Happiness and Tolerance - Dynamic DGS

In any country, it is important that schools teach children the right values; tolerance, being a very important one. In society, we need tolerance and acceptance of religion, eating habits, culture. Children in schools, at an early age, should be taught diversity and how to live with each other happily. Diversity is all about understanding our individual differences - culture, habits and customs. It came as a shock to me to see in schools, the level of intolerance of different kinds, some as early as primary school.

Tolerance plays an important part in promoting social equality in school. Every person has the right to follow one's own religious beliefs, eat the kind of food one likes and children from an early age must be taught to respect the differences while interacting with each other. Peer pressure should be a positive influence.

As a teacher, one has to lead by example and be a role model. One should be careful of the advice one gives and explain to the children the advantages of tolerance and living happily as a community. Tolerance in diversity eventually leads to happiness.

Residential schools are second homes for children. A home away from home. Interaction between a teacher and the student is not restricted to the four walls of the classroom. For long hours of the day they are together in the class, dining hall, infirmary, games field, swimming pool, auditorium, dormitories. The teacher deals with all kinds of traits in children and it is only by being tolerant, compassionate that one is able to reach out and bring happiness in the child’s life.

Happiness is about being nice and spreading it all around. Happiness is beyond any mathematical equation or a rocket science that can be solved or invented. It is neither complicated nor so simple to understand.

Sometimes all the child wants is someone to listen to her and these small gestures like listening to what children have to say can make them so happy. Instead of punishing a child or getting angry we should try and understand why the child is behaving differently or not concentrating in class.

In a school, a child cannot be happy if the teacher is disgruntled, not really happy with her colleagues or her mentors. We are the idols for children and they do what they see, so we should give them what they should see, good behaviour.

Dynamic DGS @ The Doon Girls' School, Dehradun - Shilpika Pandey,  Reena Gusain, Rachna Bharrdwaj, Meenakshi Panwar, Reah Sikand & Sumali Devgan