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Wednesday February 19, 2014

Speed Reading with Sanjeev

Understanding of Speed Reading how our eyes see and with Sanjeev is a how the brain actually reading programme works that gives an individEye movements for ual theability to greater reading effiactively read,gather ciency the salient pointsin Factors affecting what they read and comprehension & do thisreally fast, in concentration a manner that is How to use rate varstimulating to the iations to maximise mind. productivity on differThis programme ent types of reading teaches an individual material an extra-ordinary Sanjeev Jayaratnam How to process and skill of increasing Speed retain information their reading productivity by a minimum Reading will quickly and effectively Key outcomes of 100%. The techhelp one to The skill and ability niques learnt through the programme, increase focus when tofocusbetter on increasefocuswhen reading, reduce dis- reading material, and extract the maximum reading, and have proven to be a great tractions, and there- information from it and do this all at a super life skill for any indi- fore drastically speed. vidual. Reading increase productiviPositive thinkingand speed as well as comprehension are ty. Sanjeev guaran- a positive outlook towards learning new measured at every tees more than a skills and life in generstep during the 100 percent al. classes. Understanding of It is targeted at increase in produchowSelf Talk and professionals, gradAffirmationscan help uates and postgrad- tivity followindividuals be sucuate students and ing the cessful in any task that school children in course they undertake. the Advanced Level Realization of the classes. power of the conscious and sub Speed Reading will help one to increase focus when reading, reduce conscious mind. The confidence to apply this new distractions, and therefore drastically skill for success in examinations increase productivity. Sanjeev guarand/or in their professional lives. antees more than a 100 percent A testimonial from a former increase in productivity following the participant course. Fabulous programme; I have More than 1800 people have achieved more than I intended to. already followed this programme Will help me read much and also with a great deal of success includcomprehend better thus increasing ing over 200 at the board level. Their my productivity and in general keep corporate clients include Dialog, me energised and happier because I HSBC, Brandix, MAS, SCB, Unilever, can read faster than most in a CIMA, Bank of Ceylon amongst crowd. -Sandra De Soyza,Group many other prestigious companies. Chief Customer Officer, Dialog Axiata Sanjeev has conducted this programme in Sri Lanka as well as in DETAILS ABOUT THE Brunei. PROGRAMME Key learning objectives How to Increase FOCUS and Dates: increase reading speed by a miniWeekday (Friday):28thFeb, mum of 100% without a reduction in 7thMarch, 14thMarch and comprehension. 21stof March How to absorb information faster 2014from5.30pm to 8.30pm by using dynamic reading techWeekend (Saturday):1st, niques 8thand 15thof March 2014 How to increase comprehension from9am to 1pm & retention Venue:Post Graduate How to manage time more effiInstitute of Management, ciently by reading essential informaColombo 8. tion in less time Contact Information:call Techniques and skills for reading 0774282826or emaile:info@ faster and faster with high comprerevpe.comfor registration. hension

CAN WE LEARN TO BE GOOD PARENTS? Painting a beautiful child with greater shades of love
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giving anything to the child. for work. The time they The children are free to disdont have for the child, cuss even their love lives and they try to substitute with more with the parents and money and goods. the parents seem to know the skilled artist knows to inte- Therefore it is very imporin and out about them. The grate the numerous ele- tant for the parents to ask children however face diffiments of art in his ardency themselves whether they culty obeying rules and they to bring forth a most beauti- are truly being good partend to get their way all the ful and awe inspiring work to the joy ents. time which then leads to There is a vicious cycle in of many souls. It is beyond any doubt that a picture in which beauty is which many modern par- Dr.Shavindra Dias some g rave issues. The authoritative parenting is a accomplished amounts to a glory that e n t s a n d ch i l d re n g e t felicitates the spirits of both the artist caught. No child ever seems displeased blend of the better sides of the previand its beholder to their very cores. A by a pleasant gift or a handsome allow- ous parenting types. Here the parent child is a living work of art which ance. On close observation however, has important dialogues with the would one day reflect to the world a we see that both the busy parent and child. There are rules, and if a child colossal measure of the parental the child are caught in a delusion should breach a rule, the parent would influence they have received during where the parent concludes the child discuss the problem with the child and childhood. All parents are therefore wants more entertainment and the sometimes one forgives and forgets. artists, with no less than the responsi- child concludes entertainment is all The parent could then work on a scafbility of a whole future and the com- that there is to want. This turns out to folding set of rules that may help the mand of choice and power in their be no less than an unending cycle that child to understand and acknowledge hands to create a cycle of beauty or amputates some of the core emotional the faults. A good example would be a values in children and as a mother asking the child to do the pain for the generations plates tomorrow. result, in the whole of to come. On close Dr. Dias also said it is very imporsociety, the natural need Like any other, parobservation for love and affection tant for the parents to understand how enting is a skill and all however, we turns into an emptiness many stakeholders are interested in skills can be learnt and that children try to fulfil their children. The school drug dealer, improved says Dr. see that both the busy w i t h w r o n g d e s i r e s the pervert, the Facebook and the S h a v i n d r a D i a s . parent and the child internet, pornography , sports and hobthroughout their lives. Learning a skill, is not are caught in a deluDr. Dias pointed out the bies and religion are only a few such only about lear ning sion where the parent three general types of par- examples. The parents should underhow to do something enting. Authoritarian (a stand that the children are unable to but it has a wider concludes the child impact; sometimes it wants more entertain- p a r e n t s - k n o w - b e s t pick from these options. Children need approach that emphasises the help of their parents in making changes peoples atti- ment and the child obedience); permissive these decisions. There are plenty of tudes. This happens concludes entertainwh i ch p rov i d e s f ew websites, relatives that would want to when people start to ment is all that there is ( behavioural guidelines give information to the child. If the appreciate whats happening and internalise to want. This turns out because parents dont parents are not careful, the children want to upset their chil- could make some terrible mistakes. the dynamics of those to be no less than an The modern society is different dren); and authoritative skills he added. unending cycle that and there are more chances Bringing to the dis- amputates some of the (which blends a caring for the children to go tone with structure cussion the general core emotional values and consistent limita s t r a y. aspects of modern parParents setting). enting, Dr.Dias added in children and Further elabohis own experience. as a result rating, Dr. Dias When I ask someone added some key for their opinion on becoming a good parent, most of them points on each type of parseem to give the same answer. They enting, The authoritarian say I am treating my child in the same is controlling and strict, way my parents treated me. The issue even though the child may here is that they dont realise how seem very organised and much the external environment has disciplined, the childs changed from what it was back then. behaviour is mostly Back in those days, we didnt have tvs, based on fear. computers, cell phones or Facebook The permissive and we had a very dynamic environ- p a r e n t s a r e ment rich with strong social relation- pretty much ships. There was always a good sup- the opposite. port system. If you take a look at the There are no current environment, you see trends l i m i t s , n o like parents leaving their children b o u n d a r i e s with nannies, sometimes for years and they do away from the child as they migrate not hesitate in

By Charitha Godakumbura

Dr. Dias also said it is very important for the parents to understand how many stakeholders are interested in their children. The school drug dealer, the pervert, the Facebook and the internet, pornography, sports and hobbies and religion are only a few such examples. The parents should understand that the children are unable to pick from these options. Children need the help of their parents in making these decisions
who think that it would still be the best to look after their children the same way their parents did, should understand this difference. They should start regarding parenting rather scientifically. Thats the importance of parental clinics and where there are professionals who are ready to provide the parents with the right information for their obscure problems that requires pragmatic solutions. In life, there is both love and the law. It is only the perfect love that has the power to sustain and fulfil the law. The will of a child is frail and he or she needs the loving guidance of the parents to grow up into a beautiful adult. Dear parents, there is only one question that remains now to be asked. Are you painting a beautiful child?

A Legendary Thomian Teacher - D.N. Pereira

S.V.D. Kesaralal Gunasekera
What prompted me to write about our beloved master Douglas Noel Pereira (popularly known as D N Pereira) is that he was both a student and a teacher of St. Thomas College Mt. Lavinia which is indeed remarkable. But in addition to this, I believe that among many an old boy who has served the College, D N Pereira is one who had dedicated his entire life to the College.

D.N. Pereira was born on 27th April 1915 to a family of ten siblings. His father was a well known Latin and English scholar who has published text books in Latin. Mr. D N Pereira was born under the star sign Taurus which he was proud of according to his only daughter Corrine. My interpretation of Taureans is that they are service oriented and are very reliable and dedicated individuals and Mr. D N Pereira definitely epitomised that. Following in his fathers footsteps he was an avid reader of all literature, a talented writer and a scholar in Ancient Greek and Latin. Shakespeare would have been his favourite writer and his knowledge in English was incomparable. A master in grammar, he did not hesitate to correct anyone if he saw any grammatical mistakes. Mr. D N Pereira was from an affluent family and Sir Oliver Gunatillake was his God Father. However, he never attempted to bring these influential links or play politics in his teaching career, as he was a confident scholar and did not need to flaunt his family ties.

Sadly, we cannot say much about the attire of the present-day teachers. Except for a handful of headmasters in a few urban schools, the other male teachers do not seem to make an attempt on their dress code

Language and Literature

He taught us English Language and Literature. Unfortunately I could not take Latin and Greek. However, during that time there were many a Greek and Latin scholar in the College including Rev. Lucien Fernando. He used to write comments in our books in Latin and Greek using red ink, in order to encourage us to find the meaning. We always had to go to another Latin scholar such as Mr. D N Pereira to find the meaning. Most of us selected English Literature. It was a difficult subject and only a few teachers were able to take it. I still remember how Mr. P e r e i r a d e f i n e d l i t e r a t u r e. Literature is reading and understanding. He taught us poetry and prose. I always marvelled at the wealth of knowledge he possessed. He had acquired vast knowledge through reading, a habit that the teachers of today lack. We were indeed the fortunate ones to have learnt from him as well as inherited the habit of reading.

students excel. He was very keen to mould proper Thomians out of every student. Exam question papers which were prepared by teachers and were copied on a Roneo machine, never leaked to the students or anyone else. In fact paper leaking was unheard of. Not forgetting that with such primitive reprographic facilities, the chances were greater of someone taking a copy of the exam paper. In 1959 he had applied to migrate to Australia and was given the opportunity. He was probably the only one who declined such a great opportunity to stay back in the country because he felt that the C o l l e g e n e e d e d h i s s e r v i ce s. However, in 1972 the need to migrate was more evident as he had lost his many hours of teaching in the English syllabus - his hours of teaching greatly reduced by half with the introduction of Sinhalese as the main language of instruction. Late SWRD Bandaranaikes policy decision for short term political gain resulted in making excellent English scholars like DN Pereira to leave the country. And that is how the country lost a great English scholar. Sri Lankas loss was Australias g ain. He star ted teaching in Australia from the age of 57 till after 65 years. To him, serving his College was the ultimate joy. We were fortunate to have been the students of such a true Thomian legend who served his College till his last breath.

The Loss

Dress Code
I met Mr. D N Pereira in grade 8 at S. Thomass College. His appearance was not only attractive, but had the subtle effect on all young Thomians as to how one should dress to command respect from others. He always wore a well ironed tweed trouser and coat suit with a red tie. His brown leather shoes were so shiny we used to say that one could use it as a mirror to comb the hair. Without his or our knowledge, he was our role model. Even today I would always wear well- ironed and polished shoes. He never uttered a word about how a Thomian should dress, but by setting an example he has created a tradition which we continue to this day. Sadly, we cannot say much about the attire of the present-day teachers. Except for a handful of headmasters in a few urban schools, the other male teachers do not seem to make an attempt on their dress code.

Exam question papers which were prepared by teachers and were copied on a Roneo machine, never leaked to the students or anyone else. In fact paper leaking was unheard of. Not forgetting that with such primitive reprographic facilities, the chances were greater of someone taking a copy of the exam paper

fee at that time which was so sticky that one could only suck it till the end. He took his role as both a disciplinarian and role model so seriously that he gave up smoking to set the right example for his students. Any punishment meted out was never malicious. He always said; Please bear in mind that the good and the bad you do in life, will have a reflection on the College.

man and thus he chose the teaching profession. He always found the time to give extra support in studies for children, which in this day and age would be called tuition, the difference being he charged no fee.

Commitment to Profession
Punctuality , they say is the politeness of princes. Well, Mr D N Pereira was royalty indeed. Not only was he punctual, he was hardly absent. Sharp on the bell, he would enter the classroom. He always checked the homework which he had given the previous day. He finishes his lesson two minutes before the next bell and places his books into the brown leather case and leaves for the next class, to be there on time. The school session was from 8.15 in the morning till 3.05 in the afternoon with a lunch interval of one hour. Mr Pereira always went home for lunch. I recently found out that he always changed into a fresh suit when he came back for the second session.

A Pillar of the College

He joined S. Thomas College at a time when the College was famous for languages such as Greek, Latin and English. Being a scholar of all three languages, he was a much sought after teacher. Prior to joining S. Thomas, he served at the St Thomas College Matara as well as at Richmond College, Galle. His career at his own School STC Mt. Lavinia began in 1951. Wearing the dual hats of an old boy and a teacher of the school, he played a pivotal role in the College administrative sphere. He was a service oriented

Discipline
Ensuring discipline within the College was different during our time. Apart from the Warden there were a few teachers who were given the authority to cane students. Mr. D N Pereira was one of them. He hardly exercised that authority . His presence and the mere mention of his name was enough to keep the students in order. He was known as Bulto; a very hard and chewy tof-

Conducting Examinations
The examinations during the time of D N Pereira were to help