Hope and Friendship - Nikita Rajpurohit

Hope is the probability of a wish happening true. Every day we hope for hell a lot of

things, and at the same time, we lose hope for some of those things. Example:- We sleep daily by putting on an alarm with the hope of waking up the next day and making the best use of the other day, but what if someday, our breaths don't cooperate with our hopes and we never wake up for the next day. Hope you got a basic idea of how hope emerges and gets lost.

Every task we perform in our life lies behind hope. We eat with the hope of healthy physique, drink water with hope for proper hydration, vocal health and many more. In fact, even we breathe with a hope of the next breath of life. So we can say that everything is surrounded by hope in some manner.

Friendship, according to me, is a term that could never be defined in a statement. It is a feeling, it is a trust, it is a bond, it is something that's not created through blood relation only, it is something that you can rely on when you find yourself left with nothing. It is a term enough to build a strong bond within two souls. Even love takes a second place in hearts but friendship is always a top priority. It doesn't have a daily conversation and gets stronger and stronger with time.

And somewhere between both hope and friendship lies a deep connection. When you become friends with someone, it automatically creates a hope in your subconscious brain that this person now, is the person I could rely on and we both can be interdependent on each other. And when the hope is fulfilled, it ends up in a greater bond of a strong friendship. So hope and friendship are the two important values which give the inspiration to live our lives in the best possible way. Make your hope and friendship strong.

Nikita Rajpurohit

The Fabindia School

nra@fabindiaschools.in

Freedom and Peace - Byju Joseph

Freedom is the right to do what we want. But it does not mean that someone is completely

free to do anything. We lead our life by enjoying the freedom without hurting others. It is the way of living without unnecessary restrictions.  We respect others and their freedom to do their own necessities. Freedom depends on situations. It varies from person to person, culture to culture or nation to nation. In our country, we have the freedom to live by following their duties and responsibilities. Freedom is very important for everyone to work efficiently.

When we talk about freedom in school or in the classroom, we should consider that students have the right to freedom to learn. So we allow them to experience freedom in a positive manner. That means they are not allowed to do whatever they want. They should not misuse it but to utilize their freedom to perform their duties and responsibilities well. There must be a strong relationship between teachers and their students for better learning outcomes. The freedom that the students experience in the school should be based on mutual understanding and trust among them. There must be a line of control of freedom in between teachers and students which should be formed by trust and respect. It is very important for a peaceful learning atmosphere.

We all want to maintain a peaceful atmosphere wherever we are. It may be within us, at our workplaces, in our families or in our country. Peace is a state of being free from all worries. It comes from freedom. A tense mind never can be peaceful. Self-satisfaction is very important to maintain peace within us. Being educators we focus more on the character formation and overall development of children. Mahatma Gandhi said, “If you want real peace in the world, start with children.” Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon once said, “It is not enough to teach children to read, write and converse. We must teach them to have respect for themselves, for others and for the world in which we live.” It is very clear that the value, ‘respect’ is the essence to keep and promote peace. So it is very important to learn and experience self-respect and respect for others at an early stage of the life of each individual. School is the place where these values can easily be inculcated in children. In this regard, educators have the crucial role to plan and promote these values in children.

Byju P. Joseph

The Fabindia School

bjh@fabindiaschools.in 

Freedom and Peace - Kusum Sharma

Freedom is the ability to act without constraint. It can protect humans against social

problems. Freedom and Peace are both the values that are very important for us. If we feel freedom for our growth then only we will feel true happiness and can learn and create new things. I have observed these things in my classroom also. In one of my classes, I taught a lesson to the children and gave them assignments to do at home. That class was filled with lots of brilliant children.

It was a strange thing for me that children never completed their home assignments on time. I called a few students from that class and asked them the reason for the poor performance in their homework. After a few minutes of conversation with them, I got to know that some children from that class belonged to agricultural backgrounds so after going home they used to help their parents, so they were not able to complete their assignments.

They gave a few suggestions and asked permission to complete their work within the school, which I agreed. Then I was happy to see that they completed their task within the classroom whenever they got free time and even with great interest. After that children were very happy and used to finish their work before time. Now I observed that freedom actually provides growth and peace of mind.

Kusum Sharma

The Fabindia School

ksa@fabindiaschools.in

Freedom and Peace - Bharti Rao

Freedom and Peace are the two values which go hand in hand. Freedom is the ability of

thoughts and actions to be executed without any unnecessary restrictions. Freedom helps us to blossom and grow positively. 

Freedom of thoughts and actions in classrooms creates a sense of responsibility and a peaceful environment. When we Educators plan engaging activities for our students and give the freedom to share their experiences the students also become active learners.

The students should be free to set their own rules and regulations for themselves so that with a sense of responsibility they will not break the decorum of the classroom. 

It has been observed that freedom builds up a strong relationship between the student and his teacher which gives better learning outcomes. It will remove the fear of their teachers from the students' mind which many children possess. Freedom enhances our thinking skills and becomes self-reliant.

We, teachers, are not there to create robots but instead, we have to groom the students to be decision-makers, self-reliant and good human beings which is only possible when we give them freedom. If you give freedom to the children they start respecting and trusting their teachers. It is the foremost duty of the Educators to inculcate these values in their students because school is the place where the child is nurtured into a good human being. 

By organizing activities like role-playing, storytelling, debate etc. we can inculcate these values in our students. I would like to end by quoting' Happiness, Freedom and Peace of Mind are always attained by giving them to someone else.'

Bharti Rao

The Fabindia School

bro@fabindiaschools.in

Freedom and Peace - Prerna Rathod

What is freedom? Every living being on this Earth has a different approach to

freedom. For a bird it would be to fly high in the blue sky, for a cow or a dog it would be to roam around freely and not just to stick to the rope, for an elephant or a lion it would be to roam freely in the jungle and not to perform in a circus. But for a human being, there are different aspects of freedom. Well, these boundaries of freedom are developed and accepted by societies themselves.

For a boy hanging around with his friends late in the night is no big deal instead it would be a restriction in the freedom of a girl if not allowed to do so. So who should we blame in this situation, is it the girl who is born with the female gender instead of male, or it should be the parents who are restricting the child? It’s the idea which generates in one’s mind to destroy the freedom of others just to satisfy their own freedom. For all the incidents taking place in this era, might it be kidnapping, rapes, etc, are due to these reasons.

Instead of blaming anyone, we should find solutions and ways to deal with it. So I would conclude that freedom is when you have the right to do anything which would not violate the freedom of others and would help for the betterment of society. And when there is freedom for everyone I am sure there will be equality, happiness and peace in our lives. So you will see “Freedom” is interlocked with “Peace”, i.e, where there is freedom there is peace. It is applicable in every home, society and country. This reminds me of a famous quote:“You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.”

Prerna Rathod The Fabindia School prd@fabindiaschools.in

Freedom and Peace - Shivani Rao

The real value of anything can only be understood by those who have earned it or who have

sacrificed their lives for it. Everyone will give different meanings of freedom. This is so because everyone has a different opinion about freedom. For some, freedom means the freedom of going anywhere they like, for some it means to speak up from themselves, and for some, it is liberty of doing anything they like. Freedom truly means giving equal opportunity to everyone for liberty and pursuit of happiness.

In a free environment without any limitations, children practice and learn the most important skills of life. They learn how to create their own activities, solve their own problems, make friends, negotiate with peers, deal with bullies, and manage their emotions. Also, we need to consider that they do not go for false practice. While giving freedom to kids we need to consider that they never violate and misuse their rights.

Freedom is the foundation on which peace is built. You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom. Peace means presence of: good, open, positive communication; social connections; necessities and support for school success. Peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. Peaceful behavior sometimes results from a peaceful inner disposition. Peaceful heart is a key to create a better world.

Shivani Rao

The Fabindia School

sro@fabindiaschools.in

Importance of Fair Play - RP Devgan

In all my years as a Principal and an educator, I have taken great care to make sure that educators at all levels are very sensitive and conscientious about fair play and justice. Children must be treated fairly, especially in their last two years in school when their efforts start to bear fruit in terms of leadership and talent.

The injustice of any kind is unacceptable, be it in the form of nepotism, favouritism, or sheer high handedness.

It is a pity when educators at all levels right from the top to the junior-most concerned, favour the undeserving and cause bitterness and frustration to the deserving ones.

Educators have to be very sensitive and thoughtful when it comes to school appointments and awards every year. The deserving must get their due. Ever so often even in the best of schools, injustice is done during the appointments of school prefects, sports and activities captains and nomination of awards for the Best Debater, Artist, Actor etc.

I remember at one of the schools I headed, the Best Artist’s prize had been awarded to a boy who was nowhere near the best. I  had to intervene and finally convince the Art Teacher that a girl in the same class was far more deserving. He agreed but said that the Founder’s Day list was already at the printer’s and it was too late, but I persisted. it was finally decided that the prize would be shared, saving the girl from bitterness and frustration. Had this not happened, she would have graduated with bitter memories of her school life.

This kind of injustice can be stopped by conscientious and sensitive educators. The worst kind of nepotism in a school is when staff members favour their own and when the educators try to please influential parents.

It is imperative for educators to realise the gravity of their decisions as such decisions leave lifelong feelings of bitterness and scars in the deserving ones, the ones who have been overlooked and their talents and competence ignored. Unfair decisions make the atmosphere of a school most toxic. It would be interesting if today's adults paused and asked themselves how they were treated in school or their experience of justice and injustice in their schooldays.

I am sure even today some of them nurse scars inflicted on them in their school life and the bitterness and frustration still linger. This too happens when Managements of schools overlook the deserving and appoint people in top positions, including  Principals, through nepotism, lack of advice or sheer ignorance and complacency. Many such appointments have changed the history of institutions.

Justice and Fair Play should be the hallmark of every school and institution for the security and happiness of its individuals. It should become the culture of all schools.

-Rajinder Pal Devgan
Chairperson Learning Forward India, over five decades of experience as an Educationist and having served as a School Leader for schools in India and overseas.

Quality and Love - Bloom BHIS

Love, Care and Respect. The first two you give. The last one you earn..!

"You always gain by giving LOVE"

Reese Witherspoon

As teachers, we can inspire and encourage our students to love what they are learning and doing in the school or around them. We can create an atmosphere or surrounding which on its own will blossom the love for what they are doing in the school. One such incident which I remember is of Firth.

Firth was a sweet child but I could always feel him disconnected when he came to school. Thought he was regular in school, he was physically present but not mentally. He didn't have any friends. He used to be in his own world. He was average in studies and use to always peep out of the window.

Later, I can to know that he comes from quite well to do family but his parents were too busy and in their own world. In fact, there used to be days when a poor child after coming to school use to take my permission to refill his water bottle as his mother didn't bother to do the same for her child.

After some months of observation, I realized that the child is brilliant in penning down his thoughts and imaginations. He came up with some amazing piece of writing considering his age. I started encouraging him by providing him with the right kind of atmosphere. Soon, he started opening up in front of me. He even started talking with his peers I could see him developing a good rapport with his fellow mates. He felt wanted in class. His academic performance also showed upscale.

Firth was a happy child thereafter and till date. Hope you remain the same all throughout your life. Love 

Bloom@ Billabong High International School, Thane

- Priya Wagle, Rinku Lapasia, Manisha Joshi, Ranjana Solanki, Sharanjeet Kaur, Savita Rane, Manjit Kaur

Quality and Love - Engaging Minds BHIS

To Teach 

Is to

Touch 

Lives

Forever

Ms Patricia’s life always revolved around her connect with her students. She enjoyed each day laughing, enjoying, sharing her teaching and learning with her students. The new academic session had begun. She was given a middle school class this time. It was a big leap for her as she was a primary teacher. It was a challenge but she was ready for it.

The class had a blend of students. Smart, brilliant, artistic and creative learners. Ryan, a bright child but was very notorious. He was an energetic cricketer. Tall, good looking and always took pride in challenging any new teacher that would teach them. Not only his teachers but his family members too would yell at him for all the trouble he caused.  This time it was Ms Patricia that he decided to pick on. He displayed his arrogance on the first day itself. Ms Patricia did not take it seriously and ignored as they were all children for her.

In the few days that came, it was getting difficult for Ms Patricia as Ryan would disturb the class by asking questions not relevant to studies, making fun of his peers and trying to create chaos while the class would be on.

Ms.Patricia decided to speak to Ryan on a one-to-one basis. One day she told Ryan to stay back after school. Ryan was not worried about this. He waited. Ms Patricia sat in front of him. She did not speak for quite some time and just looked at Ryan. Ryan was confused not sure what was happening. He asked Ms Patricia about the reason for this meeting. He behaved as if nothing had happened.

Ryan was waiting for Ms Patricia to bellow harsh words on him as this is what all did to him. But to his utter shock and surprise, Ms Patricia smiled and took Ryan’s hand in hers. She had the school organizer in her hand that had pictures of Ryan and his performance. Ryan looked at them and looked back at Ms Patricia puzzled. Ms Patricia now came out with only a few words. “Why?”

She reminded Ryan of his qualities, the quality that not everyone had. She evoked his love and passion for his sport. Then why was he displaying a negative side which is not helping him but is ruining his image as a good sportsperson. Ryan was deeply touched and was speechless. He had nothing to say at all. For the first time, he felt truly ashamed of all his deeds.

Ms Patricia appreciated this good quality with all her heart. Ryan had tears in his eyes. He promised Ms Patricia that he will change for the better. He fell to Ms Patricia’s feet for the trust and love she showed to him instead of the harsh words which he was always gifted with.

From that day on, Ryan was a completely different individual and when he won his first Man of the Match in the cricket series, this time he requested Ms Patricia to come on the stage and give him his trophy.

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Love has the magic to bring out the true n good quality in a person.

The well-being of a mind depends on the quality of the thoughts.

Engaging Minds @ Billabong High International School Thane 

- Ginny Franklin, Yojana Suryarao, Ishita Thakkar, Kiran Pandey, Nilka Gandhi, Geeta Mali, Meenaz Khan.

Quality and Love - Optimizers BHIS

Where there is love and care there is no darkness.

Listen to the podcast

A student is far more responsive to a teacher who loves and cares and is, therefore, more likely to learn and engage.

Let us read the story of Raj and how his teacher’s love and caring relationship helped him to do better in school. Raj was a well-known student in his school and in the class for his outstanding commitment. All students knew that he was very helpful towards teachers and his friends. He uses to volunteer in all the school events and even waited after school with teachers, to help them out in completing the extracurricular activities. One of the teachers was a keen observer of Raj’s behaviour. He encouraged and motivated him in all the works that he does in class. But, he found that Raj was not enthusiastic in studies like the way he is good at activities. He enquired from other teachers and tried to know more about Raj. But, he did not get many details from them.

One day the teacher called Raj and had a talk with him. The teacher asked “Dear Raj I appreciate your involvement in school activities, the way you help teachers and your friends. What about your studies? You are not performing well in your academics and I would like to know the reasons for your lack of interest in studies". Raj started crying. The teacher got puzzled and asked him to share his worries with him. Raj told teacher about his family issues that included the disputes between his parents and he was feeling uncared at home due to which he felt lonely, so he spends most of the time in school and makes himself involved in some work. He doesn’t want to go home.

The teacher made him understand the importance of academics in life. Raj was given the assurance by the teacher that he will be with him in all his difficulties. This love and caring character of the teacher towards Raj continued for months which made Raj focus in his academics. One day the teacher called his parents to school. He had a separate discussion with Raj’s parents where he shared to his parents about their son’s talents and dedication towards school. An insecure Raj was in need of his parent's love and care. Tears rolled from their eyes after hearing their son’s performances in different activities that were held in the school which the parents ignored and overlooked. They hugged their son and promised the teacher that they will love and care Raj in future without giving any trouble to him.

Empathy, love and understanding, caring, all of that is so important when you're an educator. It really does shape your experience as a teacher, but also the experience of students.

Optimizer @ Billabong High International School, Thane.
- Sanket Patel, Madhubala Saji, Kshama Rajgor, Ajita Bhoir, Kalyani Chaudhari, Momita Banerji, Rupal Trivedi.

Quality & Love - Super7 BHIS

LET’S  SPREAD THE LOVE

Quality is a very relative term. It refers to the standard of work delivered either by an individual or by an organisation. This can include the quality of task completion, interactions and deliverables. It is important for every individual to get a clear picture of his quality – only then will he be able to surpass himself.

Quality Management ensures that a person is in constant pursuit of excellence. In all sectors, it is important for people in key positions to continually develop themselves. This development needs to have a positive implementation – only then will the subordinates follow. Replicating this in the scenario of a classroom, the teacher is the undisputed pivot. He/she continues to enjoy this key position in the teaching-learning process. Thus it is of paramount importance that a teacher must demonstrate a work of a certain standard and strive to be better with each passing day.

Acquiring academic skills is the most important quality of the student. Ability to read comprehensively, to write effectively, to speak fluently, and to communicate clearly are the key areas in which a student must be proficient. However, a good student would want to look beyond that. He should draw inspiration from his educator and collect regular feedback on his quality of work. A student, if able to take constructive criticism in a positive way, will be able to evolve and mature with time.

In this regard, it will be pertinent to share the experience of an Economics teacher who has chosen to teach in an interesting way during the period of Lockdown. She assigns several thought-provoking activities to her students and by chalking out hypothetical scenarios and asks for feedback

from the students. She uses these examples and feedback during the class to explain the concepts. Thus, every class turns out to be in an interactive session and the pupils have a feel of sharing a common space together. In one such session, the teacher divided the class into two groups. The first group represented the migrant workers/daily wage workers who are finding it hard to make both ends meet due to outbreak of the pandemic and the other group represented the well-to-do business class who, although are facing a slowdown but are not as severely affected. Both the groups were asked to discuss the challenges that they faced and how the second group could help the first one.

The children came up with humane solutions thus emphasizing the importance of important value systems which makes us human. This session was indeed a life-skill learning experience which is what Quality Education refers to in its true sense.

For the educational experience to be premium, the bond between an educator and a learner is very important. Teachers have to don many roles – that of a parent, a guide or even a friend. In the words of Brad Henry, a good teacher is one who can "inspire hope, ignite inspiration, and instil a love of learning". The love expressed by a teacher towards her students is powerful enough to gain a lot of respect. It creates an everlasting relationship that remains throughout their whole lifetime.

One day Arnav, a student of Grade 6, came to his Grade 1 teacher and told that he is leaving the school. His sight triggered a wave of nostalgia - she remembered that he used to sit on the first bench as he was very slow in writing. Though a naughty child, he used to listen to the teacher. Years passed by and he grew up and went to different grades. Despite having a new teacher, he used to come and meet her during recess and share his tales. Hearing this news, she became sad. After a few days, he returned to her and gave a card that he had made for her. It read, “Ma’am even though I am joining another school, I will always miss you and can never forget you. Thank You for everything!” Both became very emotional – the teacher hugged him and couldn’t stop her tears. She still has the note with her and they are in touch.

Such tender and lovely relationships are most cherishable – these keep a teacher going. It also happens that the students prove to be the ones inspiring a teacher - they are the ones who follow their dreams and make a teacher beam with pride and comfort. A teacher who loves her students receives respect, admiration, care and, most importantly, love in return. Let us all choose to spread a little love.

Super 7 @ Billabong High International School, Thane 

- Sayantani Mukherjee, Dimple Awasthi, Ritu Chitnis, Manjusha Saji, Jyoti Ramdhave, Vijaylaxmi Ramesh & Sumati Muthukumar

Quality and Love - Innovators BHIS

"Quality is never an accident, it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent   direction and skilful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives." - William A.Foster

Once, there was a boy named Kushal who studied in Grade 8. He was very loud and

notorious child. He never listened to any of his teachers nor did he listen to his parents. Everyone was fed up with him. Everybody also thought that he was worthless but, his art teacher knew his plus points. He could draw beautifully. He could do watercolour paintings better than anyone else in the school. This was just one of his qualities. He also knew how to write beautiful poems and letters and essays. Nobody knew about these qualities of his but his art teacher knew about those because one day she had seen him writing a poem and had read it in secret without telling him. She had actually loved reading it. And in case of his paintings, she was the one who inspected those. So, she took an oath, to make him a boy as good as qualities. Once, in the art class, she announced that there was going to be an art exhibition. Each one had to contribute watercolour paintings to the exhibition along with a piece of their own writing.

They also had to be on their best behaviour. Everybody started laughing as soon as the latter was announced. They were laughing at Kushal. They thought that being on best behaviour was impossible for him. He accepted this tease with a smiling and grinning face but in his heart of hearts, he felt very bad. He thought that his naughtiness had resulted in him being made fun of. He took an oath to be the best-behaved child in the class. He also decided to show his qualities to the whole school. He wrote a very thoughtful poem for the occasion and drew a mind-blowing picture in connection to his poem. 

When the great day finally arrived, he was very tensed about his drawing and poem. He thought they were not good enough. But to his surprise, the chief guest started to call out the names of the people who had ranked in the exhibition and had the best behaviour throughout the programme backwards. He was just erasing the possibility of his coming first when his name was called out in the first position! He could not believe his ears nor could his classmates believe what was said. But, his art teacher was very happy for him. She had hoped from within that he would get the first prize. After the award ceremony, his art teacher called him aside and told him that if he could nurture his qualities with love and care and if he would fix his behaviour like he had done that day, he would go a long way in life. He completely understood what his teacher was saying and vowed to listen to her. He became the most polite child and everybody in the school knew him by his works from that day onwards.

- Innovators @ Billabong High International School, Thane

Vaishali Phatak, Bhumi Punjabi, Smita Bobhate, Krishnakshi RaviShankor

Quality & Love - Harmony BHIS

A bouquet of love

Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of a conscious mind. Ignorance is bliss until it hits you in the face. The real education is the one that will set you free to enrich your mind and enlighten your soul. It is noteworthy that you can't be a great teacher if you stop being a student. We should not forget that we are all students in life. To stop learning is to stop living. Hence, quality is that potential which we need to recuperate in our dealings with others throughout our life.

 Quality in an educational institute is one that is pedagogically and developmentally sound and educates the student in becoming an active and productive member of society. It is not one that is measured purely by a test scorer. Rather it fabricates the young minds and builds the pillars of a nation.

“To educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society." -Teddy Theodore Roosevelt

Love strengthens all the values

It was five years back, the teacher reminisces the incident that opened a new avenue of outlook in her life. On 23^rd June, unexpectedly there was a call from Grade VIII. It was the dispersal time, she was waiting at the door to hear the announcement, and that very day, the teacher’s duty was on the 5^th floor. So, she took the stairs to reach the class which was on the 7^th floor after handing over the duty to another teacher. As she stepped into Grade VIII, the entire class welcomed her with a loud cry of elation. She was touched by the greetings and wishes profusely of her little sweethearts and they made her feel that it was only her day. The teacher was flooded with loads of wishes and gifts. Eventually, she was empowered with her so-called emotions. Her tears trickled down her cheeks and really it was that day when she was moved by the love of her young minds. She was the class teacher of these children when they were in Grade VII. To her great surprise, she couldn’t imagine that these youngsters would remember her when she was not teaching them. The love that they displayed it was a laurel for her.

The appreciation as a token of love that she received was sown long days back.

White, fluffy clouds drifted across the clear, blue sky. Generally, during morning time of the summer before the children arrived, the teacher closed her eyes while sitting near the window of her class and felt that the meadow and floral blooms were as much within her as they were around the vicinity, she loved to sense the warm earth.

 On such a bright sunny day when the teacher triggered the mood of the children by assigning them an interesting project.

“Let us start with a community development programme by upgrading ourselves. We will first start working on our school campus by educating our ancillary staff. What do you say?” the announcement of the teacher-created exhilaration among the learners. To teach someone is perpetually a matter of enthusiasm for the kids.

Punit was selected as the team leader for this new endeavour. There are more inquisitive children to take part in teaching in comparison to the number of ancillary staff.

“Ma’am, I need your guidance while making the schedule for training the staff” Punit mumbled and looked at his teacher anxiously.

“Why not, I will help you at any cost. Don’t be bothered.” Punit noticed the sign of reassurance in his teacher’s voice.

“We have to give scope to everyone to teach”, Punit showed his concern for his fellow mates, he continued, “we need to work united to make the project a grand success.” His confidence was echoed in his voice.

“ Yes, of course, Punit,” the teacher’s words impacted upon him as a great solace. The teacher had a strong trust in Punit because she knew that Punit had that intellect to shoulder the responsibility of this project. His patience, sincerity, understanding and thoughtfulness always reflected in his behaviour while dealing with others.

Punit took the help of Shivam to plan the schedule and the topics to be taught. It was decided that they would first teach the auxiliary staff how to do signing instead of thumb impression. Then they introduced the soft skills by training them how to attend a visitor in the school, how to greet the children, they enlightened them by sharing information related to the women empowerment and so on.

Patently, the entire project brought the children close to each other. It built simplicity, tolerance, trust, courage, understanding, cooperation and respect for the outside world. They realized how to be caring and humble towards the community. Quality in their thoughts, quality in their action led them to develop a love for learning.

As said by Dalai Lama,” It is vital that when educating our children’s brains we do not neglect to educate their hearts.”

Harmony @ Billabong High International School, Thane 
- Abira Chakraborty, Pooja Khona, Bhumika Ailsinghani, Rajshri Rane, Soniya Kuril, Poonam Choudhary, Kavita Shetty

Quality and Love - Rectifier BHIS

"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavour."-Vince Lombardi

Quality education nurtures a love for learning and in turns earns quality life,

Tom is a renowned stage artist. It wasn’t so easy for him to act on stage. During his school days, Tom was not academically good and also stammered in front of all his classmates. He was commonly referred to as dumb by his classmates.  To add to his problems his brother, Harry was very bright and gifted and is too actively participate in all inter-school competitions and was well known in school. As usual, Harry was elected for a major role in drama and Tom was asked to be backstage during rehearsals.

In speech and drama class, Mrs Rita, their new teacher was directing students to act and deliver dialogues for the competition while Tom was standing aside and enacting and delivering the dialogues with students during their rehearsal. Tom, was continuously observed by Mrs Rita.

Mrs Rita asked him to come up and say the dialogue and act. But Tom refused and said that he couldn't. "Of course you can," Mrs. Rita responded encouragingly. "Young man, come up here; speak and act for me."

“But I can’t “insisted Tom and said “I am misfit for everything.”

At that point, Mrs Rita stepped out from her desk and looked at Tom straight in his eyes.

"Don't ever say that again," she told him firmly. "Someone else's opinion of you does not have to become your reality. “This words of Mrs Rita echoed in Tom’s ears and helped Tom regain his confidence.

Not only did Mrs Rita encouraged Tom to participate in drama but also helped him overcome his stage fear. Tom won the best actor award and also a lot of laurels for his school.

Tom never forgot those words of Mrs Rita and spent the rest of his life overcoming incredible odds and pursuing his goals with intense passion.

Time and time again, thanks to Mrs Rita, that one teacher's powerful revelation, Tom has lived the phrase and now a national awardee for stage shows.

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams
And live the life you have imagined.

Remember that quality of life is determined by the quality of thoughts.

"You are the finest, loveliest, tenderest and most beautiful person I have ever known and even that is an understatement."-F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Rectifier @ Billabong High International School, Thane

-Pallavi Harkare, Mahalakshmi Iyer, Prerna Khanna, Priyanka Iyer, Rajeshri Mohite, Kalpana Dodia

Quality and Love: Penta BHIS

I call my students ‘My Kids’ because in our year together, they are not just kids on my class list. They become a part of my heart. Every year we have a set of students who pass by, change their classes, move to other schools, but at the ending days, a thank you note from the students saying ‘I will miss you teacher’, ‘I love you teacher’ says so much of the quality of values we were successful to imbibe in them.

Hear our story

Penta @ Billabong InternationalHigh School, Thane

- Jeeji Sanjeev, Sanika Joshi, Arpita M.G., Muskaan Menda, Radhika Anand, Supriya Naravankar & Bhavani Swamy.

Freedom and Peace - Ajay Vijayvargi

India won freedom by Peace (Non-violence) and now it is maintaining peace in Kashmir and

in other states with freedom by democratic ways (abolishing Section 370 and 35 A) – passing a bill in the Parliament.

Freedom is important for all humans; we have numerous examples in History where nations and races have struggled to win Freedom – Freedom movement of India, and freedom movements of South Africa – apartheid. All these struggles were led by great leaders who had a vision for the nation.

At individual level freedom can have different perspectives- freedom from orthodox beliefs, from habits that are harmful and evil practices in the society. Good habits are hard to form but easy to live with whereas bad habits are easy to form but are hard to live with; one must free himself from bad habits.

Peace at the micro level – when children are small parents show concern, care and love for them and when parents are old grown-up children show love, care and concern for them, so as an end result wherever these relationships exist peace also exists. Peace is important for an individual to become responsible. An individual if at peace at home will be at peace with the outer world.

If we are free we will be peaceful and if we are at peace with ourselves we can plan our freedom at all levels – individual, social and spiritual levels and this will help us to grow freely with peace.

Ajay Vijayvargi

The Fabindia School.

avi@fabindiaschools.in

Freedom and Peace - Monika Vaishnav

Freedom means the absence of restrictions. Freedom is where you can think what you want, you can do what you want without harming others, you can go where you want to without stopping others, you can speak what you feel and you can live the way you want.  Freedom makes us fearless and confident in life. It gives satisfaction and peace to mind. 

Freedom in life makes it cheerful. Freedom gives wings to our thoughts which are in our minds. But we all must respect the freedom we have and we should never take advantage of it to take away others freedom or rights. As we must remember that our rights end where other people's rights begin. Freedom should be within ourselves. It should be in mind and soul. 

Without freedom, our life will be like a puppet. If you want to be yourself and explore things, you must think freely.  We should never misuse the freedom we have. Freedom should be to make people live their lives happily and spread peace.  Freedom should be taken in a positive way which helps people to explore themselves and create new opportunities in life.  It never gives us any right to create noise or disturbance in other's life. 

Peace is essential to living a happy and healthy life. Peace is the state of relaxation or lack of anxiety. We must have patience and tolerance to spread peace. Without peace, our life will be restless. Our desires have no end, so we should learn to be happy with whatever we have and keep trying to fulfil our wishes with patience. 

Monika Vaishnav

The Fabindia School

mvv4fab@gmail.com

Freedom and Peace - Prakash Dangi

Everybody wants to be free. It means the opportunity to think and decide without any interference. Everyone wants freedom in social, economically, and cultural life. It is a condition in which people have to speak and act freely. The value of freedom can only be understood and appreciated by those who have a sense of part and a highly developed understanding of human nature.

Freedom of thought, opinion, creativity and faith are fundamentally human beings. Freedom of expression is one of the most important issues in recent years. Freedom of expression does not require following the opinion of the people, but we must give everybody the right to expose their ideas. 

Freedom refers to a state of independence where you can do what you like without any restriction by anyone. Every teacher's responsibility is to build a freedom environment in the classroom because it is essential for friendly learning. It is necessary for school life because when all teachers feel the freedom they all work together for the student's future.

“Peace” is a word that is almost as frequently as “truth,” “beauty,” and “love.” It means being one with life itself having no fear or bitterness. who is free from passion, fear and anger’ is said to have achieved inner peace. It is an important role play in education because education is more effective and meaningful in a peaceful environment.

A teacher’s prime responsibility is to help students become good human beings, motivated to fulfil their true potential not only for their own benefit but also for the betterment of society as a whole. A teacher must adapt the value of peace because “The destiny of a nation is shaped inside the four walls of the classroom”. The teacher has the greatest responsibility of building a nation.

Prakash Dangi

The Fabindia School

pda@fabindiaschools.in

The Making Of Learning Forward

First time since the formation of the India Affiliate, on the 13th Day of May 2020, the Executive Officers of Learning Forward held a meeting with the Learning Forward India (LFIN) Board. Present at the meeting Denise Glyn Borders President/CEO, Fredrick Brown Chief Learning Officer/Deputy, Michael Lanham COO/CFO, Elizabeth Foster Vice President Research & Standards, Rajinder Pal Devgan Chairman LFIN, Dr Vasudha Neel Mani Vice-Chairperson LFIN,  Karl Clauset Hon Advisor LFIN, Manoj Jeyaraj Member LFIN, Devanjali Dutt Member LFIN and Sandeep Dutt Founder LFIN. With the idea of the new normal in the COVID19 pandemic times, we unravel how LFIN took this as an opportunity to build on their core programs, what they have done for the well-being of Teachers and how the My Good School Online will deliver a personalised school experience. With innovations like the byte-sized PD, focusing on the core values and the focus on the personal and social development of every individual, the story of LFIN India, this could be a best-practices study for the Learning Forward Affiliates across the world. Please excuse us for audio quality, we recorded the conversation across time zones and with the challenge of poor networks.

Listen to the story

स्वतंत्रता और शान्ति: उषा पंवार

देश की आजादी से ही देश के हर नागरिक के आजादी जुड़ी है। आजादी का अर्थ मनमानी करने की छूट नहीं है बल्कि इसका अर्थ है कि नियम-कायदों की सीमा में रहते हुए व्यक्ति सही ढंग से अपने कर्तव्यों की पालना करें, अपनी सीमा में रहे और दूसरों को कष्ट ना हो। 8 से 9 साल के बाद बच्चों को आजादी देनी चाहिए कि वह अपने बारे में छोटे-छोटे निर्णय ले सके, जैसे कि उन्हें खेल खेलने जाना है, क्या पहनना है, कितनी देर पढ़ाई करनी है या कितनी देर टीवी देखना है। यानी इस उम्र से ही उन पर कुछ जिम्मेदारी डालनी चाहिए क्योंकि एक बार युवावस्था में पहुँचने के बाद तो वह वैसे भी मनमानी करते हैं।

बड़ों को बच्चों की उम्र के अनुसार उनपर विश्वास करना चाहिए। कुछ बातों का निर्णय उन पर छोड़ देना चाहिए। माता पिता को अपनी पसंद थोपनी नहीं चाहिए बल्कि उसे निर्णय लेने में मदद करनी चाहिए। ऐसे में उनका आत्मविश्वास बढ़ेगा और ज्यादा आत्मनिर्भर बनेंगे। बच्चों को आत्मनिर्भर बनाने के लिए उनकी बात को ध्यान से सुनना चाहिए। बच्चे को आगे क्या करना है, इसका निर्णय अभिभावक को नहीं बल्कि बच्चों को ही करना चाहिए, 12वीं के बाद बच्चे इतने सयाने हो जाते हैं कि वे अपना कैरियर खुद चुन सकते हैं। बच्चों को उस समय मार्गदर्शन व सहयोग की आवश्यकता होती है जब वह अपनी पसंद की पढ़ाई करेंगे तो बेहतर परिणाम मिलेगा।

बच्चे मन के सच्चे होते हैं, इनका मन कोरे कागज की तरह होता है। बच्चों को बोलने की, खेलने की, पढ़ने की पूरी आजादी दे दो, बच्चों में निश्चित रूप से विकास होगा। बच्चों को खेल खेल में शिक्षित, गुणवान बनाकर उनका सर्वांगीण विकास कर सकते हैं। हमें बच्चों की भावनाओं का भी ध्यान रखना रखना चाहिए। छोटा बच्चा समझकर उनके निर्णय को टालना नहीं चाहिए। माता-पिता व शिक्षकों को बच्चों की रूचि का ख्याल रखना चाहिए। माता पिता को बच्चों पर पूरा भरोसा विश्वास करते हुए, उन्हें आजादी के साथ जिम्मेदारी का एहसास दिलाना चाहिए। जिन बच्चों पर ज्यादा प्रतिबंध लगाए जाते हैं वही चोरी-छिपे आजादी का गलत इस्तेमाल करते हैं।

बच्चे की वास्तविक प्रतिभा पहचानने और निखारने की शिक्षा का उद्देश्य आजादी देना जरूरी है। माता पिता और अध्यापक को ध्यान रखना है कि बच्चे को बड़े होकर जो बनना है उसमें उसकी मदद की जाए।

खुशहाल जीवन के लिए जहाँ शांति है वहाँ विकास है, जहाँ विकास है वहाँ सुख है। मन जब स्थिर हो जाता है तो उस स्थिति को शांति कहते हैं । शांति मधुरता और भाईचारे की अवस्था है जिसमें कोई लड़ाई झगड़े, बैर भाव नहीं होते। शांति का अर्थ यह भी नहीं है कि केवल मुँह से चुप रहना बल्कि मन का चुप रहना ही सच्ची सुख शांति है कहते हैं कि जहाँ शांति है वहाँ सुख है। मनुष्य के पास धन दौलत, वैभव और सुख साधन है परंतु शांति नहीं है तो कुछ भी नहीं है यह सब कुछ खरीदे जा सकते हैं लेकिन शांति खरीद नहीं सकते हैं।

Usha Panwar

The Fabindia School, Bali

upr4fab@gmail.com