In a country of more than one billion people, I don’t find it surprising at all that they were able to file for as many patents in the U.S as you have uncovered. The real question is, why did they have to live in the U.S to be able to create and innovate? Why are there so many nobel laureate of Indian origin but none within India?

The examination system in India is testing children only for rote facts and procedures. And in an effort to get into higher education Institutions, most children are pressured to only prepare for exams and not “learn”. What I’ve seen in your video are children who are simply “preparing” for the exams. I can relate to them very easily because I did the same when I was growing up in India. There are some lucky ones who manage to “un-school” themselves either during the school years or later on in life (many times only after living in the U.S after many years) and learn to think/create/ innovate. But for the kind of problems that the country faces, there are simply not enough people who are able to critically think through the issues, innovate and problem solve. This is a serious problem that educators all over the country have acknowledged. If you are going to be in India, I encourage you to talk to educators who are trying to improve the system here – not just in government schools but also in private schools too. As mentioned in the study above, private schools are also in a bad shape.

That is all the data I could find quickly. I’ll be in India in two weeks and will endeavor to research the rest of your question.

Bob

Please also remember that these companies hire only the top 2% – what about the rest of our graduates???

As of now my thinking is that I all I can do is provide a loving environment to the child where they have freedom to explore and fail, and expose them to a variety of people and places, until they discover their purpose in life. I can show by example that it is possible to be happy in this imperfect world and instill a higher sense of conscience by sharing with them the traits I value in a person, and by example. How they eventually end up in life, and what they do, is completely out of my hands.

Yes, I have seen my daughter appreciate the value of hard work especially when she is able to see the results of her hard work. And I attribute a lot of that to Montessori. The moments that concern me are factors beyond her control. Not all learning environments that she is exposed to exhibit the same qualities of a Montessori environment. I feel that some environments – due to the interactions that she may have with the individuals in it or other adversities – can reduce her motivation to learn, significantly. And there are some skills like playing an instrument, that requires a lot of hard work on her part although the skill may not be taught the Montessori way. What can I as a parent do in such situations? Does the hard work and self-directed learning skills that she learns in the Montessori environment sustain in spite of the adversities in other environments? What if she wants to give up learning a skill like playing an instrument, because of the adversities?

As for “teaching” the value of hard work, we can really only lead by example. Since your daughter is in a Montessori environment, and you sound like a very conscientious parent, I can assure you that when your daughter finds her passion(s), it will not be hard work. In good Montessori schools, you will see children repeating a skill over and over again until they perfect it. As they grow, the number of skills they “work hard” at diminishes, but the discipline is still there, and they will apply this dedication when they need it. My brother and I were both Montessori children, and I can tell you from experience that when we set our hearts on achieving something, we will repeat the necessary skill over and over again until we master it – and it won’t be “hard work” because it is OUR CHOICE.

I once read a book called “Homeschooling: The voyage of self-discovery”. While I am not religious or much in favor of homeschooling, the book was a beautiful example of a parent allowing his daughters to find their way in the world. The author pointed out that when a child’s interests change, for example when they decide that they don’t want to pursue the piano anymore, parents should treat it as a “graduation” instead of a failure. They should invite the child to select a final piece (in the case of the piano, but it could be a final dance, karate tournament, etc.) and set up a ceremony where the child can “close the circle” of her experience with this discipline.

I look forward to following your interesting blog and sharing ideas…

Do you ever turn the question back to her?   When she asks, it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to provide a solution but rather that she would like your input.  Input can come in lots of forms- you could take turns with her in thinking of options.   You might take advantage of the solicitation to get some attention from her- like asking her to help you with something you are doing,  addressing something that needs to be done sometime anyway- like sorting through toys, etc.    

The structured side of you, might like having a basket of ideas for things to do.  You and she could take index cards and put one idea on each.   Then when she is bored she can reach into the basket and pull out a card.   She can pull out cards until she finds something that sounds good for that moment.   It would sort of be like looking in the refrigerator for something to eat and then making a selection from what you see. 

I love the idea of getting used to boredom.   I am a firm believer in that!