Copy or Not to Copy & Fear vs Courage

 Learning Forward Saturday

Continue reading “Wanted Back-bencher and Last-ranker Teacher” and discuss its themes.

Key Takeaways

• Roma’s Strategy: To motivate her difficult class for a presentation, Roma shared her own past struggles with stage fright and low confidence. This humanised her, building trust and showing that overcoming fear is possible.

• Cheating Dilemma: A student’s detailed advice on how to cheat effectively prompted a discussion on integrity, highlighted by Roma’s decision to refuse a leaked exam paper in high school.

• Public Speaking as a Skill: Roma reframed the upcoming assembly as a crucial opportunity to develop critical thinking, verbal skills, and confidence, directly addressing students’ anxieties.

• The “Air Hostess” Experiment: To cure her stage fright, Roma applied for an air hostess job. She passed the interview by mastering facts, proving that deep knowledge, not a memorised script, is the key to confident communication.

Topics

Context: “Wanted Back-bencher and Last-ranker Teacher” by Kavita Ghosh

• The group is reading a book about Roma, an unconventional teacher who joined the profession for a certification, not by choice.

• The book’s title comes from a school advertisement, reflecting Roma’s non-traditional background.

Chapter: To Copy or Not to Copy

• During exams, students asked if Roma ever cheated.

• Roma admitted to being caught once, prompting a student (Jeevan) to offer detailed advice on how to cheat effectively.

• The Dilemma: Roma’s best friend, Rubina, offered her a leaked Class 12 board exam paper.

• The Decision: Roma refused to look at the paper, choosing integrity over a guaranteed high score.

• The Outcome: She never regretted the decision, finding deep satisfaction in earning her marks honestly.

• Invigilation Tactic: Roma used a non-confrontational approach during an exam, returning dropped papers to students without accusation.

  • Rationale: This gave students the “benefit of the doubt” while subtly signalling she was aware of their attempts to cheat.

Chapter: Fear vs Courage

• Staff Room Discussion: A colleague (Sumita) expressed doubt that Roma’s difficult class could deliver a successful assembly presentation.

  • Topic: “A Leader knows the Way, Goes the Way, and Shows the Way” (John C. Maxwell).

• Student Anxiety: Roma’s students were anxious, recalling a “disastrous” presentation last year that left them feeling ridiculed and humiliated.

• Roma’s Framing: Roma reframed public speaking as a vital life skill for:

  • Developing critical thinking

  • Fine-tuning verbal and non-verbal skills

  • Overcoming stage fright

• Roma’s Personal Story: To build trust, Roma shared her own history of stage fright.

  • The Failure: At 15, she froze during an inter-school debate, unable to recall her prepared speech.

  • The Experiment: To overcome this, she applied for an air hostess job.

    • Method: She mastered all facts about the airline and aviation industry.

    • Result: She passed the interview, proving that deep knowledge, not a memorised script, builds confidence.

  • The Insight: Public speaking is about connecting with people using relevant information, not just delivering a speech.

• Arctic Air Interview: Roma later faced a group discussion (GD) for a corporate internship.

  • Topic: “Women deprive men of jobs.”

  • Challenge: She had to navigate a competitive environment with 35 other applicants, including university debaters.

Next Steps

• Participants: Reflect on personal experiences with public speaking or integrity and share them with the group.

• Group: Meet next Saturday at the same time to continue reading.

• Group: Note the time change for the session after schools reopen in July.

To Copy Or Not To Copy - Sunbeam Suncity

In this video, we have tried to highlight the consequences of cheating in any manner. We also have focused on how students lose their creative skills because of the easy and quick approach to any task. Cheating from any source has severe disadvantages that can impact a student's academic, personal, and professional life. Firstly, cheating undermines the learning process, depriving students of the opportunity to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills. 

Moreover, cheating can lead to a lack of confidence and self-doubt, as students may feel that they are not capable of achieving success on their own merits. Additionally, cheating can damage their reputation and credibility, causing a loss of trust and respect from peers, teachers, and employers. 

Finally, cheating can also have serious consequences, such as failure, expulsion, or even legal action, ultimately hindering one's future prospects and opportunities. 

The habit of cheating can be removed from students by fostering a culture of academic integrity and promoting healthy learning habits. Teachers can play a significant role by emphasizing the importance of original work and providing guidance on proper citation and referencing. 

Additionally, students should be encouraged to take ownership of their learning, set realistic goals, and develop time management skills to reduce stress and anxiety. Regular feedback, positive reinforcement, and incentives for honest work can also motivate students to abandon cheating habits. Moreover, parents and teachers should engage in open conversations with students about the consequences of cheating and the value of hard work, perseverance, and self-discipline. 

By adopting a holistic approach, students can develop a growth mindset and cultivate a strong sense of integrity, ultimately breaking the habit of cheating.

Mohini Rai

Carol Henrick 

Sunbeam Suncity School and Hostel

To Copy VS Not To Copy- Sunbeam Bhagwanpur School

Honesty and Respect - Ruchi Chaudhary

Talking about Honesty and Respect, one name comes to my mind, a girl in class 10th, Shivika. Teaching her since class 8, have never seen such an honest girl with so much Respect in her eyes for every teacher.

Recently during her unit test, Geography, she was surrounded by many students who were disturbing her a lot by asking questions as she was concentrating on a topographical map; two students sitting nearby bothered her a lot so that she was not able to complete her test on time and the first time she got fewer marks. I asked her reason for not getting good marks, but she said nothing to me during the time of the parent-teacher meeting; her mother emphasized that please check why she got fewer marks in one subject only. After asking many times, she shared all about that day and said please do not blame the teacher who was on duty on the Geography test day, I saw Respect and honesty in her eyes, and I did the needful.

As a human being, we have a right to take a stand on a matter which is wrong around us. But together with this, we have to show Respect to the person who actually teaching us and helping us to make our future. Shivika showed the virtue of honesty when she explained the reason for not getting good grades in my subject, and she showed Respect for the teacher in whose presence cheating was going around in the classroom.

I feel so proud to be a teacher when I encounter such a good student. 

Ruchi Chaudhary

Mussoorie Public School

Mussoorie 

Honesty and Respect - Achievers JMMS

1. Not willing to admit

Five years ago one instance happened when I was the class teacher of class 5, and we use to give stationery to the students from the school, and by the end of the day, they collect and leave the stationery in the class. One morning I saw that some of the stationery was missing. I asked them but no was willing to admit the fault. This went on for few days. I was distraught to see that. I decided to put some good values in my students. I told them about our inner voice which stops us from doing wrong things, and I told them the story of ‘A Golden Axe’. They listened to it carefully. Then I asked them if you have done something wrong that will show dishonesty then tell me. 

First, they started looking at one another. I took them in confidence, so they started admitting their mistakes. Suddenly a boy got up and told me that how and when he had stolen the things from the classroom. I was happy to hear that. Instead of scolding him, I praised him for telling the truth in front of the whole class.

2. Dishonest due to fear 

Once there was a girl in my class. She always used to be dishonest in the class. Whenever she was asked for her class test notebooks, she uses to tell a lie. The reason behind her dishonesty in her behaviour was carelessness, and maybe she got scared, and one more reason behind her dishonesty was that her parents were also not able to spend time with her. 

3. Jealousy and cheating

Two best friends used to spend most of the time together. One of the friends was intelligent and used to get appreciation from the teacher. The other friend was an average student. He never gets appreciation from the teacher. He feels sad when his friend was praised in the class. After some days the school planned to start the exams and called everyone to take their admit card and also informed that without this, you will not be able to appear in the exam.  The friend who was an average student got an idea due to jealousy to hide his friends admit card so that he will not be able to appear in the exams, so he did. 

When the friend was not able to find the admit card, he rushed to the teacher. Everyone started searching for it. Also, the teacher made the announcement that if any of the students have taken it, please returns it back to him. But every student refused. 

Suddenly one of the students told the teacher that I saw his friend stealing it from his bag. The teacher called him and searched himself in his bag, and she got it. The teacher then explained everyone not to steal things due to jealousy.  

             

“Honesty is truth-telling and truth-speaking. It takes strength and courage to admit the truth”.

B. This statement is true that you must show respect to earn respect in a classroom. Respect is something that is a two-way process.  When we give respect to someone, we expect the same from them. This happens in a classroom also. Children also expect respect from their teachers. I want to highlight this with a story.

One day I was taking attendance in my class. While calling out the names, I dropped my pen down. A child sitting just in front of me saw that I dropped my pen . He came and picked up my pen and gave it to me.  In return, I said thank you to him. He smiled and returned back to his place.  After that, I explained to them the value of 'respect ', and from that day, they started using it in their day to day lives. 

Achievers JMMS @ John Martyn Memorial School, Salangaon, Dehradun - Sweta Thapli, Meena Kukreti, Jyoti Joshi, Nisha Pundir

Honesty and Respect - Amit Jugran

As I narrate this incident from a few decades back, it brings back the memories of the fine moments carefully carving the future steps of an adolescent.

We all have been involved in some form of malpractice at some stage of our lives. Probably more susceptible at an age when peer pressure is high, and fake pride is at stake—the chemical reaction within playing havoc and giving very little room for reasoning.

Mathematics was never my cup of tea, and I dreaded the books, class and of the teacher. I had somehow managed to tackle the book and the embarrassing moments in the class, but not the teacher. He too had taken an instant liking to me I guess, as I had become his favourite punching bag over a period of time. I was getting tired of his sarcasm and frankly waited for every class to end sooner.

Trigonometry and I had a very confusing relationship. But we were taking time to understand each other. I was confident that this topic would save me from the bouts of sarcasm thrown at me. I was sure I would be able to sail through due to this topic. However, the next mathematics test was to test many of us. Little was I to know that it would be testing my Mathematics teacher, my Housemaster and the ethos of the renowned public school. Grappling with the last answer and struggling with time, I requested my friend to bail me out with the last question.

The day of the result arrived, and as the teacher distributed the papers back, I heard my name being called out. With a know all look over his face and the confidence of snaring his prey spread across, he questioned my honesty in solving the last question. The question brought forward no response from my end as I could smell a rat too!

Soon I was going through a sermon on honesty and integrity. I could, in fact, envision my mathematics teacher as Gandhi, convincing me to tread the path of righteousness. Thought-provoking examples were thrown at me, and I bit the bait when I was told that “Honesty would be respected, and consequences would not be worked upon”. As I began to own up, I could see the Gandhi avatar taking back the shape of my mathematics teacher again. The skin, colour, demeanour changed in a fraction of a second, and the paper with “Yellow Card Recommended” (Yellow Card - YC - was the highest punishment given to an offender, this was handed down by the Headmaster of the school) was handed over to me as my reward for being an honest cheater.

Feeling, confused, humiliated and fooled, I walked down the staircase to inform my Housemaster. I had got into trouble before, but it had never been in this way. I was worried as I knew that my Housemaster would tolerate a trouble maker but not a cheat. I mustered up my courage and handed over the paper with my fate scribbled across. There was no hint of anger, despair or dejection on his face. He read the note, and his eyes searched my face for the truth. Probably an experience gained over a period of time. 

“Did you do it and did you admit to the mistake you made?”; was the only question. It came as straight as his straight drive we had seen. I explained and confessed to cheating and also that I had admitted to doing it publicly too.

The paper was taken, the matter was never heard of again. I went on to make more mistakes, but I never cheated after that. The mirror of my mistakes was never shown to me, and neither he rubbed it in to make me feel small. My every mistake was dealt with differently, and I was held accountable for the present. 

In a day, I witnessed two very different approaches. One teacher, who could not walk the talk and the other who gave another chance to reform me. One who was ready to punish me for my honesty and the other who respected me for being brave enough to admit my mistake. 

Maybe the story would have been different for me; today had my Housemaster not searched for the truth on my face and had gone on to believe the paper.

Such is my HM, whom I deeply respect...Mr RP Devgan. 

- Amit Jugran is the Principal at Mussoorie Public School and is currently experiencing the Joy Of Learning at the Learning Forward India Academy.