Story of Arpan, at Sunbeam School Mau

Arpan is walking tall! 

Presentation by Sunbeam School Mau

The presentation introduces Arpan and how a school approaches holistic learning. It explores quality education, creativity, social interaction, care, school activities, brain development, and interconnected learning through illustrations and mind maps. It concludes by presenting the Learning Forward Retreat in Dehradun and directing viewers to www.LFIN.Academy for more information. 

Team Sunbeam reflects on the Learning Forward Retreat from 14 to 16 July 2026.

LFIN Retreat 14-16 July Reading.pdf

Reading, Reflecting, Relating: A Journey Through Learning

The Learning Forward Retreat was a refreshing reminder that meaningful learning happens when we connect books with experiences and reflections. Reading Is Your Child Ready to Face the World? by Dr. Anupam Sibal encouraged us to think beyond academics and reflect on values such as humility, courage, gratitude, determination, honesty, and forgiveness that truly prepare individuals for life.

Transforming these learnings into flip charts helped us move from simply reading to deeper reflection and meaningful conversations. The serene environment of Fig Tree Cottage, collaborative sessions at the Joy of Learning Studio, exploring the local market, and visiting The English Book Depot added new dimensions to our understanding that learning exists not only in books but also in people, places, and experiences around us.

The Retreat beautifully brought alive the spirit of the 3 Rs: Reading, Reflection, and Relationship, reminding us that education is not just about acquiring knowledge, but about building character, perspective, and meaningful connections with the world around us.
-  Anurag Khanna, Sunbeam Suncity School

My reflection of this Retreat
This Retreat taught me that learning is most meaningful when it goes beyond books and enters our thoughts and actions. Through reading Is Your Child Ready to Face the World?, creating flip charts, exploring new places, and discovering books at The English Book Depot, I realised that every experience offers an opportunity to learn. The Retreat inspired me to become more reflective, curious, and mindful about the values that truly matter in life.
-Apeksha Malviya, Sunbeam English School

The Fig Tree Cottage at Dehradun, Uttarakhand (India)

Thank you, Shweta Morolia for the photo

Learning Forward Retreat, Dehradun, visit to Aasraa Trust on 16th July 2026

Day 3 at the Learning Forward Retreat was a truly heartwarming and inspiring experience. The Sunbeam Group GSA representatives visited Aasraa Trust, where we witnessed the incredible work being done for underprivileged children.

The visit gave us an opportunity to interact with the children, understand their aspirations, and experience the warmth and joy they shared despite their challenges. Their smiles, confidence, and enthusiasm were deeply inspiring.

We were equally impressed by the commitment of the Aasraa Trust team and its supporters. The infrastructure, supported by the Azim Premji Foundation, provides a safe and nurturing environment for the children, while the PwC Foundation has contributed by equipping the kitchen with modern, high-tech facilities to ensure nutritious meals are prepared efficiently.

This visit reinforced the belief that meaningful education is built on compassion, dignity, and equal opportunities. It reminded us that when communities, organizations, and educators come together with a shared purpose, they can transform countless young lives and create a brighter future for all.

We are grateful to the Learning Forward India Foundation for its great work and Sunbeam Group Board members for sending us for this learning experience. We will surely take forward all the learnings and takeaways .

- Deeba Naqvi, Sunbeam Varuna School and Hostel

Welcome to Ballia - Literacy Project for Educators Episode 1/10

Date: 4th July 2026 Time: 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Venue : Sunbeam School, Ballia

Welcome to Sunbeam School, Ballia.

Today is not an ordinary Saturday.

Today — for the very first time — this school, this city and these teachers become part of something much larger than any one of us in this room.

We gather here today for the Inaugural Chapter of the Literacy Project for Educators — a nationwide initiative by the Good Schools Alliance under the Learning Forward India Foundation. This movement has spent over four decades asking one simple question:

Who invests in the teacher?

Today — we answer that question.

Through sessions on Financial Literacy and Food Literacy — led by some of the finest minds in their fields — we begin a journey that will travel from Ballia to across India.

And it all begins here.

It all begins today.

It all begins with you.

Ballia Event Presentation 4th July 2026 by Kunal Rajpurohit

Reflections for the Month & Defining the Contemporary Teacher

Learning Forward Saturday

Review teacher reflections and demonstrate practical AI tools for professional development.

Key Takeaways

• Adaptability vs. Collaboration: Adaptability means fitting into a school’s culture (e.g., PYDS’s rural setting), while Collaboration is proactive engagement. Both are essential for contemporary teachers.

• Reflection vs. Notes: Reflection is personal insight and growth; notes are a factual summary. The blog editing process (using Grammarly, Fathom) helps teachers learn this distinction by seeing their work refined.

• AI as a Tool, Not a Replacement: AI is a powerful assistant for efficiency (e.g., ChatGPT for drafting, Canva for graphics). The teacher’s “heart and soul” (empathy, creativity) and quality prompts remain indispensable.

• Inclusivity is a Contemporary Value: Effective teaching requires actively including all students, especially “backbenchers,” by creating psychologically safe environments and recognising effort, not just performance.

Topics

PYDS Reflection: Defining the Contemporary Teacher

• PYDS’s reflection defined a contemporary teacher with the acronym:

  • Receptive

  • Efficient

  • Humorous

  • Creative

  • Approachable

  • Empathetic

  • Tactful

• Adaptability was discussed as a key trait, defined as the ability to fit into a school’s unique culture.

  • Example: A teacher moving to PYDS must adapt to its remote, rural environment and students from underprivileged backgrounds.

• Distinction: Adaptability (fitting in) vs. Collaboration (proactive engagement).

Blog Editing & AI Tools Demo

• Sandeep demonstrated the blog editing process to show how AI tools refine submissions and provide a learning opportunity.

• Process:

  1. Platform: Posts are published on the Teachers Academy blog via draft.blogger.com.

  2. Grammar & Style: Grammarly corrects grammar and punctuation, using Indian English conventions.

  3. SEO: Meta tags and a <150-character description are added for searchability.

  4. Learning: Teachers learn by comparing their original submission to the polished, published version.

• AI Tools Used by Learning Forward:

  • Grammarly: Grammar and style correction.

  • Fathom: Meeting recording and transcription.

  • Apple Intelligence & Zoom Recording: Backup recordings.

  • Gemini: Research and report generation.

  • Canva: Graphic design.

Sunbeam Balia Reflections: Empathy & Inclusivity

• Reflections from Sunbeam Balia highlighted empathy and inclusivity as core contemporary values.

• Key Themes:

  • Empathy: Building a strong teacher-student bond and a positive classroom environment.

  • Lifelong Learning: Continuous professional development is essential for teacher relevance.

  • Inclusivity: Actively engaging all students, especially “backbenchers,” by recognising effort and creating psychologically safe spaces.

• Sunita Tripathi’s Post: A Hindi reflection exploring a backbencher’s thoughts when asked a question, emphasising that a supportive teacher-student relationship builds psychological safety.

Pooja Chauhan’s AI-Generated Post

• Pooja Chauhan shared a post created using ChatGPT, demonstrating effective AI integration.

• Process:
  

  1. Prompt: Input specific requirements for a good teacher.
  2. Edit: Refine the AI-generated text to add personal voice and context.

• Principle: The quality of the output depends on the quality of the prompt. The teacher’s role is to guide the AI with their expertise.

Next Steps

• PYDS Team: Post the revised, readable TEACHER graphic to the Learning Forward WhatsApp group.

• All Teachers:

  • Use AI tools (Grammarly, ChatGPT, Canva) to enhance efficiency and creativity.

  • Focus on reflection (personal insight) over notes (factual summary) in submissions.

  • Avoid time-specific phrases like “yesterday’s session” to ensure content remains relevant over time.

  • Invite colleagues to the Learning Forward WhatsApp group.

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.

Peer Pressure - a Sunbeam Suncity Production

Peer Pressure is commonly known for the influence a peer group exerts on its members. This pressure exists in people of any age group. It can be positive and negative, depending on the nature of the behaviour being encouraged. In this short video produced by teachers at Sunbeam Suncity - Mohini Rai, Khalid Zafar, and Carol Henrik, share the peer pressure teachers faced in online teaching and learning during the pandemic, when most of us were stressed by the "new normal” and had nightmares to cope with. 

Many of us were not tech-savvy and struggled to continue teaching-learning through mobile phones and laptops. Learning new teaching tools and managing the class online virtually was very challenging. To overcome the pressure of learning advanced technology and online teaching tools, they got great support from their school management, colleagues, students, and family members. 

Through a positive approach and a little patience towards every hurdle they faced during the online virtual classes, and come out of the negatives of peer pressure and learnt many things. If we, as a grown-up, can have such experiences of peer pressure, then our teenagers are the most fragile and more susceptible to this. We must help them deal with peer pressure from time to time so that they can build resilience and confidence needed to overcome it and make decisions that are best for their future.

The video stars Mohini Rai, Khalid Zafar, and Carol Henrik.