Freedom and Peace - Jaspreet Kaur

Freedom means we can do anything according to our abilities and inner potential. There are numerous instances where I felt that my potential was not encouraged during my school period. Here I would like to write about 3 Instances as a student where I felt that more freedom at my disposal would be allowed me to realize my potential in a better way: - 

1st Instance- During my school Sports Meet, my teachers always selected a few students who were their favourites in various games. They never gave me a chance to explore my skills in badminton. Although I played with my friends and brother in the evening and always won, my sports teacher never gave me a chance to show my talent in school. My parents also requested them, but they always ignored their pleas. I still think I might be a good player if my teacher showed trust in me and if they gave me the freedom to play on the ground. I knew many of my friends too, who were very good and never got a chance to play at State or National level.

2nd Instance- I was not very good at Art as my art teacher never encouraged my artistic skills. It is the moral duty of every teacher to give equal chances to every student, whether they have some incapabilities. Real teachers always teach from the heart, not from any book. Whenever I did something wrong in my drawing book, my teacher scolded me and said, “Never try to do art; you can’t do it”. Gradually, I lost interest and still couldn’t draw anything confidently.

3rd Instance- As a student, I always hesitated while speaking in mike as my teachers never motivated me to speak in morning assemblies or functions. Mostly they have chosen monitors of the class or some favourite learners.  Today’s scenario has totally changed. Now teachers give a chance to each and every student. They give freedom to everyone to explore their hidden potential. In our school, we also give the whole class chances and help them be confident. We are promoting SDG goal number 4, Quality Education.

Causes people to give us peace and adopt violence: -

Peace is a situation or period in which there is no war or violence in a country or area. There are numerous reasons that people adopt violence and give up peace. The primary reason for the violence is now people have less patience than before. Young people can’t tolerate any suggestion given by their parents.

The next reason is work pressure and frustration; when people feel overburdened, they adopt violent methods. Moreover, disagreements in opinions also play a vital role in adopting violence and giving us peace. Teachers play a crucial role in the classrooms and in society. When there is any conflict between students, teachers must counsel them by giving real-life examples where small conflicts lead to violence. In this way, they can understand the significance of peace in society. Teachers must share meaningful folktales related to freedom and peace in the classrooms. During Assemblies, teachers can share keywords and names of persons who receive Nobel peace prizes. The biographies can be shared, for instance – The biography of Malala Yousafzai, Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa. Teachers must connect some lessons with peace. In our school, we connect our lessons with SDGs. We are promoting SDG goal 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institution.

Jaspreet Kaur 

Kamla Nehru Public School, Punjab