Immersive Storytelling Session on Sundays - Sapna Rai

To 

Ms Brinda Ghosh
Coach and Mentor, My Good School
Good Schools Alliance

Dear Ms. Brinda,

Thank you for leading such a wonderful, immersive storytelling session covering Gerald Durrell’s “My Family and Other Animals”.

Attending the My Good School Webinar reinforced for me that reading must move beyond traditional assessments to spark curiosity, empathy, and reflective thinking. Your session was a prime example of this philosophy in action.

Highlights of the Session

Vivid Characterisation & Humour: You effortlessly brought the quirky Durrell family and Corfu's vibrant wildlife to life, keeping the audience completely captivated.

Fostering Empathy & Curiosity: By highlighting Gerald’s keen observations of nature and animals, you helped us connect deeply with the story’s underlying spirit of discovery.

Expressive & Dynamic Delivery: Your rhythm, vocal Modulation, and engaging storytelling made the reading experience joyous, interactive, and truly memorable.

Reflection & Acknowledgments

I plan to channel the valuable insights gained from our expert mentors into building purposeful, joyful, and reflective Sunday reading experiences for my students in the classroom.

My heartfelt gratitude to the organisers for providing such an impactful professional growth opportunity, and special thanks to our school management for giving us a platform that continually nurtures our teaching and learning journey.

Sincerely,

Sapna Rai

PGT Teacher, Sunbeam School, Mau

Masterclass 2025 concludes, and the stage is set for Masterclass 2026

Registration Link For Masterclass 2026
https://pages.razorpay.com/LearningForward

 Masterclass 25: "Productive Failure" Review

• Program Philosophy: School transformation requires professional learning built on trust and relationships, not just workshops.

• Program Impact:

  • Gurdeep Kaur: The masterclass became a "sacred space" for reflection, fostering a new habit of carrying and reading books in class.

  • Paul PV: The program sparked interest in technology (e.g., AI) and is now self-sustaining at Sunbeam schools, driven by teacher enthusiasm.

• Key Metrics:

  • Registrations: 1,186

  • Community: 227 teachers in the WhatsApp group

  • Resources: >500 YouTube videos

• Teacher Reflections (via happyteacher.in Blog):

  • Debika Laha: Shifted from instructional teaching to discovery learning, focusing on patience and ensuring all students grasp core concepts.

  • Annie Mahajan: Confirmed relationships are foundational for learning, especially with young children (ages 6–7).

Masterclass 26: "The Courage to be Disliked" Launch

• Format:

  • Structure: Meeting format (not webinar) to enable direct interaction.

  • Requirement: Participants must purchase the book.

  • Style: A live dialogue between a "Philosopher" (Sandeep) and a "Youth" (Gurdeep).

• Core Theme: Happiness is achieved by living truthfully, free from external validation and the need to please others.

• Key Insight: The world's complexity is subjective, a product of our own interpretations. The solution is to remove one's "dark glasses" (e.g., inferiority complexes) and see reality directly, which requires courage.

Next Steps

• All Participants:

  • Purchase "The Courage to be Disliked" for Masterclass 26.

  • Attend the keynote with Dr Manu Kapoor on Nov 28 at 5:30 PM.

• Sandeep Dutt:

  • Visit 14 Sunbeam schools in Varanasi (Oct 26–31).

  • Visit Ballia school (Oct 29).

• Shahar Banu, Sunbeam School Ballia:

  • Ensure all Ballia teachers register for Masterclass 26.

• Manisha Khanna:

  • Continue posting teacher assignments to the happyteacher.in the blog.

Exploring the Soul of Music: A Thoughtful Thursday Music Session🎶✨

We had the privilege of attending a captivating session led by the talented Jatin Soni, who took us on a journey into the world of Music. 

🎧🎤 He helped us understand how Music is categorized and explored how it can be integrated into various subjects. 📚🎶

We dove deep into why Music soothes the soul and mind and how it positively impacts our psychological well-being and general behaviour. 🧠💆‍♀️ The session was full of valuable insights and thought-provoking discussions. 🙌

Music comes in various styles, each with a unique sound and cultural significance. Some popular types include:

1. Classical Music 🎻 – Known for its intricate compositions and use of orchestral instruments, classical Music spans centuries, from Baroque to Romantic and modern orchestral pieces.

2. Jazz 🎷 – A genre characterized by improvisation, syncopation, and complex rhythms, jazz emerged in the early 20th century and blends African, European, and blues influences.

3. Rock🎸 Originating in the 1950s, rock music is defined by its strong rhythms, electric guitars, and energetic performances. It has subgenres like classic rock, alternative rock, and punk.

4. Pop🎤 Catchy, mainstream, and often upbeat, pop music incorporates a variety of musical influences and aims to appeal to a broad audience with memorable melodies and lyrics.

5. Electronic 🎧 – A genre driven by synthesizers, computers, and digital production, electronic Music includes subgenres like techno, house, and dubstep, known for their rhythmic beats and experimental soundscapes.

6. Folk 🎶 – Rooted in traditional Music, folk includes simple melodies and storytelling lyrics, often accompanied by acoustic instruments like guitars, banjos, and fiddles.

7. Hip-Hop 🎵 – Originating from African American communities, hip-hop blends rhythm, poetry, and DJ techniques, focusing strongly on lyricism and social commentary.

Each style carries its own emotional depth and connection to culture, uniquely shaping how we experience Music.

Thanks to Jatin Soni for thoughtfully designing and conducting such an engaging and insightful session! 👏👏 We can't wait for the next one! 🎉

Link to listen to The Swan, shared by Jatin in the session: https://youtu.be/4L-38TppAoY?si=pvchfClsEtduHzN8

For anyone who couldn't attend today, here's the recording of the session you won't want to miss!

Poetry Session with Brinda Ghosh - 27th Feb 2025

#ThoughtfulThursdays
Update: Henceforth, the sessions will be from 5:30 PM onward.  

Ms. Brinda Ghosh led the poetry session, which discussed the importance of sharing personal compositions and exploring different poetic forms. 

Participants shared their poems, including Nibbrati's tribute to her students and Saloni's metaphorical piece on overcoming fear. 

Ms Ghosh explained the differences between free verse and blank verse, emphasising free verse's flexibility and emotional depth. She also introduced the concept of sinquain and shared her poem about her father.

The session concluded with a reading of Naomi Shihab Nye's "Kindness" and a call for participants to submit their poems for reading and publishing in our Good Schools India Journal.

Tune in on SoundCloud:

My Good School · Poetry Session 27020225 | Enjoy the recording on SoundCloud

Freedom and Peace - Joy Of Learning Program Session 8

Freedom and Peace (Session 8 for the Happy Teachers JOL Cohort 2022)

Present: Anvesha Rana, Arav Agarwal, Guneet Kaur, Jugjiv Singh, Jyoti Tadiyal, Kunal Rajpurohit, Laxmi Kant Bhatt, Monisha Dutt, Mridula Renjit, Preeti Mahajan, Rishona Chopra and Roopa Bhattacharyya.

The takeaway from the learning session:

1. Students need to understand what Freedom is in its true sense and how Freedom makes us different from animals, adding to our humanity. Freedom means to be able to do what we want but within the limit of the social fabric.

2. Freedom is a state of mind where you have the right and Freedom to do what you can think of, but at the same time, we should remember that our Freedom should not disregard the rights of others. Freedom in its most proper form should not affect or alter the needs of others. 

3. When we have to be culturally unique, some amount of Freedom takes courage to disregard the current norm and beliefs of society. मनुष्य स्वतंत्र जन्म लेता है परंतु सर्वत्र बंधनों में जकड़ा होता है।

4. Freedom, to some extent, is contextual also; what a child is free to do in sports, period, may not be allowed in an academic one. We are born free, but the constraints that we allow are: 

• Be non-judgemental and let others also be free 

• Be responsible for your decisions, for your choices

• Be clear about what you want to be free about 

5. Humans do not need Freedom, but animals, birds and trees need Freedom. For example, if we keep an animal in a cage for some time, it will start feeling uncomfortable and making noise, but when we let it out, it will be happy. So, with Freedom comes joy and Peace. Facilitates individuals in realising their true selves and is crucial for pursuing happiness. 

6. With great Freedom comes great responsibility, but to be free, you need to return to society in some way or another. Ask the students to do whatever they want in these margins for specific rules and regulations.                                                     

7. Responsibility makes you accessible; let them ask, think, and do, but let them be themselves. Try to find out the problem, accept it wholeheartedly and work on it, giving Freedom to the children for their reflections. The definition of Freedom is ever-evolving. 

8. Freedom of thought and Freedom of choice gives us confidence. The aim of Freedom should be to provide us with Peace. Freedom from disturbance, anxiety, war and distress, tranquillity. Peace makes us confident. तनावमुक्त, भयमुक्त वातावरण ही शांति प्रदान करता है।

9. It's a feeling of pleasure, satisfaction, fulfilment and joy. Peace is Freedom from the noise and disturbance in our minds. Peace is to be in harmony with yourself, with everyone around you and with the entire world. "The more in harmony with yourself, the more joyful you are, and the more faithful you are. Faith is not to disconnect you from reality. It connects you to reality."— Paulo Coelho.                          

10. Peace cannot come without Freedom, and Freedom cannot come without the ability to make your own decisions and choices. Nobody can give us Peace. It is something we create. Peace and Freedom are our choices, and we can be peaceful and free only by choosing to be. 
    

"I really loved and enjoyed today's session! Discussing Freedom and Peace has brought me a lot of joy and calmness. Looking at the current scenario and the kind of pressure that people of all age groups feel, trying to bring about Freedom and Peace in our lives and others is the need of the hour". - Guneet Kaur, Mussoorie Public School
- Big thank you, Anvesha Rana, for this report. Our Interns at My Good School do us proud.

Quality and Love - Prachi Jain

Quality and Love

A journey from the beginning till the end of a session

First day in the classroom- 

Everything seems to be new!

Some of the students know each other, some are entirely unknown.

Some of them are familiar with the teachers, some of them would see them for the first time.

Some of them are excited, and some feel nervous and a little scared. There is a lot to think about and prepare!

But one thing is common for all, it is the need for LOVE which everyone is expecting and looking for.

So, we began…...taking LOVE as our companion and QUALITY as our goal….

                             

• We introduce ourselves and get to know each other.

• We miss our families, but we start making a new bond.

• We spend time with each other, listen, talk, and try to get connected.

• We accept we share and show respect for each other’s culture.

• We understand now, more than ever before - our non-verbalized feelings by reflecting our behaviour, our emotional well-being, our strong sense of trust.

• We care now, and so we feel more secure and strengthened.

Our love tanks are filled now, and we are ready to touch the line of QUALITY. 

This is how we make this journey beautiful with LOVE! 

And we understand that-

Love keeps our natural curiosity alive and allows space to pursue our own interests. It makes us see ourselves in each other.

It proves that basic skills can be learnt or taught without LOVE, but to truly make a difference in one’s life or bring out QUALITY in someone’s life, there needs to be LOVE.

And finally-

• we feel proud.

• We feel a wave of improvement flowing within us.

• We feel ourselves to be better than we were earlier.

• And we say that -

This is nothing but QUALITY!!

A sweet memory with the end of this journey would help us to look forward to a new one-

I taught English to the boys of Class-2 and revised the topic- Countable and Uncountable nouns. It was full of fun as the children were running here and there to touch countable things in the classroom. But one of the boys sitting and watching his classmates came to me after a few minutes. He touched my heart when he said –

“Ma’am, there is something in this classroom which we cannot see or touch or count, we can only feel it, and it is the LOVE that we have for each other “.

                 

                  - Prachi Jain, The Doon Girls School, Dehradun.

My Good School - Where Passion Meets Education

My Good School Where Passion Meets Education

Recording of an interesting Insta Live session with Dipali Patwa, Group Head of Brand & Community, Fabindia, Board of Directors, Organic India USA along and Sandeep Dutt, Chairman of the Board that runs The Fabindia School, Author, Entrepreneur, Mountaineer as they talk about “School, where passion meets education.”

FREE SESSION - Joy Of Learning

Join Us with family & friends

Learning can be a joyous and powerful thing, as it’s all about feeding your curiosity and giving you further insight into the world around you.

Honesty & Tolerance...22 Values to help you have overcome the challenges you face in your day-to-day life.
Sunday 24th May 20
4.00 to 5.00 PM (IST)
Via ZOOM
To find out more https://www.brewingknowledge.com/

Simplicity and Trust - Innovators BHIS

To simplify complications is the first essential of success. 

- George Earle Buckle

Ruchi was a very diligent student and took a keen interest in academics. There was only one subject in which she was not very interested, and that was Mathematics. Maths seems to be a tricky subject for some students mainly because they are unable to clearly understand the topics, and so it was with Ruchi. She was so scared of this subject that she dreaded attending the classes. Somehow she managed to pull herself to get the passing mark, every year.

Ruchi was very apprehensive as she started her new session in grade VIII. She knew that it would not be possible to keep up her average scores if she was not able to fare well in Mathematics. Little did she know, that her new Maths teacher in school would change the way she looked at the subject all these years. 

The way the teacher approached the class on the very first day, made the children feel at ease with the subject, even before she had started on the topics. The way she explained the sums in class, their underlying concepts, made all the children realise how simple they were. 

Ruchi was surprised that she could understand even the difficult problems easily, given the manner of the teacher’s explanations. She gained confidence in herself as she started solving problems on her own - just by following the processes taught at school. To her disbelief, 

Ruchi found herself willingly practising Mathematics at home whenever she could. Her parents, too, noticed this change in their daughter. She felt comfortable in having her doubts cleared by the teacher. Ruchi confided to her parents that she had developed an interest in Mathematics and was no longer scared of it. She was sure that her new teacher was a Maths wizard as she made every problem unravel in a simple manner. She also mentioned to them that the ever-smiling teacher never seemed to get annoyed by the various queries that the children flooded her with. She patiently answered every one of them. Hence, their class trusted this teacher a lot. 

Simplicity is a way of life. Simplicity makes for easy-going life and takes away the unnecessary worries and baggage that we carry. Trust can be built, easily, by people who have a simple yet firm outlook on life.

 - Innovators @ Billabong High International School, Thane

  Bhumi Punjabi, Vaishali Phatak, Krishnakshi RaviShankor, Smita Bhobate

Micromanagement in Teaching – A Closer Look at Lesson Planning

By Sudeshna Mairal | Jul 8, 2019 | teachersofindia.org

It doesn't make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do, We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.  ~Steve Jobs

This adage doesn’t seem to be understood by many school managements in India. They hire good teachers, and then tie them up with so many instructions that the teachers lose their freedom, their unique style of teaching, and are eventually labelled as unsuccessful teachers. One of these instructions is about the planning of a lesson.

It has been a debatable issue for quite a long time that how much detailed planning is required for a teacher before he/she goes to a class; or whether it is required or not. If required, what all should they make? Annual plan?  Monthly plan? Weekly plan? Daily plan? - Commonly in India, teachers are required to prepare all of the above, and sometimes even more.

The entire content to be taught in an academic year is broken into monthly chunks. It is further divided week wise. Some private schools have a practice of sending a fortnightly overview to the parents in advance. In that case a fortnightly planner is also required to be prepared by the teachers. Then comes the daily plans and daily logs. As if that is not enough, teachers at some schools are expected to write down minute-wise details of the teaching-learning process that is going to happen in each class of 40-45 minutes duration. The planner is then to be submitted to the academic heads, and upon approval, has to be executed meticulously in the classrooms- if there are multiple section in a class, the teaching is expected to be exactly similar in all of them.

Sounds intimidating? Yes, for a teacher, it is. Though there is no denying the fact that proper planning is the first step towards a good execution; but the question is - how much detailed? And at what cost? Does it really benefit the students?
Let’s see how it really affects the classroom transaction.

1.    Teachers are so overwhelmed with documenting the details, they have practically no time or energy to work on the actual classroom transaction and hence, the result is exactly opposite of what was expected from them.
2.    Secondly, since the written document – the lesson plan or session plan, as it is called in some schools, are given the utmost importance by the management, some teachers put in a lot of effort to make it look impressive rather than putting in the same effort in the classroom. In some cases the focus shifts to ‘how to impress the higher authorities’ ; whereas it should have been ‘ How to help the students in a better way’.
3.    In an attempt to maintain parity across the sections of the same class, all the teachers are asked to follow the same planner that has been made by one particular section teacher or someone from a different branch of the same school. This kills the creativity, innovation and individuality of a teacher. Teachers work like robots and teaching-learning process becomes boring, monotonous and predictable.
4.    This kind of micromanagement pushes the teachers to an edge where they start losing self confidence. They do not feel respected and trusted anymore as they are not allowed to do what they are supposed to know better.
5.    To top it, in many private schools, lesson plans are made months in advance, which might lose its relevance when it is actually being taught.

In my opinion, its high time schools understand that a lesson plan is a teacher’s personal plan which he/she should be able customise as per the needs of the students. It can be of any format, as long as it solves the prime purpose of helping the students.  It is not the plan, but the actual classroom transaction that has to be looked into. The teacher should be given enough freedom to teach the students in his/her own individual way because that’s why a good teacher was hired in the first place – to make learning enjoyable and impactful.

A day of Buddhi Yoga in Bhopal