Random Thoughts : The spirit of Christmas

The Spirit of Christmas

 

 

I have been cheating!!Call it whatever...                                               

but what I have done is not really punishable.

coz i was teaching something...

faith, belief, harmony,

appreciating other traditions,

joining others festivities...

believing in others, yourself.... and so on...

I made my children really believe that there was a Santa Claus and he would get them gifts .... they would decorate the tree, make creative decorations…[ some of them would be path breaking…. Like a mobile [!!!!], a trumpet, a broom[ thanks to harry potter], and what not… they learnt to think out of the box to make something new every time…

The children in the neighbourhood would enjoy playing with each other..... sing carols.... learn about Rudolph....and be good children.... [Coz Santa gives gifts to only good children??!!!.].

I did all this and much more….

I taught them letter writing -- write a letter to Santa asking for gifts, your letter should be polite and give him a choice of gifts to choose from [for you] it might not be available in the market sometime [aaagh… it used to be tough finding the exact thing….]

Speech writing…. What would you say if you met Santa…. Or if  Santa visited you. How would you greet him and what would you do …..

Message writing….. You want a gift from Santa….but will be unable to stay awake late in the night to meet him…. Leave a message for him… informing him the reasons for doing so…

It was through and through teaching beyond the classroom…. Teaching values… faith, conviction.

All the while I would enjoy playing secret Santa, buying the gifts.. wrapping them and then hiding them till they went off to sleep…then joining them when they would un wrap them -to see their excitement…

Then they grew up….… started questioning…. Stopped believing everything we said…. Lost their innocence…grew out of childhood.

Sigh!.

This time I again asked my kid to write a note for Santa… for  his gifts…

He didn’t.

He said…I won’t ask him for anything more… he has given me everything…lovely parents who take care of all my needs… if he wants to give anything on his own…. He may do so…

Now what do I do….

Any suggestions.???

 

Random thoughts:

So how does one celebrate children's day???

Children don't want to be called children....

How do we celebrate childhood? Children are impatiently waiting to step into adulthood ...

Waiting to fulfil their dreams and overcome hopes and fears

As a child I would love to celebrate the day. It was the day when there would be no teaching and only playing [and officially!] No one would reprimand us. We would be spoken to with wide smiles and our impish adventures were all forgiven on that day. Then we would get a toffee from the class teacher … or a colourful balloon from the principal. Such simple gifts, but they meant a lot to us. The assembly hall would be packed with balloons and some would explode and then there would be giggling and laughs… it was… funny and memorable.. Today I look back and then realise no teacher would dare give a toffee to their student today! Or even a balloon…. Just imagine the look on their faces…. Celebrating children’s day has become difficult. Whatever we do …as teachers… we fall short of their expectations..

lets help them and not discourage their blossoming dreams to the ground

lets not treat them like dirt and without respect

lets not abuse their innocence

lets not force them to live with so much of anguish and hard work

lets not dispirit their talents

lets show acceptance of different perspectives[theirs]

lets be more tolerant to their questions and pace of learning

lets not forget that they are the ones who will change our future

lets not forget that they need our love care and help all the while
 let them know that this is ‘Children's day.'

Let us……let them ……know every day is Children’s day.

So please share with me what according to you would be an ideal celebration on children’s day.

Au Revoir !

                    au re·voir 

This is for all my friends. My students.

You are now entering the “real world.”

We have prepared you for your careers, and I hope that it will lead to successful future.

 Whatever you may be pursuing- for graduation, I know you will make us proud. I do hope though that you plan to stay in touch with your friends, teachers, and the school. What you will be receiving from cbse in a few weeks is just a certificate / evidence of having cleared your basic education. Remember there is no way to evaluate you as a person. No way to tell if you have imbibed all the skills/values for life. Your passing out only symbolizes the years of growing up, fun, friends, frustration, happiness, and other emotions you have experienced over the years. Your preparing for ‘unending’ unit tests, ‘unnecessary’ assignments and ‘unrelenting’ homework’s will have come to an end - those moments of extreme joy in seeing your projects succeed, and the times where you wondered how you were going to get through it all,.. all the Photostatting manually of each other’s notes and assignments.. even lab manuals,.. all the speed writing to meet a deadline,… begging for permission for ‘tomorrow definitely’ submissions,.. ah!  You are going to miss those very things - starting now... The gallivanting in the corridors,… peeping into friends classrooms,… checking out the ‘adjustment teacher’ for your classes,.. the extended breaks near the taps, the canteen, corridors, stairs,…  wont you miss those.? Those free periods and catching up with gossip, those ‘run for your life’ movements in the corridors, those last second… brainwave scribbles during the exams… those long trousers to hide your real colors [ of socks!], those shoes that got dusty due to the dust in the assembly…??? Right… ???  they were polished when you left home….
Reflect on those years and try to remember all that has happened …you.. we’ve all been through so much, both collectively and individually. Start thinking of things that you want to do next year; think of ways you can you can improve and excel your own self. Assess your own self… and your worth. Don’t wait for any …board… to tell you how good you are…. believe in yourself!!

So what were your best memories of your school?

 

Random Thoughts

' Missing you.....'

It scares me

Family Bonding is a  precarious thin thread.

Relationships only exist on fb

Relations visiting each other is sacrilegious-

“How could they even think of coming to pay a visit??”

“Don’t they know today is a Sunday??”

“MY holiday and tomorrow is the kids Unit Test??”

‘Relations’  have been cast on to a ‘ship’

I meet my friends more often than my cousins or bros and sisters

I miss my cousins

I miss my childhood

I miss  my nani [as she made sure we all found time to bond]

I miss those days when there was no time set for ‘playtime’

 I miss their attention, love

I miss their asking me something

I miss our sharing and caring

I miss our girlish giggles

I miss listening to grievances and acknowledging concerns

I miss the chilling out and spending time together

I miss the emotional bonding

I miss all that and much more

Those were the days my friend!

As the years pass by

I see them grow and go their separate ways

I see them grow ambitious and independent

I see them grow… away …

But that bonding feeling---does stay

Time goes so fast, we don’t see it pass

Before we know it we are breathing our last.

Those were the ONLY days my friends.

Heemal

 

The Radio Show

Our formal school time-table content is insufficient to attain all that is required for an overall development of the student.In my class, I felt the need to focus on improving their public speaking, as an extra-mural activity  involving language. Good habits of oral delivery mastered at school will be of value to my students. In their adult working years they may have to make formal presentations at meetings, seminars and all manner of negotiations.

Activities that provide students with non-threatening opportunities to improve their public speaking skills help develop learner confidence and language skills. What a wonderful gift to give our students!

 I had always been wary of public speaking activities in language classrooms. I wondered about the relevance of oratory for my students' language needs and I doubted whether it would be possible to encourage and motivate the students through such a difficult activity. One thing I was sure about - was that it had to be in a different learning environment and it would work.

Sitting in the audience are not just any students. The students comprise of  peers and their junior batch. This activity was a perfomance of only the top 2 teams and in front of a'learning ' audience.They were bonding not only with language but also with their seniors and learning too. It was challenging for them to try to do better than their seniors in the next year.Good habits of oral delivery as in the radio show, mastered  at school will be of value to my students.

The radio show was designed in such a manner that these first timers got a 'private space' to themselves to perform as is done in a recording studio,  Only therir voices would be audible to the audience and all their others movements and fallacies invisible!

When all the presentations had been made, I, as a teacher made comments on their performances with the aim of helping students to improve their performance. Correct usage of phrases, exact pronunciation of words, tempo of delivery and audibility of voice were looked into.

The teacher’s attitude is of course vital. To err is human but we can all learn from our own errors and those of others. They were provided a good opportunity  to speak and others  got a chance to learn through listening and observation.

The juniors put up questions  to develop their positive questioning attitude [Bloom's taxonomy] which helps trigger a higher level of thinking. So questions that require analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Here a student  is asking the "whys" and the 'hows" of certain things.No one probably ever fails when they ask questions. This is one of the fundamental tools in a successful communication process. Questioning is the key to better understanding of the things that are not clear to us.

This activity helps gain confidence and helps to express clearly and use english language effectively. It enables the students to improve in asking clear questions, and answering their questions audibily and appropriately.It also helps in speaking to a group of people in a particular manner intending to inform, influence or entertain listeners. Radio shows also help to remove reluctance to public speaking and inculcate teamwork spirit.- an important skill in public life too! 

Dramatic Inquiry in the Classroom

I took a keen interest in using Dramatic Inquiry in the classroom as a teaching and learning approach. All of us got to learn quite a few things from the experience. I hope to post some of that on the blog over the next few days or weeks to share our learning with others who may be interested in making their classes more active and interesting places that engage pupils deeply in their learning. My posts will be about their performances on the final day with an audience of 'their peers' and 'my peers'!

"As teachers, we are not destined to teach like other teachers, even when we admire their approaches"

At times I feel the need to get me and my students out of the four walls of the classroom and try new methodologies and strategies to challenge myself and make sure I don’t stagnate standing behind a rigid and inflexible podium.

“Dramatic playing is essential for children’s learning empathy and self-control. Children learn to empathize as they view the world from other people’s perspectives including those of peers, adults, and people in stories.”

The most important thing is to create a respectful, emotionally safe community of learners so everyone feels comfortable working and growing together.

Drama revealed aspects of realistic human conditions- while having fun they were developing skills of coordination, imitation and it helped them to flex their emotional, mental muscles in a controlled setting.

The dramatic approach helped my students to come together as a group. There were arguments but slowly they learnt to make adjustments, they realized ..'United we succeed, Divided we fail' 

I wanted them to feel special as a class..... as a community, as a group- and grow together, evolve together... and I think they did!

As a teacher I just set the tone for it all. They learnt cooperation, planning and decision making skills. It helped them build their self esteem and refined their presentation skills. The best part was when they took immense pride in their work and learnt problem solving. They made their own norms- they made their teams, worked in teams, built trust and mutual respect.

At one point of time they wanted to be graded but during the preparations, they relegated grades to the last seat. Their priorities had changed. They let flow their artistic abilities and vivid imaginations.

The whole class was amazed on how effective dramatic inquiry had provided an endless opportunity to them for personal growth. They had become more responsible, had improved their management and organisational skills, their creativity and imagination...

A student centred class!

An enraptured audience

In the whole process I stood strong - adorning the role of a supporter. I wanted them to take responsibility for their own learning. I wanted the classroom to be student-centered. I believe every student is a potential teacher for the whole group.

It makes sense that dramatic skills can help us become the person we want to be. Dramatic Inquiry has the potential of making our lives better as we will be better understood and may help us become the people we want to be. Drama is all about how we present ourselves. If the student can communicate better, the more likely others will see him/her as he/she wishes to be seen.

The team behind the scenes - Who made things possible !!

Therefore, the skills of drama can help the student become the person that he/she wants to be. 

ALL SMILES

It was  fun learning all the way!

No elaborate words are required - again just like being with them and being there for them when they want my help. What gives me satisfaction at the end of the day are those smiles and kind words of appreciation said with gratitude.ALL SMILES - This is one photograph I cherish always.

A beautiful smile is the biggest 'Trophy"

It is nice to have complied and calculated the number of students that I have taught in my entire career and the number touches close to 28000. An Amazing WOW that I could turn in so much during my career. Children wherever you are- Its nice to feel that I have made a difference for you, left a mark or have been some kind of nice influence in your lives that you will be using them today. God Bless and its my sincere wish that you may excel more.!

Santa and Me!
 
There have been times when I have not really needed to find a reason to make my students smile.The greatest joy comes from seeing them happy and smiling. The Annual Day rhehersals were on. It had been a tiring day. It was 24rth Decemeber and we were all exhausted, but there seemed no respite from the  rigorously practise. It was then, that I got the costume and secretly dressed up as Santa, carried lots of chocolates in my bag and gave everyone a surprise!! Wow! What a surprise it turned out to be!!! Hell broke loose! Everyone was happy and SMILING.How could anyone get angry at SANTA?

"Chocolates for everyone- all I want is a smile please "

 

 

Teachers and students remember that day till date. Making people smile was the biggest gift I could give on that day and  hope the Santa in me keeps it going always.

 

 

The fact tht I  can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another's, smile at someone and receive a smile in return are to  me  continual happiness- personified!