Learning Forward Saturday
To read and discuss the “War and Peace” chapter from the book Wanted Back-bencher & Last-ranker Teacher, by Kavita Ghosh
Key Takeaways
Proactive Discipline: Use movement breaks and outdoor lessons to improve student focus and prevent disruptive behaviour.
De-escalation Strategy: Counter aggression with calm redirection. In a crisis, a teacher’s composure can defuse a situation that a direct confrontation would not.
Interpersonal Relationships: Build trust by believing students’ claims of innocence, even when administrators are sceptical. This strengthens the teacher-student bond.
Next Session: The April 11th session will be held live at the Learning Forward retreat in Jaipur and streamed online, reading the chapter “Love Learning vs. Hate Learning.”
Topics
Proactive Classroom Management
Problem: Prolonged sitting reduces brain oxygenation, leading to fatigue and poor concentration.
Solution: Incorporate movement and outdoor lessons (e.g., teaching figures of speech on the lawn) to boost student engagement and attention.
De-escalation: The Jeevan Incident
Crisis: A student, Jeevan, threatened to pull down his pants in front of the Physics teacher, Reshma, after she lost control of the class.
Analysis (from counsellor Uttara):
Problem: Transgression of classroom decorum.
Critical Element: The entire class was in “mischief mode.”
Context: Jeevan sought to elevate his image among peers.
Teacher’s Miscalculation: Reshma’s direct challenge (“Would you pull down your pants?”) was unwise, as it invited the defiant response that escalated the situation.
Resolution (Roma’s Intervention):
Regained Control: Roma’s silent, composed presence at the desk immediately calmed the class.
Redirected Focus: Instead of confronting Jeevan, Roma told Reshma, “Let them go ahead,” subtly conveying the threat of consequences without a direct challenge.
Preserved Dignity: Roma spoke to Jeevan privately after class, avoiding public shaming and preserving his self-esteem.
Outcome: Jeevan apologised to Reshma, and the class remained silent for the rest of the period.
Interpersonal Relationships: The Sizzler Gang
Incident: The “Sizzler gang” (Simi, Supriya, Rupa, Patricia) was accused of damaging a washroom wall.
Administrative Response (Ms Henkel):
Process: No hearing was held; the girls were judged and penalised without a chance to speak.
Punishment: Initially, one week of cleaning, increased to two weeks for “insolence” after Rupa protested the unfairness.
Roma’s Response:
Belief: Roma believed the girls’ claims of innocence, strengthening their trust.
Humour: Roma used a self-deprecating joke about mowing her lawn to break the tension and help the girls accept the punishment.
Participant Experience Sharing
Gulabee: Uses “stand up, sit down” games and clapping to redirect restless LKG/UKG students.
Sunita Gupta: Engages disruptive students with active tasks, such as reading aloud.
Sunita Tripathi: Uses a “someone is coming” warning to gain silence, then asks the most disruptive student to explain their behaviour.
Ritu Rai: Defused a noisy class by singing a song and inviting students to join, successfully redirecting their energy.
Next Steps
Sandeep Dutt:
Create a bookmark for the “Love Learning vs. Hate Learning” chapter.
Add the bookmark to the WhatsApp group.
All Participants:
Prepare a “War and Peace” story for discussion at the next session.
Submit stories to Manisha Ma’am for publication on the
happyteacher.inblog.
Next Session:
Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026, for reading Chapter 3.
Location: Live from the My Good School at Mayur School, Jaipur.
Format: Live-streamed on Zoom and other channels.
FATHOM-AI generated notes, read with care.
book What Did You Ask At School Today? by Kamala Mukunda
I never knew I needed. It opened my eyes to new ideas, and I took detailed notes on all the fantastic stuff 
we covered, like: 
to read more thoughtfully and chase real growth. Moments like these make learning feel alive
. Can’t wait for all the readings ahead!
from Lotus Petal Foundation
