Compassion is action

Compassion does not need any big action, our small acts of kindness also lead to the perfection of it. By spending a few moments with others or by listening to the problems of others we become compassionate. As teachers we need to find a few time to listen our children instead of giving instructions or commands always for our convenience. It benefits the children a lot and we can observe visible changes in them and that will provide a real satisfaction in us.

Compassion is defined as the feeling of deep sympathy and sadness for another person who is stricken by misfortune. If someone shows kindness, caring and a willingness to help others, then they are showing compassion. When you feel compassion for someone, you really want to help out.

Compassionate action within a community takes time to recognize the suffering, to truly empathize with those who suffer and then to take compassionate action that will improve their situation.
Qualities of compassion are patience and wisdom, kindness and perseverance, warmth and resolve. Compassion motivates people to go out of their way to help the physical, mental or emotional pains of another and themselves.

Compassion is often regarded as having sensitivity, an emotional aspect to suffering. It involves feeling for another and is a precursor to empathy, feeling as another capacity for better person-centred acts of active compassion. 

Our learning from:  ‘Can you teach a Zebra some Algebra’ -by Debashis Chatterjee

- Kavita Devra, Byju Joseph, Krishna Gopal Dave and Vinit Kumar.
The Fabindia School

Sensitivity 5

The fifth and last part of a series of posts from the professional learning community at The Fabindia School, they are pursuing the three-year Professional Development Programme offered by the Learning Forward India Academy. The dialogue is part of the discussion about 'sensitivity' and how it differs from 'empathy'.

Sharmila Vijayvargiya: I would like to share an experience of mine on sensitivity. My maid who was a hardworking widow had two sons and a daughter, .the hardships of life and miseries of life taught her the importance of education, so she worked hard so that her two sons get a good education. She never discussed about sending her child to school ,so one day I asked her about her daughter so she told me that what’s the use of sending her to school, one day she will get married and go, and secondly it is difficult to send her also to school because of some financial problems so I asked her if we get her admitted in some school under RTE. First, she refused and told me that her mother–in-law will not permit. For next few months whenever we get time I use to encourage and show her the importance 0f educating a girl child, for which I use to make her watch the promos of Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao, ultimately she agreed and we got her daughter admitted under RTE in my school, my principal also helped me. I use to inquire regularly about her daughter as long as we were in that city and helped her by giving her the used up pencils, erasers, etc. and to buy school uniform by giving advance and some financial help sometimes.Today her daughter is in class II and my maid is very happy and confident about her daughter `s schooling, I feel great satisfaction about this and happy too.

Monika: Senstivity is the feeling of understanding the attitude, feeling and circumstances of others and being helpful to them. Sensitivity makes a person more faithful, kind, responsible and caring towards others. These things make any relationship stronger. I would like to share an example of sensitivity in short. There was a child Rahul in my class when he was in class 3 some children told me that he always gets 1  or 2 marks in his class test, he can't even get passing marks. Rahul felt bad and I too. I could understand how did Rahul feel that time. I said we should not say anything about of others. Rahul can also get good marks in future; he can also be whatever he wants to be like doctor, engineer, scientist, etc.  One of the children said no ma'am no, he can't be. I said, " Marks do not decide our future". He does not get good marks like you because he has an interest in other fields like games, acting, etc.I told them to sit quietly and then I told them a story of Thomas Alva Edison.Edison was very poor in studies in his school time. His teachers refused to teach him but his mother helped him to study well. His mother believed that he could do anything whatever he wanted to be.  He became a great scientist. I asked them" Did his marks effect his future ?. None of them said 'Yes'. They all agreed with me. Rahul was feeling happy and I too. He felt good that his teacher has faith in him after that The children stopped saying such things. Teachers should be sensible towards the children because the teachers are directors and the children are performers. The teachers motivate and prepare them to perform well on the stage of their lives.

Rahul Rao & Ashish Chaturvedi: Sensitivity : According to a scientific parameter. Sensitivity is an ability of an instrument that how can it detect small changes in their parameters.
*High sensitive instrument have accuracy: But sensitivity is also an essential parameter in human life it shows their feeling or reaction about any changes in their atmosphere/behaviour and anything.     
*Sensitivity of  teacher have a wide area it should be able to sense.
1. Change in behaviour of students according to their age 
2. A teacher should be sensitive to judge the interest of their students. That create an interest in students work.
3. It should be sensitive to judge the effect of environment on their students. It will heal thy students.
4. The sensitive teacher can judge the health of students according to their age.
5. The sensitivity of a teacher can make a healthy, social and good character students or citizens.

Rakesh  Kumar: Sensitivity is the special quality of the brain of every living being.The human is sensible so we are great. It develops in our brain from the birth, without it we can't imagine of a human .I'm  art n craft teacher so I would like to share my experience.During the B.F.A. program, I taught art and craft at tuition to Navya who was in class 4. Navya was not interested in it but her parents wanted to teach it. In a one month class, I couldn't teach her. After it I remind the teaching technique of Tagore's Shantiniketan school means outdoor classroom concept. Tagore's considered that without any pressure we must teach them into  nature so that they can improve their capacity for learning. Next day I told that Navya today I will not tell you to draw any picture but I will show you a landscape. Then we went into a garden with scrapbook .I show her everything in nature of their shapes and colours directly. She watched everything directly which she show in books before .She told Sir these are very beautiful instead of my books .She asked more questions and took interest in drawing more than before. She drawn eagerly like cloud, tree, Greenfield, butterfly and birds etc.I consider that during teaching of every subject teachers should be more sensible, logical and caring so students can learn more .They can make an ideal character in our society. 

Tarun: We all have sensitivity and without sensitivity we can not have sympathy. It develops according to the situation it changes student behaviour according to teachers behaviour. It can be positive and negative.                                             

Urmila Rathore: Meaning to understand the quality of being easily upset by the things people say or do. It is the awareness and understanding of the feeling of other people and the ability to express thoughts and feelings.It makes a person more caring, respectful and sensible towards others.In a classroom situation, a sensitive teacher and students can create a healthy and happy environment. It helps us to know the problem of a child. It makes to be more social and develop the mental age of a child so they can perform better.  Empathy and Sensitivity: In sensitivity we have a need to be treated very carefully and positively because it may offend upset people.In empathy, we can understand another person's feeling and react easily because we also have in a similar situation.

Sensitivity 4

The fourth part of a series of posts from the professional learning community at The Fabindia School, they are pursuing the three-year Professional Development Programme offered by the Learning Forward India Academy. The dialogue is part of the discussion about 'sensitivity' and how it differs from 'empathy'.

Payal Paliwal: While writing this down, I had the utter confusion of how to differentiate them. Being very similar and correlated this is how I came up with, with context to sensitivity and empathy.

Sensitivity for me means seeing more details, being easily affected by others behaviour. For example, understanding the lyrics of the song and not just the music, feeling emotional currents, observing people's reactions, being affected by whatever is going on in the surrounding, and in the society. Being sensitive means reacting to situations and surrounding by facial expressions, body language but not feeling the feel of those moments as in empathy. It means we can feel others pain, happiness, anger but we are not adapting them into our emotions.

Empathy means feeling each and everything that's going around us as if we were the one in that situation. It means trying to feel the pain, the problems, the happiness of others by stepping in their shoes. For example, getting depressed by seeing others depressed. Being sad, because the person near us is sad.

Being sensitive has positives and negatives too. When we can understand someone's situation, when we know how others are feeling, it allows us to deal with them in a better way. The communication becomes easy.

When we are sensitive, we behave more friendly and politely with people because we understand their situation.

Sensitivity helps us in teaching too. Teaching with sensitivity has the positive impact on a child. The child is encouraged as the teacher guides him, motivates him, understands the child's emotional behaviour. In a classroom with a sensitive teacher, students learn to see that teacher as a source of support, guidance, and reassurance. Students respond to that teacher well.

Aysha Tak: In recess break, a child was rushing towards his seat with a lunch box in his hand and all his food fell, scattered on the floor. He became so sad and tears were flowing from his eyes. His heart broke, he sat on his seat with a sad face. I as a teacher could feel his pain, I went to him.. Shared my lunch with him. I told his classmates also to share the meal. Again a smile was there on his face.

Kusum: As usual I was teaching in class. And all of a sudden one child hit another with a bottle.And the child got hurt .blood was coming I was scared, not beacause maam will scold me. But he was wound ed so badly. the child was taken to the hospital immediately i was crying A child from my class came to me and said me - maam why alre you crying. Aryan ( the child who got hurt) will be fine I was surprised by his words. He was able to feel what  i was going throught He gave me strength that was a lesson for me - even kids are sensitive to our feelings

Dikshita Rao: Sensitivity is the quality which helps a person to be helpful to react and respond to others feelings. It helps a child to be more  responsive towards their class and schoolmates. In school it is necessary for teachers to be sensitive and listen  to them so that the students can freely approach their teacher during the time of difficulty. Students and teachers should show a positive attitude and help each other.

Surendra Singh : All living things have sensitivity. Sensitivity related to sense organs in living things. In human beings sensitivity is a stimulation according situations. Sensitivity is feelings for others. If we have sensitivity, we can understand others problems. Sensitivity is responsible for sympathy and empathy.

Prakash Dangi: In my music classes I found one child was very interested to play musical instrument and was brilliant in singing.Due to his family circumstances he had to leave his music classes . When I came to know about this I personally called him and assured him that I will not charge tution fees for him.After that he joined the classes back regularly.Now he is master in playing Casio.

Kavitha Devda: One afternoon during lunch break suddenly a girl came running telling that a bee had stinged her. So she started crying. I told her not to worry it will be alright within no time and took out the stinger with my fingernails. After that I holded her finger and took her near the door latch and rubbed her finger on that. Like this in many ways we can be sensitive towards children.

Parents should continue to resond to toddlers and older children with sensitivity as well. A parent's role is to comfort and empower the child, not to stifle the emotions by becoming angry or punishing the child. At every stage of a child's life, parents who respond with sensitivity approach behavior by looking at the needs and wants underlying the behavior.

As teachers, we should be sensitive towards our students. We should empathise with them. These are the most vital skills a teacher should possess.

Sensitivity - 3

Being sensitive means understanding what others people need and being helpful and kind to them. A teacher must be sensitive towards students. A teacher must create faith in students so that they can say their problems to him or her. A sensitive teacher can understand the problem easily and he /she will try to solve the problem with this sensitive feeling the relationship between teachers and student can be strong.

Sensitivity means awareness and understanding of the feelings of others. We can feel the feelings of others by touch, by hug, by care, by petting the back etc.  Best example on sensitivity is Kisi Ne Maa Ke Kandhe Par Sar Rakh Ke Pucha Maa Kab Tak Apne Kandhe Par Sone Degi?? Maa Ne Kaha Jab Tak Log Mujhe Apne Kandhe Par Na Utha Ley...!  (Hindi)  -  Suresh Singh Negi

According to my opinion sensitivity means feel other’s pain, emotion, care, understanding etc. If I take my example I am also a sensitive person daily I used to bring Swati with me from falna, sometimes she comes late but I wait for her because I know if I will not bring her she will be too late to reach to school so I understand her helpless situation that is sensitivity whatever I feel for her.  - Priyanka  

Sensitivity means a feeling, understanding or awareness within a person. It can be for oneself or for others. When one can quickly respond to changes or emotional happenings. A person can be sensitive who easily gets hurt or excited or happy with others. - Vimmy Rajpurohit 

Sensitivity within the Class- When teachers get sensitive with their class, they look into each matter more deeply. Students take their teachers as more supportive, guiding and feel free or easy to share their problems and when a teacher becomes sensitive, him or her try's best to solve the problem of their students. For e.g. when my class is in trouble or punished by other teachers, I feel really bad. And I try to find measures to cheer them up and vice versa. They ask for reasons why I am upset. This shows the sensitive bond between me and my class. - Rajeshwari Rathore

Sensitivity- is related to feelings. It is a quality to understand how someone feels and to be careful not to offend them. A sensitive person can understand feelings and situations and then react according to it. Sensitivity comes in you along with your thinking. The way thoughts are created in your mind, sensitivity flows in you .It is important for a teacher to be sensitive, to understand student better. 
-Gajendra Mewara

The third part of a series of posts from the professional learning community at The Fabindia School, they are pursuing the three-year Professional Development Programme offered by the Learning Forward India Academy. First, it was empathy and now they discover what is sensitivity.

Sensitivity - 2

Sensitivity 2 - part of a series of posts from the professional learning community at The Fabindia School, they are pursuing the three-year Professional Development Programme offered by the Learning Forward India Academy. First, it was empathy and now they discover what is sensitivity.

Sensitivity for Teachers

Sensitivity is a quality related to feelings of a person. It is what a person feels for an another person and is present in each. It includes feeling like love, care, compassion and respect for others. It also includes anger, jealousy and hatred.

A teacher must be sensitive towards students. If a child gets an environment of love and care, they will be able to learn quickly and in a better way. They will solve their difficulties by clearing their doubts with the help of a teacher. But if the teacher is harsh and scolds the students, they will never be able to remove their doubts. And the result will be students getting fewer marks in tests and exams. A teacher-student relation must be of trust, love and care. If students have any difficulty, they can freely speak to their teacher and remove their doubts.  Each teacher must be sensitive to their students.

Prerna Rathod

Difference between Sensitivity and Empathy

Empathy is the ability to pick up on another's feeling, or even senses. Empathy allows the person to have a  first-hand experience of what another person is feeling as that person "feels" similar sentiments. It's a shared sensation. An empathy sometimes has trouble differentiating between his/her feelings and that of others. 

Being sensitive is similar but different. One can be sensitive to another's feelings and through facial expression, body language, etc., can interpret what the other person is feeling, but unlike an empathy, they don't share the same emotions.

Usman Gani

Cultural Sensitivity

I am talking about classroom practice for a teacher. A culturally sensitive teacher is one who is aware and addresses the student’s cultural and ethnic needs as well their social, emotional and cognitive needs to obtain the students’ cooperation.

This can be done in such ways:

● Oral presentation of students’ native and regional cultural programme

● Discussing current event from the multicultural student viewpoint.

● Regional places history, development, value chart should be display.

● Display all legends person of native and country, their responsibility through their sensitiveness.

● Awareness of socio-cultural differences among students.

● Use good and proper language in classroom.

● Involvement of students with events and activity should be freely and sensitively through the respect of    their cultural value.

● Teacher will be good and polite  with students.

● Communication and interaction needs for individual students.

So classroom practice is more important for our education, nation, culture and society.   That’s why culturally responsible for all person especially a Teacher because the teacher is a backbone of society.

    Harsha Suthar

Sensitivity

Easily upset by the things people say or do or causing people to be upset, embarrassed,  or angry. Sensitivity can be described by the feeling of heart.  It may be good or bad. When people say something bad, we get upset and when people say something good we become happy. This feeling of good or bad is related to sensitivity.

Usha Panwar

Sensitivity- 1

Introduction

Sensitivity 1 - part of a series of posts from the professional learning community at The Fabindia School, they are pursuing the three-year Professional Development Programme offered by the Learning Forward India Academy. 

Respected Sir

Am extremely thankful to you for giving me this opportunity to lead a team of such experienced and senior teammates, the PDP session on Sensitivity was an enjoyable experience with teammates to discuss and share their experiences, and each one is a master of its type full with knowledge and experiences of practical life.

Our incredible team includes BRO, BJH, KSA, KGL and myself, with great pleasure I am sharing the fruits of the efforts of Group 1 (PDP Team at The Fabindia School)

Regards

Ajay Vijayvargi (AVI)

Cultural Sensitivity

Cultural Sensitivity is a set of skills that enables you to learn about and get to know people who are different from you, thereby coming to understand how to serve them better within their own communities.

I would like to share an experience on cultural sensitivity- When we shifted to Pali(Marwar) to join our new job in July 2003, here in Marwar region Kartik Poornima is celebrated with by lighting diyas etc, like Diwali, our landlady asked us why we have not lighted the diyas outside the house or with electric light series, I bluntly told her we do not celebrate this festival, she said nothing to us but quietly lighted some diyas on the main gate and parapet of our flat and wished us the festival,offered sweets.

I felt bad about it and thought are we not even able to light diyas in our flat,what that lady was trying to prove to us, I asked my wife to speak to  the landlady on this issue.

Her reply taught me a lesson on sensitivity, she said –“ Bhaisabh, koi baat nahi aap log is festival ko nahi manate per ek aap ka ghar hi andhere me rahta to accha nahi lagta aur padosi batein banete aur upshagun bhi mante, isliye maine diye laga diye,aap isko galat na le”.

After that incident, we celebrate this festival as it is celebrated in this region and we remember it each year.

-AVI

Sensitivity

Sensitivity is the ability to understand what other people need and be helpful and kind to them. It means quick to detect or respond to slight changes, signals or influences.  It is often considered with regard to a particular kind of stimulus. 

One example I want to share with you. When beggars come to the door, my wife gives something to them but I always refuse to do it. I ask myself, Are they really beggars or not? Do they need our help? This kind of difference of opinions between me and my wife is not just because we are two different people; it is precisely because my wife is more sensitive to human suffering than me. This does not imply that I am inhuman or insensitive but probably it takes a little more for me to feel the human pain.

-BJH

Sensitivity at workplace

I was overwhelmed when my teammates pointed out my little gesture of helped to them in computers have sensitivity.

Working on computers was nothing surprising for me but those who are not comfortable with the computer, to help them was my incident of sensitivity.

-KGL

Gender sensitivity

The word sensitivity is the quality to be sensitive towards others. This quality is very necessary for schools. It helps a child to feel safe to learn in a school environment. It helps a person to be aware of what is happening in the surrounding and to react with one another and to come to face to face situation. Sensitivity helps to interact with each other and to come closer to one another. A teacher in a classroom should create such an environment that a boy/ girl may feel free to discuss or relate the way they are feeling about themselves, about one another and their teacher. It helps the children to work together democratically, socially and emotionally. A student will never interact with his class fellows or in school till he/ she is not sensitive towards others. Sensitivity helps a child to be helpful and collaborate responsibly with others. 

I recall an incident that took some years back. I had a girl student in Class VIII. One day while having an activity that girl spoke up suddenly and told that she wanted to suicide. I became sensitive towards her and tried to find out the reason behind it. She told me that she feels bad for her mother who has to listen every day from her father for giving birth to a girl child. Both parents were in education line but they could not understand the feelings of their child. I counselled her and told her to face this situation with intelligence and support of her parents. I called her mother and told everything to her. She supported her daughter and today she is doing her MBA in Udaipur. 

Empathy is understanding person’s difficulty in that situation while sensitivity is to render a gesture of help through suggestion, physical help and interacting with them. A teacher needs to be sensitive for it comes through many such situations where it has to help its student out of his/her problem.

-BRO

Emotional Sensitivity in workplace

Emotional Sensitivity is when a child responds emotionally to various situations at the time of difficulty.

I have observed that in school and classrooms we face many such situations when students become emotional. In senior classes and co-ed schools bullying children is a common thing that we see every day. A girl was bullied continuously by a boy for many weeks. The girl was mentally tortured so she stopped coming to school. The teacher came to know about this in her absence. She visited that girl’s house and emotionally found out everything that the cause of her absence was. She even interacted with her parents. With both the help of the teacher and parents, the girl was able to come out of her situation and was able to attend school regularly and happily.

-KSA