Immersive Storytelling Session on Sundays - Sapna Rai

To 

Ms Brinda Ghosh
Coach and Mentor, My Good School
Good Schools Alliance

Dear Ms. Brinda,

Thank you for leading such a wonderful, immersive storytelling session covering Gerald Durrell’s “My Family and Other Animals”.

Attending the My Good School Webinar reinforced for me that reading must move beyond traditional assessments to spark curiosity, empathy, and reflective thinking. Your session was a prime example of this philosophy in action.

Highlights of the Session

Vivid Characterisation & Humour: You effortlessly brought the quirky Durrell family and Corfu's vibrant wildlife to life, keeping the audience completely captivated.

Fostering Empathy & Curiosity: By highlighting Gerald’s keen observations of nature and animals, you helped us connect deeply with the story’s underlying spirit of discovery.

Expressive & Dynamic Delivery: Your rhythm, vocal Modulation, and engaging storytelling made the reading experience joyous, interactive, and truly memorable.

Reflection & Acknowledgments

I plan to channel the valuable insights gained from our expert mentors into building purposeful, joyful, and reflective Sunday reading experiences for my students in the classroom.

My heartfelt gratitude to the organisers for providing such an impactful professional growth opportunity, and special thanks to our school management for giving us a platform that continually nurtures our teaching and learning journey.

Sincerely,

Sapna Rai

PGT Teacher, Sunbeam School, Mau

Freedom & Peace - Penta BHIS

                                                   

             FREEDOM                         &                                  PEACE

                                               
“You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.” -----Malcolm X

In a class of 25, the teacher looks at each students’ skills - reading, writing and listening, emotional and academic abilities. She then puts her energies to nurture and nourish them. Some students in the class are good at academics and some are strong emotionally. In a peaceful classroom, every student has the freedom to express himself/herself without being judged. Everyone enjoys the freedom of expression, but not the freedom to hurt or ridicule. Freedom entails responsibility – this is exemplified by the teacher.

A young class is always energetic and raring to go. However, Saanvi is quiet in her ways, never

giving in to be a part of her playful and noisy peers. Saanvi never shows agitation or adds to any chaos that claims the class during breaks or P.E. classes. She is always poised and composed. The teacher watches out for her personality traits. Is Saanvi shy? An introvert? Incapable of holding her own in an argument? Does she have difficulty in expressing herself? Thankfully, the answers are in the negative. In today’s World of widespread commotion and one-upmanship, Saanvi does not want to steal anyone’s thunder. She awaits her turn, quietly helps others and does not crave for acknowledgement. If appreciated, she looks contented, and chirps a polite ‘Thank you, Miss.’
No teacher can find anything to complain about a child who is so composed and considerate to others. On the PTM day, the teacher wants to find out more about Saanvi. Is she so troubled that she has nothing to say?

During the PTM, the lobby and the class are crowded with parents. Every parent, while awaiting their turn, is talking. Soon the conversation of adults assumes a rising crescendo. Most parents do not take the trouble of keeping their phones on the silent mode. Adding to the cacophony, are the numerous ringtones as are the loud instructions to domestic help or the formal talk given to a colleague at the other end. Of course, no teacher has the wherewithal to step into this space to rein in the disturbance. In spite of their surroundings, a couple continues to wait patiently. Their phones do not ring for anyone to hear, they do not complain about a fellow parent breaking the queue or compare children’s performances loudly. When it is their turn to meet the teacher, they begin with a smile and a compliment to her.

During the conversation, they smile at each other and the teacher a lot, appreciate the work of the teachers and discuss areas of improvement to make their child a better human being. Needless to say, the teacher recognizes them as Saanvi’s parents. The apple has not fallen far from the tree. Often parents forget that their children carry their implicit attributes to the outside world.



The teacher could see that PEACE was a state of mind, irrespective of one’s surroundings.
In a classroom where a teacher teaches and students learn, there are some days when students teach, and the teachers learn.

Every year when students get promoted to a higher class, there is a state of anxiety in the students and parents with regard to the new teacher and how he/she will be. But as the school reopens and days pass by, the teacher begins to know the class well. It is when the student has the freedom to express and knows that he/she would be heard and cared for in any situation, does the classroom acquire a sense of contentment, even peace.

Saanvi taught her teacher “Do not let the behaviour of others destroy your inner peace.” (The Dalai Lama)
Without this peace, a sense of freedom is not possible.

Penta @ Billabong International High School, Thane

- Jeeji Sanjeev, Sanika Joshi, Arpita M.G., Muskaan Menda, Radhika Anand, Supriya Naravankar & Bhavani Swamy.

Role of Volunteers

 Key areas for participation:

• Instruction and Training
• Supervision
• Counseling
• Assessment

Duties / work

• To advise, guide and assist the participants
• To provide young people with Record Books
• To maintain the operation of Award in a unit
• To keep records
• To liaise and coordinate activities in an area
• To ensure the safety and well-being of the participants
• To ensure the operation of the Award meets the International Guidelines and the standard of the Award are upheld.

Qualities / pre-requisites for an Adult Volunteer

• Business like: organised, systematic, goal oriented and prepared.
• Friendly: warm, empathetic, out-going, positive and friendly.
• Verbally Interactive: listens, accepts, probes questions and encourages.
• Stimulating: imaginative, stimulating, exciting, provocative, interesting and avoids dull routine.
• Individual Oriented: treats each individual as a unique learner.
• Multi-media Integrative: uses diverse media for visualisation, dramatisation, demonstration, and manipulation, reading and listening.

Volunteer management policy for NAA 
Volunteers are an essential part of a successful Award Programme in any National Award Authority. Most of them work directly with the participants as Award assessors and group leaders, and provide support to the local and national Award office. Enthusiastic, knowledgeable and responsible volunteers can make a huge impact in retaining and encouraging more young people to take part in the Award Programme.

Recognition of Volunteers
The National Award Authority presents adults involved in the Award, certificates in recognition of outstanding service to the Award. The success of the Award has depended largely on the extent to which people have helped with its organisation, development, promotion, operation, and assessment. Meritorious service of this nature can be acknowledged by the award of a certificate recording such recognition. Emphasis is on outstanding service over a significant period of time; the presentation of a certificate is never be regarded as automatic.

The minimum time involvement is normally be at least 3, 5 or 10 continuous years, though there may be exceptional cases when a shorter period of service would be worthy of recognition, or where breaks in service could be taken into account. The judgement of outstanding service is inevitably be subjective, but considerable involvement of an individual's own free time to the undoubted benefit of a number of young people, is the basic criterion. Evidence is also required of positive advancement of the Award’s aims and philosophy. The person should have demonstrated superior efforts and initiatives during his or her period of involvement with the Award and is expected to have shown exceptional ability, reliability and results in one or more fields related to its operation.

How to take this ahead?
Sign up today, we have a life time Sign-up Fee of Rs. 500.00 only. You will become a part of a worldwide network and be able to contribute for youth development. This is indeed a very fulfilling form of service and we are sure you too will live the Award Programme. Once we receive your small contribution, we will send you a Volunteer Sign-up Form and other details.

ONLINE PAYMENT

Please call up the national office (NAA) on +91 11 26497154 or email us at bivujit@dofe.in