What did Hafeez Contractor have nightmares about?
Hafeez Contractor often experienced terrible nightmares wherein he found himself appearing for a maths examination in which he did not know anything. He was afraid he would fail in the examination.
What did the Principal say to him, which influenced him deeply?
Hafeez Contractor was deeply influenced by the words of his Principal when he reached Eleventh Standard. His Principal made him realize in opposition to his games and pranks he had been playing all the while, the value of hard work his mother had put in to give him the opportunity to study and develop his skills. Further, the Principal made a tenacious effort of making Hafeez understand the importance of studying as he had grown up and was required to learn to take care of himself.
“…………that year I did not step out into the field.” What was he busy doing that year?
The Principal played a crucial role in making Hafeez understand the significance of studies. That year, all he did was go for prayers and perform his basic tasks of eating from time to time and only focusing on his studies.
What ‘distraction’ did Hafeez Contractor create one day?
Hafeez Contractor was a happy-go-lucky student who was least concerned about studying. Apart from studies, he was more interested in playing games and funny pranks on others all the time. One day, as he did not want to study, he decided on creating a ‘distraction’ and for one entire hour, everybody played chor-police.
Would you have liked to participate in the ‘distraction’ had you been with him?
Mischievous behaviour is a very common characteristic of children and as of the funny distraction created by Hafeez, any child is bound to be a part of the games played by him.
NOTE – This question requires the student to give his/her opinion. The above answer is only a particular aspect. Students who differ in their opinion can freely write their opinions.
Hafeez Contractor wanted to join the police force. Why didn’t he?
Hafeez Contractor did not join the police force because his mother asked him to do so. She wanted him to focus on his graduation only for the time being. Therefore, he joined the Jai-hind College, in Mumbai to pursue his further studies.
In the architect’s office, Hafeez Contractor was advised to drop everything and join architecture. Why?
In the architect’s office, Hafeez saw someone drawing a Window Detail. On observing the advanced details of the drawing, he suggested that the drawing was wrong and that the window would practically not open. He then had a bet with the person drawing the same window and to his amazement, the window eventually turned out to be a practically wrong design. This incident left Hafeez’s cousin’s husband surprised. Consequently, in order to test him, his cousin’s husband gave him the opportunity to draw few specific things, which he was immediately able to complete. Further, he was asked to design a house, and very easily, he was able to. Ultimately, Hafeez was asked to drop everything he was engaged in and join architecture.
What was Mrs. Gupta’s advice to Hafeez Contractor?
Mrs. Gupta, one of Hafeez Contractor’s teachers during his primary schooling, advised him of becoming an architect when he grew up.
What made her advise him so?
When Mrs. Gupta saw the sketches made by Hafeez, she told him that although he was useless in studies but his sketching skills were quite good. She told him that he could become a good architect later on.
How did he help fellow students who had lost a button?
When students lost a button while playing or fighting with each other, they would go to Hafeez in order to get a solution for the same because discipline was very important in school and no student could afford to have a button missing. As a result, in his attempt to provide a solution, Hafeez would cut a button out of a chalk piece, using a blade.
Which rules did he break as a schoolbboy?
Hafeez broke many rules as a school boy.
Since he was least interested in studies, he mostly copied in class during examinations. He used to be interested in games, running around and playing jokes and pranks on others. In addition to this, he used to receive the teacher’s caning almost every week due to his bad performance or incomplete work, but, he hardly felt bad about the caning and immediately forgot everything and went on playing.
What is Hafeez Contractor’s definition of Mathematics?
According to Hafeez Contractor, putting the design followed by Construction, psychology, and sociology put together and making a larger sketch from the spontaneous sketch on paper made during his interactions with the client are all that constitutes “Hafeez Contractor’s definition of Mathematics.”
How would you want to define mathematics? Do you like the subject?
Mathematics is a subject which I label as “Most precarious situation.”
No, I do not like the subject at all. It seems absolutely as clear as mud.
NOTE – This question requires the student to give his/her opinion. The above
answer is only a particular aspect. Students who differ in their opinion can
freely write their opinions.
It is likely that someone who is original and intelligent does not do very well at school? Should such a learner be called a failure? If not, why not?
Yes, it is very much likely that a child who is intelligent and smart might not do very well at school.
No, such a learner should never be called a failure because every human being on this earth has one gifted skill or ability which is surprisingly different in every person. To judge on the basis of academic performance and call someone a failure is a very narrow analysis of the abilities of a student. It is very important to understand that every child has his/her own individual talents, interests and capabilities and academic performance is not the only parameter to categorize them as “success” or “failure.”
Therefore, in order to help a student flourish and grow, one needs to pay equal attention to various aspects of growth and development of a child in order to bring out their true
potential and excellence.
Who, in your view, is an ‘unusual’ learner?
There is no clear definition as to who actually qualifies as an unusual learner. Every student/ child has his/her own capabilities and therefore is “extraordinary and unusual” in their own various ways. It is fundamental to understand that the human brain is a very complex organ and is differently designed for every human being. Therefore, every person has his/her thinking capacity and direction and at the same time his/her own interests and ideas. Hence, we can say that every individual is unique in his own ways and methods of imbibing knowledge, be it theoretical or practical.
What can schools do to draw out the best in unusual learners? Suggest whatever seems reasonable to you.
Schools, nowadays, have been increasingly adopting various types of extra-curricular activities quite frequently. Also, the addition of foreign languages such as French, German, Spanish etc. to the academic curriculum is another significant step in this direction. Certain steps that can be taken include the incorporation of “daily or weekly unusual tasks” such as fun activities related to stitching, knitting, cooking classes along with proper and regular competitions, making creative things such as a button out of a chalk piece (as mentioned in the chapter) or best out of waste. Although such activities, somewhere or the other are done in schools, the priority of having such activities should be increased to the level of academic priority with a certain regularity throughout the year. These activities will not only provide an impetus to cultural activities but will also help in overall skill enhancement and provide an opportunity for specialization for interested students in particular fields.
NOTE – Question no. 2 and 3 require the student to give his/her opinion. The above answer is only a particular aspect. Students who differ in their opinion can freely write their opinions.