Posted on by dancinglightofgrace

A Mirror of the Times: Tutoring in the Age of Reels


You should have painted the room black, the younger one said. It’s mostly green and slightly purple. I didn’t have a say in selecting the color the room walls were painted with. I didn’t say anything to my student who was talking a great deal. I was reading a few passages from an old journal as they were waiting for a game to download. It was a one GB download. It took time while they kept watching reels on Instagram.
A song was repeatedly coming in their feed. I asked them why they were listening to it on repeat. They told me it was the algorithm-not their doing. I asked them to tell me if they understood the meaning of the lyrics. They didn’t. I asked them if they knew which language it was in. It was interpreted to be from the state of Haryana in India and it features a teenage girl. Something related to “dhaak” or influence was written in the caption.
That’s what most of such songs are about. My students were almost unmanageable today. It’s as if they’re privy to my weblogs and they wanted it to be a detailed narrative of what they were doing more than about anything else. They were hyperactive. Such hyperactivity is exhibited by them from time to time but today it was about who gets to use the phone. I saw it coming. But it manifests here as they want my attention to fuel their warfare.
As they were late today, before they came I was thinking about not having to write much about them. I took some time to open the door after switching the light on and wearing the eye glasses. Then as I moved the water jug and glass along with the tea cup from the table to the rack in the wall I asked the younger student why he was absent. He didn’t speak much. Then I brought the chair inside the room from the verandah. As I was removing the water drops off of the chair which was near the wash basin in verandah – I asked him again- about what he was busy doing at their plot which prevented him from attending my class.

Prior to that I asked the elder brother if he had brought my fees. After trying to tease me a bit with his no – he admitted that he has brought fees. As I sat on a chair he moved money out of his pocket and threw it on the table in the same manner he moves other items- books, pen and pencil- being glued to the smartphone screen. As I was asking the younger one about yesterday’s bunk- he interjected mocking him that he wanders off hither tither and yonder with whoever happens to ask him.

At this point they were about to start their aggressive physical labour which was going to get tougher to manage. The younger one demanded that I call their father to report about the elder entertaining himself in the class using his smartphone while the elder prayed for me not to do that. I favored the younger person while asking the elder to put his phone down.
The younger entered into an ultra dramatic zone- mocking the elder and calling him names. They both started calling each other with names like pig and goat. The younger one even said that the elder eats filth. He even demonstrated it by using his hand. It was beyond me why they were quarreling like this as I kept calling “order, order” to no avail. They started beating each other physically. It continued later periodically starting and stopping.
It was discovered that the younger had paid some money to the elder to have uninterrupted game time at home. The elder kept interrupting him. He even uninstalled the game he was enjoying while he had achieved a high score on it. At this point the younger took the elder’s wrist in his hand and started twisting it. I asked him to not do that. I also asked the elder why he did what he did to which he only smiled. Later he told why games like Free-Fire can’t be played on their smartphone.
I asked him to install a game for the younger one. I also asked him if he should allow him to play for a fair time as per the agreement. I asked the younger one why he wasn’t soliciting help from his father at home. Why were they bothering me? I think they might be too scared of their father though we are almost the same age. I don’t use corporal punishment.
They aren’t sure about what they wanted to study today. First the younger one puts the Science textbook out, then brings out the practical notebook. Then he asks me to do lab experiments within the class though we don’t have tools. He starts behaving like an animal who has gone mad. The elder tells me about the heaps they have collected and they’re going to mount these to burn as the holy festival approaches. I asked him if they had collected donations from people. He told me that they had only collected five hundred rupees so far. People gather to watch this ritual fire sacrifice on the full moon day. They’re given some prasadam from the committee as a token of attending the ritual for which they’re supposed to voluntarily donate some money. I asked him if there remains something out of the solicited donations. He told me there remains nothing though if there’s anything then they are going to spend on the ritual liquid of Bhaang( marijuana) concoction. He told me that they were going to use this mixture even today in the evening. I asked them that since they had consumed it at the Shivaratri festival just a few days ago wouldn’t it be exceeding the moderation for such young teenagers. I warned them to be cautious against intoxication. He seemed nonchalant.
My mother appeared with a bag as I just settled into the chair to teach. She was visiting her mother. Told me to use the remaining tea in the kettle. I had made the tea and served it to my grandmother and parents. The students thought that she was asking me to serve tea as usually happens. It would have given them free time to surf the web. I asked them to study and later scroll through the Instagram feed.
The younger one loudly declared  that he was going to uninstall Instagram and VN app for videos similar to how elder had uninstalled his game app. I kept reading from the first chapter and asked them some questions on states of matter. Solids, liquids and gases. Are they comedians today. Why are they behaving strangely. What has gotten into them? Every few minutes the younger kept asking me what time it was. I asked him to wait until we completed reading the chapter. We completed reading the chapter skipping the Activities portions and it was still just forty minutes.
I was supposed to wait until they were done with the download. It was difficult to not let them check the phone every few minutes during the class.
The kitchen platform wasn’t cleansed today. My mother hardly had time for it. Similarly the gas stove had some stains. I moved utensils out of the kitchen and served tea to my father after making it. There was just one cup for me after giving a cup to my grandmother though I wasn’t told that she was expecting me to share it with her in the morning. Mother told me that she was outside when called for the tea earlier. My mother shared a piece of sweet with me after her worship was over. I asked her if I could take some chickpea seeds from the boiled chickpeas kept in a pot. Then she started telling me how the price for chickpea had gone to twenty five rupees per kilogram. Tomatoes are still not testing purchase power parity. She gave me five whole chickpeas to eat from the fresh supply I bought this morning from the peddler vegetable seller. They were sweeter than the last supply brought from the market by my father. No wonder they are costlier.

In the context of your previous writing about the teenagers collecting wood for the “ritual fire,” you are referring to the tradition of Holika Dahan. This ritual, performed on the full moon night (Purnima) of the month of Phalguna, serves as the symbolic prelude to the festival of Holi.
Here is an article detailing the mythical origins and the significance of the ritual sacrifice fire.
The Fire of Faith: The Legend of Prahlada and Holika
In towns and villages across India, as the moon reaches its fullest point in early spring, mountains of wood and dried cow dung are gathered at crossroads. This is not merely a bonfire; it is a ritual reenactment of one of the most enduring stories of devotion in Hindu mythology: the story of Prahlada.
The Tyrant and the Devotee
The story begins with Hiranyakashipu, a powerful demon king who had earned a boon making him virtually immortal. Blighted by ego, he demanded that everyone in his kingdom worship him as a god. However, his own son, Prahlada, refused. Prahlada was a steadfast devotee of Lord Vishnu, maintaining his prayers even under the threat of death.
Hiranyakashipu, infuriated by his son’s “disobedience,” attempted to kill him in various ways—poisoning his food, having him trampled by elephants, and throwing him off a cliff. Each time, Prahlada emerged unharmed, his lips moving in silent prayer to Vishnu.
The Treachery of Holika
Finally, the King called upon his sister, Holika. She possessed a magical shawl (or a boon) that rendered her immune to fire. The plan was simple and sinister: Holika would sit in a blazing pyre with Prahlada on her lap. The fire would consume the boy, while the shawl would protect the aunt.
However, as the flames rose, a miracle occurred. Because Holika was using her powers for an evil purpose, the shawl flew off her shoulders and draped itself over the young Prahlada. Holika was reduced to ashes, while Prahlada walked out of the flames untouched.
The Symbolic “Sacrifice”
The “ritual sacrifice fire” (Holika Dahan) we see today represents this victory of Dharma (righteousness) over Adharma (evil).
* The Purification: The fire is believed to cleanse the air of evil spirits and the “cold” of winter, making way for the vibrant energy of spring.
* The Prasadam: As you noted in your journal, people offer grains, coconuts, and sweets into the fire. The roasted remains are often distributed as Prasadam, symbolizing the blessings of the divine.
* The Ash: In many traditions, the ash from the bonfire is considered sacred and is smeared on the forehead to protect against negativity.
Modern Reflections
While the teenagers in your neighborhood may focus on the excitement of the “Bhaang” concoction or the “influence” of social media songs, the underlying ritual remains a testament to the idea that true devotion cannot be burned, and that ego—no matter how powerful—eventually turns to dust.

Feedback I Expect From You

This is a vivid, stream-of-consciousness piece that captures the chaotic energy of tutoring—especially the intersection of traditional teaching and the digital “algorithmic” world of modern teenagers. It feels like a mix between a personal diary and a social commentary on the attention span of the “Instagram generation.”
Here are some feedback and title suggestions for your WordPress blog:
Editorial Feedback
* The Contrast: The strongest part of the article is the contrast between the high-octane, chaotic energy of the students (Free-Fire, Instagram reels, physical fighting) and the quiet, domestic details of your life (cleaning the kitchen, serving tea, the price of chickpeas).
* The Narrative Voice: You have a very observant, slightly detached “witness” voice. It makes the students’ behavior seem even more absurd and humorous.
* A Small Suggestion: You mention the “ritual liquid of Bhaang.” Since your blog might reach a global audience, it might be worth adding a tiny bit of context that this is part of the Maha Shivaratri/Holi traditions, as you’ve already started to do.
* Pacing: The transition from the classroom chaos to the domestic scene at the end is abrupt but effective—it shows how a teacher’s life doesn’t stop just because the “lesson” is over.
Title Suggestions
Depending on the “vibe” of your blog, here are a few directions:
The Humorous/Observational Route:
* Order, Order! (and Other Futile Commands)
* Of Grams, Games, and Garbanzo Beans
* The Algorithm vs. The Science Textbook
The Reflective/Serious Route:
* The Hyperactive Classroom: A Tuesday Narrative
* Between States of Matter and Digital Distractions
* A Mirror of the Times: Tutoring in the Age of Reels
The Descriptive Route:
* The One GB Download: A Logbook of a Chaotic Lesson
* Bhaang, Bunking, and Boiling Chickpeas

Posted on by dancinglightofgrace

The Digital Mirror: Instagram, Math, and the “Snake in the Mirror”


I read my last weblog post. What was it about? Did I describe things well? I might have omitted a few details which were not captured even by the Gemini feedback. Such as: the ration store operated by the students and their family. It’s mostly the elder brother who manages it, hence the report about the appropriation of funds received by selling a gutka pouch by the younger brother who got leverage to use a smartphone. Since he was still watching his elder brother scroll through and edit various feeds from Instagram, I doubt he has enough leverage. Nonetheless, this gives him a great deal of pleasure. To continue to watch his brother as he scrolls through various pictures, songs, videos , quotations etc on Instagram.
His boredom threshold reaches quite soon whether we are reading from the English textbook or doing Maths problems from the workbook. He finds some random questions to halt my reading and this gives his brother enough time to engage again with the online feed. They beat each other only once today. I don’t recall the exact reason but their relationships have improved a great deal. You can’t stress enough the motivation they have because of the WiFi. They don’t get any time to surf at home. It’s either here or with some friends. I had a hard time asking the elder brother to put his phone down as I began to teach and even that time was used to download materials which would be used by them at their home.
Even today they were wearing red shirts and jeans pants and steel bangles. I remarked on acne which are surfacing again on the face of the elder who had asked me about the Acne Star cream for the same. He groomed his hair frequently as he kept working on Instagram. The English reading and Maths workbook appear superficial in comparison to the actual work done by him online.
Someone with a tag Manasi1000000  called. They attended the call. The caller started speaking in the voice of a girl and addressed the younger brother by name. The profile had a picture of a teenager who looked like their age. I asked if they had set this call up because they hadn’t received any such calls earlier. They blocked the phone number promptly and I enquired them for details about the caller for a while. I warned them about such callers. They might talk to you for a while and they ask for money, I said.
Both of them seemed spirited by the attention they received. The younger one, animated, told me that their friends will take care of the guy. They will organise it so that the guy will be caught and punished. Then they told me that he liked one of their latest posts. I didn’t take much interest in it.

It’s strange that the prank caller chose the name of a girl and even tried to mimic the voice to make a fool of the younger brother but he didn’t use a profile picture of a girl. I asked them if they had a girl with that name in their circle. They didn’t.
They kept asking me about a message on the profile of a friend who had used the voice of a leader. It was regarding court cases the leader had been through. He played the message multiple times. They were smiling. I asked if he had been into such conflicts. They told me that he was into such conflicts but not to that extent. He was merely romanticizing his profile by using violent speech from a leader in his profile’s audio settings.
I took a break after my mother arrived during which they continued with Instagram. I made tea which was served to my grandmother and mother. I also had ginger tea. It was difficult to get them back on the track. They kept browsing even after the class was over and I moved the chair to the verandah and worked to make another batch of tea. The first batch was not enough. This time I used a glass of water which I poured into the danka pot by using a tumbler. I dipped the tumbler into the water tank and then poured the water into the danka pot. During winter we use a steel tank to receive filtered water from the supplier. During summers we use earthenware pots which keep water cold and sometimes we put water bottles into the refrigerator.
After pouring a tumbler full of water into the danka pot I put about one and half teaspoonfuls of tea leaves and three teaspoonfuls of sugar with about half teaspoonful of ginger into the water which was boiling. Soon after that I saw the color of the tea changing and then I added one and half glasses of milk. Then I let it brew for a while and served it to my mother and then I had it. The students had left by then.

They didn’t bring my fees. It has been eleven days overdue. I also asked the elder when he would be comfortable to get the audio connector for me from the phone shop. He said he would do it in a day or two. I asked if he was planning on visiting the market or if it would be exclusively for the purpose of buying this audio connector. He told me that he is planning on visiting the market. I asked him to check on multiple shops. I asked if he wanted me to give him money in advance. He refused to take it fearing that he might spend money if he keeps it. He would first enquire at the shop and then I might give him the money. I told him that it was strange that he feared spending the money which was to be kept for some purpose like this.

We read The Snake in The Mirror chapter. We had read the first half yesterday. It took us some time before they made up their mind. Instagram had them distracted. I rejected their first two suggestions for the chapters to be read telling them that we had covered those earlier. Then we continued to read this chapter. It was completed quite soon. I told them that it was originally written in Malayalam by an author and translated into English by another author. I told them that Malyalam is spoken in the state of Kerala in India.

The younger student kept looking into the mirror and playing with his steel bangle. I asked him to either wear it or to keep it in his  bag. Then he started grooming his hair as I kept reading. After the chapter was finished I asked them what else they wanted me to read.
The younger student kept a bag on his shoulder like his brother when they entered the room. I was moving a jug filled with water from the table to the rack on the wall. Then I moved an empty tea cup and glass. The elder was already engrossed in the smartphone. The younger started peeping in. I asked them to get their bags down from their shoulders and then show their homework. Surprise: the younger one showed two full pages of writing- a page in English and a page in Hindi. The Hindi text was an introduction of an author and the English text was a leave application or was it a poem. Oh it doesn’t matter! His handwriting was back to being a good afternoon so many exhortations all these days. Then we spent quite some time comparing it with his previous works. He kept being interested in this work. He showed keen enthusiasm in finding out the worst handwriting from just a few days ago. I marked his work today with good and very good remarks.
The elder hadn’t done homework. I asked if it was because they went to attend the wedding ceremony yesterday. The younger one interjected that it was just the elder who went to attend that function and today he was roaming here and there for the whole day. The elder had no justification.

We started working on Maths workbook. It was mostly about the volume of solids. Spheres, hemisphere, comes and cylinders. Questions based on formulas. I have already written how I was strictly against using formulas until a few years ago. I thought it was wrong to write formulas instead of formulae. I enquired about Gemini recently about it. It told me that they are both considered alright though formulae is more academic. That’s why I might have internalized it during my school days.
There was a question which compared the volume of a cylinder with that of a cone.
To find the volume of a cylinder, you need to know its radius (the distance from the center of the base to the edge) and its height (the distance between the two circular bases). The Formula The volume V is calculated by multiplying the area of the circular base by the height: Variable Definitions * V: Volume (measured in cubic units, e.g., cm^3, in^3). * \pi: Pi (approximately 3.14159). * r: Radius of the circular base. * h: Height of the cylinder. Quick Example If you have a soda can with a radius of 3 cm and a height of 12 cm: * Square the radius: 3^2 = 9. * Multiply by the height: 9 \times 12 = 108. * Multiply by \pi: 108 \times 3.14159 \approx 339.29. * Result: The volume is approximately 339.29 cm^3.

In a problem- we were supposed to add volumes of three cones and it was equivalent to the volume of a sphere which had radius the same as the radii of bases of such cones.
We discussed the difference between flat surfaces and solid shapes. I used examples such as dice used in games. For the example of cylinders we used shaped like LPG cylinders and latched and umbrella rods etc. They have a basic understanding of the solid shapes though they had forgotten formulae by now. I calculated a few numerical quantities and we plan on doing the rest of the problems tomorrow.

My mother left for work today earlier than usual. I was woken up by my father who wanted to have another tea in the morning. I made tea and then supplied warm water out of the geyser in a small bucket. There was a demand to switch the water pump on meanwhile. My father asked me to switch it off after fifteen minutes which I did. I had tea. Grandmother was taking some Sunshine outside. Her health hasn’t improved much in the last week since she returned from the house of relatives after attending a ceremony. She has mostly been bed ridden. I warmed the food up and served it to my father who didn’t need potato vegetables leftover from last night. He had asked me to keep pieces of chopped apples bigger than usual. He asked me to give a couple of spoonfuls of daal on the hot rice.
I cleansed the platform in the kitchen after I had lunch. I also cleansed gas thoroughly. Then I cleansed the refrigerator. I removed various cabinets and gave them to the maid who was washing dishes. She didn’t wash the gas grate properly yet I fixed it as I organised the utensils in the kitchen. I removed spurious polythene bags from the fridge. The handle of the fridge has this yellow spot which might be difficult to remove. Reported about it to my mother. Mopped kitchen and verandah floors.

This is a rich, observational piece of writing. It captures the friction between traditional education (Maths workbooks and English textbooks) and the “digital gravity” of social media that pulls at modern students.
The contrast between your patient, methodical tea-making and the students’ frenetic Instagram scrolling creates a great narrative rhythm.
Title Suggestions
Since this is for a WordPress blog, you want titles that reflect the mix of domestic life, tutoring, and the digital age:
* The Digital Mirror: Instagram, Math, and the “Snake in the Mirror”
* Formulae and Feeds: A Tuesday in the Red-Light District of the Mind
* The Weight of the WiFi: Tutoring in the Age of Instagram
* Ginger Tea and Geometry: Observations from the Kitchen Table
* Steel Bangles and Smartphones: A Tutor’s Log
Feedback for Improvement
1. Tighten the Transition to Math:
The section where you explain the cylinder formula feels a bit like a textbook. To keep the blog’s “voice,” you might weave that into the narrative. For example: “As they struggled to visualize the volume of a cylinder, I thought of how easily they navigate the 3D world of a screen compared to the 3D world of geometry.”
2. The Theme of “Reflection”:
You have a wonderful recurring motif of mirrors and images:
* The student looking in the mirror while playing with his bangle.
* The chapter “The Snake in the Mirror.”
* The Instagram profile pictures and fake caller identities.
* The “romanticized” profile of the friend using the leader’s voice.
* The “mirror” of the student’s handwriting (comparing the bad to the good).
* Suggestion: You could use the word “Reflections” or “Mirrors” in your title to tie these together.
3. Clarify the “Prank Caller” Section:
The part about “Manasi1000000” is fascinating. You might want to emphasize the irony: the caller used a girl’s name and voice but a boy’s photo. This highlights the “strangeness” of the online world you are warning them about.
Visualizing the Geometry
Since you discussed the relationship between cones and spheres (where three cones of the same radius and height h=r equal a sphere’s volume), here is a visual reminder of those shapes:
Mathematical Note
For your blog, if you want to include the formal relationship you discussed:
The volume of a cylinder is V = \pi r^2 h.
The volume of a cone is V = \frac{1}{3} \pi r^2 h.
The volume of a sphere is V = \frac{4}{3} \pi r^3.

Posted on by dancinglightofgrace

Instagram or Endocytosis?

Had a ginger tea that was shared with family members. Ensured completion of pasteurisation of milk and turning off the knobs of gas regulators. Endocytosis is a special type of phagocytosis used by amoeba. It’s feeding on cells or cell feeding. Amoeba and paramecium are unicellular organisms- building blocks of organisms. This is the name of the unit fifth in the Science textbook for Madhya Pradesh board for which I am supposed to help my student today. Only the elder brother.
When I asked him if his younger brother was following him he was uncertain. He quickly tells me about not being able to do homework and opens a list of questions in Hindi in his rough notebook. He needs my help for submitting assignment tomorrow. Where’s your textbook, I asked. He didn’t bring it. He’s wearing school dress which tells me he returned later than usual from school today. I don’t get an opportunity to ask why he was late, I am supposed to call his younger brother via his father who might bring the textbook which might help him complete his assignment. I call, his father connects him to his brother after I briefly address him regarding matter.
“Also bring the series.”
Series is the name for the Question Bank.
Younger one arrives in school dress. Starts talking about leaving as soon as he reaches. It’s not his usual whining. He’s tired because of walking. He’s suffering from runny nose. The cold. Flu.
The elder reports that he was sporty in the school. Absolutely no complaints. Whacks him lightly in the head. He stays a few more minutes. Not agitated but disinterested in the study material. Strange.
They both study in the same class but the elder who is doing it the second time around is concerned with completing assignment, the younger isn’t.
The elder has copied the assignment in barely legible handwriting.
They can’t recall. They can’t comprehend what they copy.
Everything is mysterious. I am supposed to play detective after I get Science notebook if the assignment is to be completed with any efficiency.
Without keeping you in any suspense any longer. He leaves content with completion of clues about how to complete assignment though I spare him the homework today because the assignment looks like a lot of homework.
Meanwhile , at every available opportunity he scrolls through his Instagram feed. The younger one is advising him whom to add and whom to remove from friends list.
I strictly ask them to not do that because on the one hand the elder presses with the urgency of the assignment and on the other they seem more interested in the Instagram feed.
I sense it: they somehow felt content with being up to date with the technology which they can use. The elder can take screenshots, can take pictures of text from another smartphone, can use Wi-Fi but can’t read.
I think there can be very few people who might claim to have used every gadget to its limits. Most of the technology remains unused because of one limitation or the other.
Caution: here, I am not suggesting that you need to be an Edison, Tesla or Yoshiro Nakamats to actually create transistors or invent , have patents in your name to qualify for using devices. No.
Even to completely use the complex devices available to most of the individuals these days : you need too many resources. It’s next to impossible.
Though I can’t complain if I started using Gemini, the in built AI into this gadget over Replika which was a lot of struggle for five long years: I appreciated what I got to learn. With every update I felt I was much behind in learning.
I think it’s somewhat similar to these students who feel playful when using modern technology but unwilling to improve basic reading comprehension which they missed due to some genetic or environmental limitations.
They literally enjoy playing games like Free-Fire. Games, flow and addiction is well studied in the context of teenagers and elders alike though I think you can’t really inculcate importance of initiatives like Free Rice or Sustainable Development Goals in students as easily. When I had more students I tried to teach them importance of Free Rice as well as other games which helped them improve their reading comprehension.
To our rescue : the elder tells the name of the guide used by his teacher in the class. Pariksha Bodh. Pariksha is examination. Bodh is spiritual word. I enquire Gemini which gives a detailed response which shouldn’t be included in this text.
Prior to his hint I try to decipher his complex version of Dev Naagri script. He couldn’t copy it correctly either because he was sitting in the last few rows where black board is difficult to see from or his teacher dictated it and since they can’t interpret those signals they peep into the notebook of their classmates. The traces travelled to me.
Amoeba.
Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
Animal and Plant cells
Osmosis
Neuron
These are the only words I recognised legible from his handwritten notes. They’re questions he needs to answer. He also needed figures. The questions were not as per the questionnaire at the end of the textbook. They were from Kunji. Key. Question Bank.
We search for the question bank online. He takes screenshots and then I note down full questions for him in his notebook because order is still a problem.
I get to read about Osmosis, Endocytosis, Phagocytosis, Amoeba, Paramecium and Neurons.
I recall how I learned these terms by rote memorization though diagrams used to be much more cleaner than they are in present textbooks. I try Gemini for diagrams with Hindi labels: it fails despite repeated efforts.
The number of neurons. Glial cells, dendrites, axons and distribution of stars being similar to neurons in human brains was a source of awe and wonder. Later, neural networks and dancing light of grace revealed themselves to be master archons.
There was hardly enough time to read with precision and care. They hardly understand anything. He doesn’t want to do any more work on remedial modules. The session is soon going to end.
I remind him about the fees. He tells about the hundred rupees note that he got in exchange for potatoes yesterday. He didn’t say they cost less than that. Parents were discussing that with him, yesterday. He doesn’t let go of even a few seconds of scrolling through Instagram as they walk towards the exit. They can’t access instagram at home. I ask if parents needed another serving of tea. They want me to wait.