The morning of any major event in school demanded that I wake up early, and I always obliged. So naturally, I had gone to school at least 45 minutes earlier than was expected of me. A palette of greens, oranges, reds, blues, and yellows burst against my face and the familiar chattering of the students chased away my morning drowsiness.
Being one of the 10th graders, I had the day’s course of events already memorized from the weeks of prior practice. Yet, the butterflies of excitement danced within my gut, their soft wings brushing against my insides. The crowd of students was increasing in number, each of them garmented in gorgeous Indian fabrics. The Bharatanatyam dancers laughing and giggling in their beautifully decorated faces, the little boys and girls eager to show off their dance moves, and our beloved teachers bringing the whole canvas of young nationalism together sparked the atmosphere with pride!
The day officially commenced with the march past the senior school. Although we were joking and laughing together, we were all intently after the 200 House points that were promised to the best marching House and I believe that we set our ground ablaze with the fierce competition! The marching ended majestically and the guest speaker was called onstage while we students gathered to sit and watch him. I suppose for me, the real amusement came with the fun dances that followed.
My personal favorite, the “Parachute Dance”, as it was nicknamed, was incredibly delightful to watch and we, the students of the march past, started clapping, cheering, and moving along to the upbeat music! All the parents and teachers seated in the audience were having immense fun watching the lively dancing by the younger students. This event was followed by the glory of talent brought by the amazing Bharatanatyam dancers and it was fascinating to know that behind those lovely painted faces and wonderfully coordinated choreography, were my very own classmates and friends!
The day bore witness to many such outstanding performances by the students. I was also pleasantly surprised to see the familiar faces of my classmates in the audience, who weren’t participating in any of the events. It was deeply comforting to know that they were there to cheer for us. After the climax of our school’s national celebration, the air was buzzing with excitement and I just knew that feeling of patriotism sparked within every single one of us! We chatted up with our teachers and parents about how wonderfully the day had turned out and many of the parents had personally told me how much they loved our performances and the grace with which they were executed.
Truly, it was a day to be remembered!
Mohana Veena,
Editorial Head
Grade 10B
Ekya School – JP Nagar
On September 5th of every year, it is common knowledge that our country celebrates the annual Teacher’s Day. But do you know some of the most interesting facts about teachers, schools, and the education systems all over the world? In this blog, I’m going to cover some amusing facts that I have recently come across.
The declaration of the Indian Teacher’s Day took place in 1962, and if you think about it, that was not very long ago! 5th September was the birthday of India’s second president, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. Back then, the man held the Vice-President’s office and was a beloved teacher and a philosopher. When his students urged him to celebrate his birthday, he decided that his birthday would be declared a tribute to all the teachers of our nation!
Here are some interesting facts about the different schools all over the world!
There is a school named Bottle School, located in the Philippines, Asia. It was constructed using about 9,000 bottles and dozens of volunteers were needed to complete the structure. Each bottle was filled with sand, water, and straw to keep them sturdy. Then, a cement-like substance was used to hold the bottles in place as they were stacked on top of each other to create walls.
Did you know that the largest school in the world is located in our very own India? The City Montessori School (CMS), located in Lucknow city, enters the 2019 Guinness Book of World Records for its enormous student population. There are currently more than 56,000 students attending the school daily. In Lucknow city alone, there are 18 campuses with over 4,500 staff across the city.
All students in the schools in South Korea are expected to stay back after class to clean up their respective classrooms. This includes sweeping, moping, vacuuming, and taking out the trash. They are prohibited to leave until their classrooms have been tidied up!
Bangladesh has some very unique educational institutions. They are renowned for their “boat schools” which are quite literally schools sailing on the water. Bangladesh is prone to severe annual flooding between July and October, and this causes rivers to rise to more than 12 feet. Hence, boat schools are implemented and there are no less than 100 of them in the country. Each one of them is solar powered, consists of a library and even has internet access!
In Los Pinos, a remote, isolated valley located in Columbia, the students travel to school using a zip line! The school is separated from the residential area by ticket rainforests and travel by foot would take around two hours. Very young children are supposed to use the zip line along with an adult or an older sibling.
Different schools in the world have different things to offer and it is our teachers that bring about unity in schools and act like the glue that binds us all together.
So this Teacher’s Day, I would like to extend my warmest gratitude and appreciation to all the teachers of the world. You make our childhoods incredible!
-Mohana Veena, 10B
“Starve their distractions and feed their focus”, is the mantra to keep students engaged. Students returning to school after a break are distracted and distressed, this takes away their focus from learning and the teacher’s focus from teaching, and the process of teaching-learning is affected.
Here are a few tips to help both learners and educators to overcome the hindrance:
Try to understand the reason for the shift in behavior, sometimes students just want to be heard and understood by us. A little compassion goes a long way.
Always encourage students; affirmations motivate students to show their best behaviors.
Having self-reflective conversations help the student understand what went wrong and how it could have been better.
Maintaining friendly eye contact while teaching keeps students attentive in class discussions.
Setting rules before you begin to teach makes students aware of the expected conduct.
A surprise class quiz at the beginning or end of class can keep them hooked throughout; also setting healthy and meaningful consequences will help.
Allowing students to roleplay (as a teacher) will instill empathy and appreciation for the teacher’s efforts.
All the best teachers!!!!!!
Ms. Rumana
High school biology teacher
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