As a child I distinctly remember reading an article which mentioned that Shakuntala devi was a math genius. She could recall a large number of digits in a pi. I remember thinking to myself that such skills were reserved for the gifted ones. Fast forward several years later as a mother of a 14-year-old and a 9-year-old, what I learned at WAVE global workshop shattered the myth I had held onto for a long time. How could 59 in a class of 60, do all these things I had only believed were reserved for the gifted only? Was there really no difference between a gifted and an ordinary student? Was it just a matter of technique? What is just a simple manifestation of what the kids believed about their own potential These were the questions to which I was looking for answers. On the last day of a 4-day WAVE workshop, I could not help marvel when children performed one magical feat after another. One child effortlessly rattled off 75 digits after pi as if reciting a well memorized nursery rhyme. Another listed a random list of 100 objects both forward and backward in 39 seconds all from memory. A 7th grader surprised everyone by memorizing 100 elements of a periodic table without even knowing how to pronounce them properly.What was most impressive is that these skills were not demonstrated by a select few students but each and every student in a class of 60. Some children led a guided meditation for parents emphasizing the skills needed to calm one’s mind to get the most out of it .What I saw was in the class, was in striking contrast to the general scene I have witnessed around younger children as well as teenagers. I have known most children to shy away from homework, procrastinate studying and wanting to escape into their world of gadgets at every free moment they get.I couldn’t help but wonder how the results I saw were made possible? How did the coach inspire the kids to put in so much effort and push their boundaries? How did the kids gain the confidence to overcome the fear judgement by a large audience?All along I have felt something was missing in our modern one size fits all education system. I have often googled hoping to find a different kind of school that is not so focused on degrees and providing a tool for livelihood alone. What I saw in the class was a glimpse of what an alternative education could be. I got to see firsthand what the environment needed to be for kids to blossom. Paraphrasing coach Mohan’s words, “All the children need is space and time for self-expression. They are not tools in the hands of parents for creating an impression. They are our responsibility.”In this workshop, through many different exercises Children learn to tap into their own true self to r and harness the innate power and intelligence. In this class, coach Mohan takes the children into a journey to oneself. With simple exercises and examples, he lets the children discover for themselves the joy of learning and expressing themselves freely.The four-day session is just a start of a beautiful journey for all the children, transformed by just this one thought that there are no ordinary and genius students. They are one and the same. The children now know the path from the ordinary to the genius and have taken a step in that direction.
This WAVE program is one of the best I have seen. It helps the kids to think and think to ensure that they remember things. It is not about mugging, it about a new way of thinking. Every kid should do this program and ensure that they have better way to remember things. I am very very impressed by the way the coach has conducted the program along with the assistant coaches. This I think this program should be there for all the Bay area kids, in fact for all the kids. This would enable better future for the kids.