Thoughtfulness and understanding are the two values that develop a child into a good citizen.
Thoughtfulness
Thoughtfulness is a value that develops the personality of a person. It develops a sense of love and cares for others. A little thought and kindness are often worth more than a great deal of money. Just one minute of thoughtfulness can change the whole life ahead. It develops love, care, empathy and understanding among the people. Thoughtful people pay attention to the people around them, reflect on the situation, and react and act peacefully and lovingly.
We can develop a sense of thoughtfulness in the children through different activities in the school.
Slow down.- through the activity like arranging the words, the child learns to wait for their turn and accept the other person's actions and then continue further. Activities like this can be done through alphabet cards or even number cards. This will teach a child acceptance and understanding of the other person's thoughts and work with coordination. This activity will also help the child not to jump on the conclusion but think and act accordingly.
Dig deeper and look back- sometimes it happens when we try to help students think deeper and give them a tool to broaden their understanding, but the child does not know how to use it. So we as teachers must help the student to think out of the box and think deeper. The only tools the teacher and the child need at that moment is patience and tolerance. This way, children will learn to look back if they have made any mistake and even think broader and improve.
Express empathy-Empathy is showing respect and love towards others and care for others feelings. In this situation, a teacher can be a role model for the children. For example, if the teacher is frustrated with a child's behaviour, they must come down and try to observe the situation from the child's perspective,, or if the student is upset, reflect back on his feelings and try to communicate with the child, read his behaviour and try to help him. When the child observes the teacher's behaviour, the child will surely develop it and show empathy.
Developing these values in children will help them develop in the classroom and the community outside of the school and contribute to their becoming better people.
Understanding
The ability to understand something or someone is called understanding. It is a value that develops within a person. If you have empathy for others, you will surely develop understanding. You will be able to think positively, care for others and support others. An understanding person will never jump up to a conclusion too quickly. He will try to dig deeper and look at both sides of the coin. He will be fair in his judgement and will be truthful, and a truthful person always wins the confidence of others.
In school, a teacher must be an understanding person. She has to become tolerant, empathetic and should always be fair in judgement. She must have the capability of making the right decisions.
When a teacher faces a typical situation with the children, the teacher should not prostrate instead, listen calmly and carefully to the children, dig the truth out and then talk to the children. Make them realise what mistake they have made and what was the result. She can even give them options of alternate actions that can avoid these kinds of situations.
To develop a sense of understanding, many activities can be done in the class.
Activity - To make the children understand the importance of understanding the block games, puzzle games are the best. Some parts of the puzzle can be distributed among the children forming groups and then ask them to solve it. They can even share their pieces with others to complete them. By doing so,, children learn to connect, coordinate, understand and relate. When they share the pieces with others, they learn to tell and develop a friendly relationship. They even understand the importance of teamwork.
Understanding is an important value that helps a child become more patient, caring, loving, empathetic and friendly. These values help him become a better citizen.
- Pareenita Negi(Principal)@JMMS, John Martyn Memorial School, Salangaon, Dehradun