Demystifying Intolerance and Promoting Peace

- A guest post by Mrs. Bindu Sharma

Intolerance and anger pose many problems rather than giving solutions. At times, there is a possibility of unethically stigmatizing people whom we think as our rivals due to the apparent customs, caste, race, language, religion, the way they dress, etc., which may take the form of intolerance. The diversity across the globe in terms of traditions, religions, languages, cultures and ethnicities should be a treasure that enriches us all rather than be a ground for struggle or conflict. 

In order to fight intolerance, individuals should become aware of the link between their behaviour and the vicious cycle of mistrust and violence in society. As these ideas are rooted in the child at a premature age or early childhood, the main areas of concern should be to teach children about open-mindedness, curiosity, tolerance, justice, rights and ways to lead a life of high morals in their early years.

In this modern age, there is a need to understand that problems are global, but they can be solved at the grass root level itself. It is us who need to take the initiative to act alone. Parents and the teaching fraternity need to be equipped with tools to counter the presence of abusive behaviour towards any students, which may further contribute to an enhancement of violence and intolerance in schools. Hence, the necessity to be a part of the solution and not the problem.

Importance of one-to-one interaction in education

- A guest post by Ms Sujata Mandal

Interaction can be an excellent strategy for enhancing student motivation, fostering intellectual agility, and encouraging democratic habits. They create opportunities for students to practice and sharpen a number of skills, including the ability to articulate and defend positions, consider different points of view, and enlist and evaluate evidence.

School is a place where students learn about communication and often develop communication strategies that they will use for the rest of their lives. Therefore, it is important that students learn to communicate effectively. Parents, teachers and administrators should serve as role models and demonstrate effective communication strategies. 

Communication between Teachers and Students

Teachers and students need to be able to have open communication in the classroom. Communication leads to respect, allowing teachers to do their jobs in the most efficient way possible. Students who feel like they can communicate with their teachers are also more likely to ask questions and ask for the help they need. This ultimately leads to increased learning.

Communication between Students

Students learn a lot about communication in school, so it is imperative that they are taught the importance of good communication skills. Group work and activities that enable children to communicate with one another are great options for teachers who are trying to express the importance of good communication skills.

Positive Attitude

Maintaining a positive attitude, as well as a positive tone, when speaking with others in the school environment is one of the most effective communication strategies. Teachers must stay positive with their students instead of being negative about their failures. Students must also know how to keep a positive attitude when dealing with their teachers and peers. Students will find success in the classroom if they learn to bring up their questions, comments and concerns with positive energy.

Asking Questions

Asking questions is another effective communication strategy that is commonly used in schools. Teachers should ensure that their students always feel as comfortable as possible when it comes to asking questions about their schoolwork. Teachers can do this by using encouraging language or reward systems for students who ask questions during class.

Positive, encouraging, honest teacher student communication and interaction showing mutual respect are vital on many levels. Showing interest and care for students will create a trusting and genuine bond with them, and in most cases they will reciprocate, establishing a win-win situation for students and teachers.

Good interaction provides avenues for exploration and discovery. When planning an interaction it is helpful to consider not only cognitive, but also social/emotional, and physical factors that may foster productive exchange of ideas, create trusting and respectful relationships, and promote the well-being, self-esteem, and sense of security in students.

Ms Sujata Mandal is our School Coordinator: Activities and Sports and Head of Department (Science).

Why practical knowledge is important for students?

-          A guest post by Ms Keya Sen

When an engineer says, “I am building a bridge”, the expression not merely focuses on the fact that she is creating something, but also talks about her way of expressing her knowledge through practical application. She is exercising what she learnt through books in a real-world scenario. No matter how many tests she might have given or how many assignments she may have aced, what mattered at that moment is how accurately she could apply her learning of so many years. Here arises the question of practical knowledge.

A person who is able to experience things not just gets a hands-on understanding of the subject, but also learns in a faster and easier manner. The same theory applies to students.

A child’s personal mode of learning is in fact through experiencing what is happening and recognising things through practical approach. This makes the child enhance her speculative knowledge and she is able to judge in accordance to the facts.

The child’s practical knowledge paves the way of knowing about things. For example, the teacher may say, if one is building a bridge out of concrete and steel one should use such-and-such a formula to measure the load, she can produce a technical drawing, and she can show a student how to calculate the depth of the foundation. But what would really come handy is to actually let the student work on a model of a bridge, to let her build one from scratch, so that she is able to apply the theory into practice.

So, be it building bridges or making a documentary film, a student should be given the opportunity to explore and gain knowledge, acquired through training, practice, learning facts, and so forth.

Ms Keya Sen is our Senior School Coordinator (Academics).

A typical day in SIS: The story in pictures

At Sehwag International School (SIS), our focus is to develop a student in a holistic manner. We not only stress on creating academic excellence, but also provide value-based education, world-class sporting infrastructure, and an encouraging environment for students to nurture their talents.

A typical day in SIS starts with...

Morning prayer, followed by yoga and exercise sessions…

We ensure that our students are provided with quality food with home-cooked flavor. We follow a stringent meal time schedule:

Early morning meal: 7:00 – 7:15 am

Breakfast: 8:45 – 9:30 am

Lunch: 12:45 – 1:30 pm

Evening snacks: 3:30 – 4:15 pm

Lime juice: 6:30 pm

Dinner: 8:00 – 8:30 pm

Bed milk: 9:15 pm

Our students learn through interactive and practical approaches…

We give individual attention to each student, with a teacher student ratio of 10:1…

We also focus on developing extra-curricular skills of our children…

We believe a healthy body is built through stringent sports training…

We encourage our students to share bed time stories…

Visit our campus to know more.

Preparing children for boarding school

- A guest post by Ms Pallavi Saikia Farwell

The decision of sending a child to a boarding school might be the toughest call for any parent. This is a major transition for the family as well as for the child.

Being attached to boarding schools for the past 18 years, I can assure you that although it seems to be a tough decision at first, such schools provide stronger foundations for the development of a child. This is a great hub for information and interactions. The people you live with, eat with, and see every day become a huge part of your life.

Every child is different. We as parents need to understand and be sensitive to the individual needs of our children. Before sending a child to any boarding school, it is important to speak to them openly about it and understand their point of view. Further, we should be confident about the school we are sending our child to. We should share as much information about the school with the child, take him on a tour to the school, and let him interact with people there.

Make sure you highlight about the advantages of having a boarding school experience. Tell them that along with enhancing self-esteem, confidence and decision making skills, they will be provided with guided study hours and opportunity to make friends from different cultural backgrounds.

However, it is also essential for parents to tell a child that he will always be missed at home. Parents should ensure creating strong and loving relationships with their children, which will help in the transition. It will build confidence in the child and provide stability and security during this tough phase.

In my so many years of being in boarding schools, I have learnt the greatest lesson of my life, being respectful to each other. Here, I have also seen children growing into confident young adults with nurturing and disciplined way of life.

So, whenever you decide to send your child to a boarding school, remember to help him acclimatise with the changed surrounding even before he joins the school. Preparing a child beforehand will surely go a long way.

Ms Pallavi Saikia Farwell is Head of Human Resources and Public Relations at Sehwag International School. She comes with 18 years of boarding school experience and has worked with schools such as Assam Valley School, Sarala Birla Academy, The Sanskar Valley School and Birla International School.

Importance of sports in education

"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy", a popular proverb sums it all. Without a balanced approach towards education, a child will only have a lopsided perspective. He will not be able to appreciate the other finer aspects of life, if only studies are in his mind. It is often perceived that sports is a complete waste of time and instead, students should utilise their time in learning and studying. However, such thinking needs to change, as sports has its own benefits.

Advantages of sports education:

Making children active and agile: With the invent of Internet, computers and television, children these days are leading a sedentary lifestyle, either being glued on their TV sets or playing/surfing on their computers. This has led to various lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, heart problems even in kids. Also, obesity has become a major challenge in these children. In order to combat these issues, it is important to inculcate the habit of playing outside or develop a passion for sports that would ensure certain amount of physical exercises. 

Developing mental abilities: In order to play any sports, together with physical ability, it is also important to create mental faculties of the players. A child is taught to sharpen his problem solving abilities, take instant decisions, and handle pressure situations while on the field. These skills are also important in personal life as well, and help in developing the overall personality of a student. 

Nurturing sportsmanship spirit: Sportsmanship spirit teaches to be fair and ethical in one’s conduct, strives to have a winning attitude and even while being in the losing team, should be graceful in one’s behavior. Such an attitude is also essential in equipping a person with life skills and to face various challenges in one’s life.

Initiating team building: A person cannot work in silo, it is essential for people to work together to create greater impact. When a child learns any sports, he is also taught the basics of being a team member and how a match could be won only through team collaboration. He is told that besides individual brilliance, team effort is also needed for success. 

Giving wings to passions: Many kids are passionate about sports. They often want to become a sportsperson rather than an academician. A parent should respect the interest of their children and encourage their kids to take up this passion and translate it into a profession. 

Sports in fact, is the medium through which a child is initiated into another dimension altogether. He is shown another perspective to nurture his curiosity and channelize his energy in a positive manner.So, next time when you go for your child education, ensure to check these small details. These surely would go a long way in the holistic development of your child.