My Lessons Series-3: Unlearning

My son, Vishnu, hardly 4 years was very naughty. We lived in he housing colony of Binani Industries' quarters during 1995-'96. He used to run all around the several acres of gardens & estate and quarters of the 20-odd quarters campus. He was innocent. Forthright in his expressions. He wanted to go to school when Isabel (2 years senior) and Rathan from the next door left off for school every day morning at 8 am. He joined LKG in Rajagiri School, Cochin; a 5-day week. Usually, he'll reach back from school & be with Isabel and Rathan till 6:30. Thereafter, revise lessons for an hour with Razia; half the time about stories of his classmates and how Asokan drove the car to school and back every day. To him, Asokan was a hero. After 4-6 weeks of school re-opening, parents were asked to be in the school campus on a Saturday. Razia and I attended a Parents' Orientation session on English teaching and learning. English teacher was briefing 2 things: (i) while writing 'Apple' from continuous/connected-words (which he has learnt in his pre-school) , he has to "unwind" and learn to write separate words, A p p p l e and (ii) pronunciation changed to pronunciation meant for each word, by itself.

As usual, Razia used to ask about class, school, friends, Asokan's driving etc. After the session on English @ school, on return from school, Vishnu took bath, tea an d ran out to the next door; to Isabel and Rathan's house. Returned late. Not interested in revisions. It became a mechanical affair. Few days, I reached back from office early by 3:30-3:45 to see what's happening. Affectionately, I took him to my lap (employing my skills in handling employees/IR skills) and he shared that day's school stories. When it came to English class, he jumped out of my lap & ran to the next door. Razia was very much upset. I posed cool. We decided not to talk/talk less about English. One Sunday, I was writing on a paper, English (un-joined) letter by letter, A p p l e, A n t etc. Then he said, he can't write; he;s c. He fed the scene. Next day, I did the same, He didn't sit on my lap; he's hovering around me. Days and weeks passed by. Again, he was silently watching how I wrote. He said he can write jointed-letters; but not in un-jointed hand writing. On being tactfully pondered, he said what he learnt is very familiar - only jointed alphabets/letters. Finds it very difficult to write un-jointed words. I couldn't decipher. It appeared mystery whats's happening!!! I did my careful steps, again and gain, with lots of patience over 5-6 months, told Vishnu it's easy, I will help him and all that. He attempted once or twice, but ran off unfinished. I gained more confidence. It's perseverance that helped Vishnu and I learned together to "unwind" the jointed alphabet/letter from Apple to separate letters.

Understood very hard way that "unlearning" is geometrical times difficult than "learning"!!!

Unlearning is much more agonising than learning. 'Learning' all of us know. Study is the process and Output is 'Learning'. Learning's outcome sis 'Knowledge'. Learning is the summation of internalising the inputs through audio, video, absorption and 'blotting' through a learnee's multiple sensory inputs. It actually is permanently recorded deep into the groove of one's 'hard disc'. Retention and retrieval is relatively easy & more and more retrievals make it more firm, affirmed, supple, plastic and energetic!

My 'learning' from Vishnu of the practice (as different from the literal word/ theory) of 'unlearning' was a new experience! My Prof TSN Pillai @ Loyola College, Trivandrum (late 10 Jun 2020 @ Trivandrum) took notes of what all I said about my experience. He would have been ~72 years then; REVERSE LEARNING he said. He was very happy that one of his students revealed the traumatic experience recollected in tranquility to his Professor!

That was one of the several return to Prof TSN, tributes to my Professor!!!