#07 Subjected to Choice

How do learners and their parents make choices for courses in high school? A fun take from a polymath teacher

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Every year, almost like clockwork, this writer is approached by concerned parents for advice on which stream to pursue, which additional subject to sign up for, and what are the pros and cons of these choices. My ancient and out-dated experience as a teacher notwithstanding, parents need to get an opinion, very often matching their own. Here’s my take on this process.

Around this time of year, as is customary, some of us die-hard teachers tend to wish random kids “All the best for your exams”. As a former teacher of a reputed city school and an educationist attached to a national level EdTech company, I do the same. The immediate response from the kids is “Thanks!” But not from the parents. They usually have to ask a few questions, often disguised as an innocuous, “I need to pick your brains”.

A Question of Choice

I have this weird image of my ‘brains’ jumping up and down going “Pick me! Pick me!” but that’s just fantasy. Nine times out of ten, the concerned parents want to know what choice they should make for their child when it comes to filling out the form for the next year. Those of us who survived the ISC — wrongly titled Indian Senior Cambridge in the bridge years when the Brits stopped shipping our answer scripts to Blighty — will recall that we made this major choice to select Science or Arts or Commerce way back in Grade 8. Our parents had much less of a clue and generally left it to the school to “stream” the students. I remember being streamed for Science with Additional Math instead of Biology — I would have made a bad doctor anyway. I enjoyed it while it lasted. Then, armed with decent scores in Science, I joined English Honours, never regretted it, followed it up by a Masters in English and ended up teaching Mathematics in High School. It was then I realised that you can enrol for any course in school and then change course multiple times in the world of work. Today that is even more relevant as some of life’s careers haven’t been invented yet.

Most parents have the concept that what they choose for their children will define them in life. Most kids are not really bothered about what they will learn to earn and live a comfortable life. Parents invest in “career guidance” which can be a hit-or-miss of gigantic proportions. The Internet Gurus are always around to advise on what your child should do. The sweat shops continue to promise the also-rans a seat with the rest of the engineers and doctors. So, when I finally get cornered to answer, here are some of the confusing bits of advice I dispense - it isn’t worth much, but it’s free.

The Sixth Sense

Examination boards have a sixth subject which is a choice students have to make. “Should she take Computers or Accounts? Computers or Art? Accounts or Music?” - this is often dependent on the teachers the school has on its bench, not on the ability of the student. I recall having to study Sanskrit only because there was a teacher available. My response is, “If there is a choice, let your child make it.” He wants to study Art but it’s so weird, a Science student learning Art! I remind them that Leonardo da Vinci, remembered for the Mona Lisa or the Last Supper, was a scientist. And Samuel Morse, the inventor, was a portrait painter of repute. The clinching argument, of course, is that “Your child loves art - he produces artwork for every occasion, does displays for every festival and attends art exhibitions. I vote for Art.”

Okay, I can’t really answer the next objection which goes, “But they can score higher in Computers!” My experience indicates they might, but it’s not much different in other subjects. I recollect a student in my class wanting to study Chinese, his roots of course. He was the only one. He studied it privately and achieved top marks — he came first with a high percentage, but there was only one student. So, I wouldn’t buy the “scoring” theory.

Do what you love, love what you do

What about Music and Stagecraft? Art Garfunkel the musician was known as the Folk Mathematician, Brian May the guitarist of Queen is an Astrophysicist, even Albert Einstein played the violin and the piano. Hardly relevant, but even Ed Sheeran has his Mathematics tour! A young lad I know is doing a double Masters in the US — in Math and in Music. The number of stand-up comedians who are certified scientists, software engineers or chartered accountants are too numerous to mention. Scores of young hopefuls make it to acting schools every year with an eye on Bollywood.

I think you get the drift of what I am proposing here. A course of study is just a pleasant interlude in the journey of life. We could make it more palatable by allowing our children to choose what they love doing. My pet theory is that there is no such thing as a “subject” - I believe subjects were created by text-book writers who needed to divide knowledge into slices for the convenience of publishers and syllabus makers. Knowledge stems from curiosity and that is not bound by the syllabus. Watch National Geographic or the History channel. The shows cover all sorts of subjects while exploring a single topic. No one steps in to identify a section as Physics or Biology or Geography. With Artificial Intelligence, these man made boundaries get even more blurred and vanish.

I know I have been as unhelpful as possible especially for parents who would like their viewpoints validated, but there you are. If she wants to be a weightlifter, why not? If he wants to play Hockey, go for it. Examination Boards offer multiple choices to cater to multiple intelligences. Today you can be a polymath, learning multiple disciplines in a random sequence, and become more useful to an unpredictable world, while playing the piano for recreation!