A thoughtful and enriching Retreat.

Dear Good School Alliance Team,

The Good School Alliance Learning Forward Retreat in Dehradun was a very enriching and memorable experience for me. It gave me a chance to step away from my usual routine and think more deeply about what makes a school good.

Reading My Good School by Sandeep Dutt was one of the highlights of the Retreat. The book made me think about education beyond textbooks and the curriculum. It helped me reflect on the importance of values, freedom, relationships and the overall environment in which children learn. The discussions also encouraged me to look at my own role as a teacher in a new way.

I especially enjoyed the flip-chart activity. We worked together to present our understanding of the book through drawings, words and ideas. It was interesting to see how everyone interpreted the same thoughts differently. The activity was creative and enjoyable, and it also gave us a chance to share our ideas and learn from one another.

Our stay at Fig Tree Cottage made the Retreat even more special. The warm hospitality and peaceful surroundings made us feel comfortable and welcome. It was a lovely setting for reading, reflection and meaningful conversations.

I returned from the Retreat with many thoughts about my teaching and how I can help create a happier, more meaningful learning environment for my students. The experience reminded me that teachers, too, must continue to learn, reflect and grow.

I am grateful to Sandeep Dutt and the Good School Alliance for organising such a thoughtful and enriching Retreat. I will carry the memories, conversations, and lessons from these days with me on my journey as an educator.

Warm regards,

Jaya Sharma
Mayoor School Jaipur

Learn to Appreciate - Sharmila Vijayvargi

Appreciation means praise and admiration. It is human nature to seek appreciation because it makes us feel good, loved and wanted. It helps us have positive self-esteem and makes us and our work worthwhile. Appreciation from others boosts our confidence and motivates to do better and to be better. It gives us happiness. We like the people who appreciate us and we appreciate and like them too. This makes our relationship cordial and fulfilling.

 How do you feel when your teachers, friends and parents appreciate you and your work? When you do your homework well, answer questions in the class your teacher shows her appreciation for you with a smile or by saying “Good or by awarding a star in your notebook. When you show courtesy to others, they appreciate your good nature and conduct. Your parents appreciate you for being a good, well-mannered and obedient child. What makes people win appreciation? More than beautiful looks, riches and material possessions, it is good thoughts, good deeds and actions that win people appreciation. Although it is instinctive for human beings to seek appreciation. Most people find it difficult to appreciate others. This is indeed very unfortunate.

We must make it a habit to appreciate others for their love, care, help, service and personal charm. Such a gesture will show how grateful we are to them and how much we value them. We can show our appreciation for others by our smiles, words of kindness and thanks to beautiful flowers cards and gifts. Appreciating others is very good but we must not appreciate others falsely for they will surely see through it and view it as our selfishness and hypocrisy. Appreciate others need appreciation too As much as I do I must acknowledge and appreciate others for the love and care For the joys and sorrows they share with me For understanding and accepting me as I am. One word of appreciation can make their hearts glow with happiness and mine too. Appreciation makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well. 

Sharmila Vijayvargi <svi@fabindiaschools.in>  The Fabindia School.

How to invest your energy into positivity - Swabhi Parmar

As we move through our day, we send energy into the world and we receive energy back. Our minds, bodies and spirits are composed of energy, which vibrates out and is felt by others. Those vibrations resonate within us and impact our own energy stores.

This is why we may feel warm, calm and cheerful in the presence of some people, but cold, anxious and blue around others. We carry that energy with us, and it impacts not only us but all the other people we come in contact with. Good energy can boost our feelings of well-being, dissolve feelings of anxiety and improve communication. Bad energy results in feelings of discord, conflict and resentment. Your goal should be to attract good energy and reject the bad. 

Negative thinking can be hard to stop. It’s easy to allow yourself to slip into pessimism or take on an air of indifference. But if you want to attract good things, you must let the positive guide you, not the negative. As the Dalai Lama says, “See the positive side, the potential, and make an effort.” Actively work to change the tone of your thoughts from negative to positive. Just as you try to limit your negative influences, make sure you start spending time with positive ones. Surround yourself with positive, successful go-getters who are supportive and caring. Keep company with those who bring positive energy with them, and make sure you nurture and protect those relationships.

Find time each day to think about the things you’re grateful for. By finding small ways to practice gratitude, you’ll allow yourself to let go of toxic emotions and replace those with positive thoughts. You can practice gratitude each morning by thinking of 5 things you're grateful for. Then think of at least one person you’re grateful to have in your life.

You can also try keeping a gratitude journal, where you can quickly jot down a list of little joys and things that give you a sense of happiness and contentment. Remind yourself of all the bad you have been through. When you see how far you’ve come and all of the difficult storms you have weathered, it will make you more appreciative of what you have in your life now.

Swabhi Parmar, The Fabindia School <spr@fabindiaschools.in>