Teach the steelman rule first
Before the Constitution, before the theory — the one debating rule that inoculates a classroom against bad-faith argument.
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Art. 01 · Preamble
— I. Kaul, the ayes have it
Democracy is a group project. Somebody has to teach it.
I wrote a Ph.D. on coalition politics and discovered, at my first guest lecture in a school, that seventeen-year-olds ask better political questions than most journalists — they just have nowhere to ask them. I've spent sixteen years building that place: a classroom with a speaker's chair, a question hour, and an opposition bench that keeps me honest.
My mock parliament is in its 22nd edition and has produced two actual student-union presidents, one municipal councillor, and several hundred citizens who read manifestos before voting. We've debated every amendment that mattered, hosted a sitting MLA for question hour (students were merciless; it was glorious), and kept the board average at 95% — because a student who can argue a position can certainly write one.
If your school wants political science taught as the live, contested, essential discipline it is — with rigour underneath the noise — table a motion below. I yield the floor.
Order of business
This term · the house agendaITEMQuestion Hour — current affairs, no phonesDaily · first 10 minutes
ITEMThe Preamble, word by wordGR 11 · six weeks, worth it
ITEMMock Parliament — winter sessionGR 11–12 · 22nd edition
ITEMRead an actual bill before opiningSTANDING RULE
ITEMDisagree without despisingSTANDING RULE · enforced
Art. 02 · The manifesto
Promises actually kept
Sixteen years across theory, constitution and the loud real world — fully ratified.
ART.Signature
Indian Constitution & polity
text-first, amendment debates, landmark judgmentsART.Ph.D. depth
Political theory
Plato to Ambedkar, taught as living argumentsART.Specialist
Comparative politics
constitutions side by side, why systems differART.22 sessions
Mock parliament & debate
22 editions, steelman rule, speaker trainingART.Essential
Media & misinformation literacy
dismantling slogans, reading manifestos, bias auditsART.95% avg
Board & CUET strategy
reasoned-verdict answer craft, Gr 11–12
Art. 03 · Procedure
The classroom is a house in session
Political science is the only subject whose final exam is the rest of your life as a citizen. Yet it's mostly taught as dictation — definitions of democracy delivered undemocratically. My classroom is a house in session: motions, evidence, a speaker's chair, and the sacred rule that you must state your opponent's case fairly before attacking it. That rule alone changes lives.
- Table itEvery unit opens as a live motion — 'This house believes the President is a rubber stamp' — before any theory arrives.
- Read the textThe actual Constitution, actual bills, actual judgments — excerpted, but never paraphrased into mush.
- Debate itStructured argument with the steelman rule: state the other side fairly first, or lose the floor.
- Write the judgmentBoard-format answers as reasoned verdicts — position, evidence, counterargument, conclusion.
Art. 04 · Terms in office
Sixteen years, re-elected
2015 — PRESENT
Head of Political Science (PGT)
Modern School, New Delhi
Lead the humanities debate programme. Built the standing mock parliament (22 editions), the daily question hour, and the annual 'Read the Bill' workshop. 95% board average; political science elective enrolment doubled in six years.
2010 — 2015
Political Science Teacher (PGT)
Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, New Delhi
Grades 11–12; introduced the steelman rule and watched it migrate from my classroom into the staff room, which remains its toughest jurisdiction.
2008 — 2010
Research Fellow → Teacher
Centre for Policy Research, then classroom
Coalition politics research; concluded that the highest-leverage political institution in India is a good Grade 11 classroom, and acted accordingly.
Art. 05 · Credentials
Education
2003 — 2008
Thesis on coalition governance
Ph.D. Political Science
Jawaharlal Nehru University, DelhiThesis on coalition governance
2001 — 2003
First class · rank 2
M.A. Political Science
University of DelhiFirst class · rank 2
2008 — 2009
Distinction
B.Ed. (Social Science)
Jamia Millia Islamia, DelhiDistinction
Art. 06 · Ratifications
Certifications
☸
Election Commission — SVEEP educatorVoter-literacy programme · 2019
☸
IB DP Global Politics (Cat 1)IB workshop, Singapore · 2022
☸
Parliamentary procedure trainingPRS Legislative Research workshop · 2017
☸
CBSE competency-based assessmentCoE training · 2023
Art. 07 · Honours list
Entered in the record
☸
Best Humanities Teacher — DelhiRegional sahodaya teaching awards
2024☸
Mock parliament — 22 editionsTwo student-union presidents, one councillor
2015–☸
95% board average — Political ScienceCBSE Gr 12, department record
2023☸
Published — 'The Steelman Classroom'Teacher Plus, on teaching disagreement
2022
Art. 08 · The gazette
JUN 2026 MAR 2026 NOV 2025
Notified opinions
Let them grill an MLA
What happened when a sitting legislator faced my Grade 12 question hour — and why every school should host one.
Read notification →Read the bill, then opine
A classroom protocol for actual legislative text: how seventeen-year-olds handle primary sources better than television panels.
Read notification →
Art. 09 · On the record
Statements to the house
ON THE RECORD · STATEMENT 01
My daughter made our family read two manifestos before the municipal election and scored them on a rubric. We voted differently. I'm still processing.
Mira's fatherPARENT · GR 12ON THE RECORD · STATEMENT 01
The mock parliament is now the school's flagship event. An actual MLA asked to attend. The students cross-examined him for an hour.
PrincipalMODERN SCHOOL, DELHION THE RECORD · STATEMENT 01
I'm in law school and the steelman rule is still how I prep every moot. State their case fairly, then take it apart. Dr. Kaul's rule.
AdvaitALUMNUS · NLU DELHI
Art. 10 · For schools
Coalition terms
☸ SESSION 2027–28 · ONE DEMO CLASS: GIVE ME ANY CURRENT CONTROVERSY AND FORTY MINUTES
Current employerModern School, New Delhi
Current roleHead of Political Science (PGT)
Open toPGT Political Science · HOD Humanities · Debate-programme director
Expected salary₹13–17 LPA
Notice period90 days
Willing to relocateYes — Delhi NCR, Chandigarh, Bengaluru · CBSE / ICSE / IB DP
Principal, Modern SchoolCURRENT EMPLOYER · SHARED ON REQUEST
HOD Humanities, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya2010–15 · SHARED ON REQUEST
Art. 11 · Petitions
Table a motion
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