Thoughtfulness and Understanding - Shalini Gurung

Thoughtfulness always leaves a good impression. A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. Most of the problems in life are because of two reasons:

1) We act without thinking. 

2) We keep thinking without acting.

1. Teach Empathy

We spend several months focused on learning. One essential habit that helps students learn to be kind to others, especially when dealing with conflict, is "seek first to understand, then be understood." This helps students see each other through a kindness lens and appreciate what each other is feeling.

2.Create a Friendship

When one act of kindness is conducted between classmates, the recipient of the act passes on a new act of kindness to another classmate until the entire classroom family has experienced at least one act of kindness bestowed upon them at closing circle.

3. Leverage social stories, including a problem to solve

Sharing social stories allows learners to be metacognitive about problems they may encounter. Have a class discussion about how they would feel if they were the character. What would they want at the moment? How would they want the problems solved? 

Understanding is something that comes from the mind of man. It is often used as a synonym for intelligence and discernment. Understanding is a mental faculty that is controlled by the mind of man.

Understanding is deeper than knowledge. Many people know you but very few who ustand you. The biggest mistake by most human beings, listening half, understanding quarter, telling double. Love allows understanding to go down, and understanding is precious.Where you are understanding, you are at home understanding nourishes belonging. When you really feel understood, you feel free to release yourself into the trust and shelter of the other person's soul.Empathy is one of the most critical social skills young learners can develop.Not only is Empathy a primary ingredient of bully-free schools and harmonious, inclusive classrooms. It's also a skill students will use for the rest of their lives as they grow into caring, compassionate adults and good citizens of the world. Empathy is a complex skill, but just like anything else, it can be taught.

Activity

Feeling collage

This is a fun activity to try in any classroom, especially if some of your students are especially shy and might have difficulty acting out emotion in front of the class. Bring a big stack of magazines to class and give each of your student's art supplies: Poster board or construction paper, scissors, glue sticks. Invite your students to cut pictures from the magazines of people expressing any kind of feeling, and instruct them to use these images to build a "Feeling collage'' hand out markers and ask students to label each picture in their collage with a feeling word.

By: Shalini Gurung@JMMS, John Martyn Memorial School, Salangaon, Dehradun