The Social Network

In this world of virtual realities, I'm still grappling to find my own. Call it generation gap, if you insist. The world that we grew in consisted of people you met, as part of your world. Today, people you've never met, people you may never meet ever, people who were your staunch enemies, people you were happy to be strangers with, all are part of your friend circle. In a way, they are part of your world.

I've always believed that the world we live in consists of things 'you' personally wish to consist of. If you believe in ghosts, you'll have ghosts in your life. Whether as a memory of a dark lane, or whether as your darkest fears of your life. If you believe the world is full of miracles by God, you will definitely have one that would have happened in your own life. If you've understood the idea, read on.

So, this point of social networking with 'real' strangers is odd to me. It brings so many unidentified people and things into my life, of which I'm not aware of. There are people who would be regularly watching over my Facebook Profile or Wall, or reading me regularly on my blog, without my knowledge, least, my permission. I don't like that. One of my friends, old friends, told me through an e-mail that they read my blog and prefer not to comment. I respect their choice. I am happy that they read and I know about it. But, like them, there must be others, who read and do not comment, and 'should not' be here. I dislike that.

All the hollywood movies that I've seen 'Enemy of the state', 'I.Robot' et al come to my mind, making me revisit what all I've written here. Whether there's anything I shouldn't have... I just want to write, have some friends/genuine people read, who have no other intention than to read the writings of fellow humans, and no other purpose of following/stalking me. I don't want unknown people.

It was fine till I had no clue about it. But, with recent blogger profile, I know there are people, number much more than my follower list, who read me, without my knowledge. Thanks to Stats section.

What is it that I can do. 

Schools

Ever since I know, I've wanted to give the best education to my son. While I understand that a child learns more from his home than his school, I want to ensure that the atmosphere he gets at his school is good too.
Now, there are loads and loads of schools in Delhi and a brand name in their own way. But, with the competition and the business that has got into education, I'm quite perplexed. I don't know what to do, how to look for the right school for my child. I'm ready to shift my state if need be, for Anay's schooling. Sounds far fetched? But, that's how desperate the situation is.


More than the name, I want Anay to get a school where he can explore his potential. He can try various things and find out what he likes most. Now, most schools have various extra-curricular activities in their curriculum but I find many of the new additions, quite irrelevant. While I don't mind Anay learning golf or horse-riding, I find them included just because they are expensive. I think the simple sports like football, skating etc can also be equal fun to the child. I mean, schools used to take kids to out-bound trip because they were a good experience for kids to go out of the parents' care and security. But, now schools have International trips to arrange for that. I don't see any sense or reason on why a trip needs to be international and cannot be in-country.


Do you understand the predicament? The point is schools are getting more materialistic and are drifting from the idea of teaching values, ideas to kids. They are more involved in making things attractive and popular for parents. More ideas on how to extract more money from the parents.
Another example: Schools telling parents that at the end of the play-school year, we'll give you a hard-bound photo album of your kid playing in school. If a parent wants to opt out of the option (thanks to digi-cams, parents have loads of clicks of their kid in action), then that's not possible. Also, how can schools do "Only these students have paid for the album, so rest of you, shoo!"


So, the schools themselves are bringing in more and more ways of putting inferiority/superiority complex in kids. Teaching them that what it means to have money or not to have money, or having a rich dad/poor dad.


Man! Am quite concerned. I don't want to send Anay to any such school. I want him to go to a school where the concentration is more on giving him a healthy environment than a wealthy one.


Any ideas on how I can find out such a school?On where I can find info about the various schools.


Desperate Mom!