Thoughtfulness and Understanding - Welham Boys' School

A. An important component of thoughtfulness is showing concern. Elaborate on 3 tools you would like to use in your classroom to inculcate thoughtfulness about the right things among your students. 

I want to use the following three tools in my classroom to inculcate thoughtfulness about the right things among my students:

1. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: It has been demonstrated that practising mindfulness and deep breathing techniques help to lower stress, improve focus, and improve wellness in general. I aim to teach students how to control their emotions, be present at the moment, and create empathy for others. I do this by adding mindful breathing techniques. For instance, to assist the class in relaxing and tuning into their thoughts and feelings before a lesson or activity, I could lead them through a 3–5-minute breathing exercise.
2. Keep a thankfulness journal: Studies have shown that practising appreciation boosts good feelings, lowers stress, and enhances mental health. I want to include gratitude journaling to inspire kids to pay attention to the good things in their lives and develop empathy for others. Students could list three things they are glad for each day, share them with a partner, and talk about the qualities they value in one another.
3. Experiential Learning: Real-world examples can be used by teachers to assist their students in comprehending how their actions can affect others and the environment. They can demonstrate the adverse effects of careless behaviour and the advantages of being mindful via news articles, films, and case studies.

B. To understand the world around you, you need to develop empathy. Give examples of specific activities/exercises you'd like to conduct in your classroom to inculcate empathy among your students.

I would conduct the following activities/exercises in my classroom to foster empathy among my students:

1. Storytelling: Sharing personal narratives or experiences is a great technique to foster empathy and understanding for other people. Students may have a greater sense of empathy for others by being encouraged to tell their own stories and listen to those of their peers. For example, I would ask students to describe when they faced a problem or overcame a challenge.
2. One-Act Play: During one-act play, students can experience what it could be like to be in another person's shoes and be in a new position or have a different point of view. Students can start to gain a more profound knowledge of other people's thoughts, feelings, and experiences by participating in role-playing activities. For example, I might have them act out various situations like peer mediation, conflict resolution, or exercises to develop empathy.
3. Social Service Projects: Students get to learn about many cultures, viewpoints, and experiences by participating in social service initiatives. Students can learn empathy for others and a more profound knowledge of their community's problems and difficulties by participating in service projects.

- Neelima Parmar, Monika Gupta and Vandana Sahay

Welham Boys’ School

My Experience in the Happy Teachers Program - Rishona Chopra

 Joy Of Learning (JOL) is based on The Little Book of Values: Educating Children to Become Thinking, Responsible and Caring Citizens. Learning happens through these values.

Appreciation, Caring, Cooperation, Courage, Freedom, Friendship, Happiness, Honesty, Hope, Humility, Love, Patience, Peace, Quality, Respect, Responsibility, Simplicity, Thoughtfulness, Tolerance, Trust, Understanding & Unity.

These values make up our life. We don't have to do anything significant to master these. Just opening a door for someone, bringing a smile to someone's face, making friends with someone, trusting someone, understanding someone, and other little acts can do it all.

All these values have an essential meaning in my life. But the one I connected to the most was - Humility and Appreciation. I am very competitive, and this value gave me the essence of appreciation and the happiness it provides. 

The greatest thing is; I get to see all these values from the teachers' perspective. I get to see what they think while dealing with children like us. 

I hope to do another session like this again!

Rishona Chopra 
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

Thoughtfulness and Understanding - Preeti Mahajan and Mridula Renjit

Thoughtfulness

It is a state of thinking carefully about something or somebody. Thoughtful people are those who pay attention to the people around them, reflect on the situation, and choose to act in a purposeful and loving way. In short, thoughtfulness means to listen, learn, act and support. Remember a leader is always thoughtful and considerate.

Techniques to inculcate thoughtfulness among the children in the classroom:

• give a thank you note for the gift you received.

• bringing sweets for everyone in class.

• acknowledge the people around you anticipate the need of others.

• gather information about others' needs.

• mark and celebrate important events and occasions.

• think before you speak.

• check back or follow up.

• not only listen but act also.

• listening is good but better is to act and support.

• most importantly -give time to yourself and others.

Being understanding and empathetic

Empathy means understanding how another feels even if you don’t feel that way. Empathy can bring you closer to others and can enable you to understand them better. There are 4 A's for empathetic behaviour - Affirm, Acknowledge, Appreciate, and Assure.

Activities conducted to teach empathy in the classroom.

• use of literature and stories.

• talk about emotions.

• watching appropriate videos and movie clips.

• teachers talk and class discussion on empathy.

• modelling empathetic behaviour.

• acts of kindness.

• playing empathy games.

• giving responsibilities to all

• encouraging community service.

Preeti Mahajan and Mridula Renjit

Ahlcon Public School

Thoughtfulness and Understanding - Shalini Solanki

When implemented, little thought can bring big changes in ourselves, others, and the world. Emotions, care, empathy, belongingness, togetherness, and respect take birth from thoughtfulness and understanding. To feel for someone or something, one must think, relate and understand. Our day-to-day experiences make us think about anything and everything, which helps us to help others. 

We have a wonderful birthday return gift policy in our school. The birthday boy/girl can give the return gift to nature. Nature has made us, and we can return something to it. According to our school policy, the birthday child can plant a sapling in the school garden and watch it grow with them. This makes them realize their responsibility of keeping the environment safe, green, and secure.

 

Recently there was a birthday in my class, and this child got the sapling in the pot. I asked her to come along and plant the same in the school garden, and she requested me to keep it outside the classroom in the corridor as it will receive the required sunlight and air. She also promised me that she will take care of that sapling and water it on regular basis. Other students said that photosynthesis will happen just outside the classroom. They were very excited and linked it with their prior knowledge. Now the next question, which was asked the birthday girl was if she is absent on any day or for days, who will take care and water the sapling? She thought and asked her peers. Almost everyone got ready to help her. It is just a wonderful feeling to share that we are able to keep our promise and not only the birthday girl, but the entire class takes care of it. This small thoughtfulness has brought unexpected changes to my class. These children at this young age are not only trying to save nature but learning to help each other. Also, understanding the academic concepts clearly.

Shalini Solanki

Gyanshree School, Noida

Thoughtfulness and Understanding - Nitin Sharma

The next activity conducted in the school was The Joy of Giving. Here, students were requested to bring their old belongings, which are no longer in use but in good condition to be given to the needy. For this activity, a Joy of Giving corner was established in the school; daily, students brought some valuable items for others. The more thoughtful you are of others, the more brilliant they will be of you. The more you respect them, the more you will win their respect. Thoughtfulness is a manner which is kind and considerate of others or acts with thought and good sense. Here I would like to share one activity done in the classroom to write one positive thing about your friend. To my goodness, the students wrote one entire paragraph about their friends for that particular quality.

A few days back, I got a complaint regarding a student regarding her behaviour with a school maid, so in this context. I had taken one session in that class where a discussion was done with the students on student code, wherein we discussed the kind of behaviour the students must exhibit in the school, classroom, with the school maids and even with the maids at home. A conversation was brought up on gratitude; we should be thankful to our mothers for the delicious food they cook for us and never disrespect them by saying I will not eat it because it’s not tasty. After this session, that girl realised her mistake and felt sorry for her behaviour. Also, in school, when a student gets sick, the classmates share get well soon cards with them.

Your one act of Kindness can change the world of others. It gives us a feeling of happiness, which is also suitable for our wellness. In the school, on my floor, daily, I see a girl student who cannot walk properly, and two of her friends are always with her to hold her bag and help her up the stairs. Some students are very kind and lend a helping hand to each other whenever someone is in need, which is good for our society as we’re gonna get responsible citizens.

Conducted one activity in the class on Understanding and thoughtfulness where students expressed their views on thoughtfulness and shared their examples on Understanding.

Understanding

Mutual understanding is the backbone of every happy accurate understanding. Good and evil go hand-in-hand; everyone has some positive and negative aspects as well; we must embrace all of this in our understanding. Similarly, Understanding is very Understanding a student Understanding You need to understand your students to teach them. Try to listen to your students; what their need is. The same goes for a student. One should understand their teacher and show their best behaviour. Misunderstanding can lead to conflicts to make any relationship successful. Understanding is the key.

In the end, I want to share that.

“ Understanding is an Art and not. Everyone is an Artist.”
But with the right tools and your efforts, you can learn the art!

~ Thank You!

Thoughtfulness and Understanding - Rishona Chopra

Thoughtfulness and Understanding are deeply related. Thoughtfulness creates Understanding. Understanding a person is essential in a classroom, for a teacher to child and a child to the teacher. Children need to understand their peers and teachers.

We all have this mutual respect for the class teacher in our class. Although we sometimes do trouble her, sometimes we love her a lot. On her birthday, we make cards and give out toffees to the entire class in happiness! When absent, the whole class expects her to be unwell, and we make a big get well soon card for her. The entire class's Understanding of their teacher creates a togetherness, and the teacher's Understanding of the children is unique. She cares for us, has fun with us, and is something we could never repay. 

Not just within a classroom, but thoughtfulness for animals, your parents, your friends and any person in the world. Even giving water to a dog, opening the door for a child, and pointing that someone's shoelaces are untied. It all counts and shows your thoughtfulness. Thoughtfulness for mother nature. If thoughtfulness existed for everyone and everything, everything would be a whole deal better.

Thoughtfulness is just when a thought comes to you to care for someone. Just simply that thought creates Understanding. A little consideration, and a little review for others, make all the difference.

"A thought of kindness, 
A thought of caring,
Just that one thought creates an Understanding.
And understanding leads to Empathy."

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

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- Nandini Arora

Thoughtfulness means being considerate or reflective. It is the state of mind when we think carefully about someone or something. It means thinking about others’ benefits and interests and making others happy. Thoughtfulness means offering service, giving attention, and make others feel comfortable. Being thoughtful we can make others feel better about themselves, make them feel special.

When we are careful about our thoughts, it is our thoughtfulness. Our thoughtfulness takes us to the path of serenity. 

When we become thoughtful for others, we create a difference in others’ lives. Our thoughtfulness helps us to discover the best in others as well as in ourselves. Our thoughtfulness leaves a great impression on others’ hearts. We can occupy the biggest space in others’ hearts by doing little things for them. Thoughtfulness is much more valuable than wealth.

When we talk about family, we are always thought of one another, which helps us to live healthy lives. Our thoughtful mind has many great thoughts, but they are useless if we do not plan our actions accordingly.

Understanding means showing compassion and sympathy towards others. As we all are unique, it’s better to understand others, rather than judging them. Being understanding we focus on the situation from other’s points of view. It is the state of mind when someone hurts you for some reason and you try to understand their circumstances instead of getting hurt or hurt them back and show maturity.

Self-understanding is very important because when we understand ourselves, we are able to experience ourselves as different individuals. Then we are able to empower our own strengths and improve our weaknesses.

Mutual understanding is the great support of any relationship, it is important to be understanding but it will be the best to avoid misunderstanding because true love is born with understanding. When we love, trust and respect someone, we understand their untold stories.

Knowing and understanding are two different things. It is not necessary if we know something, we also understand it. We may know many things but there is no use in it if we do not understand them. It is true that we can know someone, but it is not possible to understand a person completely, because every person is different and has his own personality, truths, and stories that cannot be shared.

Thoughtfulness and understanding are best friends. They walk hand in hand. Thus, our understanding and thoughtfulness help us to overcome any difficult situation and provide us peace of mind and keep us free from tensions. Our life has become very fast, as we are running a race and moving faster than our understanding and thoughtfulness. We need to be thoughtful and understanding if we need to succeed in our lives.

- Nandini Arora, Flyers, Doon Girls School

Thoughtfulness and Understanding - Ritika Tyagi

“A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

When we think of the word thoughtful, what comes to our mind? For many people, it’s probably something about being good to others. For others, the word may invoke ideas about selflessness and consideration. These are all common definitions of the word; but there is another form of thoughtfulness that many people fail to consider: that of reflective contemplation. When we are thoughtful, we are living in the present; we are amplifying the meaning of our actions and interactions. Living thoughtfully means living reflectively—attending to our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions, and considering their impact on other people and on our own future. Being thoughtful makes us more sensitive towards the feelings of other beings.

Understanding is to be fully aware not only of the meaning of something but also of its implications. It is to be compassionate towards all people. We seek understanding in all our relationships, be it personal or professional.

When the child enters a classroom, he wants his teacher to be understanding, patient and empathetic towards him. Then only a child feels safe and starts opening up to his surroundings. A teacher should have an understanding of the background of the child and his weak areas to help him reach his potential. A thoughtful teacher can bring a great impact on a child’s life.

Thoughtfulness and understanding both make a person mature and responsible towards others. We contemplate our actions and try to become a better version of ourselves. By being understanding, we become positive in our outlook as we understand not only ourselves but also others. We think before we speak or doing any action. We try not to hurt others in any way. Thus, both these values make us more compassionate and empathetic.

-  Ritika Tyagi, The Doon Girls' School, Dehradun
Images sourced from: Canva.com

Thoughtfulness and Understanding - Neelam Waldia

 - Neelam Waldia, The Doon Girls' School, Dehradun

Thoughtfulness and Understanding- Anubhuti Sharma

“A door is much smaller compared to the house, a lock is much smaller compared to the door, and a key is the smallest of all, but a key can open the entire house. Thus a small, thoughtful solution can solve major problems.” A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

Education can enhance the personality of any human being. And this is possible only when all the values are included in us since childhood. Schools are great places where children spend more time and understand most things from there, whether through the syllabus, educators, or companions. Teachers and students have a huge influence on the formation of values. Thoughtfulness means making someone feel important, being kind and empathetic towards others, the quality of thinking and caring about others unconditionally.

As HM, we interact with our children in the dorm daily, we not only interact with the children in our house, but we are always there for every child. We don’t just focus on the problems because we believe that every child is exceptional and needs attention. We sit and interact with everyone individually to listen to them and make them feel important. We inculcate values like thoughtfulness and understanding by showing care and respect towards children. With this, they learn to respect their elders and their juniors and all the helpers who take care of them. We also incorporate thoughtfulness and understanding by allowing children to perform various activities like taking care of the environment, preserving our culture, taking care of public property etc. And when they do a group activity, they learn almost all the values. They understand each other, care about each other, enjoy freedom in a group, and always feel important and contented. Thus, happy children can make every corner of the school happy.

The most important area where I would like to develop thoughtfulness in students.

First of all, I will try to reduce the feeling of competition among students. I will share my thoughts or stories from my childhood to make them believe that competing with others may make you happy for a moment, but it takes you away from certain values. I will not stop my students from competing. Rather, I will tell them to be their own competitors only then you can enjoy the true meaning of all the values. When we start competing with others, we forget to pay attention to; our goals, team spirit, and patient. Due to which there is a lack of understanding among themselves. I would always encourage my children to celebrate and enjoy success but never get discouraged if they don’t win. Whatever you do, give your best.

Thoughtfulness in action inside the classroom.

We can have circle time, where children can express their views, and they will learn to listen, communicate, respect and understand each other. This ability to understand someone else’s thoughts and emotions will make them empathetic. We can do this once a week. We can celebrate this week in many ways. This will help children build relationships and learn to pay attention to the other person.

Extra-curricular activities such as debate, story-writing or telling, art & craft and dramas are proper ways to explain values. It enhances the skills of critical thinking among the students.

Game 1 & Game 2  (Tap on the link to play the game)

Word Wall Game quizzes were conducted in the classroom to teach the meaning of values to the children.

This week I was teaching the lesson on Being a Good Citizen, and I am glad that I had the opportunity to teach values like thoughtfulness and understanding to my students in the classroom. I did an activity with the children to understand the meaning of these two values.

I gave Sentence Stems to all the children and they were not allowed to change the given words, but they needed to add something to it.

- Anubhuti Sharma, The Doon Girls' School, Dehradun

Thoughtfulness and Understanding - Reah Sikand

Thoughtfulness and understanding are two values that go hand in hand. Thoughtfulness means to be considerate towards others. Children start interacting with others at a young age. Thus, this value should be instilled in them from a young age. Kids should understand the meaning of thoughtfulness as this makes them caring individuals.

My grandmother always taught me that we must put ourselves in the other person's place before we judge them or react to their actions. This made me realise that circumstances make people behave in a certain way. Everyone needs love and care.

One day I entered the class and started teaching the kids, and a few of the kids came to me after class and asked me if I was doing okay since they noticed I wasn’t myself in class that day. I was surprised to realise that the kids had noticed I was sad.

We need to treat kids like adults and communicate with them. We need to tell them to help others and care about others. Kids learn this quality very quickly because they are pure souls. When children visit NGOs, they become more sensitive towards others. Thus, schools must encourage their kids to do social work.

Understanding is to feel an emotion another person is feeling. We must understand individuals, and we must learn to empathise with others. We tend to become selfish and only think about ourselves, but if we only think about ourselves, no one will think about us as well.

If there is open communication between children and adults, these values will be easy to understand for kids. Being a good human being is very important for a better world, and for that, teaching kids moral values are the most important thing. When adults are happy and calm, and peaceful, kids will automatically develop this attitude.

- Reah Sikand
The Doon Girls' School, Dehradun

Thoughtfulness and Understanding - Reena Gusain

Thoughtfulness -derived from the word thoughtful means deliberate thinking before doing something.  It means the quality of being considerate and caring for others and own self too. Thoughtfulness, in a way, characterizes the thinking power of an individual and also showcases his maturity level. Reacting to an unexpected situation in a thoughtful way will definitely give a positive outcome. On the other hand, if your mind is over-flooded with negative thoughts, values, and an approach in a haphazard manner will worsen the situation.

Even the golden rule of First Aid inherits in it the value THOUGHTFULNESS, i.e. to say ‘Make Haste slowly and carefully.                                                       

Understanding means being willing to forgive other people or be sympathetic because you understand how they feel. An understanding person has many qualities, he is a GOOD LISTENER, OPEN MINDED TO INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCE & most important HE TRIES TO PUT HIMSELF IN OTHERS SHOE before taking the decision. Mutual understanding is the backbone of every happy relationship, so we must sprinkle it everywhere.

It is better to be called a thoughtful person rather than an irresponsible, reckless person. Thoughtfulness is not only a quality of being kind and thinking about other’s needs, but it is required for unwanted situations. I would also like to share a small incident of my life where I showed both thoughtfulness and thoughtlessness. Some five to six years ago, I received a call saying that the person is from the State Bank of India, Mumbai Branch. He said that due to security reasons, PINs of all ATM cards are being changed with immediate effect. Therefore they asked for my current PIN. In a state of thoughtlessness, I provided my PIN without even verifying that man. He then said a four-digit One Time Password will come to my registered mobile number, and I have to share that immediately. As soon as the OTP came I forwarded it. He acknowledged it and said my ATM is now safe. As soon as I disconnected the call, a thought struck my mind that SBI advertises that it never asks for PIN or OTP from any of its customers, so why don’t I verify the call. My face grew pale, and I became anxious to know the hard fact. At once, I called upon the SBI Customer Care and followed the recorded voice call wherein I was redirected to the customer care agent. The agent confirmed to me that it was a fraud call. I at once got my ATM card blocked; otherwise, I would have been bankrupt that day. So this was my state of being thoughtfulness. 

SBI CC suggested I file a case against that call to get punishment, and hundreds of people could be saved from falling prey to such calls. I was about to do that, but then I tried to put myself in his shoes. Though his deeds were wrong, I didn’t file any case, but for my near and dear ones, I shared a post on social media citing the incident so that they could be saved from such fraud calls.

The adventure of life is to learn and adapt. The purpose of life is to grow. The nature of life is to change, so inherent thoughtfulness and understanding in your life and make all the impossible things possible.

Reena Gusain - The Doon Girls' School, Dehradun

Thoughtfulness and Understanding - Rachna Bharrdwaj

“Thoughtfulness is the beginning of great sanctity. If you learn this art of being thoughtful, you will become more and more Christ-like, for his heart was meek, and he always thought of others. Our vocation, to be beautiful, must be full of thought for others.”- Mother Teresa.

Today's children are tomorrow's future. If the present is good, then the future will definitely be golden. That is why it is necessary to work on the present. Strengthen the foundation. If the foundation is strong, then the building itself will be beautiful and strong. So we have to inculcate values in children from their early days. This starts from home itself. When the child starts going to school, he gets a bigger family where he comes in contact with his peers and teachers and is also influenced. In such a situation, the teacher's responsibility increases a lot because he carves the captains of the country.

The teacher is a guide, a coach, a facilitator, a leader, and above all, a role model for the students, contributing to the positive growth of her students and setting the tone of the class.

Assigned time in the classroom

In the classroom, foster thoughtfulness by setting aside time for discussion and giving them a thought to work upon. Like I observed during the fruit break, some children waste their fruit. They throw half-eaten fruits in the dustbin. So in our science class while on the FOOD chapter, I discussed the beneficial qualities of fruits, the hard work that goes into growing it and finally how it reaches our home. The children understood and from then on took care that no one wasted the fruit.

Random acts of kindness

Random acts of kindness increase compassion, which leads to a greater sense of interconnectedness in the classroom, and I feel it is contagious too and when witnessed by others, it causes kindness to spread. Give genuine compliments, and praise is an easy way to spread kindness.

In our school, students perform simple acts of kindness. They make cards, write letters to welcome new students to the campus. They become a guide, their mentor and make them comfortable in their new surroundings.

Volunteer Time

I feel with encouraging words, when you appreciate a student's work, he gains confidence. Here the teacher can take his confidence to another level of thoughtfulness and ask the student to help his classmates understand the topic. Let the student experience this feeling of achievement. Now introduce the ‘Volunteer Time’ in the classroom. You will be amazed to see the results. Children will finish their work efficiently and will be ready to help others. Further, this Volunteer time can be used for community service also.

Self-expression Boards

Empathy is important for creating understanding in students. As teachers, we regularly focus on helping children get along despite their differences. But what about students’ similarities? 

 Often empathy breaks down because students do not see how alike they are. Have students get to know each other.

Ask students to list the memories or moments which they cherish, dreams or goals they have for their life. They may also write about the people they admire and why. Now allow students to go around and look at the other's boards, note down the similarities and connections they see between their own board and their classmates. Finally, give them the stage to share some of the connections they have discovered. This will help to create more empathy and understanding.

“A door is much smaller compared to the house, a lock is much smaller compared to the door, and a key is the smallest of all, but a key can open an entire house. Thus a small, thoughtful solution can solve major problems.” - Dr APJ Kalam.

• Rachna Bharrdwaj - The Doon Girls School, Dehradun

Compassion - Bharti Rao

Compassion is a feeling of thoughtfulness. It is an emotion that is inborn in them. It is when we think about ourselves and others. You imbibe this value from your environment by seeing others and listening to others.

 

A compassionate person is influenced and influences others. We can identify compassionate people who are very emotional. They become upset when they see others in pain. Compassionate people understand others, think about others, lend a helping hand. If we are compassionate, we focus on how others feel without dismissing our own feelings. Situations, upbringing and environment, may also lead us away from compassion, so we need to be thoughtful and understanding.

Many times elders stop one to be compassionate by stopping them from doing small acts of kindness. Observing others who are not compassionate may also drive them away from being compassionate. In schools, it is a common sight where children show compassion in the classroom by sharing and showing acts of kindness. But in some situations, when groups come up, compassion is driven away. Then they start bullying others. Family affects one’s behaviour a lot. One learns values from families, peers, elders, and the environment. Many times children’s parents may not be compassionate, but children are encouraged by their friends or school, and they imbibe this value and become compassionate.

We should try to motivate others by going out of the way ourselves and help others; we need to be loving, caring and empathetic. The role of an adult is an important aspect to motivate students to be compassionate. Compassion brings in care, respect, love, kindness. Interaction, encouragement, collaboration, socialism, motivation, observation effects compassion a lot. Compassion is taught and learnt. Family, school, friends & environment churn compassionate people.

Bharti Rao

bro@fabindiaschools.in

The Fabindia School

Thoughtfulness - Rahul Thakur

Thoughtfulness is thinking before we act an action. Thoughtfulness is a way to encourage love and appreciation for others. It is thinking to change the world for the better. A way to show thoughtfulness is to help someone; it helps us feel better. By thoughtfulness, you can neutralise them negatively. When someone doesn’t act with respect or kindness, that time how you react.                                                 

Anger is an emotion that can cause so much damage and hurt at school that you want to handle it. You think about people other than yourself. This is thoughtfulness.

Sometimes we act before we think. This can hurt other people, so think and then react. We always need someone who thinks that people who think a favour of others always benefit and are loved by everyone.

Rahul Thakur

The Fabindia School

rtr@fabindiaschools.in

Thoughtfulness and Understanding - Richa Solanki

Thoughtfulness is a feeling of thinking before we act. Thoughtfulness is a way to encourage love and appreciation for others. It is thinking to change the world for better. A way to show thoughtfulness is to help someone and it helps us feel better. By thoughtfulness, you can neutralize the negativity.

When someone doesn’t act with respect or kindness, at that time how you react.  Anger – an emotion that can cause so much damage and hurt at school. You think about people other than yourself. This is thoughtfulness. 

Sometimes we act before we think. This can hurt other people, so think and then react. We always need someone who thinks from our perspective in any situation that will give us pain but people who think in favour of others is always loved by everyone.

Most of us feel many different emotions in our daily life and this changes our moods and we talk according to that only. Like if we are happy then if a  situation is sad we will handle it joyfully. Like if we are angry and anyone comes to talk to us if we answer rudely we just put out all stress on that person even if the person had no mistake. But in this, we need someone who understands that we need some space or need to understand our mood and linger out our thoughts. Emotions can be mild, emotions depend on the situation and on the person. There are ways to express emotions. It is like a skill to be able to understand emotions.

All emotions tell us something about ourselves and our situation. But sometimes we find it hard to accept what we feel. We might judge ourselves for feeling a certain way, like if we feel jealous. Instead of ignoring, we must notice how others actually feel. 

It's harder to move on from difficult feelings and allow them to fade if we don't face them and try to understand why we feel that way. But if a person loves to understand everyone, there must be an understanding between them and there will be no misunderstanding, blames and no doubts. Understanding is feeling towards a person whom we trust and if we trust them, we leave all things on them only to see how much they respect us without breaking our trust and this shows love and understanding.

Richa Solanki

The Fabindia School

rsi4fab@gmail.com