‘Let’s remember the golden heritage of our Motherland and be a proud Indian’
The Montessorians of Ekya School, Byrathi planned a special assembly along with Republic Day celebrations for all students on January 25th, 2021. The event was on the theme, ‘Our Freedom Fighters’. The students of all grades were present for the event. The session commenced with a patriotic song, Sare Jahan Se Accha by a student.
The thought for the day, ‘Freedom in our Mind, Faith in our Words, Pride in our Hearts and Memories in our Soul’. was shared. This was followed by a short speech by three students on the Preamble of the Constitution. The struggle for Independence and how the government was formed post Independence was explained briefly and the National Symbols of India were shared along with interesting facts about the nation.
A couple of our talented Montessorians performed a dance to celebrate the spirit of patriotism and freedom. The session highlight included an interview session with the middle school students. Two of the Montessori students interviewed five middle schoolers on the history and significance of Republic Day, interesting facts about our Country, the constitutional rights and duties of every citizen, and some key features of the Republic Day parade held every year. A short video of the parade from the year 2020 was played during the session. Students were encouraged to watch the live telecast of the Republic Day Parade on the 26th morning.
The second half of the event was a video presentation by all the Montessori Juniors, dressed as the mighty warriors who strove for Independence, such as the Rani of Jhansi, Bhagat Singh, Subhash Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sarojini Naidu, Chandrashekar Azad, and Mahatma Gandhi.
The Head of School addressed the gathering and appreciated students’ efforts in seamlessly getting accustomed to the new normal and applauded the little heroes for putting up a grand show. The finale of the event included the vote of thanks by one of the students’ who thanked and urged the gathering to be proud Indians since not everyone has the privilege of being part of this rich and varied heritage.
The session came to a close with the vote of thanks and the National Anthem. It was indeed yet another time of vibrance and enthusiasm. The Spirit of freedom and patriotism was evident throughout the session.
The Big Ballad Of wee Wee Tan
Here starts a dense story, Of a great chicken's glory. There once was a hen Her name was Wee Tan Her jokes were lame, But her brain was a flame Afterall, a hen with a joke Is someone hard to provoke. But, never never forget, She was a very clever pet. On a dark dark night, Wee foresaw a stark plight She saw her fearsome fate On a plentiful plate. “How?”,you ask in haste. Through a black iron gate She saw her glamorous mate , moved to a dangerous estate. That place was a mystery, all who entered were history She now knew - the production, Meant also the destruction, Of her dear chickens! The plot now thickens… Wee wanted the world to change, To be an open and free range. The route was rough. The path was tough. But then Wee was clever. She could tackle whatever. Wee had an eggsellent plan, She ordered her chicken clan To march down the lane, And give the men lotta pain The fat factory head, Giggled silly and said, “This is our best day, Our lives no more grey” The chickens got there, And Wee Tan said a prayer. They clucked and pecked, Until the men were decked The press was called, They were appalled To see the wee, bold Wee Lord over every employee This event was a big story, It went down in Chickstory. Now, chickens are worshipped, Cocks and hens no longer shipped. If anyone asks us To harm chickens, Everyone refuses - “What the Dickens!”
By, Ananya Arun, Grade 6, EJPN
Inspired by ‘Pig’ by Roal Dahl
Friends support you, they help you grow. They make you resilient and show your shortcomings. I have such a friend - Failure!!
She is close to me as she has been with me more often than others. She made me learn and be fearless. She kept crossing my path, to show me that I have infinite strength to endure. Endure the humiliation and the pain of losing. Whenever I met this teacher-friend of mine and moved beyond, I found new ways to travel and to grow immensely to create my best version.
Now the best of successful people have met failure more often. Thomas Edison was thrown out of school as he was considered “stupid to learn anything”. Walt Disney, the creator of Mickey Mouse was told he “lacked creativity and imagination”. These greats and many more met with failures and bounced back as better individuals than before and achieved what was unthinkable till that point in time.
This friend of mine has made a promise. Promise to meet me now and then while I am on the highway of success so that I remain humble and sharpen my axe of learning. That I empathize with others, accept things and people as they are and that I come to agree that things won’t go the way I want. She made me know the strength and abilities that I never knew I had.
I have a great association with this friend of mine and am inclined to introduce her into my workplace, to my colleagues and students especially. In this fast-paced, result-oriented, and competitive world; are we letting and training our students to accept this friend? Haven’t we heard a parent asking -” How much did you score in Math out of 100”? “99 - says the Child” “where did you lose 1”- pounces the parent back! Or a teacher preaching to the students before the exam “ Get full marks and make me proud”.
As educators, we have to let the students know that they would fail at times and that failing is okay. Earlier the better. They learn a better lesson. Let them know that the hare and the tortoise have a different pace and a different race to run. And that they need to learn to enjoy the run more than dash at the finish line. And that going past their failures shall make their success sweeter.
Faithful Friends are forever!
By, Chitra Venkateswaran - Ekya ITPL
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