The Art of Thinking (Htet Zaw Htoo)

The Art of Thinking

One of my teachers said, “If reading a book is like growing a plant, thinking after reading is like weeding that plant to survive”. It means that a plant will never survive if it is not weeded though it is planted. Likewise, reading is no more effective without any thinking followed up. Therefore, thinking is of considerable importance in everything we do. In fact, every subject, successful inventions and also books come from a start of thinking. It is undeniable that scientists, mathematicians and writers, their inventions, laws and all principles start from thinking first. The study of thinking is terminologically termed as ‘philosophy’.

The word ‘philosophy’ has a Greek origin. ‘Philosophia’ a Greek word consists of two words, i.e., ‘phileo’ meaning love and ‘sophia’ meaning wisdom. Therefore, the literal meaning of philosophy is ‘love of wisdom’. As Marcus Tullius Ciero (106-43 BC) said, Philosophy is the mother of all arts and the true medicine of mind. On the one hand, Samuel Taylor Coleridge said, “Philosophy is science of sciences”. Therefore, it can be said that philosophy is the root of all arts and sciences. In the past of the world history, people were fond of thinking. As a result, all of the inventions, principles, laws, poems, stories and books are all the results of thinking. Sir Isaac Newton also thought why the apple fell on the ground instead of picking up and eating it. Otherwise, he could create no law and principle. Similarly, authors both in our country and all over the world thought much and changed their thought into words. As a result, their contributions can be available to be read and studied around the world. Besides, our everyday activities need to be done through thinking first. Otherwise, it is impossible to know exactly whether it should be done or not. In addition, it should be followed up with thinking to know which one is strength and also which are weaknesses. It can also be termed as reflection. In order to get used to thinking, philosophy should be introduced both to the students and to all members of the society formally and informally. By and large, the philosophy of education employs the basic terms metaphysics, epistemology, anxiology and logic. Metaphysics deals with the nature of reality. Epistemology deals with the nature of knowledge. Anxiology deals with the nature of values and logic deals with the nature of reasoning.

In conclusion, thinking is a necessity for all human beings like such basic needs as food, clothes and shelter. It is important to think before and after doing something so as to be on the right track. Thinking guides us what we should do most and shouldn’t too. Besides, thinking is the food for the soul. Without any thinking, the real essence cannot be grasped from reading books, stories, poems and listening songs too. Therefore, thinking is a kind of art every man must do in order to live wisely and meaningfully in life.  

People who feel afraid of failure will never be winners (Htet Zaw Htoo)

People who feel afraid of failure will never be winners

'Winners are not afraid of losing, but losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success'. It is one of the greatest quotes said by Robert Toru Kiyosaki, an American businessman and author. As he said, it is winners who never feel afraid of losing or failure. Almost all of the winners have faced failure at least once in their life. However, they dealt with those failures successfully and made good use of them to result in success finally. It is winners who never give up their effort and go to the ends of the earth although they become unsuccessful in their attempts. Losing or failure will never be disturbance to their way to success, but be the driving force behind their success. As Winton Churchill once said, "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm".

Therefore, it is indispensable to go to the ends of the earth with sheer determination and full of courage so as to get success as expected. Thomas Edison, who is regarded as the greatest inventor in the world to the end of time, was first said to be too stupid to learn. Moreover, he failed in his experiments many times. However, he went on hold more than 1,000 patents, including the phonograph and practical electric bulb. His greatest invention, the electric bulb, owes much to the well-lit world today. His success was due to his perseverence in spite of losing which he faced at the very beginning. As he said, he had not failed; he had just found 10,000 ways that wouldn't work. In addition to his own failure, he also thought only positive when his assistants make some mistakes. The bulb he had first made broke into pieces by one of his assistants. Edison tried making a new one instead of blaming his assistant for his clumsiness. He said that he never blamed his assistant because he would never do the same mistake again and learn from that mistake because he had made it once. Thus, losing or failure is just the opportunity to begin again more intelligently and better. Failure is not an end and we can learn best from that failure; we can learn from our mistakes. Oprah Gail Winfrey, an American media executive, actress, talk show host, television producer and philanthropist, is best known for her talk show 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' but she was fired from her first TV job as an anchor in Baltimore. She never felt afraid of failure, so she created her own TV channel and her talk show became the highest-rated television program of its kind in history. Moreover, she was the richest African American of the 20th century and North America's first black multi-billionaire. In 2013, Oprah recounted her experiences during a Harvard commencement speech. She said, "There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction". Her huge success was due to her courage and perseverance. Needless to say, sheer determination, perseverance and courage are all vital to the way to success because we can realize that by reading the biographies of successful people.

There are lots of successful people who can persevere with their work and deal well with losing or failure. It is impossible to write all of their successful stories in one sitting. However, they all have a common  quality on their way to success. They all never gave up their effort and desire in spite of difficulties and failures. As a Japanese saying goes, failure is the stepping stone to success. Therefore, we ought to make good use of losing or failure and learn from them. We should hope for the best but prepare for the worst. The way to success is surely rough and we will get some pains. However, as one lyric from the song named 'Believer' by Imagine Dragons, those pains will surely help us become believers and go-getters. Therefore, we should be ready to face any losing or failure and be never be afraid of losing or failure to become a promising winner. 

Htet Zaw Htoo (SUOE)

University Life & Extra-curricular Activities (Kyal Sin Phuu)

University Life & Extra-curricular Activities

We normally go to university to continue tertiary education. In my view, it is not worthwhile going to university with a mere purpose of getting a degree. We should go beyond the confines of the classroom to spread our wings. In other words, we should not be bookish at all times like we used to be in high school. Apart from pursuing academic qualifications (hard skills), we should partake in extra-curricular activities to equip ourselves with soft skills such as interpersonal skills, leadership skills, problem-solving skills, etc. that can hardly be acquired in the classroom.

       During our salad days at university, we have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of extra-curricular activities – from sport, music and dancing to personal development and community service programs. We can choose the activity that suits our pastime. For example, if we are articulate and fond of engaging in debate, we can join a Debate Club. Through volunteering activities, we have a chance to meet new people of different personality traits and diverse backgrounds. So, we can build up friendships outside our usual circle and expand our social network. We can also learn how to interact with others effectively, how to establish harmonious relationship with them and how to team up with them for the sake of common welfare. In other words, extra-curricular activities instil the spirit of cooperation in us and cultivate the habit of building unity in diversity. Simultaneously, it helps us understand the saying “Many hands make light work”.

          Furthermore, getting together with many people makes us feel a sense of belonging and boosts our confidence to assimilate into our community. It combats loneliness and depression as well as paranoia. It encourages us to be compassionate and considerate towards others, and respect different viewpoints of the others. In this way, we can improve our communication skills that are essential to live in concord with different types of people in our society.

         When we take part in extra-curricular activities, we have to balance our time to study and to engage in activities on regular basis. Thus, we can enhance our time management skills and get to perceive the value of time. If we run a club as organizers, we have to tackle the challenges to promote reputation of the club and to fulfil members’ expectation of the club. In this way, we can gain hands-on experience of leadership skills, problem-solving skills and negotiation skills. Moreover, occupying in such leadership positions reinforces a sense of responsibility in us and enlightens us about the qualities of a good leader.

         Nowadays, the job market becomes highly competitive. Thus, only academic achievement is not enough to project ourselves as ideal candidates among the sea of applicants. We need to showcase a range of best traits over and above our academic qualifications. Here, we can apply the aforementioned soft skills and experiences we have gained from extra-curricular activities to create an impressive CV.

          To sum up, in the springtime of life at university, we should get out of our comfort zone and attempt to discover our potential by participating in extra-curricular activities rather than fiddling around and wasting our precious time.

                                                                              Kyal Sin Phuu

Rudeness: Is it the main reason to lead downfall? (Htet Zaw Htoo)

Rudeness:  Is it the main reason to lead downfall? 

When it comes to a work, everyone might have experienced both success and failure. There are many reasons why we get success or failure. When it comes to failure, there are also a number of reasons why someone fails. If a person does not try hard enough and they have no sufficient knowledge and proficiency either, never will they get any success. However, they are the common reasons which we hear over and over again. In addition to these reasons, there are other reasons to lead failure.

(1) Not listening to others patiently

Nowadays most people tend to talk a lot about their plans, idea etc but in listening to others' they are rarely interested. This is the main reason of conflicts. Actually teamwork is very important to get success. Therefore, we need to pay attention to other subordinates' ideas and opinions. If a person always decides what to do one-sidedly, it is sure that he or she will never be successful in their particular work. Even when they sometimes get success, neither any colleague nor subordinate will respect them as a leader. Accordingly, not listening to others is one of the main reasons to lead failure.

(2) Not Having Mutual Respect

Respect is a two-way street. People like working with and helping those they respect. People have to live in the society and have dealings with others. Therefore, we need to respect with each other in the society. Mutual respect is fundamental to be successful in whatever we do. A person who is not given any appreciation or respect by others may feel dejected and depressed; he or she would not love to try more and get any success.

(3) Not Following the Previous Ways

Creativity or making our ways to do something is good. However, we should not disregard the previous ways the older people, our seniors, have used when they are appropriate to our needs. We cannot deny that experience is the best teacher in whatever we do. Therefore, we ought to apply the ways more-experienced people use if need be. Even if we do not follow directly their ways, we should take the ideas of the experienced.

(4) Speaking impolitely and giving one-sided orders

Speaking fairly is very important in the society. If you are a leader, speaking fairly and politely is very important and if you are a follower, it is important too. If you give rude orders as a leader; here maybe when you give orders to your students as a teacher, they may obey your orders and put up with your aggression and unpleasantness. However, they never feel happy and end up with resenting you. And, as a result, they will likely not put in their best work for you. They probably won't put their heart into it, either, and without passion and heart, things become very average, very quickly. However, time always changes and table turns. Therefore, the time when you are in need of help or follow others as a follower. At such time, the very colleagues or followers or students you have ever worked with might become alienated by your past poor behaviour. Being rude is one of the ultimate ways to lose your friends and allies. Without any good friend or ally, it is difficult to get success by yourself.

When it comes to rudeness, there may be other different factors to describe rude behaviors according to different societies. However, the factors mentioned above are very important for successful living in the society. If a person is lack of patience; does not listen to others, has no mutual respect, always the ways the experienced have used and speak impolitely, it is impossible for him or her to get success. Even if they succeed in what they do sometimes, they are not stable and cannot last longer. Therefore, it can be said that rudeness is the main reason to lead downfall because of these reasons.

                                                                                                   Htet Zaw Htoo

Questioning is the tap root of education (Phyo Wai Aung)

Questioning is the tap root of education

As soon as we had came out of the mother's body, we met questions of heat, coldness, warmth, hunger, dissatisfaction and our new world. Our response to these questions was crying with a high voice. Since then, questions had increasingly moved towards our life. Whenever I cried with the loudest voice, my parents always asked me why-questions. Moreover, when I entered my school, my classmates and I asked a lot of questions to one another. Then, my teachers always put several questions to me daily when I attended the class. From that time on, it dawned on me that questions and questioning almost always occupy my everyday life, my environment, my society and my small world. However, these questions and questioning are usually straightforward and sometimes personal.

As we all know that classrooms should be like Hluttaws, our classroom of today should be filled with agreement and disagreement as well as asking intelligent questions. Here, Edison, for instance, asked many questions to his teachers not because he did not understand the lessons very well but because he really wanted to know thoroughly how things happen or work. Yet, his teachers thought that he is a slow learner or low-achieving student. In this way, his questions were killed, but he himself tried to discover the answers to his questions by studying at home. Later, he was able to invent the electric bulb after doing laboratory experiments many times. Consequently, our world has been shining the whole night. I believe Edison showed that questioning is not a job of lay men, but of wise men.

Since I was a high school student, I had also enjoyed questioning like Edison. I like to understand very well what the concept of the lesson is. Certain teachers were ready to welcome my questions including my friends'. Unfortunately, some teachers pay too little attention to my questions. Nor do they themselves ask their students, either. Nevertheless, it is true that questioning is an important aspect of students' and teachers' work in the classroom.

According to Charles Kivunja (2015), questions fall into four main categories: convergent questions, divergent questions, evaluative questions and reflective questions. Convergent questions are questions whose answers are known and expected from the students. If students give any response which is not what teacher expects, it is considered. An example of such a question is ''When was Hellen Keller born?" The next one is divergent question which is an open-ended type designed to give the students the opportunity to uncover the deep-seated meaning of the concepts rather than simple yes or no answers. For example, such a question is ''Why should we preserve endangered species from extinction?'' The third one is evaluative question which is similar to divergent question in that it deals with matters of judgement, value and choice. A brilliant example of this is '' If the Ayeyarwady river is dammed up, how would this affect Myanmar?" Last but not least, reflective questions give students the opportunity to reflect before they respond and to be promped to expand and extend thinking through follow-up questions. ''What are your opinions, ideas and  beliefs about the party politics and what implications do they have for our future Myanmar?" is one of the reflective questions. 

It is in our classroom that economic, social, political, educational, cultural, religious and environmental factors of Mynmar must have been discussed by teachers and students. Therefore, not only should questioning be welcome in our classroom but it is vitally important for teachers to be proficient in asking students these types of questions in a proper and intelligent manner. In 1971, Rosenshine stated that questioning is one of the oldest instructional strategies used by teachers and it is sometimes referred to as the Socratic method. According to the findings of research studies, an average teacher spend between 35 and 50 per cent of teaching time on asking questions to students. It is an unforgettable fact that although teacher questioning is essential, teachers should prepare questions to be used in the instructional process before entering the classroom. 

By summing up, questioning can facilitate learning by students and can extend as well as deepen their understanding. So, let's paint together our classrooms questioning colour.

Phyo Wai Aung

Youth & Social Media (Kyal Sin Phu)

Youth & Social Media

Everything has pros and cons, especially social media. So we should not blindly say that social media is either fruitful or deleterious, because it depends on the individuals and how they use it. In other words, it is beneficial to us if we use it productively, and it can bring undesirable consequences or can put a serious damper on our life if we use it improperly.

Among social media, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Viber, Facebook is the largest and most popular social networking site in our country. It is prevalent among youths, some of whom use it for more than just posting selfies and keeping up with friends. Facebook offers valuable sources of information on assorted fields such as education, economics, politics, and technology.

Via Facebook, they can gain once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, such as studying at prestigious universities abroad through fully-funded scholarships, information of which probably would never have been seen if not of the popular social media site. Such an opportunity is like a divine gift from the heavens for an impoverished youth with great passion to pursue a quality education abroad. Moreover, through information from Facebook, underprivileged youths can apply for stipends and continue their tertiary education. For some youths, Facebook becomes a place to search for information about free seminars, talks, workshops and online courses. Some of the youths who have a thirst for knowledge read local and international news from the official pages of media companies and keep abreast of the latest developments in technology and hot issues of the world. Some are seeking jobs on Facebook, where various types of jobs in a wide range of industries are disseminated by companies large and small.

On the other hand, the drawbacks outweigh the advantages for some youths who use Facebook in the wrong way. Some encounter cyber-bullying and security attacks. Others become distressed, depressed and discontented when they compare their lives with those of others that they can so easily see on Facebook. Some teenagers allow Facebook to take up too much of their time, and thus have less time to study and to engage in face-to-face communication with their beloved ones. As a result, they often suffer academically, and their physical interaction with others gradually fades away. What’s worse, some teenagers spend their time cyber-chatting with strangers they have never met. All too often, they find those strangers charming and admirable. In some cases, they fall in love with them without considering the potentially disastrous results of committing yourself to someone you have seen only on the screen of a smartphone. This impulsiveness can put them in danger. In these kinds of undesirable cases, social media can be a source of trouble.

 In a nutshell, the use of social media can result in harmless fun, but also in serious danger. So, being human beings with sapient brains, we should aim to be the masters, not the slaves, of social media, by availing ourselves of the ample opportunities they offer.

Kyal Sin Phu

New Year Suggestion : Sheer determination is the key to success (HZH)

New Year Suggestion : Sheer determination is the key to success

A new Myanmar year has begun since Wednesday. At the very beginning of the new year, it is indispensable to reflect on what we did in the previous year. Subsequently, we need to sustain our strengths and eliminate our weaknesses in the new year. In order to succeed what we do, it is very important to do it being in mind that it will be done till success is got as we expect.  As a saying goes, where there is a will there is a way. It means that everything is possible in this world if someone has the necessary will power and sheer determination to do it. If one has a strong will or burning desire to do something, he will hunt for all possible means to succeed in doing it with constant efforts and unshakable faith. It is man who is capable of rational thinking and coming to decisions about what he should or love to do or achieve in his life. He is capable of making a determined approach to the success he wants by setting sheer determination first. It is patently obvious that will or determination has played a significant part in leading man to success in his effort. Therefore, it is indispensable to set a dogged determination to succeed first before attempting to accomplish what is to be done. Besides, that dogged determination needs to be sustained till the success is achieved.

There are hard evidences that successes many famous people got are the results of efforts and perseverance backed by their dogged determination. Columbus, who discovered America, did not meet with success easily. He spent many days in the open sea with deep-seated faith in what he was doing. His sheer determination finally helped him discover America and he became the hero all of the people admire today. Likewise, General Aung San, who is an enduring leader of our country, tried his best to regain the independence of our country with the people by setting the strong determination. His dogged determination made his efforts stronger and eventually brought the success though he was not able to see the flower of his effort. Another example of success due to sheer determination and perseverance is the success of Ishaan and his art teacher, Nikumbh. In a 2007 Indian film titled 'Like Stars on Earth', Ishaan was an 8-year-old dyslexic child who could not read and write well as normal children could. The teachers from the school he attended first did not have dogged determination to help him study well and did not see his authentic ability. To make a long story short, his new art teacher, Nikumbh, who taught him in the school he moved, realized well that he was passionate about painting and gifted with it. Nikumbh's sheer determination, sustained effort and unshakable faith helped Ishaan become an outstanding student in his school. Actually, there are countless examples in history to show how a strong will enabled persons to achieve the objectives they had set before themselves. The world is what it is today owing to discoveries and inventions made by explorers and scientists. Their discoveries and inventions became possible because they were backed by their strong will and determination. Accordingly, it can be said that strong will and sheer determination are the part and parcel of building up the present-day civilization. Therefore, it does not matter that a person has superb abilities but matters that he has strong will and sheer determination to succeed.

Thus, the message contained in this simple saying, `Where there is a will, there is a way', is indeed a great one. Without any determination and will nothing can be achieved by man; man's ability to act with his dogged determination makes him succeed. Therefore, it is blindingly obvious that sheer determination is the key to success and it is a must we must do first in the new year.

Htet Zaw Htoo

Why Educational Psychology is important to a teacher (HZH)

Why Educational Psychology is important to a teacher

Psychology is the study of people's behavior, performance, and mental operations. In addition, it refers to the application of the knowledge, which can be used to understand events, treat mental health issues, and improve education, employment, and relationships. There are sub-areas of psychology, including: Sports, Education, Business, Media, Physical conditions and Human development. It also involves other areas of study, including humanities, natural sciences, and the social sciences. Psychology studies people—who and what they are. It looks into why they act and think the way they do and how someone can improve himself or herself. Therefore, everything a person does is connected to the subject. It can be said that psychology is a must for all people to study. Education is one of the most important components of human society. Teachers, parents and students, who are all crucial in education, are human beings. Therefore, they should all have the knowledge of psychology. Among them, it is teachers who spend most of time with students and also mold students into good or bad ones in education. Therefore, Psychology is one of the basic needs to become a teacher. Psychology specialized in education area is termed as educational psychology.

In the institutes of education and education colleges throughout the world, Educational Psychology is prescribed as a compulsory subject for all prospective teachers to study like Educational Theory and Methodology. As our teacher, Professor Dr Tin Maung Win always said, Educational Theory focuses on what to teach, Methodology focuses on how to teach and Educational Psychology emphasizes when to teach. When a work is done, it is important to be able to do it exactly at the right time. Otherwise, what we do and how we do it may be good, but it will never be effective. Similarly, it is more important to teach students at the right time, when they can absorb what is taught, than what is taught and how it is taught. Teacher is like a philosopher who guides his student. He is responsible to be aware about growth and development of the students. Only when he understands well his students’ growth and development, he can correctly choose what to teach at the right time. In addition, Educational Psychology studies various factors which have impacts upon students, which may include home environment, social groupings, peer groups, his or her emotional sentiments, and mental hygiene etc. In this way, a teacher can realize why teaching-learning process fails if he or she finds it fail. As a result, he or she will be able to fix his teaching-learning process well in time. Educational Psychology helps a teacher to know that how learning takes place and enables him or her to know that how learning process should be initiated, how to motivate, how to memorize or learn. Therefore, it is undeniable that the teacher who studies well Educational Psychology will help his or her students’ learning best. Moreover, Educational Psychology informs a teacher, about the nature of the learners and his or her potentialities, intelligences and aptitudes. For example, Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory claims that every child is special and they are differently good at different areas. As a result, any student cannot be recognized as idiot ones and teacher will realize that students’ performances should be assessed by using alternative assessments than traditional paper and pencil tests to polish students’ abilities right in the fields they are talented. As a result, students are less likely to be specialized in the subject they are not really interested in as they have to do in the here and now. In this way, productive citizens who are rightly good at their fields can be produced more and it will help the education of our country to become better and more reliable.

It is not enough to present why Educational Psychology is important to a teacher only in an essay. This is just the brief presentation which highlights that Educational Psychology is a must for a teacher. It is like a weapon which a soldier must use to win a war or like an oar of a rower. Without studying Educational Psychology, a teacher can never accomplish his or her teaching-learning process effectively. Therefore, it is vital not to let anyone enter to teaching career unless he or she has studied Educational Psychology yet. In conclusion, Educational Psychology is important for every teacher and each and every teacher had better utilize what they have studied in educational psychology to implement an effective teaching-learning process.

Htet Zaw Htoo

TEACHERS ARE WINNERS (Htet Zaw Htoo)

TEACHERS ARE WINNERS

According to Myanmar belief, the word ‘Saya’ (teacher) comes from ‘Sar Yar’, which means ‘shadow’. Shadow makes everybody cool and fresh and gives strength to continue their work successfully. Similarly, teachers welcome every pupil friendly and warmly. Besides, they teach them what is right or wrong to be successful in their life. It is teacher who has a chance to do teaching between humans. It is lucky for a teacher to help a person’s life to be successful. There is always a teacher behind a successful story. There are lots of examples in which teachers help their students to get success. Therefore, it is said that teachers are winners. 

One of such famous stories is Helen Keller and her teacher Annie Sullivan. Though Helen used to be a happy and intelligent girl until she got a mysterious illness, she became blind and deaf after the illness, which she suffered from when she was two years old. Her whole world became dark and lonely. However, the light of hope appeared in her life after five years. Her father, Captain Arthur Keller, contacted the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston. Then he asked the director of the institute help for Helen. The director requested Annie Sullivan, a young woman teacher, to help Helen to learn language, the key to the world, and open the treasure in Helen. After she thought about it many times, Annie agreed to help Helen. Long story short, Annie tried her best to teach Helen not only language but also good manners. However, the Kellers themselves felt disappointed at her teaching method because they did not think hers was not on the right track. Besides, they thought that Annie made Helen unhappy and tired. However, Annie never felt depressed and never gave up her effort. As a result, she helped successfully Helen learn language, the key to the world. Later, Helen kept learning to read and write. She graduated from Radcliffe College, one of the best colleges in America. Later, she became a world-famous writer and appeared in some films though she was blind and deaf. It is Annie Sullivan, Helen teacher, who stayed together with Helen till her last breath and helped Helen’s life not to die itself and lose her best value. If Annie did come to Helen’s life and was not her teacher, it is frustrating to think how Helen spent his whole life. When Helen became famous, everybody wanted to know who was her teacher and praised at her all over the world. It is like a coach of the team which won the champion cup. Accordingly, it can be said that teachers are winners.

People said that there are most important and noble professions in the world. Medical doctors, teachers and lawyers are those who do these professions. As people said, teaching is a noble profession and it is a kind of art. It is art that makes people either good or bad and so is teaching. Teaching by teachers makes people good but it can also make them bad. Therefore, it is very important for teachers to teach their students only good things. Teachers are winners but they may be losers if what they teach and how they teach are not on the right track. It is important to notice that there is a teacher in every successful story but there is a teacher in a bad story too. In conclusion, teachers are winners if what they teach and how they teach are on the right track. Otherwise, they might become losers who produce people who are good-for-nothing for our society. Therefore, every teacher ought to try what they teach and how they teach are on the right track to be winners.  

Htet Zaw Htoo

All Work and No Play Make A Dull Life (Htet Zaw Htoo)

All Work and No Play Make A Dull Life     

                      

How would you feel if you eat the same meal every day or if you listen to the same song repeatedly? There is totally no doubt that everything becomes boring if it continuously happens or is done without any change. Similarly, when the same work is done all the time, life becomes a dull one, which is neither challenging nor happy. Therefore, play is also necessary for people in addition to work which they have to do to fulfill their basic needs; food, clothes and shelter.

The more work people feel loaded with, the more tension and worries they have got. Like an engine found in a machine, it becomes hotter when it is used continuously for a long time. Then, it will stop working finally. Likewise, people are living things who are made up of blood, flesh, cells, tissues etc. As a result, their bodies become tired or exhausted when they work for a long time. To give their bodies a rest, people go to bed and sleep. However, people are not like robots, so it needs to put their mind at rest. Through play which is done for amusement rather than work, worries, anxiety and tension they have become less serious because they have got a chance to do what they love to do as a change. After that play, they can work and solve the problems more successfully than ever before because their minds are clear and fresh. In the same way, students had better not study without a pause for a long time. The longer they study, the less their brains work. When their brains get tired, their studying is not totally effective. Therefore, they have to give rest not only to their body but also to their mind. Throwing themselves down onto the bed and listening to music is a good kind of play they should do. In addition, traveling together with family of friends is also a good kind of play that all people should do.

When a person has to do the same work for a long time, he or she may feel doubtful that what he or she has been doing is on the right track. He or she may feel bored with things he or she has been doing and they think that they are meaningless for them. Last Wednesday, a friend of mine who is older than me and a Ph.D. candidate as well as a headmistress of a middle school at present told me that she thinks that life is meaningless and she cannot manage to do works as others can and before the work she is doing has not finished, another one is ready to get done. She was overloaded with too much work. As a result, she thought that her life is just a dull one. Therefore, I told her about the book I had read, the monk who sold his Ferrari written by Robin Sharma, which was translated to Myanmar by Saya Moe Shin (I.M.T). The book takes the form of a fable about Julian Mantle, a high-profile attorney with a crazy schedule and a set of priorities that center around money, power and prestige. As such, Mantle represents the values of our society. The story is told from the perspective of one of his associates, who admires Mantle’s great success and aspires to be like him. But when Mantle has a heart attack, he drops out of the game and disappears. He sells all his possessions and goes to India to seek a more meaningful existence. When he comes back, he becomes a changed man. Really, it is as if he was a completely different person. He was learned from some mythical Himalayan gurus who give him mystical and yet practical advice, which he shares with his former associate (and the reader). Although it is not easy to give up all and restart a new and different life as Mantle does, it is important not to let our work occupies all of our time. Otherwise, life is not interesting because it runs always on one way. In addition, anything we do will never be effective if we feel tired and bored with it.

In conclusion, the most important thing to get a work done is the fresh mind and body. It is not how long somebody works, but the concentration that counts. Any good concentration cannot be got if they work all the time without any play. The work they do becomes a dull one because they feel bored with it as it lasts longer. Eventually, their life itself becomes a dull one, which is not challenging and fascinating anymore. All work and no play just make a dull life. 

Htet Zaw Htoo (S.U.O.E)

Courtesy is home-brew (Htet Zaw Htoo)

Courtesy is home-brew     

Theodore Roosevelt said, "Courtesy is as much a mark of a gentleman as courage". Sophie Turner also said, "Courtesy is a lady's armor". As they said, courtesy is very important like courage for a man and dress for a lady. Courtesy is like a great equipage of the polite society. However, it is not behaviour that is set aside for special occasions. According to Robin Thompson, "Behaving politely is a way of life, not just something you pull out when you are at a wedding or a fancy restaurant". Courtesy should be automatic in a person's life that is, people need to be used to it as naturally as they do everyday chores. 

    Most people would define courtesy as polite behaviour that reflects good manners and respect and kindness to others. As much as most of the parents would desire, courtesy and respect are not traits that are innately ingrained in a child. However, children can be taught to be polite and courteous from the time he or she is young. By raising courteous children, their courteousness will help them feel comfortable and confident in any social setting. Besides, teaching courtesy to children is part of parent's five responsibilities for their children instructed by Our Lord of Buddha. Therefore, children should be taught good table manners and polite behaviour since their childhood. It is said that parents are the very first teachers for a child. So whether a child is courteous or not directly depends on his or her parents and environment they live. Children should be taught systematically how to live, talk and behave politely since their childhood. According to William Wordsworth, the child is the father of the man. It means that all what we do in childhood hardly change when we become adults. Therefore, courtesy and mutual respect should be taught at home since children are young. Home is the very first place where all of good and bad behaviours start to be rooted in. Besides, parents should send their children to the schools or organizations which are open to everyone to learn good manners and courtesy. Such kind of school is Dhamma school by Buddhist orgabization. Especially in today's high tech world of computer, tablets and smart phones, children learn quicker become smarter at a younger age. These advances in their intellect, however, will do them little good if parents fail to teach them social skills, courtesy and respect needed for getting along with others. These reasons show that why children should be taught to be polite and courteous since they are young and at home. 

    As Shinshi Suzuki once said, "Children learn to smile from their parents". So it is clear that a child always learn and imitate what to do from their parents. It is their parents who a child sees and lives closely since he or she was born. It is their home that starts all of their behaviours. Therefore, it can be totally said that courtesy is born at home and it is home-brew. Parents needs to be courteous and polite themselves and should be role models for their children.In this way, children can turn courteousness into a lifelong habit till they become adults and they will be able to discover that common courtesy offers in their personal and professional lives.

- By Htet Zaw Htoo 

Are entrance exams a must to select students for every course? (HZH)

Are entrance exams a must to select students for every course?

Nowadays, entrance exams have to be widely taken as a must all over the world in order to join the courses. It is widely accepted that entrance exams are the gateways to the courses students want to join. The world itself is a mixture of good and evil and entrance exam is not an exception.

Firstly, one point in favor of entrance exams is that they help examiners to reduce the element of bias and ambiguity in selecting the students. Examiners have to check the answers written by the students without knowing their identity numbers. Therefore, examiners have no chance of showing favoritism to any students. Besides, objective test items also reduce the element of bias and ambiguity.

The next argument for entrance exams is that they help students study regularly. The sense of having to take entrance exams always reminds students not to waste their time for no reason. Students need to spend more hours preparing for entrance exams. Otherwise, they will not be selected for the courses they want to join.

Another argument for entrance exams is that uniform standards are maintained in entrance exams. Examiners set a uniform syllabus and enable students to prepare accordingly to achieve certain set standards. Thus, entrance exams reduce confusion about the type of syllabus, the topics covered and so on.

The first argument counter to entrance exams is that they encourage exam-oriented study culture. Entrance exams develop exam-oriented study culture. Instead of students learning to make meaningful contribution or learning with critical-thinking, they are pressurized to study in order to pass entrance exam.

What is more, entrance exams encourage rat race and competition instead of collaboration. While deciding the cut-off scores to choose the selected students, a comparative system is used. The more points the students get, the more chances they have to pass the entrance exams. As a result, students develop the idea of competition with each other instead of collaboration.

Last but not the least, another counter-argument against entrance exams is that they make creativity and innovation take a back seat  among students. Students have to spend most of their time preparing for entrance exams. As a result, they become weak in others which encourage creativity and innovation. On the other hand, they do not have enough time left to do what they like such as their hobbies.

To sum up, it is undeniable that entrance exams will be used longer as necessity for any courses because no method is so easy, objective and effective as this one. However, they also have drawbacks, so they need to be followed by the one which reduces their drawbacks. I think that one of the best ways is using viva test. I think that viva tests will be able to polish the qualities of entrance exams.

Htet Zaw Htoo

Appreciate the gratitude owed to somebody (Htet Zaw Htoo)

Appreciate the gratitude owed to somebody

In the history of our country, there once lived a soilder who had to spy for the king of the enemies and assassinate him. After hiding in the king's palace for many days, he got a chance to kill the king, but actually he came back without killing him because he had eaten some rice and curry while he was hiding. As a saying goes, once one has eaten a mouthful of food from someone one remains indebted to him. That soldier's action becomes an ideal for all of us. It is wise to appreciate the gratitude owed to somebody. In the heart of somebody who never forget our gratitude, we can find the pleasure again as we can hear the song , which we have ever sung, from beginning to end. It also makes good and deep-seated relationship throughout our life and it may continue exsiting to our future generation. Long story short, appreciate each gratitude owed to somebody at least by replying "thanks". It will bring good consequences.

Htet Zaw Htoo

The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world (HZH)

The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world

It does not matter where people live or what kind of ethnic group they are. People all over the world have at least one in common with other people. It is that they all have mothers who gave birth to them. Mother is like a place where a river rises. No one is born without her. From the highest authority to the layman, no one is escaped from the greatest gratitude of mothers. Besides, mothers are the persons who keep in closer touch with their children than everyone including fathers. As a result, how a child will live in the future depends mainly on his or her mother. Mothers are the very first teachers who teach informally how to eat, how to talk, how to walk, how to behave and every basic manners to their children since the formative years of their children. In addition, children themselves imitate the way their mothers talk, behave, think and interact with others. Therefore, it is mother who can mould a child into a good or bad person as well as a successful person or a failure. It is like a fountain from which its streamlets stream.

In the poem, ‘the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world’, which was composed by William Rose Wallace (1819-1881), he composed; 

“Infancy’s the tender fountain

Power may with beauty flow,

Mother first to guide the streamlets,

From them souls unresting grow —

Grow on for the good or evil hurled,

For the hand that rocks the cradle

Is the hand that rules the world.”

It is obviously clear that mother can mould a child’s life into a good or evil one. There are lots of evidences to prove that. In a Burmese story, there once lived a thief who burgled other people’s houses and stole their properties. One day he burgled the King’s palace and stole his jewelry. However, he was caught by the King’s soldiers and finally he was sentenced to death. On the way to the place where he was about to be killed, the thief requested the King to let him meet his mother as the last chance. The King thought for a while and made up his mind to take his mother and allow him to meet her. When his mother arrived in front of him, the thief told her to come closer to him and bit her ear instead of saying something as his mother had thought. To make a long story short, the thief believed that he became such a thief who dare steal even the King’s properties because his mother ignored minor cases of stealing which he did in his childhood instead of punishing him to stop it. This story highlights how much a mother influences her child. Even her minor ignorance can end a child’s life with a terrible ending.

On the contrary, there are many evidences in which children become successful owing to their mothers’ incredible guidance. One of the best examples is Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s success, which started under the systematic control and guidance of Daw Khin Kyi, her mother. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, our State Counsellor, had to grow up only under her mother’s guidance because her father, General Aung San, was assassinated when she was only a two-year-old girl. Therefore, she had to depend only on her mother for all. It is sure that her mother’s behavior influenced her a lot. Since Daw Khin Kyi was an incredible and ideal woman, her daughter becomes a worldwide famous leader and gets admired by people all over the world. This highlights a mother’s importance and the idea that the hand that rocks the cradle can rule the world.

As William Rose Wallace composed in the last verse of his poem, ‘the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world’;

“Blessings on the hand of women!

Fathers, sons, and daughters cry,

And the sacred song is mingled

With the worship in the sky—

Mingles where no tempest darkens,

Rainbows evenmore are hurled;

For the hand that rocks the cradle

Is the hand that rules the world.”

It is obviously true that mother is the key person to mould a child into a good or evil person in the future. Mother themselves need to realize their importance. Besides, they need to try their best to guide their children as an ideal person. They need to be knowledgeable and have to read lots of books in order to put their children on the right track. As William R. Wallace composed, it is mother who can make a child’s life bright like sunshine or a rainbow. Moreover, it is mother who can make a child’s life darken with tempest. All things to be considered, every mother should realize their importance for a child’s future and need to try best to become ideal persons for their children because the hand that rocks the cradle can rule the world.

Htet Zaw Htoo (SUOE)

Is setting plan B good or not? (Ah Mon)

Is setting plan B good or not?

When we have things to get done, most of us likely to set plans in advance. A sequence of events are made in those plans. But some people also set extra plan in addition to the original one,which we called Plan B. Plan B is an alternative solution in case the original plan fails. So, it becomes interesting to wonder whether setting plan B is good or not.

An argument in favour of setting plan B in advance is that it really do help the planner to save face. As we have already known, future is unpredictable and things can turn out to a different situation. To illustrate it in teaching, suppose that a teacher wants to make an experiment and he or she has already planned the equipments. But unexpectedly, the equipments don't work when students start working with them. At that time, teacher who made a plan B in advance will find ways to move on to another planned activity like observation or nature walk around the school while teacher who did not set a plan B in advance will be lost in chaos in front of the students. Many other examples can also be found at work, hospital, court and so on where having plan B always works. A further advantage is that plan Bs can raise the planners' confidence. The awareness of having planned a plan B will definitely increase our levels of confidence in that we do not have to worry about whether things can go wrong or not. 

In contrary, it can be argued that setting plan B in advance by thinking of `what if´ situation is not an easy job actually. It can bring more stress, more worries and be more time-consuming. For example, it surely will make you to be more confusing of thinking about a plan B if you just race against the clock with loads of things to do and the deadline is tomorrow. Apart from this, a commitment to the original plan could be lost by plan B. The sense that you have a plan B will, in some cases, force you to give up easily on the original one.

All things considered, I think setting plan B in advance is a good habit that we should develop. It is better to have a planB than with no choice left in hand. It can give us the sense of secureness and make us to be strong. It can be said that plan Bs are like quick-relief inhalers for asthma attack. Just like such inhalers save asthmatic from difficulties of breathing, plan Bs help us free from a series of frustrations when things get wrong. 

Ah Mon