Simplicity and Trust - Welham Boys' School

Simplicity

What is Simplicity: Simplicity is a state of being simple (Uncomplicated or Uncompounded) *. 

How is Simplicity of things Identified: In essence, anything that is plain, natural and easy to understand is simple. Like everything in life, Simplicity is relative and depends on the recipient's views or perceptions of the recipient(s).  

The following six key attributes help in generalising criteria to identify Simplicity in any creation. 

1. Reduction (Should not contain any non-essential clutter) 

2. Organization (Should be very well organized, in appropriate sequence) 

3. Affordances (Should meet expectations of target audience) 

4. Tangibility (Should be useful/helpful) 

5. Intuitiveness (Should be self-explanatory, easy to navigate or understand) 

6. Familiarity (Should be familiar/relatable) 

Why is Simplicity Important: Simplicity focuses on what is essential and eliminates clutter. That gives time and energy back to focus on other vital things in life. In today's world, simple living has become a social responsibility. Less consumption helps eliminate waste, improves the sustainability of our planet and helps divert resources toward those who need them most. 

"Live simply so that others may simply live" - Mahatma Gandhi. 

Why is it challenging to create Simplicity:  

"I did not have time to write a short letter, so I ended up writing a long one ☺" – Mark Twain. 

All natural beings are made simple at the core. Our experiences, perceptions and environmental factors create a clutter of mind that obscures Simplicity.  

Striving for Simplicity is ultimately a matter of focus; focus on what is essential to the subject (a process being established, a topic being taught in the classroom, a product being manufactured, a software program being developed) and clearing clutter.  

Eliminating any type of clutter (Physical or Mental) requires focus and practice. Simplification involves a lot of hard work, patience and thinking. In general, the following steps help in simplifying any problem or situation:

1. Write down the problem in a language that is easy to understand 

2. Break the problem into smaller parts 

3. Engage with experts to understand complexities and eliminate them 

4. Re-Imagine the situation / Rearrange / Reorganize 

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" - Leonardo da Vinci. 

Things I will carry out in a class. 

1. Understand children's definition and perspective of Simplicity 

2. Carry out an exercise to pick a topic (e.g. How a computer works?). 

a. Explain it simplistically. Have children come up with their explanation of the topic 

b. Conduct feedback sessions.

c. Summarize learning from the exercise

Trust

What is Trust: Trust is the willingness of one party (the trustor) to become vulnerable to another party  (the trustee) on the presumption that the trustee will act in ways that benefit the trustor.  

"Trust is the new currency of our interdependent, collaborative world." - Stephen Covey. 

Why do we need Trust: Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It's the foundational principle that holds all relationships. We have survived and progressed as species because we can trust and reciprocate.  

By nature, every human is born trusting. As we mature, we learn to build and identify trustworthiness through our experiences and instincts.  

In all our relationships, integrity plays an essential part in trust building. Operating with integrity fosters mutual goodwill and support, which leads to an improved sense of spirit, mutual loyalty, cooperativeness, shared responsibility and resilience. All these qualities lead to more mutually satisfying and enduring relationships. 

"Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not" – Oprah Winfrey. 

How to build Student-Teacher Trust: Trust and mutual respect are crucial elements in creating a positive classroom environment. Students trusting in the ability and intent of teachers can outperform their ability and progress well in studies and life in general. At the same time, teachers who believe in students' sincerity feel rewarded and are inspired to go out of their way to provide better education. 

Trust is earned by honesty, positive intent, strong competencies, and a track record of results. 

Building trust is a process which requires consistency and practice. Some of the tips to build this mutual trust and  respect are 

1. Honor each other's time, be open in giving / receiving feedback 

2. Engage students at their levels, respect their talents and interests 

3. Always accept student differences, and listen to them actively 

4. Remember to complete your commitments consistently 

"Trust is built on telling the truth, not telling people what they want to hear" – Simon Sinek. 

Classroom Trust Building Exercise: 

1. Build class bonding – Talk about each person's family, areas of interest and hopes for the future. 

2. Make a calendar of important dates for class (including students and teachers). Celebrate important milestones/dates. Appreciate each other's company and accomplishments as a group. 

3. Conduct periodic meetings with students to review progress and provide & receive feedback 4. Conduct one or more team-building exercises with the class. **

Vandana Sahay, Monika Gupta & Neelima Parmar 

Welham Boys' School

JOL Cohort 2022

*Simplicity - as defined in Miriam Webster Dictionary
https://simpleacresblog.com/how-to-model-simplicity-for-our-kids/ 

**Classroom Trust building exercises.

Simplicity and Trust - Arav Agarwal

 Lesson - Simplicity and Trust on 09.07.2022

1.       Simplicity

Simplicity is living a simple life and understanding everything just as it is simple. If we feel our mind has made our life complicated, we can start using a few techniques like deep breathing and self-reflection, which will also help to clear our unnecessary thoughts.

Things I will carry out in class.

ü  Connecting students with nature. Studying outside in nature will help students understand our needs' Simplicity. Nature is the best way to teach how everything is so simple, just the way it is. Also, nature helps to connect with the Simplicity within all of us.

"Nature is pleased with simplicity." — Sir Isaac Newton

Trust

Trust is the foundation of all values; Trust is having belief and faith in something or someone. Teacher and student relationship is based on the foundation of trust. The trust of a teacher in their students gives the student confidence to perform in class and in life. Also, the trust of a student in their teacher provides the teacher with hope for the future.

Things I will carry out in class.

ü  Doing team activities in class builds trust that the team members are there to support each other.

ü  Make five minutes the trust minutes where we share about ourselves with each other and appreciate.

"None of us knows what might happen even the next minute, yet still we go forward. Because we trust. Because we have faith."
― Paulo Coelho

The connection between Simplicity and trust – Trust the Simplicity of life. Life is simple. We have to keep the faith and trust it.

Name - Arav Agarwal 
Grade - 6A
Billabong High International School Thane 

#HappyTeachers

Hope - Saloni Grover

 The world out there beckons to me,

Whichever way I look there is pain and misery.

Injustice, suspicion, distrust lurks behind,

Every face is a mask, a true friend is hard to find.

Disheartened, discontented, disillusioned

I do not know where to go...

With tears in my eyes and my heart beating with uncertainity,

I tell myself; let the river of time flow.

I want to scream, make myself heard,

Be fearless, unflustered, soar like a bird.

There is something that holds me back with force,

Pins me to the ground, there is sorrow and remorse.

Not knowing what to do

I submit and surrender to fate

Accustomed to sorrow, soon I will be, solitude will be my soulmate.

A bright flash of light makes my heart skip a beat,

And what do I see, Hope herself comes knocking and drops a smile at my feet. Is that a dream, an illusion or destiny’s new trick.

I turn around, warmth and love comes flowing from every window and brick. There is song that echoes in the air,

Tells me to open the doors of my heart and cheer.

The wave of time washes away my wounds,

Soothes the scars,

There is a new moon that shines bright, a new sunrise is not far.

Saloni Grover
Gyanshree School

We are celebrating the value of Hope in June at My Good Schools. Experience the joy of learning, visit www.GoodSchools.in

Simplicity and Trust- Tarang JMMS

Simplicity is the state of being simple. Simple here means without complexity.

The biggest reason people fail to maintain simplicity in their lives is their desire for complexity. The world that we live in where mobile phones, laptops and other technical gadgets are there to simplify our lives but these things rarely help us in experiencing true peace and quiet to gather our thoughts. These materialistic things have become quite important, but simple living doesn't mean that you leave everything behind and become a sage.

'Simplicity is not about deprivation. Simplicity is about a greater appreciation for things that matter.'-Anonymous

Simplicity is all about focussing on what's most important to you and letting go of the rest. A simple life provides freedom. Simplicity is when we learn to differentiate between our wants and our needs. Having satisfaction and happiness over whatever you have regardless of you being rich or poor is what describes a simple life. Enjoying every moment of life rather than running behind for more.

As educators when we look at our little toddlers we see simplicity in their eyes, we find simplicity in their words, actions and thoughts.

 It was the end of the academic session. Everyone gets excited to get promoted to the next class. But for the little ones of the class nursery, it was rather a sad moment. They all started crying when their teacher told them that they all have been promoted and soon they will go to Class K.G. They all innocently said that they don't want to go to the new class because they don't want to leave their teacher. 

For the little kids, a teacher is like a mother figure. The teacher also got a bit emotional on seeing the crying faces but was also overwhelmed to see the love and simplicity in their eyes. The innocence in their words showed their simplicity. The teacher reassured the kids that she will also come to their new class to teach them and they all will meet daily. The children were simply happy to hear this from their teacher.

This incident showed that a teacher and a student have a strong relationship and it affects both of them equally. The students have a lot of faith in their teachers. They trust their teachers a lot. A teacher needs to be simple and clear in her/ his actions and thoughts, rather than complicating the answer a teacher can make it more simple for the students. 

Simple people are more approachable and trustworthy.

Trust is the most important and fragile aspect of all relationships. In order to trust others, first, we need to start trusting and believing ourselves. Trust is one of the important elements that bind us together whether it be our house, in our classrooms or as a whole society. Absence of trust between people often results in arguments and conflicts.

'It is a mutual trust, even more than mutual interest that holds the human association together.' - H.L.Mencken

Tarang JMMS@John Martyn Memorial School, Dehradun- Neelam Bhardwaj, Dolly Pharasi, Shalini Gurung, Laavanya Joshi.

It's never too late - Kusum Dangi

Courtesy Source: croninsta.com

It is said that there is no age to dream, it takes just a little time to achieve them.

By the age of 15 -17 years, it seems that it is still small, focus on studies. It seems to be 21, think about the career of 30-32, it seems that dreams are being left behind and they are getting 45 years old. Now, there is no age to dream nor to fulfil them.  But the truth is that there is no age to fulfil dreams. Where one more of the example of Barack Obama who retires at the age of 55, while the other is Donald Trump is 70 years old at the age, as he started his term as the President of America, it is most important to have faith in yourself. If we believe in ourselves, then we can fulfil our dreams at any time, just be encouraged yourself that yes I can do it.

Kusum Dangi

The Fabindia School

kdi@fabindiaschools.in

Humility and Appreciation - Swabhi Parmar

Humility is the quality of being humble and means putting the needs of another person before your own, and thinking of others before yourself. It also means not drawing attention to yourself, and it can mean acknowledging that you are not always right. Humility is often characterized as genuine gratitude and lack of arrogance, a modest view of one’s self. To be humble, we must have faith that God will lead us in the best way to live.  

In every aspect of life,  we should be humble to every living being on this planet. This attribute can make us stand different from others. We can have many examples of the people who had humble qualities in their lives and they stood different and they were loved by all. For example:- Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and so on. You should have the ability to embrace humility in real life and this could only come to you when you appreciate the efforts of others. 

Both the values of humility and appreciation are interconnected to each other. Appreciation can do wonders. It can motivate a person to a great extent. It can make a person work to its full productivity as it is a fact that every person in the institution has enormous potential in different areas. Appreciation can be characterized by interest, attention, devotion and friendliness. A humble person gets maximum appreciation in life. 

Humility and appreciation go hand in hand. By getting proper appreciation, we feel like we are important in other people’s lives. We all need to be noticed and valued. Appreciation is the core of every healthy relationship and Humility is self-awareness and empathy and these things are in short supply these days but if we have them then they are truly helpful. So we should be humble and appreciate every one. We should try and appreciate small acts of kindness. We should inculcate good values in us before we expect it from others. This is the key to real happiness.

Swabhi Parmar

The Fabindia School

spr@fabindiaschools.in

Hope and Friendship - Bharti Rao

Hope is the optimistic state of mind which helps us to expect that something is going to happen. Hope is a feeling of trust, builds confidence, belief for positive outcomes. Hope brings us out from our pains and in our journey of life it gives us the courage to come out of our problems. Hope is the ray of light which brings us out from the darkness to a new and fresh morning.

Hope is a dream where we think of the possibility of an enlarged horizon. Hope gives us the courage to fight against our sufferings and problems. It helps us to gain confidence that our future will be bright. If we possess the quality of Hope then nothing is impossible for us. Hope will strengthen your faith and aspirations and help you to achieve the aim of your life. Hope will always encourage us and push us to overcome all obstacles of life.  Students come to school with a hope of learning. Teacher with his unique style of teaching inspires, motivates and engages his students engross in learning. 

  

A true friend is one who walks with you in your journey of life when the rest of the world walks out. A friend is one who knows you as you understand and accepts the way you are. He is there always to support and guide us even in our moments of darkness.  Hope and friends are interconnected and both push us forward to overcome our difficulties. In the school we experience many times when the students exhibit true friendship. They help them in their tasks and sometimes also hide their flaws. Friendship possesses the quality of honesty and transparency. 

True friends are never apart, maybe in distance but not by heart. They understand each other and are always there to hold their friends in their hard times. Friends are the one who laugh with us, cry with us and smile with us. Friendship has a huge impact on mental health and happiness. Good friends always prevent loneliness and isolation. True friends boost our willpower and increase our chances of success. Friendship is the bond of trust and loyalty. 

Bharti Rao

The Fabindia School

bro@fabindiaschools.in

Dr Tazeen Siddiqui: Faith or Belief, what leads to spiritual strength?

The Child's mind is a set of thoughts that they absorb through experiences, books, peer learning, Teachers, parents etc.

The beliefs that we give our kids in our legacy helps in building spiritual strength and true faith. If we grow our kids with the belief that if a black cat crosses your way it turns out to be unlucky will imprint the false beliefs in their minds and heart, which will shatter the true faith of honesty, hard work, dedication and commitment.W e need to teach children the real faith that encourages and strengthen spiritual bonding.

Every Faith begins with the concept of honesty, hard work, Dedication and love. Once we inculcate these true faith in children they tend to build a strong spiritual bonding with a great trust in Giving, sharing and loving everyone in this world.

False beliefs shatter true faith while true faith, strengthen spiritual bonding to do the right and understand the concept that consequences are the results of our actions and if we do it with true faith, it turns into excellence and if done by false beliefs it leads to ignorance. It's important to turn thoughts into a true faith which in turn encourage true actions.

We need to grow up children with the thought that our actions have to be channelized with right thoughts of gaining knowledge, sharing and rising together with excellence as coded in the holy books.

Bhagwat Geeta Verse #1:
"Karmanye vadhika raste,
Ma phaleshu kadachana;
ma karma phala he tur bhuh,
ma te sangvasta karmani".

To action alone hast thou a right and never at all to its fruits; let not the fruits of action be thy motive; neither let there be in thee any attachment to inaction. There is no substitute for hard work and hard work eventually pays.

Quran
Man will not get anything unless he works hard surah al najm 53:39

There is no doubt about the fact that man cannot make any progress without efforts and hard work. for example, one who studies wholeheartedly becomes a scholar similarly a farmer who ploughs the farm, sows seeds in it and waters them, is soon rewarded with crops.

When we make our children strong with these true faith we create a great generation for the future to create history with peace in the world and knowledge in every heart and mind.

Dr Tazeen Siddiqui, Email fortazeen@gmail.com