Grade 11-Students Portfolios

This is how we did it.............
The relief after you get your results is immeasurable. The students in my batch did phenomenally, but we all had to put hard work in at some point of time. Most students have some strong subjects and some weak ones. Never forget your strengths, but do, devote more time to your weak subjects. As requested by Ms.Nooraine Fazal, our CEO and the Head of School, Inventure Academy, I’m going to share some of my experiences preparing for the IGCSE. At the start of my academic career in Inventure my prospects didn’t look all that good. My worst subject was math, and I was happy with just a pass. Throughout the year I struggled, but it did gradually come to me. And now as a distinction student with an 81 percentile in math, I’m pretty happy with myself.

Here are a couple of tips which hold you in good stead for the exam

1.Focus!! This exam is a priority.
2.Work from the start, paying attention in class pays off, you could just learn from the book, but our teachers in Inventure helped to simplify the concepts, and they really made us understand.
3.During the exams, make it a point to get your sleep in, sleeping through the exam is worse than knowing less, simply because you miss the opportunity to put down what you know.
4.Anxiety is completely useless; it makes you less productive when studying, and slows you down while writing. Remember, what’s done, is done, fretting about it isn’t going to help, focusing on your next exam, is the only way you can make things better.
5.This is pretty common advice, but it’s very effective. If you feel difficulty in answering a question, skip to the next one. Who knows? Sometimes it’ll just come to you, but what’s really important is that you answer as many questions as possible; you need to show the examiner what you do know.

So in conclusion, I personally want to commend the staff at Inventure for the excellent work they’ve done with Inventure’s first batch, one big step for us, and an equally big step for Inventure.

By Suman Sridharan
Grade 11

Grade 9-Students Portfolio

Grade 10-Students Portfolio

A Long Way Home…
I have mastered the art of letting random thoughts flow through my head till I end up confusing myself. This happens a lot these days, especially when I get bored pretty often. I have nothing to do right now, except…think.
Gosh! It’s a long way home from school, especially when your car breaks down and you have to walk all the way!
I started thinking…
The recent attacks in Mangalore, and the subsequent ban on Valentine’s Day – both assaulted the rights of women all over India. Feminism flew right out the window as women were robbed of their basic rights. Oh, and one more thing, why is it that WOMEN were targeted and not MEN?
By this point, I had crossed the road and almost got ran over by a bus. The bus driver swore at me in Kannada and drove on with a scowl on his face.
Phew! What a narrow escape!
I turn around and run away from the glares of the people around me, almost tripping over my open shoelace. I run into an empty lane. I can hear my heart pounding as I stop to tie my shoelace. I continue walking…
Death. A narrow brush with it just scared the living daylights out of me. How do people even have the guts to attempt suicide? A depressed person, or a matyr – how do they manage to do it? I can’t even think of dying without getting scared. How would I voluntarily hurt myself?
I was in my own world as I continue walking. Soon enough, I noticed someone following me. I turned around and saw a man who glared at me and turned around and walked away. I walked on.
So…I’m bored. Sheesh! Am I really having a conversation with myself? No wonder people think I’m weird!
Soon enough, I got the feeling that someone was following me, again. I turned around and saw the same man standing a few metres away from me.
I panicked!
I slowly bent down and picked a stone up; and pretended to walk on fearlessly.
“Excuse me, miss. I’ve been trying to call you for the last 5 minutes, but I don’t think you were paying attention.”
I turned around. It was the ‘stalker’ (or so I thought).
“Yes?”
“It’s just that”, he stuttered. He glanced at the stone in my hand, and swallowed before continuing. “This fell out of you pocket”, he said, as he gave me my watch.
“Oh…thank you”, I replied sheepishly, and dropped the stone.
Gosh, Shalaka! You’re so silly! You’ve been watching too many movies! Did you really think some man was going to attack you in broad daylight? You were so wrapped up in your own thoughts that you didn’t even realize that he had called you! Go on; just assume that every person you see on the road has evil intentions!
Anyway, how much longer will it take to get home?
I glanced at my watch, and groaned as I noticed the time. I was missing my favorite show! All because the car broke down!
Life’s so unfair! Just because SOME people couldn’t be responsible enough to send the car for servicing on time, I had to suffer! Thanks a lot! Today had to be the day when the best episode was on! Of course! Because NOTHING works out for me! It’s so unfair! Wait - haven’t I said that already? Oh well…my vocabulary IS pretty bad…
I was getting tired and I was panting by the time I reached the rail crossing. Due to my magnificent luck, the gate was closed! So, I had to wait for the train to cross before I could continue walking.
Though I was happy for the break I was getting from walking, I needed to get home fast! I had already missed one TV show and I didn’t want to miss the other one. (In case you’re wondering - my life does revolve around TV shows!)
I was getting impatient as I waited by the crossing, waiting for the train to pass by.
For someone who needs to be entertained every two seconds, this wait was excruciatingly painful.
I hate waiting! Why can’t the train just hurry up and pass by? I need to get home! People are so inconsiderate! The driver, the people who made these roads that don’t even have sidewalks! I hate everyone! The irresponsible driver, who couldn’t send the car for servicing, the train driver, who can’t move faster, the people who made these roads full of potholes, the cows that leave their blessings on the road, the person who created trains, the person who thought of the concept of railway crossings, the person who invented quadratic equations…
Now, I couldn’t stop myself…
I hate Physics, Quantum of Solace, Truman, Himesh What’s-His-Name…
Now, the wait wasn’t that boring anymore! I had something to entertain myself with! Sure, I had spoken to myself on many occasions (after all, who would pay more attention to me, than ME?), but this was different. I had never actually thought about all the things, people, places, animals, inanimate objects...that I had hated! What scared me was that my list was pretty long!
Number 459 on my list – the color brown, Number 460…ouch. This list is getting longer! I’ve spent so much time on this list, it seems like forever! And the train isn’t even here yet!
Back to my list...where was I? Oh right…Number 460…
Now, I was a woman on a mission. My aim was to figure out all the things I hated before the train arrived. Looking at the state I was in now, the task seemed pretty accomplishable.
(SOME TIME LATER)
Number 480…okay now I’m bored…
And the train isn’t even here yet! This is so frustrating! How do people expect me to get home if the whole universe is working against me? This is just a giant plot to make sure that I don’t get home, and miss my TV shows, and stay miserable for the rest of my life!
LIFE IS SO UNFAIR!
Wait…that’s the third or fourth time I’m saying that isn’t it?
I’ve had enough!
Now, I decide to take matters into my own hands.
The train hasn’t passed by. So, instead of waiting, I slowly take off my bag and throw it as far as possible over the crossing. I hold my breath as I see it fly over in what seems to be slow motion. As it lands on the other side, I let out a sigh of relief.
Then, I put one leg over the gate and jump across, onto the railway tracks. I bring my other leg over and steady myself.
Half way there! Home, sweet, home – here I come!
I start moving forward, towards the gate on the other side.
Wait – why isn’t my foot moving?
I look down at my right foot; and notice that a bit of the track had caved in, taking my foot along with it! I was stuck!
I’m stuck!
As I try to free my foot, I can hear the wail of a siren in the distance.
Uh-oh…
Shalaka Kurup
Grade 10 – IGCSE


Hinglish,Kanglish ????????????????

English came into India, due to the colonial rule of the British over us. Though it wasn’t a great period as far as Indian prosperity is concerned, there were several advantages; one being that English was introduced in India, and is now one of the worlds most spoken languages.
In India, there used to be this whole hype about being Americanized, but now I believe it is reducing. The fact that now people not only speak English but Indian English is a little proof of that.
English has now, if I may call it that, evolved. In India it has taken various forms and has words taken from varying regional languages, all from various parts of India.
In several parts of India, Hinglish is spoken, which is said to be a mixture of Hindi and English. People use words like, ‘karoing’ which basically means karo – to do (from Hindi) and the –ing from English.

In ‘Namma’ Bangaluru, which means our Bangalore by the way, Kanglish is spoken. And yes, you guessed it right. It’s a mixture of Kannada and English.

There are several regions in India which mix their own regional languages into English, especially since most of India is not educated well enough to be able to speak English properly.
In Mumbai as well, Mumbaiya hindi or mumbaiya English is spoken, which a colloquial form of both English and Hindi.

Following are some words and phrases that are used in English and further explain the influence of various languages on Indian English:
• Tag questions: The use of "isn't it" as a generic question tag, as in "The office building will be ready by early next year; isn't it?" More recent tag questions include "no?" (used colloquially) as in He's here, no? ('na' often replaces 'no' in Hindi speaking areas; the South replaces 'no' with the 'ah' sound, as in Ready, ah?, an influence of colloquial Tamil and Kannada.)
• Use of the words but or only as intensifiers such as in: "I was just joking but." or "It was she only who cooked this rice." Or even "I didn't go only" to mean "I didn't end up going after all." (Influenced by Hindi syntax.)
• Adding "U" to all english words e.g. LeftU for left, BusU for Bus; especially people from South Indian states mainly Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have the habit of when speaking Tamil and Kannada and Telugu respectively
• Use of yaar, machaa, abey, arey in an English conversation between Indians, mainly by people of native Hindi-speaking origin; 'ra', 'da', 'machaa' is more frequently used in the South.
• Use of "baazi"/"baaji" or "-giri" for the same purpose, as in "business-baazi" or "cheating-giri." (Also prevalent mainly in Hindi-speaking states.)


The list seems to be endless.

As Eddy Peter quotes

“Not only does the English Language borrow words from other languages, it sometimes chases them down dark alleys, hits them over the head, and goes through their pockets”

Statistics quote that there are 5 billion different languages in the world but a smile :-) speaks them all.

Ambika Natesan

Grade 10 IGCSE

And if you're Chinese, ask why you care more about a number on a piece of paper more than the man in front of you

Yes yes, corrupt officials are awful, absolutely. And yes, they ruin the lives of people who deserve nothing of the sort. But that's an easy narrative.

Floating above this article is something that needs to be addressed even more openly by Chinese culture. Yes, Chinese culture, not the Chinese government.

I'm Chinese-American and I've had this conversation a million times before, and my position has held true for years: Chinese employers (and Chinese people in general) don't give a damn about education, they care about school. I am never asked "What can you do?" I am always asked "Where did you go to school?"

"Where did you go to school?" in China is basically "Hello." Every person who meets me will arrive at this question within three minutes. Modern Chinese culture equates your school and your diploma with your capability. You went to Harvard, kid? You're PERFECT for our company.

Not only that, but in China, your university is determined by your score on the gao kao, the grueling exam which is taken during high school. Did you do poorly on a single test? Too bad, consider your dreams gone. Not only your dreams but your parents' dreams, because where you go to school determines your parents' prestige level.

The real problem here is that the Chinese education system has distilled everything to the level of grades. This encourages widespread plagiarism, because who cares about the means if the results turn out well? I teach at a university here, and the professors plagiarize twice as often as the students: once a person reaches a certain level of authority, they follow absolutely no intellectual rigorousness at all.

This has extreme complications for Chinese society. Ask anyone who has ever worked at a Chinese company and spoken to their own accountants. If you want
to hear the numbers for the last quarter, the accountants will actually say
"Well, what would you like the numbers to be?" There is an unspoken
agreement at all levels of society to please your immediate superior and get
a good grade. Any methodology is compromised.

If you're American, don't ask why these corrupt officials weren't caught.
Ask why on earth is a man's life predicated on one file? Ask what happens to
a society when it prizes the Gold medal over the discipline to achieve it
legitimately?

New York Times

Files Vanished, Young Chinese Lose the Future

Xue Longlong, on the street where he lives in Xian, China. When his academic records vanished in Wubu, he lost out on a high-paying job, and the woman he hoped to marry abandoned him.For much of his education, Xue Longlong was silently accompanied from grade to grade, school to school, by a sealed Manila envelope stamped top secret. Stuffed inside were grades, test results, evaluations by fellow students and teachers, his Communist Party application and " most important for his job prospects " proof of his 2006 college degree.

Everyone in China who has been to high school has such a file. The files are irreplaceable histories of achievement and failure, the starting point for potential employers, government officials and others judging an individuals worth. Often keys to the future, they are locked tight in government, school or workplace cabinets to eliminate any chance they might vanish.But two years ago, Mr. Xue's file did vanish. So did the files of at least 10 others, all 2006 college graduates with exemplary records, all from poor families living near this gritty north-central town on the wide banks of the Yellow River.

With the Manila folders went their futures, they say.

Local officials said the files were lost when state workers moved them from the first to the second floor of a government building. But the graduates say they believe officials stole the files and sold them to underachievers seeking new identities and better job prospects , a claim bolstered by a string of similar cases across China.

Today, Mr. Xue, who had hoped to work at a state-owned oil company, sells real estate door to door, a step up from past jobs passing out leaflets and serving drinks at an Internet cafe. Wang Yong, who aspired to be a teacher or a bank officer, works odd jobs. Wang Jindong, who had a shot at a job at a state chemical firm, is a construction day laborer , earning less than $10 a day.

"If you don't have it, just forget it" Wang Jindong, now 27, said of his file. "how capable you are, they will not hire you. Their first reaction is that you are a crook". Perhaps no group here is more vilified and mistrusted than China"s local officials, who shoulder much of the blame for corruption within the Communist Party. The party constantly vows to rein them in; in October, President Hu Jintao said a clean party was "a matter of life and death".

Critics contend that China's one-party system breeds graft that only democratic reforms can check. But China's leaders say the solution is not grass-roots checks on power, but smarter oversight and crime-fighting.

Public policy specialists say China is shifting its emphasis from headline-grabbing corruption cases to more systematic ways to hold officials accountable. The government opened an anti corruption hot line last month to encourage whistle-blowers. A few localities require that officials disclose their family assets to the party.

But in Wubu, a struggling town of 80,000 banked by steep hills and coal mines, citizens say that local officials answer to no one, and that anyone who dares challenge them is punished."When the central government talks about the economy and development, it sounds so great" said Mr. Wang, the day laborer,"But at the local level, corrupt officials make all their money off of local people".

Student files are a proven moneymaker for corrupt state workers. Four years ago, teachers in Jilin Province were caught selling two students’ files for $2,500 and $3,600; the police suspected that they intended to sell a dozen more. In May, the former head of a township government in Hunan Province admitted that he had paid more than $7,000 to steal the identity of a classmate of his daughter, so his daughter could attend college using the classmate's records.

While not quite as important as in Communist China's early days, when it was a powerful tool of social control, the file, called a dangan, is an absolute requirement for state employment and a means to bolster a candidate's chances for some private-sector jobs, labor experts say. Because documents are collected over several years and signed by many people, they are virtually impossible to replicate.

So in September 2007, when one Wubu graduate sought work at a local bank and discovered that his file was gone, word spread fast. For the next two years, his parents and a group of other parents in similar straits said, they sought help at every level of the bureaucracy.

The government's answer, they said, was to reject any inquiry, place the graduates' parents under police surveillance and repeatedly detain them. Last February, they said, five parents trying to petition the national government were locked in an unofficial jail in Beijing for nine days.

"We are so exhausted", said one tearful mother, Song Heping. "Our nerves are about to snap from this torture. The officials who were responsible not only have not been punished, they have been promoted".

Wubu officials did not respond to repeated inquiries. One Chinese television journalist said they told him they had resolved the matter simply by creating new folders. But families say the folders held nothing but brief, error-riddled resumes that employers reflexively reject as fake.

The parents are uniformly poor: one father drives a three-wheel taxi, earning just 15 cents per passenger.

Mr. Xue's parents sacrificed even more than most, in the belief that education would lead their children out of poverty. They earn just $450 a year growing dates, and live near a dirt mountain path, drinking well water and cooking over a wood fire. Mr Xue, the oldest child, wore secondhand clothes and skipped meals throughout high school. When he won admission to a university in Xian, 400 miles away, his parents borrowed to cover the $1,500 in annual expenses. Initially, it seemed the bet would pay off: he said he had had a chance to work at an oil company with a monthly salary of $735.

But the job evaporated with his dangan. "It was a catastrophe", he said. Now
he earns a base salary of $90 a month as a door-to-door salesman and lives
in a tiny, dingy room in a Xian slum. The woman he hoped to marry left him because her parents said he would never have a stable job. His mother suffered a nervous breakdown, and the family debt ballooned. his father, Xue Ruzhan, said he owed more than $10,000 — more than twice what his property is worth.

"What is the point of continuing to live?" the father said. "Sometimes I want to commit suicide. These corrupt officials destroyed all our hopes". Including, it seems, the hopes of Longlong's younger sister, Xiaomei, an 11th grader who once thought she would follow him to a university degree.

No more. "I want to quit", she said during a school lunch break. "My brother
graduated from college. What good did it do him?"

Zhang Jing contributed research from Wubu, China, and Yang Xiyun from
Beijing.

By SHARON LaFRANIERE

Published: July 26, 2009

WUBU, China