Unity and Caring - Welham Boys' School

Unity and Caring amongst students are essential for creating a positive learning environment. When

students feel connected and have a sense of belonging, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated in their studies. It also promotes empathy and compassion, which can help reduce bullying and other negative behaviours. Encouraging students to work together and support one another can foster a spirit of cooperation and teamwork. This can be achieved through peer mentoring, group projects, and community service. By prioritizing unity and caring, students can develop strong relationships with their peers, feel valued and supported, and ultimately thrive academically.

Exercise: Human Knot

Ask students to stand in a circle and hold hands with two people not standing next to them. Instruct the students to move around and untangle the knot without letting go of each other's hands. Encourage them to communicate with each other, work together, and be patient until the knot is

untangled.

Observations:

a) Initial Responses: At the start of the exercise, some students may feel hesitant or unsure about holding hands with people they don't know well. They may also need help approaching the problem of untangling the knot.

b) Contribution: As the teacher or facilitator, you can provide guidance and encouragement throughout the exercise. You can remind the students to communicate effectively, work together, and stay patient. You can also offer suggestions and help to keep the movement moving along.

c) Impact on Students: The Human Knot exercise can positively impact students in several ways. Firstly, it promotes teamwork and collaboration, as students need to work together to solve problems. It also encourages communication and trust-building, as students must rely on each other to untangle the knot. Finally, the exercise can help to build a sense of unity and caring as students come together to achieve a common goal.

d)Takeaways: Some possible takeaways from the Human Knot exercise include:

The importance of communication and teamwork in achieving a goal.
The value of patience and perseverance in difficult situations.
The benefits of building trust and working together towards a common purpose.
The idea is that unity and caring can be fostered through shared experiences and challenges.

Incident: An incident took place amongst the students that can be seen as a learning or takeaway

from this exercise.

While playing soccer, one kid (let's call him kid 1) kicked the ball a little too hard, and another kid (let's call him kid 2) ended up hurting his arm. Kid 1 took Kid 2 to the hospital, and the arm was fractured. Kid 2's grandparents had come to take him for medical leave, and kid 1, along with some other friends, helped him pack, change and carry all his stuff for him. The grandparents were overwhelmed to see his peers' caring, united and helpful nature.

- 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

Unity and Caring - Sukhpreet Kaur

The significance which is in Unity is an eternal wonder. – Rabindranath Tagore

Unity or teamwork occurs when diverse abilities and insights join together to achieve a common goal. It is sustained by concentrating energy, accepting and appreciating the value of the array of participants and the unique contribution each can make and remaining loyal to one another and the task. It inspires more substantial personal commitment and more extraordinary collective achievement. The nature of society is different. Each individual who grows up is separate, unmixed and non-repeatable.

Unity:-

In Grade V, I conducted one activity on The United Nations (UN) based on Unity. Students were divided into 5 teams. Students researched various works of the United Nations in India. Topics for the teams were:- 

TEAM-1 Poverty and Urbanisation

TEAM-2 Health, Water, and Sanitation

TEAM-3- Education and Employability

TEAM-4 Gender Equality and Youth Development

TEAM 5 Climate Change, Clean Energy and Disaster

Each Team was divided into roles. Buzz (Team), Affinity (Questionnaire), Teach and talk (presenting conclusion) and Critics.

The task was given to them during winter vacations. The presentation was in the second week of January. I was happy to see the work presented by them. Even I asked them what they learnt from this activity? I would like to share the learning shared by a few participants of Team -2:

It was a great acTeamty. I learned about how the United Nations manages Health, Sanitation and water for needy people worldwide. I discovered my team member's hidden qualities and learned to manage them together. I learned how to work in Unity, also. This was my best activity in 5th grade. Thank you, Ma'am, for giving us such a great activity!

Thank you, Ma'am, for this activity. I liked the group work and how Parvi properly managed all of us. I would like to be in Parvi's Team in future, also. I learned when people me shouting how to manage them politely from Parvi. And thank you, Ma'am, for this united activity.

I was excited to hear about our topic when we presented the activity. I found this activity to be unique because of its Unity. I learned that Unity makes our work easy too. Thank you, Ma'am, for this great activity.

As a facilitator, I guided my students about the topics and explained the value of a team. Students worked well in the Team. I was amazed to see the handholding of each Team during the presentation. Students who were critics used their power and role for the betterment of everyone. With maturity and self-reflection, more research work will happen in future. I would like to share one quote from Rabindranath Tagore "Don't limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time."

Caring:- 

Indeed this quote speaks the truth of life. The picture was my assignment for the students. I displayed this picture, and I felt silence in my class. Suddenly one student wrote the word kindness on the whiteboard. This was the trigger for our discussion. While discussing values in my class, I observed different views and opinions. Then I shared another picture which was related to success.

I asked what is most important to them– achieving at a high level or achieving at a high level and caring for others. I received mixed responses. I did this survey with the age group of 10-17 years old children. I was distraught to see the result when I observed 75 per cent chose to achieve at a high level, and 25 per cent decided to perform at a high level and to care for others.

The 25 per cent age group was 10-12 years old children. So it is essential to inculcate values from the initial phase of life. I would like to end with the English proverb - As you Sow, So Shall you Reap. Sukhpreet Kaur
Gyanshree School, Noida Happy Teachers JOL Cohort 2022

Unity and Caring - Laxmi Kant Bhatt

Unity is a state of mind which keeps a group bound with each other keeping their significant differences aside by compromising. It means staying together in the worst situations without stabbing each other in the back. If people understand the meaning of unity, they can withstand any condition.

In our everyday world, through struggles and hardships, caring can help us overcome many problems. Caring is a feeling or showing concern for or kindness to others. It can create a beautiful environment and help people feel happy and memorable.

In our school, the principal arranged an interclass competition for the students in which they had to decorate their classes according to the theme assigned to them. The theme decided was caring about the endangered species of the world. The time set for the competition was one week. The next day I got some important work and took three days off. I could not inform my class regarding the interclass competitions and be already behind.

On returning from my leave of absence, I informed the students about the competition and discussed the plan I had come up with them. The students improvised the idea, and they made certain groups for different purposes. The first group would do research, the Second would do the art and craft work, the Third group would do the writing work, and the fourth would do the presentation. As the time and resources were limited, I offered my maths lessons, and the students offered their personal stationery. The students used their time wisely, and within two days, they were done with their class decoration. The next day the judges visited every class, and the students in my class gave informative and formal presentations. During this period, the kids learned to work in a team without putting their differences in between. As the theme was about caring, they learned a lot about how caring can evolve a person's personality. They also discussed the issue with the judges and told them all the things they got to know and experience while working on this assignment.  

Therefore unity is a great thing which can make things possible over a short period, and how caring can help lift up people's moods and evolve people's personalities.

L K Bhatt
The Doon Girls' School

Unity and Caring - Shalini Solanki

Unity brings power, and caring gives the power of being in the company of people who love, care, understand, and stand with you in good and bad times. We must have heard the quote, ‘United We Stand, Divided We Fall’. Such a short quote has a powerful meaning and feeling. I still remember the award-winning song on the Doordarshan channel, ‘Ek chidiya, anek chidiya’. No matter how small or weak we are together, nothing is impossible.

I got to experience ‘Unity and Caring’ with my students outside the classroom.

All Grade 2 sections went for an excursion to Zoological Park, New Delhi, under the theme ‘Animals Around Us’. I started discussing the trip with my class two days before the departure date to get their ideas and expectations. We decided to make groups of 2 students each in a queue. The partners were accepted on the approval of each student as per the requirements. 23 students were present on the final day, so I made a queue of 11 groups + 01 with me (He needed special care☺). I was surprised to see their unity and caring for each other here. They sat in groups on the bus and counted each other. Students were even concerned about each other’s bags and water bottles. I was so happy to see their belongingness and care for each other.

We finally reached the zoo, and before I counted till 11 to ensure that every group was present after getting off the bus, they counted themselves and told me they were all with me. Each one has taken responsibility. Even if one child had to go to the washroom, the whole class would wait without complaint. We went to see different categories of animals, and I observed that my students wanted to experience everything with their entire group. They were holding hands, walking and enjoying together, sharing caps and giving places to their peers to stand and see the animals. Children made space for the entire class to see the ‘Malaysian Bird’ and ‘Jaguar’ together. They also ensured the shorter ones could get in front and experience the complete view.

What else could a teacher desire? This is itself an achievement to see our children reflecting the behaviour desired by us. Sometimes I feel powerful as I have little contribution to shaping the lives of our future leaders. This feeling is beyond anything that exists.

           

Shalini Solanki
Gyanshree School, Noida

Unity and Caring - Nitin Sharma

When you have unity, it’s fantastic. When you don’t, it’s awful. Unity lightens the heart and brightens the day, an abundant source of joy and optimism, allowing even the most difficult tasks to be enjoyable. Unity represents togetherness. Therefore, it is standing together for every thick and thin matter. When we work together, we are motivated and encouraged to work harder. Also, we push each other to accomplish our goals, which is a significant motivational factor.

In this context, we have done a challenging activity in our classes IX and X. The move was that some groups were made from classes IX and X, and students were supposed to decide the best place for an excursion. All groups were given one week, and each group leader was supposed to prepare various pros and cons for an excursion to that place along with all the details. To my surprise, students had prepared excellent information for that place, such as location, travelling expenses, and refreshments. They beautifully linked that excursion to the related topics mentioned in their curriculum. So an excursion to Maple Camp was decided, full of adventurous activities. This excursion was full of joy and excitement, as this was possible only because of the unity of the students.

I am very thankful to the JOL Cohort for allowing me to share the experience of this beautiful activity.

Caring:
No other experience better than this excursion can be there to share the best example of caring for each other. Each group leader was very concerned about his/ her team members and their teachers. It was a tremendous hand-holding for all of us. Each student came ahead to help another student, and how they motivated each other.

In the end, I would like to end with a quote -

Thanks!

Nitin Sharma Kamla Nehru Public School, Phagwara

Unity and Caring - Mridula Renjit & Preeti Mahajan

                                       

Unity

The children were given the task of decorating the class for Christmas. Initially, each of them was in the mood for competition. Each wanted their Santa, bell, and streamer to be in the centre. Then I told them the story of ‘one stick can be broken easily, but a bundle of sticks is difficult to break.’ It was explained to them that they should plan and see how everyone’s work can be displayed to enhance the overall look of the class.

Children really understood the beauty and strength of Unity. The scenes that followed were a treat to watch. First, they made an overall plan of the materials and how these can be placed. Then, the tallest girl stood on the chair, others passed on the material, stapler, and tape, and in a well-coordinated manner, the task was accomplished.

The students said that they enjoyed picking out things made by their classmates and putting them up for decoration. Even the ones whose work was kept in reserve for next time did not feel left out. Finally, it was a united team effort.

Then students discussed how working for one united team, they enjoyed the task, and beautiful work was displayed in the end. As the teacher there, I realised that the finer qualities are there in all the children. We have to try to bring it out in classroom situations. We innately try to be united as it gives security and brings out appreciation from the group. This innate quality sometimes needs a push to find expression.

Caring

The children were divided into three groups, each given a situation to act out.

Group 1

One child of the group forgot to carry lunch for a picnic. The children acted out as if that child was quiet and did not even tell his teacher that he was without lunch. And then, one child finds out and tells the entire group. Then they share their favourite eatables with the child, and not just that, they all ensure he does not feel left out or hungry or misses his home.

Group 2

The students find an injured puppy. The children acted out that they picked up the dog. Foremost they try to find out if its mother is around. They didn’t find it, so they took the pup to one of the child’s homes. They feed the hungry puppy. Then they make an appointment with the nearest vet and get the necessary treatment.

Group 3

There is a lonely elderly person in their lane. The children acted out how they visited the elderly lady, talked to her regularly, and asked her to act as a referee in their badminton match. They try to give her company and ensure she does not feel lonely. After the tasks the teacher tells them in each situation, they displayed an extreme sense of caring, and this is how we should behave in real-life situations.

Mridula Renjit & Preti Mahajan
Ahlcon Public School

Unity and Caring - Roopa Bhattacharyya

Unity is the foundation of teams. One of the most important lessons to be learnt by children is to function in groups. The unit converts ideas and dreams, big or small, into reality. While individuals can create excellence in terms of art or even individual sports and often academics. It is only through teams that the larger vision can be realized, whether it is team sports, collective projects, dramatics, or even a musical program, it is through the teams that the children learn this.

In class 4, the students were given an SST project in which they had to represent one state of India. 4A decided to represent Punjab. Initially, there were differing views on how to carry out this project. As the teacher, the role was to steer the conversation to a fruitful outcome. After a lot of discussions, it was decided to do a) a folk dance of Punjab, b) a Punjabi song, c) foods of Punjab, and d) decoration. The class then divided themselves to do the activities.

Everyone helped learn songs and dance by sharing videos and teaching each other. Even the parents helped with the food and the preparation of dishes. This project was fun for all children, almost like a picnic, even though it was in the class. Children learnt how to cooperate, help each other, and work as a united team.

Caring is a natural instinct in almost all living beings. Even the most ferocious wild animals take care of their young ones. However, what sets human beings apart is their ability to care for even those unrelated and strangers. Caring is an emotion that can be and should be developed in all children in the school. A positive recognition and reward system would propel the children towards acts of caring and kindness.

As a teacher, I have set up a system through which, every Monday, I announce the name of the most caring child of the previous week. I also explained to the class what caring is and what acts would lead to their recognition as the most caring child, with the help of examples. This has brought about a very positive change in the children’s behaviour. Earlier, only the buddy used to share his/her tiffin when someone forgot. However, now, almost everyone offers their tiffin to that child. There is a child in class 3 who is losing her vision at a very rapid rate. So, the other children help her in all her school activities.

Caring and kindness are enduring qualities in human beings. And I hope that children will retain this caring attitude even growing up.

Roopa Bhattacharyya
Ahlcon Public School 

Unity and Caring - Rishona Chopra

Unity is working together as a group. We can understand this by looking at a few puzzle pieces. Imagine those pieces are you and your friends who you are working with. Then you join those pieces together to form something beautiful, and in the same way, you are your friends work together as a team and make something marvellous! 

To be able to work in a team united in Unity. To be connected, you first must learn to cooperate and have a good relationship with them to avoid getting into too many fights.

Our body works in Unity; what could have happened if both legs didn't coordinate? One leg would move towards the right, take continuous circles, and manage all movement, while the other would do something similar. By now, we would have fallen and gotten a fracture! Our body cooperates and works in Unity. Because of this teamwork, we can move, breathe, see, hear and whatnot?

In a classroom, Unity plays quite an important role. It is respect for differences and variety. It is rightly said by J.K Rowling that "We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided."

We all must have heard about Caring. Caring is helping someone, right? Yes, but we can do much more if we have a wide heart. We could heal emotions too. 

We should always do it with an open mind, dedication, and love when we do something. Similarly, when we care for someone, we should always do it with a kind heart because if we aren't, then we aren't watching, and maybe we are hurting them too.

Caring is shown out of friendship, compassion and selflessness. A caring classroom is where students feel positively connected to others. Unity and caring are connected, as Unity is caring.

"While educating the minds of our youth, we must not forget to educate their hearts."

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

Responsibility and Cooperation - Anvesha Rana

Responsibility and Cooperation go hand in hand and are the two fundamental pillars of any classroom. A classroom always bursting with creativity, energy, and innovativeness is an uncontrollable power in need of the right master, a teacher. A class is a team; after all, it is a group of young learners who connect with each other to create something new and then critically analyze what could be done better; they take responsibility for their actions in case something is done wrong and then empathize with others to only cooperate more.  

Responsibility is accountability for owning up to your things and words, whether they were correct or incorrect. We are held responsible for others and for ourselves. Responsibility is the ability to respond and not react; it is to calmly anchor the ship without blaming others and by simply sharing the credit. Trust is perhaps the most crucial aspect of being responsible. Unless and until you are not accountable, you will never be trustworthy. 

We can teach students responsibility by assigning group tasks where each child needs to contribute. In my class, we often need to do group presentations on different topics, so we split the subtopics among ourselves. This way, all the bases are covered, and we can go in-depth about each subtopic; plus, all the members in the group are equally working. So, responsibility can be ignited in a team set up by simply doing what you are supposed to do. 

When someone is not responsible, rather than punishing them, we should make them realize and reflect upon the consequences of their actions so that they can empathize with others and never repeat the same mistake. If they were in a team and didn't prepare their part, the entire team would suffer because the team trusted them enough to hand over a task, but they broke the group's trust by not doing what was supposed to be done. How will he feel if that group member is asked to imagine himself in a similar situation where he is ready with his part, but a fellow team member has not prepared anything? 

When many young learners brainstorm upon a topic, it yields better results than when they work alone; this is Cooperation. It teaches us to trust, friendship and responsibility. When we cooperate with someone, we will only build trust, and once we build trust, we will be friends who will be trustworthy enough to be responsible. 

Our strength lies in our unity, and unity lies in our diversity. Imagine if we were all the same. How monotonous it would be, but our differences are what bring us closer. Close enough to respect others, learn from others and cooperate with others to achieve a common goal. 

Responsibility and Cooperation both arise from love and passion. If we love our education and are passionate about our profession, then only passion will meet education. Our Responsibility and Cooperation lie in loving what we do. 

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School. 

Simplicity and Trust - Jaspreet Kaur

                                            Simplicity and Trust

Simplicity is living a life that is less hectic and shallow. When you understand Simplicity, you begin to have an appreciation for things you may not have noticed in the past. The little things in life become significant because they create some of the biggest joys.

By living a simple life and focusing on the things that matter, you're almost guaranteed to be happier. Without the distractions, noise, and stress brought upon us by cluttered surroundings, too much technology, processed foods, and endless noise, it's easier to feel happy.

Exercise on Simplicity – 

I showed the students a picture of a garden and asked them to write a short paragraph with five senses on it.

Impact on students- 

Students imagine themselves in a garden. They also showed their creativity by making drawings along with the paragraph.

Teacher's Role- Facilitator

Trust: - assured reliance on the character

"To trust means to rely on another person because you feel safe with them and have confidence that they will not hurt or violate you". 

Exercise on Trust – 

In the English period, I taught Commands with blindfolds. One of the students came in front of the class to give commands to the blindfolded students to reach the Library from Grade IV. Although the Library was not so far, the students had trust in each other, so they got to the destination only because of trust in their classmates.

Teacher's Role-   facilitator and guide.

Impact- Each student learnt Team spirit, unity, communication skills and cooperation.

Jaspreet Kaur

Kamla Nehru Public School

Unity And Caring - Nandini Arora

Caring means showing kindness, compassion and concern. Caring is a selfless act done by a person to make someone happy. Being caring is a sign of maturity. Caring behaviours are kindness, sensitivity, comforting others, listening to someone attentively and accepting others without being judgmental. Our caring behaviour doesn’t reflect only our actions, even our emotional reactions. A tiny act of care can make a big difference in someone’s life. 

Caring behaviour affects the receiver and gives a sense of relief and joy to the giver. When we show concern towards someone, we cultivate trust, we feel good about ourselves for being a caring person. It also teaches us important virtues such as patience, understanding and loyalty that benefit individuals' personal and professional lives. 

Our children require years of devoted nurturing, leading to building a natural capacity to care for others. We develop the habit of caring for our friends, family members, romantic partners, and co-workers. And this is how we develop the mechanism to being caring and feel rewarding and satisfying. 

Someone has said it right, “Being caring is a sign that deaf people can understand, and blind people can see.”

We can show our care with small actions like- by asking for someone’s opinion, by being honest to someone, by talking and listening to someone, by remembering small things about them, like their hobbies and important days, by saying that I am proud of you or I am always there for you.

Unity means togetherness with others in their thoughts, feelings and reactions in all circumstances. Unity is the state of being one and combining all the parts in one. Unity is a uniform character and absence of diversity. Unity bases itself on the simple concept that we must respect and treat everyone equally, irrespective of our differences.

Unity is the faith that removes all the fears we have and gives us the strength to face any challenge. When we are united, we get guidance from others for personal and professional matters and suffer less stress because we solve our problems together. When we work together, we push each other to accomplish greater goals that might not be possible alone. 

Unity helps us to destroy evil practices like racism, gender discrimination, etc. Unity is essential in every aspect of life, and we must do our best to preserve it. It is difficult to survive in the world as a nation without unity. The power of unity can illuminate the whole earth. Unity is a trait that one should try to teach children from a very young age; sometimes, even adults also need to raise their thinking and move out of any discrimination to stay united in tough times. Every sports person should show unity with every teammate to win the game. Unity helps in dividing the work and makes it easy to achieve the goals. 

Thus, Unity and Caring are great virtues taught to children at a very young age. The strength of Unity rests in Caring Behaviour. Being Caring, we can develop feelings of honesty, purity, joy and integrity. Caring Behaviour towards neighbours and co-workers contributes to developing a positive social environment that leads to Unity. Every small act of caring for another is so powerful that it creates deeper bonds that we seek for emotional support and strengthen our Unity. 

In a school, as teachers, we often divide children into different groups and assign them some work to do. The purpose of this is to teach children how to perform in a united and organized manner and caring & respecting each other’s ideas. Being caring is a positive impression that makes the world United.

- Nandini Arora, The Doon Girls' School Dehradun

Unity and Caring - Bhumika Vyas

 "Unity in Diversity" is the phrase we all have been grown up understanding and learning. But does diversity only mean through different cultures, religions, countries and continents? 

Diversity should be through " CARE" of different human nature, culture, behaviour, attitude, and appreciation of others' strengths, weaknesses, acceptability and the global environment. The environment is also one of the major concerns today; Mother Earth will be taken care of if we are united to make it a better place to live in.

 'Unity and Care' instantly made me recollect a beautiful story at 'The Doon Girls School'. One of our girls suffered a chronic illness in which there were many restrictions from food to certain activities, sleeping patterns, etc., which the doctor recommended staying away. However, human nature can only resist doing something till their peers and loved ones support them to the tee. 

When the girls in school were informed about her condition and restrictions, to our surprise, most girls volunteered to give up on certain foods and beverages and agreed not to have them on the menu. Few of them volunteered even to follow her routine and take turns to be with her and make her feel as normal as they could. To our expectation, a student at the boarding school would look forward to food and the different variety of food offered to them. 

This gesture of the students was spontaneous and out of care and concern. These girls showed love, unity, care, and sacrifice altogether, which made me realize why adults become so complexed when, as children, we all are just like these girls. Why can't we be adults growing up with the same value systems that made childhood memorable and make our lives so complex? When Unity and Care go hand in hand, they both turn out to become the strength of humanity.

- Bhumika Vyas, The Doon Girls' School

Unity and Caring - Neelam Waldia

A human pyramid depicts focus, strength, coordination, practice, faith, and so much more, but the underlying values to any human pyramid are UNITY and CARING. Everyone in the pyramid cares for each other, ‘I can’t be at the top if I don’t care for the one carrying me’, ‘if I get careless, the one above me may fall and hurt. Taking Care of each other and the common goal of success unites everyone, forming a beautiful pyramid that reaches the height where we alone can never reach.

When we think of unity as a value, we think of people coming together to form a team, despite their differences. We imagine people working together in harmony, accepting and appreciating one another. Man is a social being, COVID-19 has shown us how being away from families and the pain of not meeting friends has affected our morale and mental health. Family, Friends, neighbours and colleagues are not only required to have fun or to talk; they all give us courage, strength, and hope, which keeps us all united. It was only the care offered by doctors working beyond their capacities, social workers trying to reach everyone in need, employers being empathetic & supportive, and families being strong and loving that united us all, even after the physical distance in between.

It is so true "United we stand, divided we fall." and we've known how vital unity is since our independence. People can easily break, crush, and hurl you if you're alone, but when you stand together, nobody can touch you, and we can only be united by caring for each other. Caring is to treat others as you would like to be treated yourself. I remember one of our students who would spend most of the time alone and was not part of any group, which was surprising because that is the age where we want to have affiliations and groups. She was in the infirmary due to fever; another girl from her class was also admitted there. This girl surprised us all by showing her caring side. She would put a blanket over the other girl if no one is around and she is sleeping. Help her to visit the washroom. She would do small stuff for her even when she could have easily called for help.

In the class, even in organizations, people feel unified when leaders create a culture of care. We expect our teachers to be always in their best self, calm, composed, joyous, and energetic, but teachers too are human beings with their struggles, shortcomings, and bad days. We started 20 minutes of "Tea with MD sessions" before the start of the first period. We would just sit, pick one value and share our thoughts and experiences on it. These unbiased, non-judgmental sessions helped us break the ice; people who were not very open initially also started opening up. We talked about happiness, positive thinking, the law of attraction, kindness and much more. We also shared that one thing, which we keep procrastinating but not able to fulfil, resulted in aerobics classes for the ones looking to get fit, music and dance classes for the one’s wanting to learn that and a lot more. This exercise showed that we are cared for and helped us unite and imbibed the value of being caring in us. Hopefully, when we are back at our school, we will start it again. A beautiful poem by Abdulla Saeed sums up it all-

Neelam Waldia
The Doon Girls' School

Unity and Caring - Chandralekha Negi

As kids, we're told to hold a discussion on the topic ‘Unity and Care’. First, they wanted to know why I was discussing these values. After getting a satisfactory answer that it is for their emotional and mental development, they came up with their thoughts and ideas.

Some say Unity gives strength and power, while some emphasise unity comes only when we care for each other. Some discussed  unity in Dorm while some discussed more unity seen in school inter- house matches or inter-school matches. Some agreed that unity leads to caring, while some argued that caring coming before unity. They could relate to the Statue of Unity being put up in Gujarat. For everyone’s awareness, it is the statue of Sardar Vallbhai Patel. The unity of the Nation shown by that man has led to the formation of a large country like India by combining more than five hundred princely states.

As a teacher, I made them understand that caring is one factor that leads us to be together, as we have confidence and faith that during tough times that person or group will be there to lean back upon. If one is unwell, he will be looked after by others. I further explained unity is an essential value towards building a successful institution and eventually a better nation. 

School and family settings have always been perfect for teaching all the important values in a child's life, including peace, love, and care. Unity represents togetherness. Therefore, it is standing together for every thick and thin matter.

Students were attentive and listened carefully to both the values and their relationship with each other. I emphasized that the families to communities and societies are glued by showing empathy, love, kindness, care, etc., towards one another. This enables us to forge bonds and sustain them. Caring starts from a very early age as you care for your pets, younger siblings, plants. It is a lifelong process and rewards in a profound way. Caring for birds and nature has its own impact. I explained the significance of Unity by telling them that staying united is good for our growth and the nation’s development. This is also good for the family in the particular and all-around development of children. When we work together, we are motivated and encouraged to work harder. Also, we push each other to accomplish the goals.

The children were very enthusiastic during the discussion. And they agreed that caring is truly the basis for Unity. Be it caring done in our own houses to caring for the community.

Chandralekha Negi

The Doon Girls' School

Unity and Caring - Kirti Bisht

If we talk about the past, we have come across many incidents where unity has changed the course of the history of certain countries and at the same time there have been incidents where lack of unity proved to be a blunder for others.

The American Revolution, the French Revolution, the Non-Co-operation Movement in India are the finest examples of unity; and history says it all that whenever people failed to unite in face of a foreign enemy, they have faced its consequences. For example, during the Turkish Invasion in India, the regional kingdoms did not unite which led to the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate. On the other hand, we also know that the Britishers were able to colonize the Indian territories due to the lack of unity among Indians.

With this context, the words of J.K. Rowling can be put in the best light that “We are only as strong as we are united and as weak as we are divided.”

So, if we are fighting for a common cause or if we have a common goal, we cannot achieve it without unity.

“Sometimes it takes only one act of kindness or caring to change a person’s life”        -        Jackie Chan

Caring is paying attention to others, protecting others or being considerate. There are many ways through which we can show others that we care but I think the most important of them is taking out time for others.

If we link the above two values, we’ll realize that both go hand in hand. If there is caring, there will be unity or if people are united that means they are being cared for.

In an organization if the workers feel that the management cares for them, they will work in unity for the development of that organization and if they feel just the opposite then the workers too won’t care about the progress of their organization. They will work just for the sake of their living.

So, one should take out time for others, understand their problems, show them that they are being cared for. It will lead to unity……

Kirti Bhist
The Doon Girls' School

Joy Of Learning Diaries - Unity and Caring

Please play the story - Unity and Caring by Mohini Chauhan 

Joy Of Learning (JOL) comes alive with heartwarming stories from educators at school. Mohini Chauhan @ The Doon Girls' School, Dehradun created this beautiful episode. Learning Forward India Academy Cohort of 2020-21 explores the future of education, built on immutable values alone: Appreciation, Caring, Co-operation, Courage, Freedom, Friendship, Happiness, Honesty, Hope, Humility, Love, Patience, Peace, Quality, Respect, Responsibility, Simplicity, Thoughtfulness, Tolerance, Trust, Understanding & Unity.

This program will inspire you by using examples of where the values are already being used by children and adults in schools and share practical tools to stimulate discussion and philosophical debate. Find out more www.brewingknowledge.com/

04:26

June 27, 202

Unity and Caring - Reah Sikand

Parenthood and teachers have a very powerful job, the job to bring up a human being and shape them and give them good values.

When I became a teacher I realised I am shaping children’s minds at a young age and for them to be good human beings I needed to have the values it takes for them to learn from me. Kindness and compassion need to be instilled in children from an early age. I realised my job was not only to teach them in a classroom but to teach them outside the classroom as well. I needed to play more roles in their lives much more than a teacher. 

Caring is an emotion that most us crave for and need. From when a child is born she needs to be cared for and given lots of love to and when we turn old that’s the other time when we need the most care from people. We feel a certain sense of security and love when we know we have someone who cares about us. Kids need lot of care and they also need to care for each other. Kids have a great quality of sensing adults. Even if your a strict teacher and you care about the kids they can totally sense it and this is something I have observed personally. Kids need to be dealt with a lot of patience care and love. 

Unity is when we work together as a unit, we as human beings are very different from each other but unity brings us together. Unity is essential for group work, when we work in unity we learn to cooperate with each other and this helps in the smooth functioning of work. As they say united we stand divided we fall. I feel schools specially boarding schools help teach us the true essence of unity. We unknowingly learn the power of unity when we play group sports and we live together for 8 months of the year together. When we are united we learn to respect each other’s opinions and accept people for who they are. Like they say one for all and all for one. 

In times like this of Covid we need to stand united and help each other in whatever possible manner we can. I feel values and morals make a good human being and being, a good human being is the most important thing by the end of the day. When we meet a person for the first time we meet a person we base our judgment on how their personality is or how they treat us, we don’t remember their marks or their degree by the end of the day we remember the person and their personality and how they treated us that’s what matters most.

Reah Sikand
Drama Teacher at The Doon Girls School - India

Joy Of Learning PLP Cohort 2020-21 www.LFIN.Academy

Joy Of Learning (11 Sessions) The teachers collaborate and work in groups to explore the 22 values and discover how the values help in the personal and social development of an individual. The values come alive at their school and enhance learning at the classroom level.

Unity and Caring - Richa Solanki

Unity means being together. It means standing together and to work together as a team. Unity is a very important message that every parent should spend time or share with their children and also should tell about the relevance and need for unity. They should set an example by creating a healthy environment at home where everyone loves in coordination with each other. We also see that there is a fight or struggle on the basis of the individual issues of people without the unity, they cannot even understand that unity gives us strength and strength gives us intellectual food to live peacefully as well as connected with all.

In earlier times, people in the joint family were connected with their relatives. Our country is full of tradition and culture of staying together and helping each other is a part of our culture. Joint family is the biggest example. Those systems have prevailed in our country.

Unlike modern time in the past the families did not only live together but also bonded well with each other and staying united helped them in many ways.  Caring is when you think as and do something good for someone because it is the right thing to do. When you care for someone it shows love and caring for others it is wonderful and nice. We are caring for anyone, it builds feelings of love and strong relationships. Caring helps to connect with people and develop empathy in difficult times.  Caring for others is so powerful because it creates deeper bonds and supports emotionally. Caring also develops the feeling of personal growth because when we care we just gain so many skills from experience.  It also teaches important values such as patience, understanding and loyalty that benefit individuals in both their personal and professional lives.

Our mother, father, teachers, grandfather and mother, they have many challenges to take care of things and life gives them many tasks to complete. So, caring for someone will teach some new things and values of life and help us to live our life with happiness. Sharing is caring. If we share love, happiness, sorrows and many emotions and try to help someone it makes you a good person. 

Richa Solanki 

The Fabindia School

Rsi@fabindiaschools.in