit of your team’s success. If you and your team is successful people will associate you with that success.
2. Take the blame for your teams failure : Most of the time your team will fail not because of their inherent abilities but lack of proper guidance from you
3. Praise others : If someone working for you has done something good then praise him in front of others without being judgemental. Such praises will allow people to align themselves very distinctively with your goals and vision
4. Never admonish people in front of others. They will start hating you and however, good you are you will not be able to reverse the trend. Always communicate the failure in person to absorb the negative feelings failures and giving the other a chance to reflect on one’s mistake and a strong shoulder to lean on, if required. Your respect will magnify.
5. Respect the absence : Don’t say bad things about others in their absence. people don’t get chance to put their views across when they are not present.
6. Don’t think what you think is right: Views from others will always add value to your decision making and make your team feel good
7. Empower : Empowering your people and your team is the single most trait of successful leaders to get an ordinary team do extraordinary work
8. Create environment for people to freely air their opinion : Creating right environment for free flow of ideas will eliminate need for lot of transactions that would otherwise be required for you to spent time on
9. Respect Others : Leadership position should be earned rather than asked for or thrusted upon. In the case of later, people will not open up
10. Lead from the front by showing examples. This will generate the excitement in your team
11. Communicate as frequently as you can: The more you communicate the more you will understand where is the bottleneck for your people or your team to work effectively.
Monday, March 16, 2009
I am a Half Marathoner
Yes, that's correct. Till a few months back I would not have imagined running half marathons but with some coaching, training and encouragement, I finsihed Kaiser Permanente sponsored half marathon in San Francisco on Feb 1st. I would like to provide my heartfelt gratitude to the following people to help me achieve this milestone
1. Simmi, my wife for providing the encouragement
2. Rajeev, my mentor in providing the guidance and support when chips were down
3. David Severson, my physical therapist who helped me recover from my injury and providing constant dose of self belief including teaching me how to run strong
If you are interested you can continue reading the race report...
Start : It was my first Half Marathon and I was trying to look for the starting point. However, after seeing a sea of people (came to know that there were around 9000 runners) who packed around 100 meters of strip behind the starting line, I decided to join the crowd along with Mukesh. After a couple of minutes, I saw runners in the front slowly walking as the runners at the start line started running. I too started walking and off to my first half marathon
Mile 1 & 2 : There were so many runners that I didn’t realize when I passed Mile 1 and 2. I was running at a comfortable pace of around 12 minutes.
Mile 3: We went by the side of the starting point through a winding road to hit Mile 3. Mukesh was surprised that there was no water stop till Mile 3. I was running strong and motivated.
Mile 4 & 5: Stopped at the water pit before Mile 4. Took just a sip of water as I was running with my own water bottle. Mile 4 & 5 was uneventful, the course was mostly bland and there were many runners around me. I was keeping pace with Mukesh as I didn’t carry my cell phone and was not prepared to lose sight of Mukesh lest I need to struggle to find my way back to the car alone after the race. The pace was still 12:00 minutes.
Mile 6 : We saw the finish line on the other side of the road and also saw some of the early finishers. I was less than half finish and the sight of runners finishing their race made me kind of a bit embarrassed. Anyways, keeping my age and my fitness in mind I shrugged off that thought and kept my focus of finishing strong
Mile 7: We took the turn on Highway 1 and I saw the unending blue Pacific Ocean ahead of me. It was nice to run along the coast line. I checked the time with Mukesh and we were still maintaining 12:00 minute pace inspite of walking for a minute at every mile sign. It was beginning to feel hot though I think I was still doing strong and no signs of fatigue yet. The runners returning to the finishing line on our left also gave me some added motivation to keep moving strong. There were a few spectator cheering along the way and it was nice to say hello to a few of them
Mile 8: Stopped a bit at the water stop. I was no longer sweating like in the early few miles though it was relatively hot @ 63-64o . The run was becoming a bit monotonous seeing the sight of so many runners returning to the finish line after making a U turn ahead. I did try to crane out my neck and look for the U turn ahead but seems that we still need to go a couple of miles before I could be running towards the finish line. I also saw Coach Char and after few minutes saw Rajeev on the other side running strongly towards the finish line. I believe they were already around 3.5 miles ahead of us. Let’s see if I can run like them in years to come.
Mile 9 : I saw a Cop telling us that the U turn is just 300 meters away and that gave me a renewed sense of strength to focus on finishing strong. I felt happy while taking the U turn as I was now moving towards the finish line.
Mile 10 : I checked with Mukesh and surprisingly we were still doing around 12:00 minutes pace. Mukesh told me that we can complete the race before 2.5 hours. I don’t know if 2.5 hrs was good or bad but it definitely helped me to run stronger though I started to feel hungry. Interestingly, I had brought with me some Channa and Gur in a small sachet that Mukesh graciously agreed to put ia pouch in his running belt. I ate that stuff while running and to my surprise Channa & Gur can also be considered as an excellent alternative to Gu to give you quick round of energy. I had decided earlier that I will not take Gu and hence decided on this makeshift alternative that is very cheap and considered a poor man’s diet back in India.
Mile 11: I think we slowed down a bit by Mile 11. I started feeling some blistering sensation in 2nd finger in my right leg. We were running all the while on hard asphalt road which was progressively getting hotter and I thought that because of the hot asphalt I might be getting blister. I was too scared to open my shoe and look what happened and hence decided to continue alongside Mukesh. Between Mile 10 and 11 we took two short run-break as I was beginning to feel the heat and exhaustion of running for more than 2 hours. However, since I ran 11 mile during one of the weekend run in January, I was just saying to myself that how can I feel exhausted when I have earlier finished 11 miles.
Mile 12 : A distance between 11 and 12 was the most difficult as some funny sensation in my finger besides my right toe made me nervous. I thought that my nails of that particular finger has come off and hence I am having burning sensation. Again I was too sacred to see what actually happened and continued running to the best of my abilities. I was sure we had dropped our pace and might be running @ 13:00 minutes pace instead of 12:00 minutes, but I was the least bothered in my head about my pace. I just was trying to run with Mukesh lest I don’t lose him and end up trying to find the car on way back home. Mukesh was still running strong. I was feeling exhausted.
Mile 13.1 & Finish : Little did I realize that I have sweated heavily and have only replenished water but no salt. I was surprised at myself as to why I was getting exhausted. However the sight of finish line and people lining up on both sides did helped me to finish with a timing of 2:35.
I started to cramp after the finish line and still didn’t realize that I did the stupid mistake of not taking some Gatorade at regular interval or any other kind of salt intake. I went to a booth in the post run expo to get myself a flexibility test and that’s where I realized when the volunteer there told me that I am feeling cramped because of some excessive salt loss.
Overall I think I did pretty well considering this was my first half marathon except not knowing how to handle salt loss. An overall timing of less than 12 minutes was also not bad and more importantly I could manage to keep pace with Mukesh as not to struggle to find the car on way back home
1. Simmi, my wife for providing the encouragement
2. Rajeev, my mentor in providing the guidance and support when chips were down
3. David Severson, my physical therapist who helped me recover from my injury and providing constant dose of self belief including teaching me how to run strong
If you are interested you can continue reading the race report...
Start : It was my first Half Marathon and I was trying to look for the starting point. However, after seeing a sea of people (came to know that there were around 9000 runners) who packed around 100 meters of strip behind the starting line, I decided to join the crowd along with Mukesh. After a couple of minutes, I saw runners in the front slowly walking as the runners at the start line started running. I too started walking and off to my first half marathon
Mile 1 & 2 : There were so many runners that I didn’t realize when I passed Mile 1 and 2. I was running at a comfortable pace of around 12 minutes.
Mile 3: We went by the side of the starting point through a winding road to hit Mile 3. Mukesh was surprised that there was no water stop till Mile 3. I was running strong and motivated.
Mile 4 & 5: Stopped at the water pit before Mile 4. Took just a sip of water as I was running with my own water bottle. Mile 4 & 5 was uneventful, the course was mostly bland and there were many runners around me. I was keeping pace with Mukesh as I didn’t carry my cell phone and was not prepared to lose sight of Mukesh lest I need to struggle to find my way back to the car alone after the race. The pace was still 12:00 minutes.
Mile 6 : We saw the finish line on the other side of the road and also saw some of the early finishers. I was less than half finish and the sight of runners finishing their race made me kind of a bit embarrassed. Anyways, keeping my age and my fitness in mind I shrugged off that thought and kept my focus of finishing strong
Mile 7: We took the turn on Highway 1 and I saw the unending blue Pacific Ocean ahead of me. It was nice to run along the coast line. I checked the time with Mukesh and we were still maintaining 12:00 minute pace inspite of walking for a minute at every mile sign. It was beginning to feel hot though I think I was still doing strong and no signs of fatigue yet. The runners returning to the finishing line on our left also gave me some added motivation to keep moving strong. There were a few spectator cheering along the way and it was nice to say hello to a few of them
Mile 8: Stopped a bit at the water stop. I was no longer sweating like in the early few miles though it was relatively hot @ 63-64o . The run was becoming a bit monotonous seeing the sight of so many runners returning to the finish line after making a U turn ahead. I did try to crane out my neck and look for the U turn ahead but seems that we still need to go a couple of miles before I could be running towards the finish line. I also saw Coach Char and after few minutes saw Rajeev on the other side running strongly towards the finish line. I believe they were already around 3.5 miles ahead of us. Let’s see if I can run like them in years to come.
Mile 9 : I saw a Cop telling us that the U turn is just 300 meters away and that gave me a renewed sense of strength to focus on finishing strong. I felt happy while taking the U turn as I was now moving towards the finish line.
Mile 10 : I checked with Mukesh and surprisingly we were still doing around 12:00 minutes pace. Mukesh told me that we can complete the race before 2.5 hours. I don’t know if 2.5 hrs was good or bad but it definitely helped me to run stronger though I started to feel hungry. Interestingly, I had brought with me some Channa and Gur in a small sachet that Mukesh graciously agreed to put ia pouch in his running belt. I ate that stuff while running and to my surprise Channa & Gur can also be considered as an excellent alternative to Gu to give you quick round of energy. I had decided earlier that I will not take Gu and hence decided on this makeshift alternative that is very cheap and considered a poor man’s diet back in India.
Mile 11: I think we slowed down a bit by Mile 11. I started feeling some blistering sensation in 2nd finger in my right leg. We were running all the while on hard asphalt road which was progressively getting hotter and I thought that because of the hot asphalt I might be getting blister. I was too scared to open my shoe and look what happened and hence decided to continue alongside Mukesh. Between Mile 10 and 11 we took two short run-break as I was beginning to feel the heat and exhaustion of running for more than 2 hours. However, since I ran 11 mile during one of the weekend run in January, I was just saying to myself that how can I feel exhausted when I have earlier finished 11 miles.
Mile 12 : A distance between 11 and 12 was the most difficult as some funny sensation in my finger besides my right toe made me nervous. I thought that my nails of that particular finger has come off and hence I am having burning sensation. Again I was too sacred to see what actually happened and continued running to the best of my abilities. I was sure we had dropped our pace and might be running @ 13:00 minutes pace instead of 12:00 minutes, but I was the least bothered in my head about my pace. I just was trying to run with Mukesh lest I don’t lose him and end up trying to find the car on way back home. Mukesh was still running strong. I was feeling exhausted.
Mile 13.1 & Finish : Little did I realize that I have sweated heavily and have only replenished water but no salt. I was surprised at myself as to why I was getting exhausted. However the sight of finish line and people lining up on both sides did helped me to finish with a timing of 2:35.
I started to cramp after the finish line and still didn’t realize that I did the stupid mistake of not taking some Gatorade at regular interval or any other kind of salt intake. I went to a booth in the post run expo to get myself a flexibility test and that’s where I realized when the volunteer there told me that I am feeling cramped because of some excessive salt loss.
Overall I think I did pretty well considering this was my first half marathon except not knowing how to handle salt loss. An overall timing of less than 12 minutes was also not bad and more importantly I could manage to keep pace with Mukesh as not to struggle to find the car on way back home
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Personal Experience of Transition to High School (Part 1/5)
My daughter Tanya will move to Grade 9th (the dreaded beginning of High School) next academic year. I have been trying through various sources to get an insight into what it takes to understand the transition to High School but could not get much to chew on. Hence I decided to write my experience in seeing my daughter move from Middle School to High School. I have decided to write five installment of this experience at appropriate intervals based on the actual transition and hope some parents who will have High School going kids in the nest 2 years will find it useful. It might also be useful to just understand the US high school systems for my readers who may be outside of US
The first inkling that my daughter is slowly moving towards High School was when a small note from her school (Middle School called Thomas Russell Middle School) came around 2nd week of December 2008 while she is still in 8th grade. It asks the parent of soon to be High Schooler to participate in an orientation course in Milpitas High School on January 11th 2009. Milpitas is the city in Bay area in California where we live in .
I kept the notice from the school around my laptop for almost 3 weeks lest I forget the orientation date. Tanya never seemed to be excited about this orientation course and in fact seemed a bit amused over my enthusiasm to participate in the orientation. Finally, much to my amusement I was ready well before time and reached the High School auditorium along with my younger daughter, Tanvi. I was definitely quite excited to know what happens in High School. I never changed school from Grade 1 to Grade 10th and hence never got this opportunity when I was moving to High School. May be the lack of such experience while I was moving to High school classes though in the same school kept my excitement level higher when I get a chance to learn first hand here in US.
The programme started sharp at 7:00 PM PST with the Principal introducing himself and a few counselors. He then greeted the parents and started providing some key difference in High school from Middle school. The Principal said that everything in high School was almost 6 times bigger than the Middle school like :
1. area of the school (almost 6 times the size of middle school),
2. no. of teachers (125 in High School as against 25 in Middle School)
3. no. of students (almost 2500 in High School as against 250 in Middle School)
4. no. of classrooms, etc…
The Principal tried to assure the parents that apart from the increased size of the school including no. of teachers, no. of students all other things are quite normal. In fact he said that the discipline is more rigorous in High School than in Middle School. Here is the name by which students are called in their 4 years of High School
1. Freshmen : 9th Grade
2. Sophomore : 10th Grade
3. Junior : 11th Grade
4. Senior : 12th Grade
The Principal also informed that it will need 225 credits plus 20 hours of community service plus clearing the California High School Exit test to graduate out of High School. There are some subjects like English, Maths, Social Studies that are compulsory for everyone to take while there is couple of electives that the students have to chose from a list of electives. Here is the list of electives that are on offer in Milpitas High School
Incidentally for the first time I also came to understand that Advance Placement Course (that some students take to get some college credits) is a private enterprise / business. All along I had a notion that such Advance Placement courses are sponsored by the Government through the High School for students who are meritorious. However, that’s not true. Advance Placement Courses is a private business and it was one of the many lessons of Educational Capitalism that I have come to realize in US.
The orientation course finally ended at 8:00 PM after some routine questions from interested parents and their answers by the faculty. I especially liked the Speech and the Debate teacher who ahs earlier been attorney and judge for 35 years. He really energized the audience with his superb speech as to why students need to select “Speech and Debate course” as one of their electives. I don’t remember his name but I think I was personally impressed by his oratorical skills for me to go back and ask Tanya to think considering taking this particular elective. Being a professional attorney and Judge, to me ,gives this teacher a very unique perspective to students in his class about debates and speeches. I wish Tanya takes this elective as it might help her intangibly in her overall personality development as she grows older.
Finally, I and Tanvi left the auditorium after posing some few question to the Principal about the importance of Advance Placement courses. Looking back I think that particular evening in Milpitas High School Auditorium definitely helped me start thinking about the upcoming transition of Tanya from Middle school to High School.
Stay tuned for the second update in this series of High School Transition Experience….
The first inkling that my daughter is slowly moving towards High School was when a small note from her school (Middle School called Thomas Russell Middle School) came around 2nd week of December 2008 while she is still in 8th grade. It asks the parent of soon to be High Schooler to participate in an orientation course in Milpitas High School on January 11th 2009. Milpitas is the city in Bay area in California where we live in .
I kept the notice from the school around my laptop for almost 3 weeks lest I forget the orientation date. Tanya never seemed to be excited about this orientation course and in fact seemed a bit amused over my enthusiasm to participate in the orientation. Finally, much to my amusement I was ready well before time and reached the High School auditorium along with my younger daughter, Tanvi. I was definitely quite excited to know what happens in High School. I never changed school from Grade 1 to Grade 10th and hence never got this opportunity when I was moving to High School. May be the lack of such experience while I was moving to High school classes though in the same school kept my excitement level higher when I get a chance to learn first hand here in US.
The programme started sharp at 7:00 PM PST with the Principal introducing himself and a few counselors. He then greeted the parents and started providing some key difference in High school from Middle school. The Principal said that everything in high School was almost 6 times bigger than the Middle school like :
1. area of the school (almost 6 times the size of middle school),
2. no. of teachers (125 in High School as against 25 in Middle School)
3. no. of students (almost 2500 in High School as against 250 in Middle School)
4. no. of classrooms, etc…
The Principal tried to assure the parents that apart from the increased size of the school including no. of teachers, no. of students all other things are quite normal. In fact he said that the discipline is more rigorous in High School than in Middle School. Here is the name by which students are called in their 4 years of High School
1. Freshmen : 9th Grade
2. Sophomore : 10th Grade
3. Junior : 11th Grade
4. Senior : 12th Grade
The Principal also informed that it will need 225 credits plus 20 hours of community service plus clearing the California High School Exit test to graduate out of High School. There are some subjects like English, Maths, Social Studies that are compulsory for everyone to take while there is couple of electives that the students have to chose from a list of electives. Here is the list of electives that are on offer in Milpitas High School
Incidentally for the first time I also came to understand that Advance Placement Course (that some students take to get some college credits) is a private enterprise / business. All along I had a notion that such Advance Placement courses are sponsored by the Government through the High School for students who are meritorious. However, that’s not true. Advance Placement Courses is a private business and it was one of the many lessons of Educational Capitalism that I have come to realize in US.
The orientation course finally ended at 8:00 PM after some routine questions from interested parents and their answers by the faculty. I especially liked the Speech and the Debate teacher who ahs earlier been attorney and judge for 35 years. He really energized the audience with his superb speech as to why students need to select “Speech and Debate course” as one of their electives. I don’t remember his name but I think I was personally impressed by his oratorical skills for me to go back and ask Tanya to think considering taking this particular elective. Being a professional attorney and Judge, to me ,gives this teacher a very unique perspective to students in his class about debates and speeches. I wish Tanya takes this elective as it might help her intangibly in her overall personality development as she grows older.
Finally, I and Tanvi left the auditorium after posing some few question to the Principal about the importance of Advance Placement courses. Looking back I think that particular evening in Milpitas High School Auditorium definitely helped me start thinking about the upcoming transition of Tanya from Middle school to High School.
Stay tuned for the second update in this series of High School Transition Experience….
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