A Future-Sensitive Schooling System

Wealthy people place their valuables in a bank locker for safekeeping. At the other end of the spectrum, individuals who’ve fallen on hard times often live out of public places and restrooms. Did you realise there’s a third category of inbetweeners who seek a slightly different type of refuge, in a different type of place altogether?

Children. Even and including those who belong to ‘decent’ families, reasonably well-to-do backgrounds. For many amongst them, what they earn, their personal currency, their spectrum of emotions, feelings and sentiments, owing to a set of unsavoury circumstances that doesn’t allow them to feel ‘whole’ at home; deposit their respective emotional-chests, at school!

While we as parents, teachers and caregivers wax lyrical about steps to make schools safer, more secure, less prejudiced places; the aforementioned group of children has already, being unaffected by the pervading school environment, invested all of themselves they can’t elsewhere, at school.

These are the children who secretly long to reach school, and given a choice, remain! 

Now let us add another layer of current reality to this situation. There is a desperate need for what we broadly understand and term – social emotional learning. This is irrespective of the type of child, and their circumstances. Especially from a future standpoint, the more deeply individuals are self-aware, have formed identities they are proud of, love, and are unique and differentiated, the better their chances at surviving and thriving in an uncharted upcoming global landscape that is almost impossible to estimate with any accuracy.

With these few different directions and reasons that are making a strong case for ‘education’ to be much more ‘emotionally inclusive & evolutionary’, perhaps it is time we questioned some core fundamentals & constructs, rather than trying our current approach of retrofitting & retrofitting?

Ironic. When  I teach Essay Writing as part of my communication skills classes, I suggest to students that as far as possible, and particularly when they raise a problem in their respective pieces, they should also try to provide potential solutions/suggestions. I find that having presented what I see to recognize as a very real reality, one that needs urgent and probably paradigm-altering solutions, I do not myself have any to offer!

Having realized, for myself at least, that retrofitting the existing mainstream schooling systems is not proving particularly effective, residential schools also falling into similar traps, not to mention their own existential crisis; I do have a certain thought. It is a radical thought. One that will require a leap of faith, and redefining several vital facets of mass-standardized education. But when has catering to a completely new/different set of needs ever been easy!

The way I see this. A possible solution could be in the form of a hybrid model of education, that combines a Gurukul-style physical micro-school that will bring together a modest cohort and unite them with a mentor who will address holistic values, spirituality, self-exploration & awareness, and building identity, purpose and morality. And this will co-exist with a completely technology & AI based customised academic/scholastic learning solution that each learner will also attend on an everyday basis, from home itself, encompassing the bulk of what students today physically visit schools for. 

To my mind, this system could present numerous advantages. In addition to the obvious merits stated above, for instance, gurukul would return children to nature, s key suggestion being strongly put forth by many in the mental health & wellness space, for good reason. Furthermore. Why, for example, can we not embrace and compliment education with allied services from AI, instead of waiting for our fears of AI making human teachers redundant, to actually take place? Similarly, why not, rather than retrofitting the current schooling system with diluted elements of SEL, turn it on its head, and take a few systems from the current that are good, and bring those to a revivalist-gurukul. In my school for instance, aside from our headmaster and housemaster, we had tutors. In other schools, a similar role was performed by people called house-parents; only the nomenclature changed. Individuals who’d be quasi parents, emotional supports, pastoral carers. Bolster gurukul with these roles and evolve the rest of current schooling’s academic duties and obligations and make it AI led. 

Is it not in any case observed in as many sectors and realms of life; there comes a point on an evolutionary cycle, that we reference, draw from, reconstruct past/historic systems and values. The gurukul system, so deeply embedded in our culture and conditioning, could just present what we, rather what children at this point need.

Nobody has the elusive magic-mantra to educational success. Trial and error, just as good teachers advise their students, is a process that we as alleged education-leaders must also adopt. It is the only way. The right way. So the E in that word is equal Education & Emotion.

Kartik Bajoria – Founder Driveway Devi Life Guidance

HeArT vs MiNd

HEART VS MIND

       

# Navigating the Emotional Labyrinth: A Modern Guide to Adolescent Parenting

Modern parenting requires a shift from authoritative leadership to thoughtful facilitation. While parents naturally draw from their personal experiences, offering well-intentioned advice based on past situations, this approach needs careful consideration in our rapidly evolving society. What worked for one generation may not adequately address the challenges faced by the next, as social structures, technology, and cultural norms continue to transform.

However, amid these changes, emotions remain a constant thread connecting generations, though their expression varies across different life stages. Adolescence, in particular, emerges as a critical period characterized by intense emotional experiences. During this phase, young people navigate complex territories: peer competition intensifies, romantic feelings emerge, and questions of personal identity become paramount through exploration of appearance and style.

The digital age has amplified these challenges, with social media creating new dimensions of peer pressure and emotional complexity. Simple friendships can evolve into deeper emotional attachments through constant digital connection, while the desire for validation and acceptance takes on new forms.

In this landscape, parents and educators must adapt their approach. When confronted with teenage mistakes or unexpected behavior, responding with patience and empathy becomes crucial. Rather than immediate judgment or quick solutions, creating space for understanding and dialogue proves more effective.

The key lies in helping adolescents maintain their sense of self while navigating emotional turbulence. 

Parents can achieve this by:

- Maintaining open communication without judgment

- Validating feelings while helping maintain perspective

- Supporting identity exploration while reinforcing core values

- Teaching emotional regulation while allowing for authentic expression

Success in modern parenting comes from finding the balance between providing support and allowing independence. By understanding emotion as a bridge between generations while acknowledging its evolving expression, parents can better guide their children through the complexities of contemporary adolescence.

Ankit Khare

Sunbeam School Sarnath

Heart vs Mind - Mizan Ali

Parenting often requires parents to act more as facilitators rather than leaders. Parents tend to interact with their children based on their own past experiences, offering advice like, "We've faced this before, so you should do this or that." However, this approach can sometimes be flawed because society, its systems, and circumstances evolve with each generation. One constant, though, is ‘emotion,’ which manifests differently at various stages of life.

Adolescence, in particular, is a phase marked by heightened emotional turbulence. This includes competition with peers, romantic attractions, concerns about appearance and style, and sometimes confusing friendship with love. In these moments, teachers and parents need to understand the adolescent mindset and respond to mistakes or unexpected behavior with patience and empathy. It’s essential to consistently remind children of their goals and encourage them to prioritize their individuality. This helps them manage their emotions and prevents feelings from overwhelming their sense of self.

Mizan Ali
Sunbeam Indiranagar

Making Others Happy - Shivani Rao

A simple act of kindness can make us feel happy. The more we spread happiness, the more the world looks beautiful to us. Happiness is a beautiful emotion that gives positivity to move forward in life. During a difficult time, even a small act of kindness can change a person's mental state. It is essential to know how to make others happy. The simplest way to make someone happy is to be emotionally supportive of them. Everyone wishes to have unquestionable love and support. Everyone wants to speak about their feelings and wants a person to listen to them patiently. However, many times don't get a chance to do it. 

To make someone happy, all you need is to give your time and your patience. The sense of comfort and warmth is the best way to make someone happy even simple things like helping a person move or helping them finish some work can significantly influence the person. These small actions of selfless love can make someone happy. All these things make a huge difference and bring happiness to our life.

Shivani Rao

The Fabindia School

sro@fabindiaschools.in

Thoughtfulness and Understanding - Sandhya Thadani

Thoughtfulness and understanding are two interrelated and interdependent values. 

To be thoughtful positively in any tiring situation can be very challenging. It is said as you think, your actions will follow accordingly. Being thoughtful is a positive attitude that has to be cultivated slowly as one develops stamina by practising rigorously. When positive thoughts and images surround us, our understanding and response to the demanding situation will be very different. 

Our mind should be filled up with positive thoughts all the time, such as cooking, cleaning, studying, walking etc. From morning till night, our thoughts should be corrected. Only with this attitude will our true self come forward, and our understanding of the situation will be deep and unjudgmental. 

By being thoughtful with a positive attitude, life becomes inspiring and meaningful. 

It all starts with a positive thought!

The following are the three tools I would like to use to inculcate empathy. 

1. Stories: Stories are a powerful means to develop values. By sharing experiences, it gives ideas when put into other people’s narratives. It triggers emotions, and one can identify with the stories. 

2. Reflection activities: When a student knows that the teacher is listening, not judging and is open to conversation, it gives a new perspective to both sides. Connection is made, trust is built, and creative ideas flow in. 

3. Sub-group activities: It is one of the ways when a child could be connected to feel empathy. We can provide experiences of values and emotions and the means to deal with them. The teacher can watch the emotions dispassionately and then choose to give her feedback wherever it is necessary. 

• Enacting Situations: Giving the children situations and creating a conscious story around. By imitating empathy, they will learn to empathize with others. 

• Collective games: Playing collective games is very important. It helps to develop character. Suppose a child is playing basketball; the child learns to play in a team and learns to control his emotions. Outbursts, screaming and playing foul games would not be tolerated by his peers and by his teachers. Next time when his peer will miss his catch, he will be sensitive and encouraging. “Don’t worry, you would succeed next time”. 

• Music and Dance: This is one of the best ways to develop empathy and other emotions. Singing meaningful songs and learning any form of classical dance can help bring the best out of a child. 

Developing empathy 

This is a picture from an article called “The Rescuing Hug.” The article details the first week of the life of a set of twins. Apparently, each was in their respective incubators, and one was not expected to live. A hospital nurse fought against hospital rules and placed the babies in one incubator. When they were placed together, the healthier of the two threw an arm over her sister in an endearing embrace. The smaller baby’s heart rate stabilized, and her temperature rose to normal. 

Kyrie and Brielle Jackson were born on 17 October 1995 at the Massachusetts Memorial Hospital in Worcester, MA. Each of the twins weighed two pounds at birth. Though Kyrie was putting on a bit of weight in the days following her arrival, Brielle was not doing well. She cried a great deal, leaving her gasping and blue-faced. Brielle was having a terrible day. NICU (Newborn Intensive Care Unit) nurse Gayle Kasparian tried everything to calm her. She held her. She had her dad hold her. She wrapped her in a blanket. She suctioned her nose. Nothing worked. 

Then, she remembered hearing about a procedure done in Europe. She put Brielle in the incubator with her sister Kyrie. Almost immediately, Brielle snuggled up to Kyrie. Her blood-oxygen saturation levels, which had been frighteningly low, soared. She began to breathe more easily. The frantic crying stopped, and her normal pinkish colour quickly returned. Over the next weeks, her health improved steadily in her new, less lonely quarters. 

Although it’s impossible to say whether Brielle’s recovery was wholly or primarily due to the healing touch of her twin sister, she did improve considerably after Kyrie was placed in the incubator with her. The children survived their rocky beginning and, in time, went home with their mother and father, but the media attention brought about by their story and the now-famous photograph prompted their parents, Heidi and Paul Jackson of Westminster, to change their telephone number.

Source:
Barker, Leslie.   “The Magic Touch.”
https://wwwparentingforbrain.com

The following discussion will follow in the class:
How do you feel after listening to the story?
What kind of communication did the babies have? 
Roleplay on these two babies- ( what would they say to each other, how would they behave and will they still be so close to each other.)
When they were born.
When they become 10 years old.
When they become 20 years old.
Draw a picture of your friend with whom you can share feelings and feel connected in your class.

Children should see the following video:

- Sandhya Thadani @JMMS, John Martyn Memorial School, Salangaon, Dehradun 

Unity and Caring - Visionary JMMS

जब हम दूसरों की परवाह करना शुरू करते हैं, तो यह हमें उनसे जोड़ता है और हम एक मजबूत बंधन बनाते हैं जो एकता को दर्शाता है।

देखभाल प्यार और करुणा की भावना है। मुस्कुराते हुए चेहरे को देखकर ही पता चल जाता है कि अंदर एक देखभाल करने वाला व्यक्ति है।

Mohit is a happy child ,always full of energy, he has a great love for drawing. The bell rang and it was time for the art class. Mohit seemed uninterested and lost in the class. The teacher noticed and asked the reason as she had never seen him like that, and that too in his favourite class. Tears rolled down from Mohit's eyes as he could not hold them back and said ' I don't want to go home, I don't like my neighbours.' The teacher somehow managed to calm him down and gave him a colouring sheet to deviate his mind and emotions.

Next morning Mohit's parents were at school to unenroll him. The teachers knew about the incident which happened in the class the day before, and were a  little startled by their sudden decision. 

Everyone in the school knew that Mohit was specially abled and had a speech disorder which never made any difference in the school. He was treated just like other children.

Soon the teachers got to know the real reason, they were the neighbours whom he was talking about, the children in his neighbourhood used to tease him and never included him in their games. Mohit felt lonely and that's why he was refusing to go back home. Because of this his parents decided to shift to a new place. 

The teachers managed to make them realise and reflect on their decision and told them to support him as they have been doing, try to make a happy environment around him and ignore what others think or say. Finally Mohit's parents withdrew their decision

At school it is the responsibility of the teacher to teach the children to appreciate differences, encourage them to recognise that we all are different yet we all are the same on the inside. But the learning doesn't limit to the school, the society and the people living in the society should also understand that everyone is unique and together we are like the flowers in a beautiful garden. 

Today we are living in a society where at some point we too had negative impacts on our well-being. In these circumstances we should believe in ourselves, stay with the ones who support us and care for us.

Different things can live together. When we all will understand this we can get along well with each other and start cooperating and caring without judgement.

'I can do the things you cannot, you can do the things I cannot; together we can do great things.' ~Mother Teresa

Visionary JMMS@John Martyn Memorial School, Salangaon, Dehradun - Neelam Bhardwaj, Pareenita Negi, Manmohan Kaur, Ambika Gurung, Bharti Dangwal

A Spark of Anger - Punita Chouhan

Anger is a completely natural and usually healthy emotion. Anger is triggered when we face obstacles or individuals that block our needs. It prepares us to deal with the problems in our path by mobilizing resources, increasing vigilance, and facilitating the removal of obstacles to get where we want to be.

Anger provides us insight into our faults and shortcomings and aids self-improvement. The problem, however, arises when anger grows out of proportion. It is then that it impedes our decision-making ability and leads to serious problems in our family, relationships and workplace and at times leads to violence and destruction.

How to deal with anger?  

Basically, there are three ways to channelize your anger.

The first one is by suppressing it. This happens when you hold your anger and stop thinking about it. But this unexpressed anger can create other problems like hypertension, high blood pressure, and even depression. It may turn you into a cynical and sarcastic person. Sarcasm is the most common expression of unexpressed emotions.

The second way is by calming yourself, not just by controlling your outward behaviour but also by controlling your inward responses and letting the feeling subside. But at times, this leads to inaction out of the fear of getting you angry or others getting angry at you.

The final way is expressing your anger appropriately. It means you may assertively express your feelings but not in an aggressive manner. This allows you to be respectful of yourself and others. It is the healthiest way to express anger. In the name of managing anger, we end up holding it in or avoiding associated feelings. This way, we create apathy and indifference among common people and produce mere followers. But as a progressive society, we need angry but thoughtful citizens who are leaders in the true sense and can lead society and bring positive changes and not just deaf and dumb followers. Since expressing anger appropriately is a learned behaviour, we can make each and every member of our young generation assume the true leader of tomorrow.

Photo and some content courtesy: www. Facebook.Com

Punita Chouhan

The Fabindia School

pch@fabindiaschools.in

Happiness And Tolerance - Tarang JMMS

A mind is like a parachute it doesn’t work if it is not open. The parachute may have to go through some intolerant weather but it knows that a little push of the air of happiness will help it reach its defined destination. 

What is happiness?

“It is not about how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness “- Charles Spurgeon. 

Happiness is the emotion we feel when we are content. When we start to appreciate and acknowledge what we have, we are bound to be happy. Every person feels happy in a different situation. A person who enjoys life start to appreciate it and eventually lives a happy life. Happiness does have an important role in our lives and it can have a huge impact on the way we live our lives.

Tolerance is permitting others to practise their beliefs and make their own choices. You don’t have to agree with them it’s a matter of respect for individuals as fellow humans. When we practise tolerance, we accept others ideas and beliefs. If you respect someone’s opinions – even if you disagree you display tolerance.

Here is a story by one of our group member where she tells the importance of happiness and tolerance.

The boy studying in her class was a little shy and had some speech problem because of which he finds it difficult to express himself and usually remained quiet in the class. The boy used to get angry and frustrated when he felt that other students are ignoring him or not understanding his thoughts. He used to scribble on others notebooks and even tore the notebooks out of frustration. Other students also distanced themselves from him because of his behaviour. The teacher also noticed this and was worried about his behaviour.

The teacher discussed the issue with other teachers and decided to have a meeting with the child’s parents. The parents informed that the child was advised by the doctor to have regular speech activities in order to better the speech. But the boy didn’t interact much in the class so the teacher then decided to conduct an interaction programme every day in the class where the boy was given more chances to interact with other students so that he could overcome his inhibitions and also his speech can get better.  It also helped other students to get to know one another and also get closer to the boy and thus understanding him in a better way. The programme really helped the child though he didn’t get fluent in his speech his behaviour changed towards others, he became more polite and tolerant as now he felt heard and accepted.

Tolerance and happiness are necessary for every species. As humans, we are very diversified and different so we need to tolerate one another in order to move forward in our journey of evolution. Happiness is not only in achieving the goal one can be happy during the process of achieving it. Your happiness is in your hand try to grab every moment that makes you happy.  

The story is based on the experience of the group members. The photos are taken as reference from Google images and are drawn by the members.

 - Tarang JMMS @ John Martyn Memorial School, Salan Gaon, Dehradun - Neelam Bhardwaj, Shalini Gurung, Dolly Pharasi, Laavanyaa Joshi

Frustration Barrier & ways to overcome it - Richa Solanki

The Frustration Barrier; it is a barrier which does not allow you to get immediately to the point of your goal. When we try new things out of our comfort zone, it becomes a barrier for a specific time. The frustration barrier is usually for a short span of time. Once you overcome this barrier, you can actually start enjoying the learning process and have some fun. It is the only thing which is stuck in our mind. Until we do not stick to anything, obviously the things will not stick to us. Most likely things to get to know through this barrier is that it helps in our personal growth that occurs whenever we do things that are out of our standard set of mind.

From my point of view, it is not difficult to overcome this barrier, we just want to change our state of mind. A successful person always has an ability to face this barrier because we can't ignore it always, the one thing is to get to know clearly how we can face and fight with this barrier. If a person can handle this barrier, he/ she can enjoy the process of learning new things and gaining the benefits that come with being skilled in that area. Just keep some patience, not to burst out immediately or anger, just think out of things very peacefully. Obviously, who handles this situation is known as a successful person. Also, these people are generally much more developed as human beings as they have had more experiences from which they can use in their life. 

Unsuccessful people give up soon. They just don't think of themselves because of their low ability. I want to say that if there is any kind of barrier we must have that power of the ability to face it out and it is possible only when we divert our mind from the things that don't matter. Sometimes a person literally thinks about things very deeply that they are stuck on or stick on one thing. Like this, we can't get out of these types of barriers.

I have just learned or read from somewhere to deal with frustration and what works well for me and for you all also,  here are a few things you can do: 

• Take some deep breath - Deep breathing can help slow heartbeat and lower blood pressure, diminishing the negative thoughts of the stressful emotion. 
• Work on something else - like your frustrating day, do something enjoyable. Listen to music, play games and read books. 
• Watch a comedy, talk with friends. Hobbies are also useful. Do what you like. My best way to divert my mind is to paint or to draw because when we do some work that we like, our concentration is full-on that thing only and we just forget to deal with our destructive emotions that we are facing.

Richa Solanki

The Fabindia School

rsi4fab@gmail.com

Content source - https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2006/02/23

How to Manage Anger - Monika Vaishnav

Anger is an emotion which you have towards something or someone. It helps you to express your negativity to some level until it is in controllable situations.  But, sometimes we see people lose their control in anger and do what they never supposed to do. It hurts others as well as to ourselves. Though it doesn't remain for a  long time if we are unable to manage it, it will bring more disturbance, spoil relationships and also take away our peace of mind. Sometimes speaking without thinking can make others also angry. 

It is rightly said that in anger, our mouth works faster than our mind. So, the first thing which we have to keep in our mind is to think before you speak.  Second thing, whenever we are angry we must think about its result before we act. If we will think about the impacts of doing things in anger, it will help us to have patience. Third, we must have a habit of listening to others and self analyzation. 

Fourth, we must develop the patience to handle any situation in life.  Fifth, if you feel extremely angry, leave the place, make yourself busy in something that helps you to get relaxed like singing, painting, drawing, listening to songs, etc. and talk about that thing later in a respectful way. Sixth, we should not talk to whom we are angry with, keep silence for some time or leave the place and when you feel relaxed then only talk to the person and sort out the things. Last and most important thing is forgiveness. We must learn to forgive people, it will automatically make us calm. 

Monika Vaishnav, The Fabindia School <mvv@fabindisaschools.in>

Happiness and Tolerance - Medley DGS

Robert Collier said, “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”

If success brings happiness, the persistency that leads to this happiness comes only with tolerance. Without being tolerant, happiness is a misunderstood act and if one is not happy about being tolerant then it is anything but tolerance.

For class 7th girls happiness was about making fun of the poor accent of Rohini, they would not include her in their games or their study groups. Until their class teacher, Kirti decided to teach them the lesson they will remember for a lifetime. Kirti started taking extra classes with Rohini and started preparing her for the assembly conduction in English. With this motivation from the teacher, Rohini also got her confidence back and started putting more efforts.

She learnt quickly and the day she conducted assembly the whole school was surprised, the Headmistress too praised Rohini and everyone applauded for her performance and attitude. That day, when she entered the class she was not only welcomed but also respected. Children often confuse happiness with having fun even if it is at the cost of someone’s emotion so it is important to make them understand that happiness without tolerance is not only incomplete but also fake and short-lived.

Mamta has been teaching primary and pre-primary classes in a boarding school, her role in the school and her student’s life has been beyond teaching which was inspiring yet challenging. In her third year of teaching she had a new admission in her class 1, a sweet little girl from a small town near Kolkata, who could not speak or understand anything except Bangla. The girl had left her parents for the first time; she was emotionally disturbed as why she had been sent far from her parents and withdrawn herself from everyone. Mamta was her teacher but before getting into teaching, she had to break that emotional barrier and with language gap, it seemed to be an impossible task. She learnt a bit of Bangla, got a few sentences translated into the language so she could communicate with the child. With her affection, persistent efforts and tolerance for the child, she broke that barrier. Today that girl is an all-rounder; she is not only good in studies but has won lots of prizes in Music and Art as well. Because of Mamta and other teachers of the school, she understood why she was sent here and now her younger brother is also a part of the school, who again speaks only BanglaJ.

While talking about Tolerance and Happiness, it is worth mentioning the remark of a co-teacher who said, “If Happiness is the centre of a circle then Tolerance is the circumference”. And, I feel that at school we are tied with a stretchable string. We keep bouncing back to the centre and take the further leap to make the circle bigger every time.   

  

Proud to be Educators From Medley DGS - Anubhuti Sharma, Chandralekha Negi, Kirti Bisht, Mamta Kandpal, Neelam Waldia and Sugandha Ahluwalia

Quality and Love - Prerna Rathod

Quality means the degree of excellence in the work undertaken. It also includes the way we

do our work with sincerity, hard work and diligently. Our personality also affects the quality of our work. Qualities like punctuality, discipline, confidence, trust, faith, love and simplicity affects the quality of our work.

Love is an essential part of our life. It is similar to salt in our food. 
“Food without salt is tasteless; similarly life without love is meaningless.”
What salt does to our food, is what love does to our lives.

Love is an emotion that is the reason why we care for the other person. It is the foundation of a positive relationship between two people. A teacher will always love her students and will always wish for their success and betterment. Love is born when you respect, care, support and defend the other person. 

An Educator is the best example to depict both quality and love. To see that her students understand whatever she teaches, an educator has to make her classes interactive, integrate her lessons with real life examples, the child is the centre of attention, praises and motivates the students whenever required and the teacher understands the child’s mood as well. Above all the educator must be satisfied with her own work. 

Love binds the educator and the child in such a way that its imprints are seen even after school life of the child. 

Love is the thread that binds us together like a flower in a garland.

Prerna Rathod    
The Fabindia School
 prd@fabindiaschools.in

  

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

Dr Tazeen Siddiqui: Emotions beneath the wall of mind...

To attain the real truth, love or god one doesn't have to go on mountains or get excluded from the world, to attain the real spiritual strength one just need to read his or her own heart and hear it with calmness and we find everything that we would want to attain in life.

We start to feel the emotions of care, love, hatred, worry and happiness, few bring it across expressing through words, actions, paper and decisions while some close them in a book of heart and never read them again with the fear what if ...

What if I show my appreciation towards someone what will he or she think or feel ...

What if I show I am sad the people will think I m weak and what if I speak my heart ...

People may get uncomfortable, some may be angry some may condemn it and some may break the relationship but one thing is sure that speaking heart might end up in multiple emotions in People's mind but speaking it out will give you calmness of life and heart.

Expressing oneself is extremely important to lead a stress-free and calm life as all the complex emotions that one deal in mind once gets channelised into words must not be closed in books of heart but to be expressed in a great way.

You might like someone's Thoughts, dress, looks, eyes, books etc but you never express because of the Thoughts that what others would think of you which is an # Image crisis #.

To live life with heart and soul start speaking your heart right now and deal with every emotion by expressing it out in the right way.

Whether it's a child or an adult everyone gets conscious of speaking about their emotions that end up in anxiety, stress and irritation in children and adults.

A great leader is one who expresses the appreciation, love, care for everyone. A great leader is one who appreciates in public but conveys weaknesses in the ear of that person where no one can hear anything wrong about that person and that builds up strong trust ,great relationship and great leaders  are not conscious about other people thought process but are confident of their own words of heart that it would guide to the right destination of building strong relationships.

The question what will you be remembered for? is a question to be answered in this life and be remembered for the love, care, honour and knowledge you shared with everyone.

#one's heart is the purest form of Thought#

Dr Tazeen Siddiqui, fortazeen@gmail.com

Can you teach a Zebra some Algebra?

However witty or humorous the heading of the chapter may sound, it definitely conveys a very deep and thought-provoking learning.

A zebra or any animal for that matter is devoid of one basic human feature i.e. intellect something which is the only line of demarcation between humans and a zebra (pun intended).

Image from jolieblogz.blogspot.com

Being an educator, it is the prime responsibility to help develop a student’s intellect i.e. the capacity of think of what an action might lead to, something which cannot be developed or thought to a zebra.

Once intellect is developed, the next step is to focus all energies to put the intellect to proper usage. Concentration increases the chances of being able to grasp things better, the more the concentration the better the learning. Intellect is a definite source to convert the wishes into will, backed by great concentration which by any chance a zebra cannot possess; probably it is not the target of any learned educator.

Therefore a great educator will always try to develop child’s intellect by guiding him to find answers to his in inquisitions about worldly affairs and not answering the same. And once the intellect is polished and thoughts of the child can be put in order, his increased concentration will enable him to find a suitable answer and thus the role of the educator is fully accomplished.

Our learning from “Can You Teach A Zebra some Algebra” by Debashis Chatterjee. Ajay Vijayvargi , Kusum Dangi , Tarun Mishra & Usman Gani - The Fabindia School