BEGINNING CHAPTER - 5 WITH A NEW OUTLOOK, 2016. (2)

Contd from pg 1/-

A couple of students were absent in the class today due to sickness and a couple more, due to the preparation with their model for the Science Exhibition. So, I decided that instead of continuing with the last 4 pages of Chapter-5, it would be worthwhile to try to keep the students on track and not letting them stray away.

As usual, in the last period, I asked them to try to answer 17 objective type questions from the pages we have done so far, within 30 minutes (they were given 25 minutes though). The total marks for the questions were 20 and most of the questions could be answered in 2/3 words or in 1 sentence at the most. 3 of the questions ( Nos. X, XV and XVI) required to be answered in 2 sentences.

After the given time, I asked them to exchange their Note Books and mark their friends’ copies. I wanted them to ask me, one after another, for the answers, but they did not have time to copy down the questions while writing their answers, so I read out the questions once more in the next 10 minutes and some students raised their hands to give away the answers. It was disheartening to find only 4 students raising their hands frequently.  Anyway, at the end, I found out that Sonam Zangmo A was the only one to have answered all the questions correctly. Well, almost, as she made one mistake. 8 more students got more than 75% and 2 students could not even score 50%!

I reminded them therefore, of the importance of studying the novel seriously line by line and the importance of asking questions even regarding the meaning of unfamiliar words ( flatulent, for example) and expressions. As there was a few minutes still left, I decided to make hay by summarizing the content of the pages done so far once more along with the students. Fortunately, I had forgotten to talk about the role of Gelong Ma Pelmo the first time I was talking about the aged couple in Changangkha Lhakhang, Fortunately, because this made the students to realize the need to write down the points sequentially for exam purposes. I remembered her just in the nick of time to deal with the couple talking about her leprosy more appropriately and how she got cured by meditating in the cave in Tang. One thing I liked about summarizing was the way I tried to include the exact words of the answers to the questions they were asked earlier.

On the whole, the last two days have been quite an enriching and exciting teaching-learning experience for me. And was I not happy not to have wasted a single minute of the instructional time today? God willing, I want the trend to be continued till the end of the academic year.

The following are the questions they were asked in the last period:

       I.          Chapter-5 is entitled ……………………………..? Ans:- Chapter-5 is entitled Dawa Runs Away.

     II.          What was Dawa’s usual place of solace?    Ans:- Dawa’s usual place of solace Is The National Memorial Chorten in Thimphu.

    III.          How did Dawa get mange?  Ans:- Dawa got mange from an unguarded/unprotected encounter with the fluffy dog.

   IV.          Why did that dog never show up any symptoms of mange?  Ans:- The fluffy dog never showed up any symptoms of mange because she was taken to the doctor by her owner for a check-up regularly.

     V.          When did Dawa notice the aged couple sitting near him?  Ans:- Dawa noticed the aged couple sitting near him close to the evening time.

   VI.          What/who were the aged couple talking about?  Ans:- The aged couple was talking about a common friend.

  VII.          What happened to the friend?  Ans:- She was very ill and perhaps dying.

VIII.          Who was Gelong Ma Pelmo? Ans:- She was a princess.

    IX.          What was wrong with her?  Ans:- She had/ suffered from leprosy.

     X.          How was she cured?  Ans:- She cured herself of leprosy by praying and meditating in a cave in Tang for many years.

    XI.          What happened to her finally?  Ans:- She attained enlightenment finally.

  XII.          When the aged couple tried to shoo Dawa away, how did he feel? Ans:- He felt ashamed of himself.

XIII.          What caused Dawa flatulence?  Ans:- Dal with a lot of fried onions caused Dawa flatulence.

XIV.          Why would Dawa not go near Dampa?  Ans:- Dawa would not go near Dampa for the fear of infecting him with mange.

  XV.          What did Dawa ask the teenager dog to tell Dampa?  Ans:- Dawa asked the teenager dog to tell Dampa that a friend wished to see him and he was waiting down there near the steps.

XVI.          What risks Dawa would have to take if he ran away from Thimphu? Ans:- If he ran away from Thimphu, the dogs in his area would chase him and try to kill him. The guard dogs in the other territories would attack him and tear him apart.

XVII.          Where was the black, brown Damche dog born and brought up?  Ans;_ The black, brown damche dog was born and brought up in a loving and caring family in Trongsa.

BEGINNING CHAPTER - 5 WITH A NEW OUTLOOK, 2016.

Today the lesson went off rather well. Yesterday’s Test became null and void due to the Mock Drill on Earthquake. So at the start of the class, I informed them about my intention of conducting it next week. They will have to answer two short questions but the only difference next time will be instead of chapter-4, the questions may be set from any of the chapters done so far.

After the prepared speech delivered by Rinchen Dorji, I started off with a summary of Chapter-4 once more. I asked them then to turn to Chapter-5 and spent some time discussing the topic of the chapter based on the title: Dawa Runs Away. They were mainly talking about his fear of turning out to be an underdog and being ill-treated by the other dogs. I told them they were right but there may be other reasons why Dawa decided to run away. Who knows most probably, he was suffering from a dangerous disease or something. After all, he is no coward.  

Later, when Dawa sought out the Memorial Chorten for solace, as he was suffering from the deadly disease of mange and when he recollected words of the utility of distancing oneself from the crowds at times, I put in my feeling that it is better to distance ourselves from our relatives and friends at times in order to take stock of things.

Sitting under the bush in the compound of the Chorten, as Dawa observed the interactions of the humans and the dogs, he noticed people being phobic of some of the dogs straying on their way, I shared with them my own experience and the resultant phobia of dogs. The year was 2003. I was working at Jakar Higher Secondary School in Bumthang. As I was waiting for the Captain (they were not called Councillors then) to lock up the collapsible gate of the Administrative Building after the Evening Study, suddenly the lights went off, covering the whole area under a blanket of darkness. Luckily, I was staying in the teachers’ quarters, some 1 minute's distance from the Administrative Block. The captain had vanished into thin air by then as I thought it best to hurry up to my place. Two huge black dogs emerged right then in front of me from nowhere. In Bumthang you have this gigantic dogs that look like the bear. I was scared to the pit of my stomach at the very sight of the monsters. I tried to look for a stick or something to save myself. But when fear takes a steady grip on you, your mind does not work sanely any more. I lost my balance up the stiff, narrow path in the half-walk-half-run state and fell face down. I was expecting the Devil disguised as the dogs to tear me apart. Surprisingly, the last of them I saw was both the dogs in the air with their front feet stretched and their mouths snarling and foaming. I do not know why I was spared by them that sinister evening. I only fractured my left hand! But the phobia was their greatest parting gift to me. So, I told the class, it is just natural for many to fear dogs and to try to avoid them at any cost.

When Dawa was saddened by the negative attitude of humans, encouraging their kids to be cruel to animals by kicking the dog out of their way, I did not let go of the chance to impart some values to them as well. One should never be cruel to the other animals in this world. I shared with them the essay we are doing in Class-XI these days. It is about a tribe called the Touaregs living in the Sahara desert. This once upon a time prosperous tribe, who had led a picture perfect life earlier, are starving sans food, sans clothes, sans everything. The only thing they are left with now is their civility. Their civility, kindness and compassion is what makes them unique under the trying circumstances. Despite their poverty and hunger, they make dinner for the author with the meat they have been saving for the harder times! This is what we must be like – gentle, kind, polite and helpful to others even under the most horrid circumstances.

As we got closer to finding out the reason for Dawa getting afflicted with mange – his encounter with ‘the fluffy dog with the fluffiest tail’, I reminded them to be careful while making friends. Someone may smell divine and desirable as a result of wearing a perfume, but from inside s/he may be thoroughly rotten. So, they, especially the girls, need to be very cautious of the charmers, snuggling upto them for the kill.

Finally, when Dawa realized that he had spent the whole day in the chorten, he noticed the elderly couple sitting near him. He also heard them talking about Faith and Miracles. I told them in this context, never to lose faith in God and in their own selves. Faith and miracles, I further added, can work out miracles. Then, all on a sudden, something clicked somewhere in my mind. We hear our Principal Sir, Mr. Namgay Wangchuk, talking about the importance of the Morning Assembly and the Prayer everyday to our students time and again. So here was a chance to tell them to pray more seriously during the prayer time. Even if they find a friend in the next line, chatting animatedly with another friend unseen by the teachers, they should not let themselves be influenced by others and pray with their whole heart. This prayer will stand them in good stead and heal all kinds of wounds – physical, mental and intellectual in due course of time.

I looked at my watch and realized there was still time to do one more paragraph at the cost of not being able to summarize the pages studied together at the end. I asked Sonam Zangmo to continue. The main points could be summarized in the next class. I tried my best to talk about the important points after their readings and explanations. As they seemed to be enjoying the story, why not make hay while the sun shines? The lesson was, to be honest about it, exhausting but enjoyable and that is what counts in the final analysis.

Contd on pg 2/-

Little Things In A Lesson Make A Vast Difference.

Contd from Dawa Gets Panicky.

While answering Q.No.2, Thakur Singh was found to have written the correct points but made it quite lengthy in the process. I asked him to try to keep things simple as the question could have been answered in on sentence:

Dawa was target Number One on the hit list of the Leader of Territories as he had opposed the move to entrust the Leader of Territories with the additional post of the Leader of Population Expansion.

Regarding Q.No.4, the class was informed that so many things can be written about the disgraced Leader of Warnings and Signals like:

ü  Once he was a very popular leader with a huge fan following.

ü  He was then the life of every gathering.

ü  On that fatal day, he was actually entertaining some of his friends,

ü  Now, as an underdog, he can be seen moving about keeping a safe distance from the other dogs.

ü  He is broken in spirit and body.

ü  There is always a look of terror on his face, etc.

For some reasons, I do hope and pray that I was able to get my message across. Tomorrow they will have to answer 2/3 short questions and their papers will be evaluated for the CA (Continuous Assessment) records. This is very important as a certain percentage of the marks they secure in the Class Work, will be added to their Mid-Year marks for English-II.

QUESTIONS;

1. Who were the three most powerful dog leaders of Thimphu? ( For the answer, please refer to the earlier section of this blog) 
2. .Why was Dawa target number one on the hit list of the Leader of Territories? ( Please refer to the earlier section as well)
3. .  Why was the former Leader of Warnings and Signals made to resign? ( The answer has been discussed earlier).
4.  Write two things you have learnt about the former Leader of Warnings and Signals. ( For the answer, refer to the earlier part of this blog).
5. What was the reply when Dawa asked his ardent supporters what they thought about a fallen leader?Ans:- The reply was that a fallen leader should be treated according to the dog rules.
6. What was the only difference between Dawa and the other dog leaders? Ans:- The only difference between Dawa and the other dog leaders was, while the other leaders enjoyed their positions, Dawa worried and fretted about his post. 

As i was coming out of the class, something written above the green board caught my eyes:

ALONE WE ARE MERE DROPS, BUT TOGETHER WE ARE THE MIGHTY OCEAN. How very true!

Dawa Gets Panicky!

One more Wednesday, one more lesson with IX E in the last period. We have already discussed the meaning of ‘the underdog’; the reasons for Dawa’s fear of being eventually an underdog, a fallen, disgraced leader; the pathetic state of the former Leader of Warnings and Signals now reduced to an underdog and the difference between Dawa and the other dog leaders. Though the students were supposed to read Chapter-4 at home, we have spent the last two days going through the chapter, explaining, discussing things. Now it was time to see how much they have learnt from this chapter.

Yesterday, towards the end of the period, I informed them after I had summarized the chapter for them that today I would ask them to answer some questions. I reminded them to go through the chapter at home/hostel once more systematically to be able to answer the questions properly today. They were asked to answer 6 questions accordingly in 25 minutes. All the questions could be answered in one or two sentences at the most. I wrote the questions on the green board and went on to remind them that they would exchange their notebooks after 25 minutes and correct their friends’ answers.

While they got busy answering the questions, I went around monitoring their progress. Looking at how worn out they all were and how intensively they were trying their best to answer the questions,  a strange thought came to my head all on a sudden.  It is very easy for me to ask them to answer questions like that at the end of the day, but they must have gone through a lot during the day. They must have studied and learnt something about at least 6 more subjects in the previous six periods and to be asked to answer 6 more questions must have been quite taxing for them!

I told them at the end of the 25 minutes that one day they could ask me as many questions as they wanted from all the chapters we have covered so far. Then I asked them how many of them couldn't finish answering all the questions in the given time. I was not really surprised to find more than half of the class raise their hands. I told them that in the exams if they are going to answer Set-II questions from any section, they will be given 45 minutes for that. (English Paper-II will have 4 Sections and the students will have to answer either some MCQs and short questions under Set-I or 2 broad questions under Set-II in 45 minutes as the total time allotted for answering all the questions from all 4 Sections are precisely 3 hours.) Then finding the poor response of the students, I changed my mind and asked them not to exchange their notebooks and try to correct their answers by themselves instead. Abinash was eager to answer the first question. Though there was not more than 10 minutes left, I let him. The answer was correct but I told the class to try to answer questions in full sentences. Instead of doing it pointwise, the answer could be written like ( the questions along with the answers are attached at the end for your information) :

The three powerful dog leaders in Thimphu were -

        I.          The Leader of Territories,

       II.          The Leader of Warnings and Signals, and

     III.          The Leader of Howling.

Contd on the next page.

SUMMARY OF CHAPTER-4.

In spite of realizing his dream, Dawa remained dissatisfied. The post of a leader was fraught with danger and in that capacity he had to work in close proximity of other dog leaders he was not particularly fond of. The three most important dog leaders were the Leader of Territories, the Leader of Warnings and Signals and the Leader of Howling. The area of the Leader of Territories extended from the dzong to the National hospital and from lower Motithang to the Vegetable Market. But the boundaries changed with the change of leaders. His job was also to chase away the intruders. He had a band of trusted comrades, some well-muscled veterans for the purpose of fighting dog-wars – which were often ruthless, bloody affairs with many dogs injured, blood shed and lives lost.

Once there was a proposal/move that the Leader of Territories be assigned the extra responsibility of being the Leader of Population Expansion. Dawa opposed the move as he did not want the future generation of dogs to be cold-blooded murderers. As a result, he became the enemy numero Uno of the Leader of territories.

Similarly, the Leader of Warnings and Signals was a young, ambitious dog who did not want to make the same mistake having witnessed the poor plight of his predecessor. He was edgy and added on to the existing sense of tension and insecurity of the dogs. The previous Leader of warnings and Signals was the underdog, the fallen leader, left at the mercy of all and sundry. He was the butt of ridicule and torture. Even the puppies did not spare him. He was reduced to a pulp with terror writ large on his face.

His situation made Dawa wonder about his own prospect, which did not look promising either with the Leader of Territories always scheming behind him and breathing down his neck. He wanted to get out of leadership but leadership provisions did not allow voluntary resignation. A leader either died or became an underdog. He rued the fact that he had become a leader by circumstances, but what about the others? Why did others become leaders in spite of all the gloomy eventualities?

Dawa found the leadership rules of Thimphu stifling. He was appalled at the condition of the Leader of Warnings and Signals. Once he was a very popular leader with a lot of fan following. In fact he was entertaining a group of his comrades when he failed to notice the dog-catchers and warn the dogs in advance. No sooner had he become an underdog than his friends and fans left him. Dawa did not like being followed around by a bunch of self-appointed opportunists. He not only felt uncomfortable in their presence but also got weary of them.

Once he asked three of his ardent followers how they felt about a fallen leader. Two of them kept quiet as they were unable to think. The third one replied that a fallen leader should be treated according to the rules. Dawa knew what that meant.

Dawa was worried of his own end ('drying up of luck' in dog parlance). Consequently he howled longer due to fear, till the early hours of the morning. The immediate result was human beings became more annoyed than ever before. The only difference between Dawa and the other leaders was while they enjoyed their positions of power, Dawa did not.

Contd on page 2/-

A Reviving Lesson on Chapter-3 (3), 2016.

Continued from Summary of Chapter-3 (3)

By a cruel stroke of Fate, or call it what you will, I am entrusted with Standard IX E in the last period on most of the days in the week. By the time I take my seat for the attendance, the class look dead tired, barely managing to keep away from jumping out of their skin and the look on their faces says it all and sickens me to my stomach.

The last two days with them were quite disheartening, to say the least. On both the days, I, along with a handful of students, was the only one reading out excitedly, trying to explain things, while the rest fought helplessly, trying to drive away merciless sleep from their drooling eyes! By the time I was done with the summarizing of the chapter (we were into the third chapter of Dawa, the story of a stray Dog), I was not sure if I was doing the right thing by trying to force them into remembering the main points of the chapter. I knew by the symptoms that I had to do something immediately to keep my honour in tact.

On the third day, that is, Wednesday, I did some quick thinking and informed them, towards the end of the class that today (Friday, the 16^th of April) I would ask them to answer some 20 short questions from Dawa is educated (Chapter-3) of the novel. I would do so just to see if they are studying seriously at all these days. The dozing class nodded its head conveying that they had got the message all right.

I made some 15 questions for them. Questions that can be answered in one or two words, or one liners at the most. Mentally calculated the time needed by them for answering the questions. Thought that did not require more than 1 minute per question and decided to ask them to answer one short question in the end, a question that would take 10 minutes for them at the most for coming out with a satisfactory answer.

Once I was in the class, I instructed them as per my plan, made sure that they understood what they were to do by asking some students to repeat the instructions and proceeded with the execution of the plan. There was no need for them to copy down the questions. All they had to do was to note down the question number and write the answer beside it.They were to answer the first 14 questions including 1 that had two parts in 15 minutes. 15 marks were allotted for this. The last question needed to be answered in 10 minutes as the question carried 5 marks. Altogether, they had to finish answering 15 questions carrying 20 marks in 25 minutes. After the exercise over, they were to exchange their notebooks and correct their friends’ by listening to the teacher repeat the questions once more and the answers being read out by their friends. I even allowed them to write the answer to the last question by referring to the textbook, on the condition that they would write it in their own words.

We started at around 10 to 12 and concluded by 15 minutes past 12. The last 10 minutes were kept aside for discussing the answers. After the stipulated time, the questions were read out once more one after another, while the students read out their answers. Later, I asked them to tell their marks, which was expectedly poor. Only 1 student could score 70% while the rest secured below 60%.Most of the students failed to answer the questions correctly.

It was time for the remedial measures. I decided to do it verbally first of all. I requested them to be more careful about their studies. If they do not study seriously from now on, later they would have a tough time. What are they going to do during the Mid-Term Exam, if they had trouble recollecting the points that we finished discussing yesterday?

I asked them to go through the chapter once more, something I had been asking them to do throughout the year. More seriously and systematically this time around, sorting out all the difficult words, finding out their meanings, making notes and trying to write the summary of the chapter in their own words.

As I thought that they have had enough of Dawa for the time being, I asked them if they would like me to teach something else next week. The students surprised me with their answer (they never cease to surprise me, anyway). Despite their apparent tiredness, their poor performance, they suggested unanimously that I continue with Dawa till next week. These are hardy pupils and they will eventually succeed, if for nothing else, then only for this characteristic trait alone.

Continued on Chapter-3 (4)

Chapter-3 (4), 2016.

Continued from Chapter-3 (3)

Here are the questions along with their answers discussed in the class from Chapter-3 of Dawa, the story of a stray Dog for the benefit of our students:

1)     When did Dawa explore Thimphu city?

Ans: Dawa explored Thimphu city in the day.

2)     Use two adjectives to describe Dampa.

Ans: Dampa was an unusual-looking, muddy-coloured, spindly-legged, old dog, with a heart-shaped face and large eyes. (Any two)

3)     What were the two things that dogs in Thimphu have to rely/depend on for a bellyful every day?

Ans: The dogs in Thimphu have to rely on their visual alertness and auditory keenness for a bellyful every day.

4)     Mention any 1 thing that Dawa and Dampa had in common.

Ans: They both could speak in human language.

5)     Why did Dampa ask Dawa to learn correct Dzongkha?

Ans: Dampa asked Dawa to learn correct Dzongkha because he thought it would be for his (Dawa’s) own good.

6)     Where was Dampa born?

Ans: Dampa was born near the Changangkha lhakhang.

7)     What languages did the second group of monks that he followed, speak?

Ans: It was some kind of Esperanto, a mixture of Dzongkha, Tibetan, English and Hindi.

8)     “We can’t live without it”. Who is the speaker? What is he speaking about?

Ans: The speaker is one of the monks. He is speaking about the chilli paste.

9)     Why did Dawa learn Dzongkha quickly?

Ans: Dawa learnt Dzongkha quickly due to his flair for/interest in languages.

10)  How did Dampa know so much?

Ans: Dampa knew so much by listening and observing others.

11)  Complete the following sentence:

“We must learn from human beings but must not ………….. ………” (2 words)

      Ans: “We must learn from human beings but must not imitate/copy them.

12)  The tall and heavy lady called Sonam Pem lived in a house in …….. ………. (2 words)

Ans: The tall and heavy lady called Sonam Pem lived in a house in Lower Motithang.

13)  Where did the monk with pure Dzongkha go?

Ans: The monk with pure Dzongkha went to a holy place in India.

14)  Give one reason why you think Sonam Pem left the house she had worked in for long?

Ans: Sonam Pem left the house most probably because – a) she was not treated well, b) she was paid no salary etc.

15)  Why did Dawa stop visiting Sonam Pem/

Ans: Dawa stopped visiting Sonam Pem as one day on his visit to the house, he found her sitting on the steps, stroking and scratching the white dog with its chin on her lap. It hurt and pained Dawa to find her loving the dog so much. She never bothered even to touch him ever. She had a smug, satisfied look on her face. Dawa was happy for her but decided not to go back to her any more.

P.S: I am really sorry, Dear Reader.I have been meaning to get back to Dawa for some time. Unfortunately, my lackadaisical approach to everything under the sun did not let me. Now with this start, I am not going to let you down any more. I forgot to tell you, by the way, my class-IX students were awake during the whole duration of the period today!

SUMMARY OF CHAPTER - 3 (2)

Dawa met Dampa, having learnt most of the honorific terms and made him laugh with his imitation of human behaviour. Dampa asked him to learn from humans but not to imitate them.

Dawa always loved watching humans. Now Dampa's words acted as a stimulus. One day he came across a tall, heavy girl chasing aways the dogs in one of those mating seasons when dogs go sniffing each other's rears. The girl was fond of Dawa and offered him a bowl of rice with vegetables every day. Later on Dawa realized that she was the unhappy maid of the family.
One day when he went back to the house, Dawa waited for a long time for Sonam Pem to come out with the leftover food from the kitchen. She did not come out. Nor did the food. From the conversation going on inside, he realized that the household seemed to be angry with Sonam Pem's  ingratitude. They thought that they had treated her fair and square. She  had not only harmed the family by leaving it, but also made it difficult for them to find another maid. Just when Dawa felt that the information regarding her new employer was not going to come, he found the mistress of the house coming out in order to go to the house where Sonam Pem had moved in and to put some sense into her head. As Dawa was curious about Sonam Pem's whereabouts, he followed the mistress to a bigger house not very far away.A foreign woman came to the gate and greeted her in Dzongkha. Dawa felt sorry for not being able to use the linguistic skills of his past life as both the women did not understand each other. He felt relieved while he was leaving finding things between them coming to a head..Dawa went back to the house the next day and was offered food by Sonam Pem. Though it consisted of some pieces of meat and vegetable, he was used to taking rice in his meals. Even then he visited the house occasionally. One day he found a white dog being stroked and scratched by the mistress of the house. Another time he found the dog eating carrots and vegetables out of a nice, pink bowl, though he did not look very happy about it.
Dawa's visit to the house ended abruptly when one day he found Sonam Pem, with the dog's chin in her lap, stroking and caressing the dog. She never touched Dawa in a similar manner ever. There was a look of happiness about her and her demeanor was relaxed as well. Though feeling happy for her, Dawa decided not to visit the house any more.

Turn to page 3/-