Saturday, September 14, 2024

Heart Vs Mind - Reading at The Teacher's Academy 14th Sept 2024


Summary of the reading session

Addressing Student Disciplinary Issues and Teacher's Role

We read about disciplinary issue involving students Arjun and Rakhi. Roma, their teacher, disagreed with the punishment and insisted on talking to the parents first before disciplining the students. Roma emphasised the need to understand the student's perspective and only jump to conclusions with giving them a fair chance. The discussion highlighted the importance of respecting teachers and allowing them to handle situations with their students. Roma firmly stood up for her students despite opposition from senior colleagues.

Addressing Student Misbehavior and Consequences

Roma discussed the actions of two students, Arjun and Rakhi, who had been caught talking on the terrace, a prohibited area, and bunking the morning assembly. Learning emphasised the importance of understanding the consequences of their actions, which had given the school administration, teachers, and other students a wrong message. She also highlighted the need to adapt to new times and understand the younger generation's perspective. The students apologised for their actions, but Roma continued questioning them to ensure they understood the gravity of their mistakes.

Relationship Issues and Physical Intimacy Discussion

Arjun, Rakhi, and their friends discussed their relationship issues. Rakhi expressed her need for more time due to the impact of the relationship on her life at home and school, while Arjun argued that the relationship was not affecting his life. They also discussed the influence of their friends on their relationship, with Arjun mentioning that Anthony had advised him that Arjun liked Rakhi. The conversation ended with Rakhi expressing her desire to end the relationship due to the pressure it put on her and the fear of a breakup. Additionally, Rakhi explained the four phases related to physical intimacy, which led to an unintended revelation by Arjun and Rakhi in front of their teacher.

Discussing Friendship, Autonomy, and Consequences

Sandeep expressed concerns about friends' influence on personal decisions and the potential consequences of such decisions. Anubha mentioned the importance of individual autonomy and the possible impact of their actions on others. The conversation also touched on the theme of friendship and its potential challenges. The conversation ended with Learning promising to work on being just friends to facilitate a meeting with their parents.

Building Self-Confidence and Trust in Education

Roma shared her experience of receiving love letters at 16, which helped her cope with negative comments and build self-confidence. She connected this to Rakhi's situation and highlighted the importance of self-confidence and teacher-student trust. Roma welcomed Arjun's and Rakhi's parents to discuss punishing their children for their mistakes. The parents agreed with the school's decision and decided to remove their children's privileges.

Addressing Technical Difficulties and Punishments

Our meeting was marked by technical difficulties, with participants experiencing intermittent audio and video issues. Despite these disruptions, we managed to continue the session and the discussion on punishments. Sandeep emphasised the importance of understanding how these punishments can be handled and the need for better devices and connections to prevent future disruptions.

Navigating Teenage Years: Challenges and Support

The discussion revolved around the challenges of parenting teenagers, particularly those between the ages of 14 and 16. The participants acknowledged the significant changes during this period, including shifts in friendships' cognitive, emotional, physical, and personality growth. They emphasised the importance of understanding these changes to better support their children. The conversation also touched on the role of schools and parents in navigating these challenges, focusing on providing guidance and support during this confusing phase of life.

Teenagers' Behavior and Relationship Dynamics

The meeting revolved around the issues faced by Rakhi, a teenage girl, and Arjun, a teenage boy. The discussion centred on the reasons behind their behaviour, with Roma suggesting that Rakhi might seek self-assurance through a relationship due to her insecurities. On the other hand, Mr Rana argued that Arjun was a confident boy and didn't need to seek self-assurance through a relationship. The group also discussed the possibility of Arjun missing his mother or sister, which could explain his attachment to Rakhi. The conversation ended with the group agreeing that trust should be given to teenagers and that they should not be punished for their actions.

Teenage Relationships: Emotional Challenges and Communication

The discussion revolved around the emotional and psychological aspects of teenage relationships, particularly the challenges teenagers and their parents face. The participants acknowledged that teenagers often experience intense emotional connections, which can be overwhelming and all-consuming. They also recognised that teenagers are young and immature and usually try to deal with their emotions independently. The importance of open communication and understanding was emphasised, suggesting that parents should not react as anticipated but instead give their children a chance to talk about their experiences. The participants also discussed the potential dangers of physical intimacy in certain relationships and the need for teenagers to learn how to say no and leave situations when necessary.

Teenage Self-Esteem and Brain Development Discussion

Roma and Mrs. Vishwanathan discussed the importance of self-esteem in teenagers and advised Rocky's mother to work on his low self-esteem by encouraging self-love. Roma also explained the development of the teenage brain, emphasising emotional sensitivity and the ongoing development of the prefrontal cortex. She shared her experience of a tense day at school filled with drama and tension and received a warning from Simon about her actions, particularly her involvement in taking four girls to a club.

Chapter Completion and Assignment Discussion

Learning discussed the completion of the current chapter and the assignment planned for it. The assignment was shared in the Joy of Learning Library and Dehradun. Learning encouraged everyone to work on it in groups, creating videos as suggested or coming up with reflections. The next session was set to focus on reflections from teachers across schools. Learning also emphasised the importance of reading and leading, urging everyone to try to read the assigned book. The conversation ended with a reminder to refer to the blog post and start working on the assignment.

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Heart Vs Mind - Reflection for September 2024


Reading HEART VS MIND, chapter 9 from Wanted Back-Bencher and Last-Ranker Teacher by Kavita Bhupta Ghosh


With teenagers in relationships comes the dangers of 'making out' and teen pregnancies. Roma counsels two students and their parents on dealing with the sensitive situation without aggression.


Assignment:

1. On the subject of teenage relationships, love, and sexuality, share a reflection articulating your personal views, experience and overall growth in understanding and handling teenage relationships and bodily curiosity as an educator over the years. Considering the aspect of emotional need and validation involved in teenage relationships, do you think that this awareness impacts your opinion, rather feelings about teenage relationships? Video content length: (upto) 3 mins.

2. In the overall way life is shaped and learnt to be looked at, having power / authority is usually seen as something that necessarily has to be stern, rigid, firm, stoic, hard. Soft power is not understood or explored much but oftentimes, soft power is the creator of long lasting positive impact. In a video not more than 3 mins long, share your thoughts and learning on the meaning of soft power at school. Further, share your own experience of another person’s soft power and its impact; along with your own display of soft power and its impact, in contrast to the more traditional form of power that we spoke of earlier. Lastly, how do you continue to plan to engage with softness now in light of the session?

Submission Specifications:
1. The assignment must be submitted in the shape of one video with 3 sections covering the 3 questions. You can make 3 separate videos and tie them together using InShot or another video app on your phone, or you can write down pointers for all 3 questions and answer them in one video of not more than 6 minutes.
2. Please ensure that the video is clear in sound quality. Please try to avoid filming with a lot of background noise. If unavoidable, please try to ensure that the volume and quality of your voice makes up for that.
3. Format of the video file must me .mp4 or .mov.
4. The assignment must be submitted by the 25th of this month.

Please email HD Videos only, use Google Drive to share if the file size is too large, I look forward to your submissions to my email ID MK@LearningForward.Org.IN

Thank you, and hope to have you catch up with the Assignments backlog, happy to help in any way.

Manisha Khanna
GSA Principal

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