Thoughtfulness and Understanding - Neelam Waldia

 - Neelam Waldia, The Doon Girls' School, Dehradun

Honesty and Respect- Visionary JMMS

1. Honesty and Respect                   

                                                                                   

Usually, it is seen that children make excuses when they are afraid of being scolded or insulted in front of the class. Children usually tell a lie when they do not do their homework and the other day they make an excuse that they have not brought their notebook to the school, when asked the reason most common replies are “ ma’am I was doing my homework and I forgot to keep it in the bag”. In such cases, the child needs counselling and believes that he will not be insulted if he tells the truth and in return, he will approach the teacher with respect. 

2. Please adults around                 

There was a boy in kindergarten who would love to tell stories. One day the class was asked to complete the worksheet. The boy left half of the worksheet and submitted it to the teacher, by saying “I have completed my work”. The teacher witnessed he leaves half of his worksheet just to get full time to play with his friends and get praised by the teacher. As students love to be appreciated and praised in front of everyone and they too love to please the teacher. It’s important not to overreact to these kinds of behaviour. Just accepting that this is one way of the child to express them, sometimes that’s what they really want from us. Here the child becomes dishonest. The teacher focuses to help the child by conveying the value of honesty, through stories and role-plays in the class. We should always solve our student’s problems by finding the solution through our thoughts of how can we make the situation better. 

3. Gain attention of others             

  

The child was famous for his misbehaviour and rough attitude towards his classmates, although the child was studious and responsible. He had no friends and would spoil the games of other children too. It was found out by the teacher that the child needs attention as his parents couldn’t spend time with him and he was the only child of the family, so he wanted to gain attention in the school. The teachers gave him different responsibilities and appreciated for his efforts. This changed the behaviour of the child.

Respect is earned not given. These are the words rightly said. Grownups have a misconception that the younger ones should always respect them as it is their duty to do so, but they forget that one must give respect to earn respect. The concept of respect is different for different people belonging to different age, culture and social backgrounds. For a six or seven-year-old child the concept of respect is not clear because we can teach them manners but not respect which grows with the course of time. To be a role model for students it has a lasting impact on the students. Teachers can inspire students with their actions and thoughts.

When the child wishes the teacher, he or she should respond generously with a smile and showing respect to the child. This will develop a respect for the teacher in the heart of a child.

Many times when we ask for any help from a child we should always request the child, showing respect towards him and when the work is done we should be thankful to him. Using the magic words like please and thank you by the teacher will automatically add to the child’s dictionary. 

- Visionary JMMS @ John Martyn Memorial School, Salan Gaon, Dehradun -  Ambika Gurung, Parineeta Negi, Manmohan Kaur and Bharti Dangwal

Honesty and Respect - Magnets DGS

Magnets DGS @The Doon Girls' School, Dehradun - Kiran Juyal, Manju Srivastava, Mezhu Chopra, Pooja Sharma, Renu Sundriyal

Happiness And Tolerance - Aspiration JMMS

The first thing one observes in the playground; a boy aged six dancing obliviously to his surroundings. At times boys would kick him to stop him from dancing or pull his shirt, but he does not get bothered.

As one enters class 1, he comes jumping, “Good morning ma’am. My Name is Siddharth Sharma”.

While taking the class, Siddharth was everywhere. Jumping on the bench, drawing on the blackboard, talking non- stop and disrupting the class. 

His energy could not be contained in the class. Siddharth’s classmates also got irritated with him. He was frequently hit and bullied by them. Teachers and his peers were constantly complaining and blamed him if anything went wrong and he was excluded from their games.

We created an action plan along with the parents. Principal ma’am arranged counselling session for Siddharth and for his parents. She along with the specialist helped the parents to understand the ‘Down syndrome’ disorder. A workshop was organized for the teachers on special needs to build up their understanding. In the class, extra help was provided; to support the teacher.

Siddharth’s mother was advised to come to the school, so she can observe the class and help him in the class and then follow it up at home.  

In the class children were told stories on friends, environment, animals, accepting differences and problem-solving etc. they were asked open-ended questions such as, (a) what would you have done in his place, (b) how can you make a difference, (c) what other things can happen. These open-ended statements allowed the children to think and come up with suggestions. More probing questions were asked and they came up with more answers. We related their responses to the classroom situation. Sometimes a child would narrate a specific incident that had occurred with Siddharth and him/ her. It was then discussed in the class and they came up with positive suggestions on, ‘how their responses can be positive and help him’. 

Siddharth was given small responsibilities in the class with supervision. His positive qualities such as friendly nature, sharing ability, dancing, and singing were brought to the attention of the class. Gradually, we started feeling the difference in the class, as the children accepted him as he was.

They started to display acceptance towards Siddharth and gave him space to be himself. 

The teachers’ positive tolerant attitude towards inclusive practice reflected in the teachers’ behaviours and it was passed on to the children. The results suggest that tolerant inclusiveness in the classroom practice influenced happiness of the class as a whole, and as an individual. The children picked up additional values such as to be patient, helpful, problem-solving, understanding, caring and to think differently. It was the collective learning of both teachers and the students in the class. By bringing in inclusiveness in the classroom, the parents, students and teachers learnt to work together.  They participated in the design, delivery and monitoring of education; and inclusive education happened as a shared responsibility.

To be tolerant is a great quality, but to pass this value one needs to set an example.  It has to be a choice made and not a compulsion. It is a teachers’ attitude, which helps children to imbibe this quality. By bringing intolerance; it paved a way for inner happiness and contentment in our class. 

Our journey of making ‘inclusive classroom’ led to instilling patience and generating happiness in us and around us. 

अगर हम  सहन करना सीखे तो अंत में खुशी  पा जाते हैं।

मौन मन की वाणी सीख कर हम खुशी का संसार पा जाते हैं।  खामोशी है जीवन का आईना, जुबा मौन है तो अपनों को साथ खड़े पाते हैं।जीवन में सहन किया कुछ तो, अपने दामन में खुशियां पाते हैं, खुद भी हर्षित होते हैं औरों को भी  हर्षाते है।

एक बार हमारे स्कूल में एक बच्चा दाखिले के लिए आया।वह 9 साल का था। उम्र के हिसाब से उसका दाखिला कक्षा चार में हुआ। वह बच्चा यूपी केकिसी  गांव से आया था, इसलिए उसको ठीक से हिंदी लिखनी और बोलनी नहीं आती थी बच्चा अक्सर खुद को असहेज महसूस करता था, और किसी नाकिसी बहाने से कक्षा से बाहर निकल जाता था। सभी शिक्षक इस बात से परेशान थे, फिर शिक्षकों ने जब उसके पास बैठकर उसका पिछला काम देखातो, पता चला कि बच्चा कक्षा 4 की पढ़ाई के लिए असमर्थ था।

उसकी इस कमजोरी को ध्यान में रखते हुए, हमने कक्षा एक से शुरू किया सबसे पहलेउसको अक्षर ज्ञान दिया फिर, मात्राएं और शब्दका ज्ञान दिया। इस काम से बच्चे को बहुत हिम्मत मिली और पढ़ाई के  प्रति  उसका रुझान बड़ा और धीरे धीरे वह वाक्य बनाने लगा।अब वह बच्चा सभी बच्चों से दोस्ती करने लगा, और बच्चे भी उसकी पढ़ाई में मदद करने लगे। उसकी इस सफलता कोदेखकर बच्चे के  माता पिता बहुत खुश हुए उन्होंने बच्चे पर घर पर भी ध्यान देना शुरू किया। बच्चे में यह बदलता बर्ताव देखकर सभी शिक्षकों और बच्चेके मित्रों को बहुत खुशी हुई। उस बच्चे की सफलता को देखकर शिक्षकों को इतनी खुशी मिली जिसका शब्दों में वर्णन करना मुश्किल है। इसे केवलशिक्षक ही महसूस कर सकते थे। शिक्षक की खुशी का अनुभव जिसका शब्दों में वर्णन करना मुश्किल है। इसे केवल शिक्षक ही महसूस कर सकते थे।शिक्षक की खुशी का अनुभव कोई दूसरा नहीं कर सकता था।

Photos from Madhuban हिन्दी व्याकरण संबोध and use of Google Search. Our story of a child with special needs is original.  We built-up our understanding by reading some articles on the net.

- Aspiration JMMS @ John Martyn Memorial School, Salan Gaon, Dehradun - Renu Raturi, Sandhya Thadani, Sonali Sharma and Asha Bhandari

Happiness and Tolerance - Achievers JMMS

Happiness is something which we can’t describe in words, it can only be felt from someone. It is the feeling that you have been honest with yourself. Happiness is the feeling which satisfies our within. Small things can make us happy. I think a child should understand the value of happiness so that he or she makes a happy society. Every day we see or meet someone who is happy and tries to spread happiness in his or her surrounding. The things that make a teacher happy is seeing their students happy and sharing their problems with the teacher. A teacher and student have a relationship where a child tells about his problems and a teacher tries to solve it. Teachers and parents are the best guides for the child to put the value of happiness and tolerance in the child. And to make him live in an environment where he has to face different things.

Tolerance is important which helps people to live together peacefully. It means patience, understanding and accepting anything different. Tolerance is the attitude of openness and respect for the differences that exist among people. For example teasing, bullying and disrespect are the negative behaviour in children so it is important to teach tolerance from an early age. In students life, tolerance is necessary because when a child learn to be open-minded and learn about various cultures, food, people and faith surrounding them, it will be easier for the child to accept them when they get younger. 

Tolerance a Path to Happiness    

 

In the middle of the term, I got an admission of a girl who likes to stay all alone in the class as well as outside the class. She was not able to mix up with the class. It was in her that she doesn’t like to share her things with others. In the recess time also she uses to sit alone and eat her lunch. she was very quiet. She was not able to make friends. 

We as the teachers tried to find out the problem that girl was facing. We decided to take the survey to her house and talk to her parents regarding their child. When we met the parents we found that a child got affected with her surrounding where the neighbours don’t even talk to each other neither the other children like to play together.

We decided to put the value of sharing in the girl as well as in the students who are a bit similar to that girl and arranged the little potluck lunch of the class where every child got something from their home. They all shared and enjoyed. By seeing this the girl also shared her lunch and enjoyed with everyone. She now made new friends in the class. This is how the tolerance of the class, as well as the girl, change into happiness.

 “ It’s within us to change tolerance into happiness."

The story is on the experience of all the members that they have gone through. And the pictures in the story are taken from Google images search, including Shutterstock and are not drawn by the teachers.

- Achievers JMMS @ John Martyn Memorial School, Salan Gaon, Dehradun - Sweta Thapli,  Jyoti Joshi, Meena Kukreti and Nisha Pundir.

National Bullying Prevention Month 2020 - Kusum Sharma

As a parent, as I’m sure many of you are, one of my worst fears is to find that my children are either being bullied or being a bully themselves.  I often wonder how we would deal with discovering either of these scenarios. In a world where bullying can take on many new and different forms, it concerns me that not enough parents, guardians, families and friends would know what to do for the best.  

Although sad that such an awareness campaign has to exist in the first place, it’s also reassuring and useful to know that the National Bullying Prevention Center runs the National Bullying Prevention Month throughout the month of October with lots of information and support readily available to help anyone who may need it.  

Established by PACER, a centre for parent training and information for families and youth with disabilities, the initial campaign was designed to raise awareness of the long-lasting effects that bullying has on many children and young people and to change the perception that bullying is a part of growing up that cannot be challenged.  Collaborating with education-based organizations such as the National PTA, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association they provide schools, parents and students with the educational resources and support to better respond to bullying behaviour.

Throughout the month the campaign aims to work at a grassroots level with local schools, community groups, young people and families to address any issues faced by them, signpost to organizations who may be able to offer support, educate youngsters about the effects of bullying and promote kindness, acceptance and inclusion. 

On a higher level, they also work with news and media outlets encouraging them to promote their message and cause as well as communicating with education and public policy leaders about the role they play in bullying prevention.

Courtesy- https://www.awarenessdays.com/

Kusum Sharma, The Fabindia School <ksa@fabindiaschools.in>

Unity and Caring - Byju Joseph

Our life is full of adversities. So survival becomes more complex. There are many circumstances in

our life where we need to stand together to achieve certain things. Sometimes we may think that we are capable of handling the situations ourselves but that may be much easier to accomplish in collaboration with others. Thus comes the feeling of togetherness which is unity. It means to be joined with each other having the feeling of oneness.

Unity is very important in a family, in a society, in a workplace or in a country. Each human being is entirely different from each other in belief and opinion. This makes it more difficult to be united. But there is a chance to be united if different people have common aims. Friendship is a factor which helps different people to remain united. We all need to have the acceptance of our differences and more understanding and love for others.

In our country, we have different languages, different religions, different cultures and different traditions. Even though we are Indians and that spirit is our strength. If we are united no one can defeat us. We should work together for the betterment of our citizens and our country. This unity must be properly utilized for the development of the country in all areas. 

We know that Britishers came here for trading only. But gradually they came to know about the lack of unity among the kings who were ruling here. They utilized that occasion tactfully and they started to engage in politics. Finally, they succeeded in achieving their goal. They carelessly utilized our resources. Later on, the dedicated action of our leaders helped to keep the Indians united and that unity only helped us to send Britishers back to their country. Dedication and caring nature of our leaders as Indians helped to build unity among people and thus their attempts lead to success.

Caring is a feeling of concern, an act of protection and an expression of love. In fact, it is an emotion that we carry in our mind and heart. We care about others, anything that really matters to us or something we value. It can be a good or a bad thing depending upon the circumstances. For instance, caring about a person to help them out is a wonderful thing that gives us satisfaction. Caring connects different people to each other. As a parent, we do care for our children. As a teacher, we take care of our students. We take care of others as brothers, sisters, friends, doctors, nurses etc. it is entirely divine that always provides positive energy.

Being educators we are familiar with the unity among students. The unity among students is very strong because it is formed from deep affection and friendship. Parents, teachers and students should always be united and do caring for each other to create a better learning atmosphere. All educational institutions aim for maximum possible learning outcomes which come in reality by hard work, dedication, unity and caring. All educators have the responsibility to make understand the importance of unity and caring among their students and promote them.

Byju P. Joseph

The Fabindia school

bjh@fabindiaschools.in

Simplicity and Trust - Manisha Deora

Simplicity is nothing but being yourself. We can observe that in childhood we just consume and use what we need; that's simplicity. We are rightly advised by the elders to believe in simple living and high thinking. Simplicity can be shown in food, speech, manners and in the way of living. Eating fast food, using costly items, losing the temper, etc are some examples of not being simple.

Great men and women who have achieved and succeeded in life followed a simple lifestyle. Even today great men like MS.Dhoni, Rajini Kanth and many others are living a simple life even though they have achieved more success in their life. It is not important to run after fashions and costly gadgets.  It is not necessary to look for tall buildings and apartments. Living a comfortable life in a simple way without any stress is simplicity. There is always beauty in simplicity. Let us experience what simplicity is.

Trust is the belief in the ability or strength of someone or something. It also means acceptance of the truth of a statement without evidence or investigation. Trust is when you ask someone to do something and you know they will surely do it. We should believe the statement said by the other person. Trust is when you feel comfortable with them while sharing our views and ideas.

We should try to listen to others' statements and understand what they are up to. If we can surround ourselves with people we trust, then we can create a safe present and an even better future. Trust means giving something now with an expectation that it will be repaid, possibly in some unspecified way at some unspecified time in the future. It is a special thing to be trusted by someone. Trust should be valued highly and seen as a true bond between two persons.


- Manisha Deora, The Fabindia School

Hope and Friendship - Optimizers BHIS

The Face of Friendship: A True Story of Hope and Transformation

Humans are highly social beings, prone to connect with people who appreciate and are glad to see or hear from one another. Eventually, these people become our lifelines. Lacking that, we may feel alone, abandoned and even hopeless. Living life entirely on our own is unimaginable.

This is an incredible story of hope, healing, transformation, and grace that can teach all of us something about friendship, acceptance, and compassion.

Janvi was a newcomer to the Grade 7. She was a soft-spoken girl. Being obese, she was overly conscious of being the fattest child in the class. Due to her being overweight, she always hesitated to mingle with her classmates, never moved out of the class during break time and was ridiculed by other students while boarding the school bus.

Her classmates too ignored her and did not involve Janvi in any task. Every day, she shared all her worries and issues with her teacher. She found solace in speaking with her class teacher. The teacher was highly disturbed at her class mocking the girl and body-shaming her. Janvi felt that even the teachers ignored her due to her unflattering size. She had lost hope in continuing with school life and it was difficult for her to focus on studies. All these reasons made Janvi feel dejected and were disheartened. She was on the verge of a breakdown.

Friendship is Hope

The teacher was distressed and wanted to rekindle hope in Janvi. She reassured Janvi to hold on to faith. The next day, Janvi was absent. The teacher took this opportunity to discuss the concerns with her class. The responses were varied and unconvincing. She informed them of Janvi’s thoughts and requested the class to work together to bring Janvi out of this melancholy.

The students felt remorseful and wrote an apology letter which the teacher texted to Janvi. Every day, the classmates, after reaching home, called Janvi up and encouraged her to revive herself with new hope and assurances of friendship.

After a week, Janvi resumed school. The class welcomed her warmly, with friendship cards, flowers and songs. Day by day, the positivism exuded by the class brought tremendous change in Janvi. In the ‘Edufest’ the entire class performed a skit and Janvi’s performance was applauded by her friends and teachers.

We can make a difference by providing direction to our learners on how to navigate their relationships with their peers when they face obstacles and make mistakes. Above all, there should be no place for self-pity. The students who are exposed to positive affirmations rather than being on a guilt trip for their shortcomings. Everyone contributes in this path making one most likely to reach one's goal successfully.

The onus of helping students, cultivating hope and friendship lies on both parents and teachers. Not only will it help them improve academically, but will also boost their confidence and self-esteem to pursue their long-term goals in school and life.

Optimizer @ Billabong High International School Thane
- Madhubala Saji, Kalyani Chaudhari, Ajita Bhoir, Kshama Rajgor, Momita Banerjee, Rupal Trivedi, Sanket Patel

Happiness and Tolerance: Rahul Kumar Thakur

Happiness is the state of well-being characterized by emotion ranging from contentment to

intense joy. Happiness can be through biological components, learned components, and cognitive component. Good environment, good friend circle, good facilities make me happy. 

We can overcome our unhappiness by giving interest where we really feel enjoyment, peace of mind and prosperity. Happiness is the key to achieve any success. Today happiness is more important in the classroom and in school so that the students can keep interested and listen throughout the lesson. To keep students happy we should do some recreation activity before starting the class or say some inspirational stories to them.

Tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world’s cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human. It is fostered by knowledge, openness, communication and freedom of thought, conscience and belief. Tolerance is harmony in difference.

To conclude, happiness has some influence on tolerance of diversity, however, it is not a determinate and not able to predict tolerance levels.

Rahul Kumar Thakur

The Fabindia School

Honesty and Respect - Harmony BHIS

Honesty stimulates respect

Since the great man’s thought is the reflection of our minds, let me cite it in the words of the greatest playwright, William Shakespeare, “Honesty is the best policy. If I lose mine honour, I lose myself.” So, honesty is the reflection of one's self.

It left an indelible impression on my mind. It happened last year.  I could see him anxiously looking at me in class. So, I called him out of the class when the period was over. He was eagerly awaiting this opportunity to open up. He insisted that I accept his opinion.

“Really, Ma’am,” he said.
At this, I gave him a stern look. “How can you be so sure about it? Do you have any proof?”
“Yes, Ma’am! I know only he had done it.” Ravi spoke with more conviction.

“Don’t blame others without any evidence, Ravi.” I retorted.

He pleaded again, “Ma’am, will you check the footage?”

Eventually, it was allowed on one condition that Ravi would not disclose the matter to anyone.

Ravi took a deep breath of relief after he had got to know my affirmation in this matter. He was scolded by his mother two days back for his careless behaviour as he had lost two hundred rupees. Sometimes, he brought enough money to treat his friend in the school canteen.  On further investigation, I was forced to concede to Ravi’s supposition. It was difficult to believe that Karan had done it.  A day was appointed to call Karan and his parents. I made a conscious effort to speak to the child with a lot of love and patience. Indeed, love and care are the most significant weapons to bring a child on the right track. I realized the pliability of the situation. I knew that every word of mine could have a lasting impact on the child's mind. It might cause abject unhappiness or a positive effect. It was like ‘saving someone from drowning’.  

In the presence of Karan’s mother, I took this child into confidence. During my conversation, I focused a lot on the constructive changes in Karan from Grade –VII to Grade-IX. All of a sudden, the boy couldn’t control his emotions and broke down. They are very well off, yet his transgression had been out of a temptation for outside food. The teacher witnessed ‘honesty’ in his confession. At once, he promised that he would not let anyone down in his life. He left the room with a broad smile on his face after receiving the assurance from his teacher that his self-respect would remain intact. It was just a first step of learning moral values for him through experiences.

Days went by, Karan exhibited noteworthy changes in his behaviour as well as in his academic prowess. He kept his promise; he never gave the teachers reason to scold him. Even Ravi showed maturity and acceptance as he did not look down upon Karan.  I continued with my teaching, with no reference to the incidents that had shaken up the youngsters. Neither was Karan reminded of this unpleasant episode, nor was he looked on with suspicion by anyone. The dark spot was wiped out entirely from Karan’s life when his name was suggested for the best student of the month.

I found ‘a new respect’ for Karan and Ravi as I fell in love with both of them.

We, the educators can simplify the term ‘honesty’ to mean care, trust, truthfulness, acceptance, tolerance etc. through our actions and by setting an example to make it understandable and achievable for the youngsters. When a learner receives appreciation, he/she immediately starts appreciating these values and gets one step closer to becoming an honest person. Honesty serves as a mirror which reflects the amount of respect for another person in one's mind.

Harmony @ Billabong High International School, Thane 
- Abira Chakraborty, Pooja Khona, Bhumika Ailsinghani, Rajshri Rane, Soniya Kuril, Poonam Choudhary, Kavita Shetty

Honesty and Respect - Spectrum SHS

Janet, a middle school student, was the hub of the class. First, in academics, co-curricular activities and well-disciplined was the tag for Janet. Since she was in her adolescence, she was very conscious of her looks. She felt that her looks were not at par with her achievements. Her extra hours were spent in front of the mirror with the make-up kit beside her. She brooded over her looks more than anything. A behavioural change was slowly visible in her. As school children, she had friends, and Fred was the dearest one for her. 

Fred being the closest, noticed some changes in his friend. He was worried about her and bring out the truth about her changes as a person. It was a tough task for Fred to break the ice for he knew that Janet was pretty enough, but her scything habits over the others was her weakness...just because she admitted that she was pretty. She did not notice that her nature did give a negative appearance on her looks too.

One Sunday evening, Janet invited Fred to tea. He made up his mind to be as honest as possible to Janet for he knew that he would raise questions to him regarding her looks!

As the story goes, Janet did ask Fred about her looks, and Fred simply answered that she was a compound of pretty and ugly. Janet broke down bitterly. The other day Fred tried his best to explain the reason for using such a phrase at her. It was an honest answer because Fred wanted to open his friend's eyes and take away her snobbish habits.

A week passed by, Janet did not call Fred at school or at home. She felt that Fred was too rude and impolite and may be jealous of her looks and achievements.

On the other hand, Fred simply ignored Janet's perception and wanted to go over Janet and talk to her. Janet simply avoided him. She felt that Fred was no more her best friend.

Class unit test approached. Janet was haunted by Fred's answer. She could not concentrate on her studies and perform well. Patricia stood first in the class! Got a shock for Janet! She could not take the defeat. She concluded that an ill omen was hovering over her life. 

The rift between Janet and Fred widened. Janet lost her charm and looked depressed, beaten. Fred could no more take Janet's situation. He went up courageously to Janet and explained to her the fact about his honest statement. With respect, he wanted to bring a change in her. He accepted that he was straightforward and told her that every honest answer given with respect sounds rude.

Finally, Janet understood Fred's way of correcting her and also helped her to respect others and most importantly, oneself.

 Prakash Yonzon <yonzonprakash1@gmail.com> for Spectrum at Sacred Heart School Siliguri

Happiness and Tolerance - Optimizers SHS

Nurturing the plant of Happiness

This is a story of a girl named Pallavi who had to give up her freedom leading her life completely by herself. She was sent to the boarding school against her wish for which she had become aggressive, rude, disrespectful and impolite. She didn't find happiness in anything around her as she faced a lot of difficulties to adjust in the boarding environment. 

We as teachers faced a lot of challenges to convince her to be happy. There were moments where things were difficult to tolerate as she refused to accept any help given to her. She completely refused to follow the rules and regulations of the school. Being rude and arrogant girl she didn't want to listen to anyone. We were compelled to tolerate all her misbehaviour. 

This is a story of a girl who had to give up her freedom leading her life completely by herself. She was sent to the boarding school against her wish for which she had become aggressive, rude, disrespectful and impolite. She didn't find happiness in anything around her as she faced a lot of difficulties to adjust in the boarding environment. We as teachers faced a lot of challenges to convince her to be happy. There were moments where things were difficult to tolerate as she refused to accept any help given to her. She completely refused to follow the rules and regulations of the school. Being rude and arrogant girl she didn't want to listen to anyone. We were compelled to tolerate all her misbehaviour.

We as teachers, took a lot of time in counselling and motivating her to make her feel comfortable and understand the reasons behind her strange behaviours.

Secondly, we made her make buddy friends for her to get more involved in all the curricular and co-curricular activities. She lacked the motherly love and affection which we imparted towards her.

Gradually, we could see the changes in her behaviour she started accepting her friends, teachers and the boarding culture. It was a tough journey but with all the hard efforts being tolerant and patient. We were able to make her a 'HAPPY CHILD'.

- Rosa Rai <rosarai2020@gmail.com> for Optimizers at Sacred Heart School Siliguri

Happiness and Tolerance - Transformers SHS

HAPPINESS

Excursions have always been expressed as journeys of exploration may be of places, cultures, traditions or values.

It was in the month of November when the students were escorted to Bengaluru as a school trip and you can quantify the customary excitement of the children moving out for a trip. To be precise, when we were on our way back to our home station, I was taken aback when I noticed that the train was rolling on late and we would be very late for lunch that was planned for us at around 1 o'clock in the afternoon. The realization of delay for lunch diluted the fun but surprisingly at Howrah Station, one of the parents was waiting with food packets. Oh my God! The shouts and the jumps are imaginable. I, along with Tirupati and Kishen, decided to distribute first and enjoy the packets. Unfortunately, when it was for us to check what's there to the stomach, there was no packet left. To address the disappointment, I bought a loaf of bread and was trying to convince them. However, the happiness that Tirupati and Kishen expressed was beyond my imagination and worth learning from. They found it in the satisfaction their friends had. Tirupati said," Sir we are happy to see our friends happy and satisfied." That was the "Wow" moment for me to celebrate as a teacher.

Hunger or crisis as such really seems not to be strong enough to stop someone from being happy.

TOLERANCE

I am so fortunate that it was not labelled as "favouritism" by the educated circle that I belong to. This is a story about a child in my class in the previous session(2019-2020). He is described with words such as a good academic performer, naughty, good in the sports field, disrespectful, supportive but incorrigible. In due course of counselling, I learnt about his discovery or rather identification of a sense of insecurity which was the consequence of him being reprimanded several times. However, respecting him for what he is and guiding him in all his actions throughout have helped me learn that acceptance break the shell of insecurity and helps in building confidence that is steadily making him drive a vehicle of positivity forward. He seemingly is trying his best but may not be successful at all times. What satisfies me as a teacher is when I find myself as one of those whom people look up to for acceptance.

- Sangharsh Chettri <sangharsh.chettri88@gmail.com> for Transformers at Sacred Heart School Siliguri

Understanding Icons: Responsibility is accepting that ...

22Values #TheValueofValues Understanding Icons, at The Iconic School Bhopal. 

Taking the oath of understanding and accepting the responsibility of solution of the matter. The joy of learning and taking learning forward with www.LearningForward.Org.IN

Helpful Icons: Simplicity & Trust

-Simplicity and Trust exhibited by Helpful Icons #22Values #HappyTeachers

Honesty and Respect

What is Honesty? Many children think honesty means not to tell a lie and that is definitely part of being honest. But honesty means more than not lying. A more complete definition of honesty shows that an honest person doesn't do things that are morally wrong. Honesty is an important character trait for a successful future. It takes time, patience and effort to teach children to be honest.

Children sometimes start a dishonest tendency during the pre-school years. For instance, they may grab toys from a child or try to take stationeries of other children. The teacher should correct this type of behaviour immediately by teaching children to return what is taken, apologize for their behaviour or teach children a way to pay for what is taken.

 Use age-appropriate language to teach positive character development. Help young children understand honesty and why dishonesty is bad by reading stories related to honesty. Ask children questions throughout the story, or enact a play on the theme 'Honesty is the best policy’. This process gives children time to share their thoughts and understanding.

 Children often lie out of fear or to protect themselves because they worry about being punished or making teachers angry. When teachers react harshly to children’s mistakes, it may result in more lies instead of taking responsibility for their behaviour. It is important for teachers to talk to children about their behaviour, what they could have done differently and what they can do to make things right. When children tell the truth, teachers should praise them for being honest. Children should know that their teachers value and appreciate the truth.

Respect includes qualities like acceptance, courtesy, manners, being considerate of the feelings of others, peacekeeping, and appreciating differences. It is important to make the children realize the value of respecting their teachers, their parents and friends. One of the most fundamental things to teach respect is ‘To give respect and take respect’. If we do not respect our children, they will also not respect us. Both the teacher and the student should respect each other.

The next time you see a child in a situation where he is being respectful, acknowledge and praise him in front of other children. Thus, you will be able to check that respect is an admirable quality in all children equally. As our children learn the importance of listening to others and taking their views, ideas and opinions, they should also become more open-minded and increasingly tolerant towards others. Respecting others can lead to the development of strong positive relationships with friends, family members and teachers. It is also a trait that is invaluable throughout life and ultimately respect will help our children to grow up and lead a happy life where others are always treated well.

Educators: Swabhi Parmar, Rajeshwari Rathore & Prakash Dangi
The Fabindia School, Bali 

Nobody is Perfect - Acceptance Wins The Day

I really liked the book “Is your child ready to face the world?” by Dr. Anupam Sibal. This book has taught me how to be a real teacher, a teacher who sees her students as her own children and works for their all-round development. In this book, I particularly liked the chapter - ”Making Mistakes, Accepting Flaws”.

Though it is common knowledge that “nobody is perfect”, the acceptance of this adage is hard to come by. This is especially true in case of students as they are at a learning age, one that allows them to make mistakes. But as a teacher or as a parent, it is our duty to understand and evaluate their mistakes. It is crucial to understand why the mistakes happened in order to guide them towards the right path so that they do not repeat them again. Even if they repeat the mistakes, we should not get hyper or angry because if we do, they wont come to us next time they have a problem. We should put ourselves in their shoes and then think for a solution that is best understood by them and suited to their problem. When I was a student, I troubled my teachers too. But they understood my problems and helped me overcome and correct the mistakes I made. In the same way, I am here to understand and teach my students to learn from their mistakes. I am not perfect and I guess nobody can be, as we are always navigating the path of learning.

Kanishk is a student of the class I taught last year. He is an excellent student - punctual and hard working. Once he came to me with a problem as he could not understand the question. Though I explained it several times, he just couldn't follow. This annoyed me and I shouted at him for not understanding the concept. It had a very negative impact on him. He scored the lowest in the class test the next day. I walked up to him and asked him why he hadn't studied. He started crying and said that he feared I would become annoyed at him again, due to which he lost the courage to come up to me and ask again. Deep within I realised it was not his mistake but mine that he could not come to me. The better way of handling it would've been to explore other ways of explaining the concept to him in a patient manner.

Acceptance gives us the opportunity to communicate better with children and deal with them more patiently. It gives them confidence and encourages them to work on their flaws.

~ Vimmy Rajpurohit is an Educator at The Fabindia School. Her email address is vrt4fab@gmail.com 

Getting Comfortable with Discomfort

Discomfort is a great catalyst but it’s also one of the most misunderstood states of mind. It’s not wanted. We want to be only comfortable!

Anyone who challenges this status quo becomes unwanted. We fight tooth and nail with those who bring us discomfort, question our perceptions, differ in opinions and challenge us with their stupidity or intelligence. The discomfort I’m talking about here is not violence in thought and conduct. It’s the inability to accept change or difference! It’s the inability to let something be (that we don’t endorse or believe in).

The reality is ‘comfort’ is an illusion. There’s no absolute state of comfort and all that exists is an aspiration for betterment. Either there’s an aspiration or there’s no aspiration. Let us replace our desire for comfort with our aspiration for betterment. 

Let us keep our aspirations to ourselves and let us not turn them into expectations for others. Let there’s be compassion and appreciation for others.

It’s not easy! It’s difficult to accept other people’s shortcoming when we are so self-focused! More so when we are learned! When we constantly strive for self-betterment and personal-advancement we become cynical and uncomfortable with others ignorance and sense of knowledge.

This is harmful for any collective endeavour because everyone comes with strengths and weaknesses. One of the best things that my mentors taught me is to keep people reminded of their strengths. I realized everyone is dealing with his/her problems within and without – the more one’s reminded of his/her strength, the better turns his/her confidence to deal with the situation.

Sense of comfort actually comes when we learn how to be compassionate with everyone. Every time when something makes you uncomfortable remind yourself that the best way out is to accept and let it be. Remind yourself that the other person or the situation has an unresolved history. Remind yourself that the best way you can contribute is by love and acceptance.

The comfortable we become with discomfort, the more acceptance and empathy we will develop. New discomforts will keep coming; resilience and compassion will keep bringing us strength and clarity and clarity will keep us bringing comfort.

More uncomfortable something/someone makes us, remember it can bring us that much comfort. The key lies within – in acceptance and compassion.

--
Venus Upadhayaya, is a columnist for Brewing Knowledge