Kiran Bir Sethi teaches kids to take charge

[crudhousefull]

Children are much better at doing idealistic things.  NO corruption at that age

[makeiteasyable]

excellent.

[nicolecarter58]

fantastic video, thanks for sharing .. keep it up =)

[Sambahadur100]

Dear Kiran Bir Sethi,

This old soldier salutes you !

I was fortunate to know Jazz, Bhavya, Kartikeya and Veena Das at Panchgani on Sep 08 and 09, 2010..

I wish to visit your school with my friends from " Wholesome Leadership ' which you guys electrified by their excellent presentation. Let's plan a visit ASAP.

Col Ramesh Pathak ( Retd )

Executive Director

Innovative Consultants Combine

[daiquirikiss]

I am an English teacher of four elementary schools in Japan. I only see the majority of my kids less than 3 times a months for 45 minutes. I feel very limited with my power of freedom in the schools. Many of the adults I meet in Japan teach kids here in a very traditional way. Almost like herding cattle. If something is seen as too difficult, they say "oh well, they can't do it." I always believe that children can do anything.

[daiquirikiss]

@daiquirikiss This video is very inspiring. I wish I could change my way of teaching English to something the schools would allow like in Ms. Sethi's speech. When I teach, I always teach together with the homeroom teacher. How can I show my kids that they can learn English easily with her example?

[dhwani182]

I am part of the Design for change contest, Chennai ...and I really enjoy being part of it.

[larrywayman]

No teacher could possibly have dry eyes after hearing this! Gandhi still lives. If not us who? If not now, when?

[ofsummer]

nice video, very good idea, motivational and inspirational.

[fractalnisetru]

i ditto hat -- there's a child lurking in all of us. when we get to the core of our being, we start seeing things in a different light and some self- or world-respect 'begins to bud from fertile soil'. change in the outside world begins in every human being and only after that that we can become contagiously good.

while kids can be very good vehicles, examples, and inspirations of/for change, the big responsibility still rests on people who have been around much longer than them, i.e. parents.

[fractalnisetru]

and non-parents, too. we tend to forget that kids follow by example or mimicry. we tend to forget that the grown-ups' actions have a very great impact on kids' behavior-formation and well-being. grown-ups should therefore not bring a child into this world if they cannot ensure a good future for them.

life in any form is too beautiful and precious to put to waste.

[yashhemantnigam]

This movement carries more advantages then what are apparently visible. The children going out and working out the solutions for so many problems will not only help the present social scenario, but it will do tremendous good to the social structure when these kids grow up & become the mainframe of the society 15-20 years into the future.

[Tbonyandsteak]

Make sence, those kids that is empowered with love will do well,

Those kids that haved troubled families where that love is not at hand, will not learn.

Dont we just see that everywhere

[Badwolf182]

Nothing is more powerful leanring than experience itself. Fnatstic way to learn. I have for yrs voiced this same thing that we should teach children abt life skills in schools and moral obligation and responsiblity to tohers and environment.

Fantastic work India. India, u r an inspiration!

[BudhistPanda]

@Badwolf182

Dear Badwolf, thanks for sending me this video, as you know I study to become a teacher, and this was very inspirering. We do use some roleplaying in Danish schools - but not enough, and it does not really develop and spread like this idea. I did roleplaying my self as a schoolkid, where they tried to teach us about labour enviroment - it was amazing. I have been advocating roleplays in schools my self, but this takes it to a higher level - thank you India :)

[Waranoa]

Yes, best idea since flushing toilets!

[westboundNinja1]

the best idea by far!

[giriyy]

alright I am infected...so how do we help?

by the way I want to marry the speaker, if she is unmarried...lol...

[krishna81m]

Obama too won using yes "we can", hope seems to be working!

[sherryfracheymusic]

It is inspiring that the same movement is happening all over the world....

[siziam]

This is such a powerful message. Our best hope for a better world starts with each new generation. Time for a world with new values. As you think so shall you be...

[givingsharing]

This is just awesome, powerful and long-term charity.

[dismutased]

Kids have so much potential, us adults are just too stupid to recognise most of the time.

Good on them!

[splitscreened]

Amazing-Fascinating-Soul Stirring-Inspiring-Positive-Es­sential-Life~Changing....an IDEA worth spreading!....indeed!

More power to you TED...more power to the human potential of creating an IDEA

[doloppost]

Amazing. This put a tear on my face.

[jonmahoney04]

Amazing. thank you. =D

[DrQuijano]

Suddenly India seems like an appealing place to live in.

[proatheism]

Children teaching their parents to read brings a tear to my eye. How beautiful.

[liquidminds]

very amazing... india is progressing so fast, it's hard to follow.

I still wished the other governments would try a little harder...

Western schools, teach the children to behave and do what their boss tells them. We can learn a lot from indian philosophy. At least if we don't want our children to be a slave of their wage.

[greengiantlallan]

@liquidminds I agree with your testament, it's great what Riverside School is doing.

However, I have to say there is much happening in the West too. In the UK for example, there are many inspirational schools and organisations wanting to make a revolution in Education.

If you have time, please check out Whole Education in the UK. They have lots of great information on inspiring projects happening all over the UK.

[Samadhiatman500]

@liquidminds Amen, and this insanity still goes on in these dictatorial workplaces especially for women.

[TheWiseCommenter]

7:23 this woman is totally acting LOL

[fuunguus]

Why do you think that? She had many videos of the places they have had effect on, why would they make a false video about that? Or why would the woman not be happy for her young students?

[weightpro]

yea my school is doin fine hehe

[ytcarol]

What is so important is that the welfare of the child must be central to any enlightened society, that values it's future. Second, that the child knows he/she is the most valued of all. However that is accomplished is laudable.

[bluebeard2]

@ytcarol

Why must the welfare of children be central to any enlightened society? What does 'central' mean?

[nothersheep]

@bluebeard2

Child welfare is 'central', 'crucial' or 'essential' to the health of any society's future because the future of that society is dependent upon the children who will inherit it. If you live in the world's richest nation or largest economic empire but the education of your youth is sub-par and getting worse & the youngest generations are void of hope, or lack any sense of drive or social responsibility, then you're set up to see the failure of your country within a few generations.

[bluebeard2]

Well, to me, saying that the welfare of children must be central implies that the purpose of a society is promotion of its children. Now, that might be necessary for a society to perpetuate itself, but that not what a society is for. Society is there to simply serve its members.

[Leobons]

What a bunch of crap!

[ytcarol]

@Leobons

Be More Specific (show your intelligence)

[Leobons]

I just thought it wasn't at TED level. Pure promotion of charity

[gl2findme]

Society is choking mankind in the west with such a strict nature.

[psycropticunt]

As an aspiring teacher I love where shes going with this plan. We need more people like her!

[proudSomalisis]

I love it! I love her! We need this I CAN energy too in Somalia!

[cherylwens]

Absurd as it sounds, I envy your country's anarchy.

[bearswilleatme]

The empowerment of children seems like common sense, and yet it often meets with much resistance in the US. Children do not receive the level of self esteem building, self defense methods, or the knowledge which encompass the empowerment necessary for facing today's complex situations & challenges, and then the resulting vulnerability is amplified back to us to cause fear and general feelings of unease. This makes us even more protective and creates a cycle which only ensures more vulnerability.

[bearswilleatme]

As for the license plate reading "for the sake of the environment," I simply don't buy it. These things are far too easy to utilize for more nefarious purposes later, once they have already been agreeably implemented for seemingly non-threatening purposes. I find it chilling, personally.

[1schwererziehbar1]

public schools are still modeled after the prussian model which was made to destroy free thinking and creativity and produce obedient people (and soldiers). anything moving away from the prussian type of school will help the children. the celtic countries have moved far from it and they already have the best educated young people.

[DaSkateChannelTV]

yes the prussian model is what killed creativity in china. :)

[bearswilleatme]

independence of the individual is not valued in chinese society. it is valued in the west. therefore, the prussian model conflicts with some of our deepest values..

[lordmetroid]

And many people suffers severe emotional consequences of brutal indoctrination they have to go through during their childhood. It is sad to see lively happy and eager people become passive, angry and gloomy.

[bluebeard2]

@lordmetroid

So, why don't you say "I can"?

[crudhousefull]

@DaSkateChannelTV Creativity's pretty easy to come by after you have discipline. Don't look down on it so much. Creativity's nothing without discipline. China will achieve great things, and hopefully discipline and focus on the plural won't die out as it only causes distress

[jaileeworthy]

@1schwererziehbar1 i.e, sir ken robinson's TED Talk :)

i completely agree.

[eds0004321]

Awesome.

[BFDK]

Absolutely good work, we REALLY need to realize the importance of our children, and how we raise them in this culture we live in. We need more kids like this. I hope you will infect the whole world.

[DSBrekus]

SPREAD THE INFECTION.

but you know.. in a good way

[ferre347]

this brought tears to my eyes!!

[Gilla1ness]

It seems like the youth are the ones that are open minded enough that they can learn to say, and believe, " I CAN "!

[bazyli1987]

GREAT!

[regresseur]

Wow, this lady mentioned H1N1 like it's a big deal. Are there really still people who think that H1N1 is an epidemic? it has killed something like 6k people world-wide, meanwhile seasonal (i.e. every single year) flu kills ~20 thousand people minimum and and over 200k max. Please people... PLEASE, turn off your god damn televisions and do some FUCKING research and stop buying into this propagandist bullshit!!!

[Wh3tst0nE]

@regresseur fucku

[Drey4ltur]

lmao, i was just having a conversation yesterday with someone and telling them that 8 years ago, we had the "bird flu", which was followd by SARS and all that bullshit... and it was all the same non-events.

...and about 12 or more years ago, it was the swine flu AGAIN! xD

people just don't have any fuckin memory, hahah :P

[Gilla1ness]

@regresseur It didn't sound heavily punctuated. More like she's aware of the fears people buy into instead of saying, " I CAN'' ! You must have missed that.

[arshsingh1984]

Off-topic much, regresseur?

[Yokailo]

Wonderful speech by a passionate woman. ^^

[ArtificialCleverenAI]

yeah. have all of IBM's money, kids.

acai.

[dpsdoeo]

first comment!