Humility and Appreciation - Ruchi Chaudhary

How many times have you avoided an arrogant person? Whether it be the kid in kindergarten who boasts about his toys, or the coworker that never seems to accept any advice, I’m sure you’ve never been in a rush to collaborate with those solely and blatantly concerned about themselves over others. Naturally, individuals want to collaborate with others who will listen, respect, and value their input. Applying humility to your own life opens up the opportune door of collaboration!  

Activity: 

I ask my students to greet everyone, say ‘Thank you’, and ‘Please’. Similarly, teaching them to apologise and say ‘Sorry’ when their actions hurt another person is essential. Helping them understand how apologising is a form of giving respect. Teaching them to accept a compliment genuinely. If they are appreciated for the smallest of their work, like handwriting, ask them to get the praise with a ‘Thank you’ and say something they like about the other person. 

Lesson on Humility  

Humility cannot be imposed. It is important not to confuse humiliation, bullying and beating down with education in humility. When you put humility in your own life, you immediately set yourself up to inspire others — that’s a special gift. So, it’s time to start practising humility! 

Appreciation  

Students, especially those in high school, face enormous pressure to succeed. Add to that hormonal and physical changes and non-stop digital media streams — students can lose sight of the good things in their lives.   

When was the last time you took a moment to appreciate the students around you, not for what they’ve learned, accomplished or done for you, but just for being in your life?  

In my recent class, 9 B, most of the students are average in their studies, but they all are different in their everyday behaviour. They are well-behaved, disciplined, and always follow the teacher’s direction; after getting appreciation from almost every subject teacher, they are improving their grades too, which happened because of the power of appreciation.  

Ruchi Chaudhary 

Mussoorie Public School  

Responsibility and Cooperation - Laxmi Bhatt

A classroom brings together all sorts of students, both well and poorly behaved. The latter needs special attention to usher them back on the path of good behaviour. Irresponsibility is a result of carelessness, excessive pride, or self-confidence. To deal with irresponsible behaviour, we should follow the following points.  

As the students are not at that maturity level, we should be friendly and polite with them. Set an example for your students by teaching politeness. Model the behaviour you want your students to mimic by saying polite things and acting kind. Focus on encouraging "please and thank you,""hello and goodbye," and "excuse me." Reinforcing proper manners will inspire more acts of politeness and change the tone of your classroom.

Make them believe that you believe in them and ask them to do the assigned work. Gradually increase your students' responsibilities by assigning small tasks, such as erasing the board or collecting homework. This will help them feel a greater sense of accountability. Identify your most irresponsible students and give them small tasks to boost their accountability. Small jobs will build responsibility, and responsibility will lead to better behaviour.

There might be some cause behind the irresponsible behaviour of the students. Before judging them, we should ask what the problem is or why they have been irresponsible.

Students tend to overthink a lot due to the peer pressure they have been receiving. They might start to think that you have been mean to them. So to solve this problem communicating can be a solution.

A powerful characteristic of teenagers is their emotional connection with others. If you are friendly with them, they will start listening to you. You will be able to create a bond with them that will help you ask them whatever you want them to do.

Try to understand their emotional quotient also. Try to support the students whenever they feel emotionally weak. If you find their behaviour weird, try to talk to them and know the reason behind their behaviour.

Teenagers always need a person who can understand and listen to them well, so be a good listener and do not make fun of their emotions.

Laxmi Kant Bhatt
The Doon Girls' School
Happy Teachers JOL Cohort 2022

Autobiography of a school bell - Rishona Chopra

Courtesy: istockphoto.com

Hi! I am a school bell. The one you must have in your school. I don’t need an introduction; you already know me well, but I am very kind, as you know.

I will tell you about myself. I have a circular shape. I have an exquisite colour, ‘golden’. I make a beautiful sound to tell students and teachers that the next period will start. So I am helping many people.

I am a very hardworking bell. I always make a sound at the correct time. Whether in a thunderstorm or earthquake, I am always on duty. The best part is that the children love me, especially in the last period! 

When I make that ringing sound, the students rejoice as they will go home, knowing that because of me. I hope you know me well now.

Rishona Chopra

Grade V

Gyanshree School

NB Do read the Chapter School Bell: The First Lesson In Management, from the book My Good School, by Sandeep Dutt. We met the last Sunday to read at our community reading program. https://www.brewingknowledge.com/p/blog-page.html

Thoughtfulness and Understanding - Urvashi Uniyal

Looking up another word for thoughtfulness in the dictionary will provide you with synonyms like attention to detail, kind-hearted, consideration, etc. It says thoughtfulness is the art of dealing with people sensitively and tactfully. It is the thoughtfulness that has led to new discoveries and the evolution of humankind. 

According to Confucius, “If there were one word that could act as a standard of conduct for one's entire life, perhaps it would be thoughtfulness.” For expressing our love or care to a person, first, we need to be thoughtful. We need to pay attention to the person’s likes and dislikes, needs and dreams, behaviour and attitude, and strengths and weaknesses. Only then we will be able to love and care for them. It might look like a heavy task in the beginning, but its fruits are delightful. A mother becomes a great mother only because she is thoughtful towards every need of her child. Similarly, every character can be great if they are thoughtful towards their environment and the people in their surroundings. Sometimes, you have to be thoughtful to other people who don’t really deserve it in life. Although they don’t deserve it, you have to choose to be thoughtful to them because it makes you a better person. It only takes a moment out of your day to be thoughtful to others. Just a simple, pleasant word, a gentle smile, or a good deed could end up meaning the world to someone else. 

Thoughtfulness makes the world a much better place.

Understanding is deeper than knowledge because many people know you, but very few understand you. People who understand others pick up emotional cues like non-verbal communication and body language and show sensitivity towards others and understand their perspectives. They also listen well to what people are saying and actively checking their understanding. Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.

Understanding others does not mean that you have to agree with their feelings or point of view. Instead, it means that you recognize their point of view and accept that it is different from yours. Train yourself to ask the question, "How does this situation appear to the other person?" The goal here is not to be a mind reader or know with certainty what the other person is thinking. All you need to do is imagine what it would be like to be that person and make some reasonable guesses about what that person is thinking or feeling. Once you understand people well, it will be your second nature to be thoughtful and empathise with them.

- Urvashi Uniyal, The Doon Girls School Dehradun

References: The thoughtful me family encore; MBTI: understanding self and others

Thoughtfulness and Understanding- Prachi Jain

We meet these people almost every day in our life, whenever we step out of our house.

They are important, but we underestimate them because their hard work is not packed up in some expensive and decorative wrappers and then labelled with some big brand names. Even after knowing this fact, we try to low-ball these vendors in price, we bargain with them while we pay EXTRA very much when it comes to brand name. 

If we talk about a classroom, the same thing happens with the children also. We always go after those children who can fetch our attention towards them. But what about those who actually need attention and are not able to express it. Most of the times, they are missed out, their need is also underestimated, and their emotions are bargained with.

So, on the part of a teacher-

Ø Thoughtfulness is the quality of thinking carefully about how to do something which is effective for every child.

And, for a student-

Ø Thoughtfulness are showing kind and considerate regard for those who showed the right path to them and helped them reach their goal. For them,

It’s THOUGHTFULNESS that inspires them to send a “thank you” note to –

§  Their grandparents for the birthday gift.

§  Their teachers on Teacher’s Day and much more….

We should always be thankful to the people at the previous steps who taught us how to move up, how to grow before we move to the next one.

Thoughtful people pay attention to the people around them, reflects on the situation and then choose to react and act purposefully and lovingly which takes a bit more consideration & time and most important-

A lovely quote that fits here-

                   “Never underestimate the power of thought; it is the greatest path to discovery.”

It shows that – Thoughtfulness and Understanding work in a cycle. If we start with Thoughtfulness, we come with a better understanding all the way and when we start with Understanding, we make an arrangement about actions to be taken.

Thoughtfulness has the power to change/improvise our thoughts, and Understanding gives us the power to take action for an effective outcome.

- Prachi Jain, The Doon Girls' School, Dehradun

Thoughtfulness and Understanding - Neelam Waldia

 - Neelam Waldia, The Doon Girls' School, Dehradun

Thoughtfulness and Understanding - Jyoti Joshi

Thoughtfulness means showing concern for others. It's an ability to think carefully about someone/ some problem or something. It is the quality of being kind and thinking about others' needs. Putting thoughts into what you can make others feel holy. It means caring for others through your words and actions. 

Understanding is an ability to think, learn, and judge. It's a mutual bond between the people. Understanding is something that comes from the person's behaviour. It means having good sense and feeling good about themselves. The quality of understanding someone's views and problems, and when you understand someone, you are kind and forgiving. 

Picture credit- Depositphotos

 Thank you is the best prayer that anyone could say.

Three tools :

1.  Kindness 

          I usually start my day greeting each and every one. I always smile whenever they interact with me. I used to ask about how they spend their day. I shared laughter with them when they used to do naughty things in the classroom. Whenever they asked something from me, I usually talked to them very calmly. I use to play games with them during break time. I use to tell them to greet everyone. I taught them to be helpful. Keep your things in the right place. When you eat well, you should clear all the mess around you. Don't fight with anyone. I used to tell them when they needed something, say please, may I take this or please give me this. 

2.  Appreciation

          Whenever children do new things in the class, I always appreciate them in other good ways. If any student in the class can't do the work properly, I sit with those students and tell them to do the work correctly. When they help me with my work, I use to thank you or give them toffee or chocolate. This is the best way which I find is the right way to appreciate children. This also makes them happy and motivates them. I told them when someone helps you, you should say thank you to them. If you have done something wrong, do your parents, teachers, or anyone elder to whom you have done wrong says sorry. Some students have problems with writing. I always say well done. Keep it up when they show their work to me. 

3.  Caring

            I told them about the rules that should be followed in the classroom. Whenever you do anything, first ask. When teachers give you work for colouring or writing, take a colour or pencil basket, distribute it, and share it. Always greet everyone as well as your friends. Whenever someone is saying something in class, you should listen to it carefully. I use to give them tasks requiring them to work in pairs or in groups that help them work together with care. That allows each student to speak freely. 

2) Activities

1- Thumb printing- I use to divide students into groups. Then after that, I used to put watercolours on the students' thumbs, and they had to put their thumb in the paper, and with the help of the thumb, they had to make different pictures and shapes. It could be animals, birds, fish, butterflies, flowers, letters, numbers, anything they like to draw. The students usually enjoy playing with colours and water. They use free things like thumb printing. I used to appreciate each and every student whatever they created on that drawing page. They love to do this. 

2- Collage - I use paper, glue, newspaper or magazines to cut it into small pieces. 

☆Firstly I used to ask about the topic. For example, what colour, where you can see this, tell the name. 

☆After that, they used to colour the newspaper or magazine with the help of crayons. 

☆Then they tear the coloured newspaper or magazine into small pieces. After that, I used to give them drawing paper in which they had to stick the coloured paper. 

☆ I always draw pictures for the kids, and they enjoy pasting the small pieces into the paper. 

 And the students whose work got completed, I used to tell them to help their friends and do it. 

3 Clay craft - I used to divide students into pairs. After that, I used to tell them to go outside with their partner and see things around them. After that, I used to ask them what they had seen. They used to tell them. Then after that, I used to give them clay and told them to draw pictures of what they saw outside. Or sometimes I use to give them a topic that they 8have to take pictures of. I used to guide them while doing the activity. For example:- I have given one pair of the student topic Caterpillar 

● First make a big ball, after that make four, five small circles. 

● Then make 2 tiny circles for the eyes and make one sleeping line and two standing lines for Antinayas. 

● After that, join a big ball with the small circles. Put two small circles in front and the sleeping line in the middle, and the two Antinayas above the ball. 

 They always love to play with Clay's. 

 

 Picture credit-Pinterest

"Never Underestimate the power of the thoughts. It is the greatest path to discover."

 By: Jyoti Joshi @JMMS, John Martyn Memorial School School,  Salangaon, Dehradun