Thoughtfulness and Understanding - Jyoti Joshi

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

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

Picture credit- Depositphotos

 Thank you is the best prayer that anyone could say.

Three tools :

1.  Kindness 

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

2.  Appreciation

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

3.  Caring

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

2) Activities

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 They always love to play with Clay's. 

 

 Picture credit-Pinterest

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

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

Humility and Appreciation - Tarang JMMS

Humility and Appreciation

The low sweet root from which all heavenly virtues shoot,  that's HUMILITY.

Humility is the quality of being humble. It is a quality of being humbly respectful of others. It is that self-respect that keeps us away from thinking too highly or too meanly of ourselves.

Humility makes us modest and always reminds us how far we have come in life and what more we can do. Humility is an important virtue or trait that every person should have.

Everyone deserves respect and a word of kindness, which has nothing to do with profession, age or gender. 

The value of humility should be taught to the children to learn to show humility and respect to every person they come across then, be it teachers, elders, classmates, or the helping staff. So, when they grow up and become something, they will remember all those people who had a hand in their success, from the teachers who inspired them to the helping staff who helped them and kept the school clean. They will learn to value everyone's contribution and appreciate their efforts.

Appreciation- This word is the most powerful word for motivating someone. If someone gets appreciated for a certain task, they always give their best in further tasks. 

Here is a story by a teacher - There was a boy in her class was really shy and reserved in nature. He never showed much interest in the studies. 

One day during a free period, the teacher noticed a rhythmic sound in her class; she looked here and there while everyone else was busy talking and playing; this boy was sitting in the corner and beating the table. She was quite amazed to see the way his hands were moving like he was playing the tabla. She started clapping for him when other students saw her; they also started cheering for him. The boy felt a sense of accomplishment and was happy how everyone appreciated him. The students then told the teacher that the boy plays the table whenever he gets free time. The teacher found his talent and had a conversation with the music teacher, and soon the child started taking tabla classes, and within a month, the child started playing the tabla in the school choir.

Getting appreciated is an amazing feeling that every person wants to experience. It is the greatest emotional need of a person. Being told you are appreciated is one of the most motivating, inspiring, empowering and encouraging things one can hear. 

When someone appreciates you, it means that the person believes in you, understands you and has recognised something valuable or maybe found your potentials which you had always underestimated.

When you are encouraged as a child, you grow up into an adult who has a sense of confidence.

Quite often, we underestimate the power of a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

Tarang JMMS@John Martyn Memorial School, Salangaon, Dehradun - Neelam Bhardwaj, Dolly Pharasi, Shalini Gurung