Hope and Friendship - Laxmi Kant Bhatt

Student loneliness due to lack of friendship may seem like a predictable phenomenon, especially when living away from home. However, it is a serious epidemic that is spread worldwide. The cause of this can come from potentially obvious and surprising sources, which can lead to devastating changes in student behaviour.

One of the reasons students these days are under anxiety and depression is that they are becoming hopeless due to losing confidence in themselves. It is one of the significant issues in student life that people fail to understand.

I once had an incident with a hopeless and friendless child.

There was a child who had been promoted to class 9^th with flying colours. He was a well-behaved student with a good academic score. But he suffered a setback after coming to senior school as 9^th standard is a class with an increased syllabus and subjects. He had scored bad in some of his main subjects which had led him to lose confidence in him and become hopeless. Due to this he stopped talking to his friends and used to be upset all the time.

Eventually he lost all of his friends and had a behaviour change in him. He also stopped with his hobbies too. One day he was sitting alone in the library and I had a light conversation with him. He talked a little but was not fully open with me.I got to know that he had lost his hope. So I asked him about his hobbies.He told me that he had a keen interest in cricket.

We talked about cricket and I noticed that he had good knowledge about the sport. So I took him to play cricket. We played for an hour and the coach really liked his  game. I suggested his name for the upcoming interhouse competition. He was a little relaxed and excited after the session. I talked to the house master too to give him a chance to showcase his talent. He agreed and decided to keep him. Though their team lost the match but he played very good. Everybody appreciated him for the way he played.After this, he got a little relaxed towards his studies and gained a little confidence in him again.

His behaviour started improving and he reconnected with his classmates as he got praised for his game. I kept on talking to him and encouraging him in his small victories too.

This way, we can help many students and encourage them to perform better and not lose all hope in them. We should support them in all their victories, even the smallest of them. 

Laxmi Kant Bhatt
The Doon Girls' School

उम्मीद और मित्रता - ज्योति तड़ियाल

उम्मीद और मित्रता

विद्यार्थी जीवन नई राहों और मजिलों की ओर बढ़ने का प्रारंभिक सोपान है। विद्यार्थी अलग परिवेश व परवरिश से आते हैं। ऐसे में दो परिस्थितियां प्रायः देखी जाती हैं –

( क) एक विद्यार्थी जिसने सारी आशाएं खो दी हैं।

(ख) एक विद्यार्थी जिसका विद्यालय में कोई मित्र न हो।

ऐसी परिस्थिति का विद्यार्थियों पर पढ़ने वाला संभावित प्रभाव।

विद्यार्थी पर पढ़ने वाला प्रभाव जिस विद्यार्थी की सारी आशाएं समाप्त हो गई हों उसके कुछ नया सीखने का जोश व उत्साह भी समाप्त हो जाता है। जब इच्छाशक्ति का अभाव हो जाता है। तो पढ़ाई पर नकारात्मक प्रभाव तो पड़ता ही है साथ ही व्यवहार भी प्रभावित होता है व अनुशासन की कमी भी दृष्टिगत होती है। जिसका सीधा प्रभाव विद्यार्थी की शैक्षिक उन्नति पर पड़ता है।

एक ऐसा विद्यार्थी जिसका विद्यालय में कोई मित्र न हो वह एकाकी व उत्साहहीन अनुभव करेगा। कहते हैं दो दिमाग एक काम को ज्यादा कुशलता से करते हैं और फिर मित्रता तो जीवन का आधार है। ऐसा विद्यार्थी जिसका मित्र न हो वह विद्यालय में निराशा का अनुभव करेगा जिससे उसके ज्ञान का संसार भी सीमित ही रह जाएगा।

जब विद्यार्थी की इस परिस्थिति से निकलने में सहायता की। ऐसी मुश्किल परिस्थिति में सर्वप्रथम विद्यार्थी के साथ सहानुभूति का व्यवहार करें और उसकी समस्या को प्राथमिकता दें। मेरे समक्ष भी जब ऐसी ही कठिन परिस्थिति आई तो सबसे पहले मैंने उनकी समस्या के मूलभूत कारण को जानने का प्रयास किया। क्योंकि बिना कारण जाने निवारण संभव नहीं है। आत्मीयता की भावना जाग्रत करी। जब तक सामने बैठा व्यक्ति आपसे आत्मीयता का अनुभव नहीं करेगा तब तक वह अपने कष्ट का भी वर्णन नहीं करेगा। बस इसी प्रकार मैंने भी सहानुभूति व आत्मीयता द्वारा विद्यार्थी को इस मुश्किल परिस्थिति से निकाला।

शिक्षकगणों को सलाह

ऐसी परिस्थिति प्रायः विद्यालय में आ ही जाती है, जब विद्यार्थी एकाकी व निराश अनुभव करता है। ऐसे में सभी शिक्षकों का उत्तरदायित्व होता है कि इन कठिनाइयों से जूझ रहे विद्यार्थी के प्रति नम्र व्यवहार रखें। उन्हें प्रेरित करें, उनके मन में आशा का संचार करें। व्यक्तिगत रूप से उनसे बातचीत करें, पारिवारिक सदस्य की तरह व्यवहार करें। उन्हें अपने जीवन के ऐसे अनुभव बता सकती हैं, जब आपने भी एकाकी व निराश अनुभव किया और अंत में उससे बाहर निकलने में सफलता पाई। कहानी, घटनाओं, कविताओं द्वारा उनका मार्गदर्शन करा। इस प्रकार शिक्षाविदों को मेरा सुझाव है कि इस प्रकार के विद्यार्थियों के प्रति सकारात्मक दृष्टिकोण रखें तथा व्यक्तिगत रूप से उनसे जुड़ें। जीवन का सत्य यही है यही है कि कोई भी मित्र व सकारात्मक दृष्टिकोण के नहीं रह सकता।

मित्र सच्चा हितैषी व साथी होता है। मित्र के ऊपर गोस्वामी तुलसीदास जी भी लिखते हैं –

धीरज धर्म मित्र अरु नारी।
आपातकाल परखिए चारी।।

इसी प्रकार जीवन में आशा व उत्साह होना आवश्यक है । जो भी आगे होगा वह अच्छा होगा तभी भविष्य उज्ज्वल होगा।

प्रेषक
ज्योति तड़ियाल
द दून गर्ल्स स्कूल

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Hope and Friendship - Welham Boys' School

1. A student who has lost all hope

Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana

We all have come across this famous quote from Bhagwat Gita. We, even as adults, struggle to remember it in our challenging times. To make a child understand and follow this during his dark hour was one of the memorable events of my life as a teacher. 

Ishan Sharma (name changed), class- 5, 11 years, a bright student, had a sinking feeling after grossly underperforming in his favourite subject – Physics. It was not just once, but twice and the situation had shattered the boy. 

Ambitious students often tend to put their heart and soul into academics, and sometimes it gets challenging to tackle failure, especially for those who haven't tasted much of it before. It seems as if their entire life is pinned on their success as a student, sports person, or anything else their hearts and ambitions might desire. These choices can be either conscious or subconscious because of years of conditioning.

And for a case in point, it was academics for this boy- a science lover. The blow had left him in a state very close to despair. He was on the verge of giving up his dream of being a renowned scientist. 

His teachers and parents were fully confident in his abilities; then, what was going wrong?

After having a few rounds of discussions with him, it turned out that there were a few workable reasons-

1. His writing speed was not up to the mark and needed substantial upgradation.

2. The ability to sit for 2.5 hours and focus on the same topic had receded. 

Now the task was to bring the boy to a state of normalcy and then work on the above. We had to reinstate his confidence that it was not his ability but some technicalities which could be easily corrected. So, I started having daily conversations with him for around 20-30 minutes. Each time I made it a point to narrate an inspiring story of people bouncing back from failure and leaving their indelible mark on the sands of time. I included stories of Edison's 1000 failed experiments before the invention of the light bulb to JK Rowling's 12 rejections to emphasize course correction and orientation to act. Especially during such circumstances, it is essential to check what one sees, hears, and does. 

Finally, after about 2 weeks, we noticed a slight shift from focusing on results to focusing on inputs like hard work and systematic work. We also tried to bring him back to playing sports, as this is one thing which teaches children to deal with rejections and failures.

This might not be a unique experience. An umpteenth number of children face this issue, especially after Covid. The past couple of years has changed the lives of many children for the worse. But we must remind them that we are with them in this, and things can be worked on and improved. 

After all, it's the small things which lead to the big!

            2. A student with no friends in school

"A friend overlooks your broken fence and admires the flowers in your garden" is often said. 

Childhood memories are wrought with friendships – the mischiefs, fun and frolic and even those innocent fights. However, not all children are privileged to experience this. A small bunch is left out. Such children could have special needs or might have become socially recluse because of specific experiences. 

Learning lasts one's lifetime and has many components to it. Education from friends and peers is an indispensable one. These are intangible yet indispensable. 

I had recently encountered one such child- Karan. He has been an introvert from the time I have known him. However, 2 years of Covid and social distancing had made him socially isolated, even mentally. Digital media has replaced real friends and people. He had lost touch with even his best friend. 

Once back to school, he started finding it difficult to adapt. He would somewhat be confused and sometimes muse over the good old days when he, too, would play with his friends, but now the iPad was more captivating.  

Such situations often go unheeded. However, they have long-term repercussions- like lack of resilience, team spirit, etc.- and must be addressed. 

I sensed similar issues like impatience, lack of ability to discuss, taking feedback, and facing a large group of people, slowly creeping into her life and hampering her growth.

The first step was to talk to him, which didn't help much. So, his best friend and I started planning fun activities aligned with the games he liked, like badminton. Initially, we aimed at 20 mins a day. Once we sensed some improvement, we moved on to more creative group activities like flower arrangement and slowly increased the time to 45 mins a day. This is still an ongoing task.

From experience, we all know about children's challenges in post-Covid times. 

Even if it is not to the extent of being categorized as a red flag, the warning signs should not be ignored. It will take a lot of time, patience and energy to understand and get to the root of the problem. Nevertheless, let's do it and give our children a holistic experience of life, even outside books, which they richly deserve. School friendships are the most cherished ones, and moreover, despite everything, man is a social animal, and having friends go a long way toward making a fulfilling life!

~Vandana Sahay, Neelima Parmar and Monika Gupta.

Hope and Friendship - Nitin Sharma

 
A student who has lost all hope

As we know, hope sustains life. Without hope, darkness seems to be all around.

I would like to share one incident from my teaching experience about an encounter with a child who lost all hope in life. Minki was a thirteen-year-old girl studying in the class tenth and was an average student. It was the time of Diwali break that the school was closed. But then, even after the break, Minki didn’t come to school for quite long. Later, I got unprecedented news from one of my colleagues about the sudden demise of Minki’s father due to a silent attack.

A month passed, and she still didn’t attend school. Being in the board class, the main concern was her academic lag. So, I called her mother and talked about her absence from school. She kept on saying that Minki would attend the school soon, but...

Having passed another week, One day, I finally decided to see her and know why she did not come to school. Upon meeting her, I came to know that after her father’s death, this girl had lost all her hope to move ahead due to her bond with him; moreover, he was the sole bread earner. Minki’s mother had tried to console Minki many times that she would make the best possible effort to run the family and not let them suffer. But the girl had lost all her faith and wanted to discontinue her study. With all my best possible efforts, I persuaded that girl to join the school and continue her study to eventually support her family. She then joined the class the next day, but she kept saying she wouldn’t be able to clear the exam. Since she was the very lovable daughter of her father, she couldn’t cope with the significant loss. She always seemed to be disturbed. Seeing her this way, I consoled Minki and motivated her to do something for her father’s sake. All her teachers were supportive of her and encouraged her to move ahead. Whenever she needed help, all were ready to assist her. Even some of the students were quite helpful to her. They helped Minki to complete her work and even during revision time. Eventually, She appeared in the exam and got good marks in the board exam.

Impact: The child was able to come out of a challenging situation with consistent efforts by the teacher.

The teachers dealt with the students with love, care and encouragement.

Advice to the Educators: Values like Patience, love, and care help deal with such situations.

A student with no friends in the school

“A real friend walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” — Walter Winchell.

Here I would like to share the story of a girl.

Sara was a new student in her class. She joined the school during the Remote Learning Era. After the pandemic guidelines were eased, schools reopened, online classes were no more, and all students were called for offline classes. It was observed that Sara used to stay alone, and even during the lunch break, she would sit and eat alone. She always had complaints about other students in her class. Later, when the students were asked about the complaints against them, they were all found innocent. And it was found that Sara was not able to adjust herself in the class due to social immaturity. She couldn’t talk well with a group of students. In this context, the School counsellor was involved, and she had taken some counselling sessions for Sara. Later, some improvement was seen, and we saw Sara moving with her friends in the school playground and during Lunch time. She started sharing her food with others. Her mother was also requested to help her cope by taking her to some social gatherings and letting her spend some time in the park or with her nearby friends to overcome this hesitation.

Impact: Sara became confident and a cooperative student.

Advice: Please try to help the child adjust to new surroundings. Be empathetic, helpful and kind.

Nitin Sharma Kamla Nehru Pubilc School, Phagwara

Hope and Friendship - Jaspreet Kaur

A student who has lost all hope 

If it was a real-life situation, were you successfully helping him/her overcome their problem? 

Hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. As an educator, every day comes across several incidents where students lose hope. Here I will tell one real-life incident where a grade V student lost hope and how I motivated her and brought a smile to her face. 

Incident- In Grade V, one new girl student was admitted. When she spoke something, she fumbled a lot. There was some medical health issue. When she joined our school, a group of students laughed at her in class. The next period was mine. I asked that girl, "Why are you crying?" 

She explained everything to me. Firstly, I counselled those students not to make fun of others; they wrote apology letters too. Lat,  I hugged her tightly. Then, I started to appreciate the girl whenever she gave an answer. Whether the answers were not right sometimes, all students still enjoyed her by clapping. Gradually, I observed that girl always had a smile on her face. She is an intelligent girl, and her percentage drastically improved that year. I brought candies on her birthday in Grade V and distributed them in class. I told her that her father had sent those candies for her. When she went back home, she came to know the truth. Now, the girl is on senior campus in Grade VIII, but she still messages me on special occasions and always calls me if she needs help. 

Outcome- I acted as a facilitator and friend and was ultimately successful in helping her to overcome her problem. 

A student with no friends in school 

What is your advice to educators who want to inculcate these values in their students? 

Friendship is a state of enduring affection, esteem, intimacy, and trust between two people. In all cultures, friendships are important relationships throughout a person's life span. 

Incident- In the middle of the session, one boy got admission to Grade V. He came from a village. Other students are studying together in Grade Nursery. 

This new admission student boy could not adjust to the new environment in a new place. He is below average student. I have already made a buddy system in my class. I made buddies and seating arrangements for new students with the class monitors. Now he can read all languages with confidence. It's near about three months now. Now all students in my class talk to him in a  friendly way. He shares all his problems with his new friend. He is very delighted to be here in our school.  

Advice- The teacher should appreciate and always try to motivate students for their excellent work. They should also encourage them to develop pro-social behaviour. Students should be taught to help and be kind and honest with others. Values-based education is an essential part of student's lives; it establishes an environment that allows them to grow in their academics, social and expertise. Values help in the formation of positive thinking. It helps in developing understanding and relationships between students and teachers. It also enhances attitudes and ways of looking at situations that allow them to achieve their objectives and success in all the ups and downs. Values-based education is an essential part of students' lives; it establishes an environment that helps them grow in their academics, social and expertise.

Values help in the formation of positive thinking. It helps in developing understanding and relationships between students and teachers. It also enhances attitudes and ways of looking at situations that allow them to achieve their objectives and success in all the ups and downs.

~Jaspreet Kaur

Kamla Nehru Public School

Hope and Friendship - Rishona Chopra

There is no substitute for correct thinking when a difficult situation is in front of you. You think negatively but try to act according to the spiritual knowledge you have read. That will not make you successful in overcoming the situation. Also, your inner habits of creating thoughts of fear, pessimism, hopelessness and impatience will not reduce, although you may temporarily feel positive based on what you have read or learned.

Hope is important as it changes our negative thinking to positive. Hope is important in the classroom as it helps improve our self-esteem and confidence. Hope rises from expectations. The expectations we have created our hope. We expect to have a good day in school, creating our hope to have a good day.

Sometimes, to be positive, we can think of affirmations:

1. I am a soul full of all qualities and powers... I nourish each cell of my body with my qualities and powers, making my mind and body healthy and filled with positive energy... My complete positivity makes my immune system strong and my life long...

2. I am powerful and pure energy situated at the centre of the forehead...I radiate the beautiful white rays of my purity and power to my physical costume...My entire physical body is cleansed... All my body systems experience good health...

 3. I am a soul with positive thoughts, feelings and attitudes, which make my aura beautiful and radiant...My aura influences my physical body to fill with beautiful vibrations...These vibrations always protect my body...

 4. I radiate my vibrations of peace and stability to everything I eat and the medicines I take for my body...They absorb these vibrations and benefit my mind and body by making them healthy, happy and robust... I always attract positive health help at the right time and in the right way...

 5. I am a blissful being, the child of God - The Ocean Of Bliss...My mental and emotional lightness influences my physical organs and makes them light and relaxed ... Others who meet me and see me get inspired to bring fun and health into their lives

Hope is when I think positive,
Affirmative thoughts, 

Probably in my tough times,

Just want something that rhymes,
With my thoughts,
I just want to untie all the knots.
When hope is heard,
The hard times fly like a bird!
Even in my dream, 
I think of hope's long stream.
The tough times shall pass,
As they soon break like glass.

I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, rather than walk alone in the light.

- Helen Keller

Friends are companions for life, a family that we choose for ourselves. It's, of course, essential to building a good relationship with them, right? Some of us might look at friendship as a bond we share with our best friends, but it is not just a relationship we build with our friends but everyone around us. In the company, there is no jealousy, and there is no expectation. Friendship just exists; it's a relationship you really can't describe.

It implies a friendly and compassionate attitude towards all, and it's essential to have good social skills. Even Swami and Friends, the book is all about friendship.

Friends are something you never know about,
They are like your sibling, no doubt.
Rajam and Mani and their mischiefs,
But they ain't no thief.
They are friends who stay in sorrow,
But make you feel scared for tomorrow.
Yes, they will support you in nothing,
But they will prepare you for everything!
In a classroom, friends are essential,
They will never make you feel unimportant.
A company to make you smile,
A smile that will stretch a mile!

Here is my story full of positivity:
It was a happy morning; I felt blessed. I woke up and meditated. It was my first day of school, and I was so excited. It was not at all difficult for me. I made new friends. The teachers were fun, and I learned a lot of things. I played in the park and did my homework. I was smiling throughout the day and was positive. 

When was the last time we smiled for an entire day with nothing going wrong? Today let us smile and be full of hope! 


Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

Hope and Friendship - Anvesha Rana

Hope is the little ray of sunshine that peaks into our lives every morning. It is the reason we jump out of bed in the hope for a good day, it is the event we look forward to in the hope for a good time and it is the reason we love and care for people in the hope for a good family. We grow, we fall, we change, we love, we struggle all in the hope of a Good Life. Happily Operating for Pleasant Expectations is Hope. 

No one can ever be Hopeless, like there's something about the flower that grows through the rocks, the pavement; through logs and stone or brick walls, there’s also something about each student who grows in tough situations and it’s all because of hope. Hope should be stubborn like a Hit-me toy, no matter how hard we are hit, how badly we fall yet we come up again with more strength and vigor because we are Hopeful. 

Another important value in a classroom is Friendship. It is silent, transparent and simple, it is what it is. We may be close together or miles apart, but we will always remember them and they are our friends. Friendship is a two-way street and not a one-way road, it should include love, care and sacrifice from both sides. We don’t lose track if we are friends, we start from where we stopped. 

A classroom is simply four walls with teachers and students but what makes these four walls a place that oozes with learning is the friendships that flourish in it and the hopes that everyone holds inside it. Hope and Friendship are the building blocks of a classroom.

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School

Responsibility and Cooperation - Ruchi Chaudhary

Responsibility is essential because it can help build bonds with teachers and classmates and shows leadership that you are a valuable student. 

Teachers value children who exhibit responsibility because they know they can trust you to complete tasks on time and submit high-calibre work. Responsible Teachers and students usually establish schedules and set priorities to ensure they can discover the best ways to multi-task day after day.

I always encourage my students by saying that focus on becoming more responsible, so they can experience unparalleled growth. It Is often said that your thoughts become your actions. But without taking responsibility for your life, those thoughts often just stay on that mental stage and aren't translated into action.

Use simple words to explain responsibility - for example, you can tell your students that a duty they are expected to do on their own without being told is a responsibility, like completing everyday tasks or keeping their belongings in order. Also, teach them that responsibility and consequences go hand in hand. For example, let's assume it is the responsibility of a child to Maintain discipline in class. If he/she maintains it regularly, they learn a great virtue of life. 

Learning Cooperation is necessary for a child's social and emotional development. Being able to work together with others to reach a goal or overcome a challenge will set a child up for future success.

As an Activity In-Charge, I planned such activities where students complete their tasks by cooperating with each other. Recently we had many Interhouse activities like board decoration, Quizzes, skits, Sports activities etc. Through those activities, children learn how to cooperate and understand its value.

Through Cooperation, members of the group are not only rewarded based on the success of the entire group but are also individually accountable for their own work. The task or activity is structured in a way that requires the input and participation of every group member. As a result, all of the group members learn from each other.

Ruchi Chaudhary 

Mussoorie Public School Happy Teachers JOL Cohort 2022