Happiness and Tolerance - Aadhya RPKM

Dealing with Challenging Students

How did / will you deal with the student?

A) If it was a real-life situation, were you successful in helping him/her overcome their problem?

B) What is your advice to educators who want to inculcate these values in their students?

Scenario 1: An Unhappy Student

A) Our comments: We did not encounter such a situation.

B) Our Comments: If you have an “Unhappy Student” to tackle, there is no cut-and-dried formula to address such a situation. However, our group believes that under-noted suggestions may be of much help in coping with such students.

Our advice to Educators:

a) Try to ascertain the reasons for the unhappiness

b) If necessary, the parents may be contacted or counselled.

c) Motivational and appreciative words soothe the feelings

d) Make the student involved in some physical form of activities

e) Development of hobbies and creation of interest in reading books etc. are of much help also.

Scenario 2: An Intolerant Student

A) Our comments: We did not encounter such a situation.

B) Our Comments: Intolerant students are like a bull in a china shop and must be handled carefully and cautiously.

Our advice to Educators:

a) An intro with the class teacher, classmates and parents may give the insight to tackle with.

b) Motivational and appreciative words soothe the feelings

c) Make the student involved in outdoor sports activities which vent his complicated feelings for others.

d) Importance of sharing with friends and involvement in group activities to be encouraged and closely monitored with timely intervention wherever necessary would be helpful.

 Aadhya (Victorious) at RPK School Moradabad.

Deepa Khanna, Rachna Bisht, Asma, Farida, Sushma Paul, Kulmeet, Jaswant and Sunanda

Thoughtfulness and understanding - Neelam Bhardwaj

Thoughtfulness

Thoughtfulness is acting with thought and good sense. An important component of thoughtfulness is showing concern.

The 3 tools that can be used in the classroom to inculcate thoughtfulness about the right things among the students.

1. Be a helping hand

Being helpful means doing all it takes to care for others, be it your family, friends or community. It is a gesture of showing concern out of kindness. There are many ways children can be taught to be helpful. Children repeat words and actions they admire hence the best way to teach students to be helpful is by example. Children want to be involved. The teacher should start encouraging them to find ways to help others. Get along with the students and ask them to help in rearranging the tables and chairs, put up the charts in the classroom, emptying the dustbins, and put them in proper places. Do some activities in the classroom to stimulate creativity and get everyone involved in active ways. The children learn and begin to help others.

2. Celebration of togetherness

We live in a country with diversity. Students come from different religious backgrounds and cultures. Every culture and religion has its own faiths and beliefs, and the children should be taught to respect every religion. The best way to learn about other cultures is by celebrating the festivals together. Celebrating or talking about other religions allows the students to appreciate and respect others' faith. It is the best way to make them understand the fact that all religions spread peace and respect. Students come together to celebrate the festivals in the school. In this way, they become thoughtful and kind towards everyone without any kind of discrimination.

3. Get to know each other

Every student is different. Still, they all are equal in the eyes of a teacher. Children come from different backgrounds. To understand the students better, a teacher needs to spend individual time and communicate with the students. It helps to develop an awareness of students' challenges and needs. In this way, a teacher can help the students. When the teacher and the students have a better understanding, they build trust. Every individual feels genuinely valued for who they are and what they contribute as a unique individual.

Understanding

Understanding is the agreement of opinions or feelings. It's the adjustment of differences. To be understanding towards the world around you, you need to develop empathy.

Here is one of the many classroom activities that can be performed to encourage empathy among the students.

Circle Time

Kindness is a natural human response that doesn't need much encouragement. However, it is something that should be practised regularly. Kindness and empathy can be taught in the classroom.

Circle time is one of the activities that can be conducted in the classroom to encourage understanding of the world to the children.

This activity can be performed in the classroom or outside on the ground. Ask the students to sit in a circle. Every child should have a paper and pen where they have to write.

Someone you helped on  that day

Somebody helped you on that day.

It can be any big or small act of help. After writing, they all will share about it in the circle one by one. Other students must listen quietly. As everyone shares their incidents, they can relate them to one another and experience different emotions. They understand what it feels like to help someone and how it feels when someone helps you in need.  In the end, the children will come to the centre one by one and speak out about anyone emotion they felt or understood during the session and all those who felt the same emotion will raise their hands. 

This activity is a good way to encourage understanding and kindness among the students. Sharing nice and positive things with others makes them feel heard and affirmed by others.

- Neelam Bhardwaj @JMMS, John Martyn Memorial School, Salangaon, Dehradun

Do you remember me, Teacher?

A young man saw his primary school teacher at a wedding.
He went to greet him with all the respect and admiration.

He said to him:
"Do you remember me, Teacher?"
The teacher said: "No, please introduce yourself."
The student said: "I was your student in the 3rd Grade, I am the one who stole the watch of a child in the classroom. I will remind you but I am sure you remember the story."

One of the boys in my class had a beautiful watch, so I decided to steal it.             
He came to you crying that someone had stolen his watch.
You asked us to stand so as to search for our pockets.   

I realized that my action would be exposed in front of Students and Teachers.
I will be called a thief, a liar and my character will be shattered forever.

You asked us to stand and face the wall and close our eyes completely.
You went searching from pocket to pocket, and when you reached my pocket you pulled the watch out of my pocket, and you continued until you searched the last student.

After you finished you asked us to open our eyes and to sit on our chairs.   
I was afraid you will expose me in front of the students.

You showed the watch to the class and gave it back to the boy, and you never mentioned the name of the one who stole the watch. You never said a word to me, and you never mentioned the story to anyone.

Teachers are the true 'value creators'.
We can help you do this better

Throughout my school life, none of the teachers nor the students talked about me stealing the watch.     
I thought to myself you saved my dignity that day.

The teacher said: "I can't remember who stole the watch that day because I searched the pockets of all of you while my eyes were also closed."

Education needs wisdom. We should be able to be such Teachers, such Parents, such Leaders and be able to be for people in such circumstances.


We should always calculate the consequences of our actions. Protecting and reforming is tougher than exposing and expelling.

- Thank you, Siddarth Singh, for forwarding this most to us.  Siddarth is a professional photographer and a wonderful human being. 

Helpful Icons: Patience

The School was preparing for the sports day and all the children were practising with full enthusiasm. The joy of participating in all the races was very high. The Sports head conceptualized all the races keeping in mind the spirit of chasing, fighting and developing patience.

The event started and the Sports Head was all set with the educators to start the event. The whistles and the claps have set the mode for the sports event to start. The only turbulence was with Joy for the 100-meter start race. The three-step command of “ on your mark, set and Go was released by the referee”. Joy due to his anxiety moved on the ‘ set’ command in place of the final one. This led him to a foul, and the whole team had to come back to the starting point. The referee gave warning to all about being conscious and not repeating the foul. During this time Joy was ridiculed, rebuked and was blamed by his peers for being the person responsible for the delay and revert to the starting line.

Joy’s confidence was shattered and he was afraid and had a guilt of not participating in the race further. It was at that moment that the Kedar sir observed him and immediately pitched in to whisper in his ears that “ You can do it and you alone will win”. Joy only looked at him, his expressions shared his disappointment and his hesitation to not go ahead. Kedar sir just held his hand and said, the one who takes the challenge is you and will be you and he repeated: “ You will and you can”. These were the magical words that lead Joy to run the race and yes he was the first one who made it to the finishing line.

Joy finished the race and immediately rushed to Kedar sir to thank him and making him the Hero for the day.

Helpful Icons - Dr Gargi Singh, Babita, Kedar, Rashmi & Swastika

The Iconic School www.iconicschool.com