My Good School: Learning Beyond Textbooks - Shaswat Ojha

Attending My Good School has been a unique and enriching learning experience for me. Jugjiv Singh Sir read the story Highway to Swades, and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it. These sessions encourage me to think beyond textbooks, express my opinions, and improve my vocabulary. The story also inspired me to reflect on India's future and understand different perspectives. 

Overall, My Good School provides a wonderful opportunity to explore new ideas, broaden my horizons, and learn new things.

Shaswat Ojha

Class VIII-E, Sunbeam School Ballia

Finding Joy and Learning from Everyday Experiences – My Family and Other Animals - Gaurav Singh

Reading Reflection – My Family and Other Animals

Today’s reading session with Brinda Ghosh Ma’am was really interesting. While reading My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell, I learned about the preparations for a family party and some unexpected incidents that occurred during the day.

This reading made me realise that even ordinary daily experiences can become interesting when we observe them carefully. I also learned to stay patient when unexpected situations arise and handle them with a positive attitude. The author’s humorous way of describing small incidents made the reading enjoyable and helped me understand the importance of observation and creativity.

Overall, it was an enriching reading experience that encouraged me to observe the world around me and learn from everyday life.

Gaurav Singh

Class IXA

Sunbeam School, Ballia

Reading, Reflection and Our Responsibility Towards the Nation - Deenshah Najam

The reading session was engaging and allowed me to learn from the reflections written by different students. Hearing their thoughts helped me see the topic from different perspectives and improved my vocabulary.

The discussion about India’s diversity, democracy, and the idea of India being a “mosaic” rather than a “melting pot” was very interesting. I also liked the idea that nation-building cannot be outsourced, as it reminded me that every citizen has a role in making the country better.

Overall, the session was informative and enjoyable. It helped me learn new words, understand different ideas, and think more deeply about my responsibility towards my country.

Deenshah Najam
Class X
Sunbeam Ballia 

Highway to Swades - Akanksha Rai

By attending the reading sessions today, I really enjoyed the way a new reader, Himanshu Sir, explained the chapter so enthusiastically, bringing out the beautiful meaning of each sentence written by the author. His explanation of Kashmir, along with his personal stories about how people of different religions celebrate their festivals together, made me think deeply and reflect on the diversity that our country is blessed with.

Highway to Swades is a book that I received after attending the recent My Good School Retreat. I guess the purpose of gifting this book was to encourage students like us to read and reflect. Whenever I open this book, it reminds me of the wonderful friendships I made with the different people I met there.

Today, I also attended Neenu Ma’am’s reading session on Tata Stories for the first time, and it was truly amazing to learn about the great work done by the company for its employees by providing facilities such as gyms, schools, and other amenities. It shows how much the company cares about its workers.

Akanksha Rai

Class X

Sunbeam School Ballia

Discovering India's Strength Through Diversity and Unity - Gaurav

Today, I completed reading pages 1 to 30 of Highway to Swades: Rediscovering India’s Superpowers by Bhairavi Jani. The book takes readers on a journey across India and explores the qualities and values that connect people despite their differences. The author draws upon her extensive travels across India and the experiences she has gained from different communities.

One of the most meaningful lessons I learnt from these pages is that diversity can become a strength when people respect one another and work towards a common goal. The example of people from different religions working together, respecting each other’s traditions and helping one another, showed me that our differences do not have to divide us.

I also understood the importance of teamwork, mutual respect, inclusion and shared values. A successful community or organisation is not built solely on individual talent; it grows when people cooperate and appreciate one another’s contributions.

The reading also made me think differently about India. Our country has many languages, cultures, traditions, and ways of life, but we also share values that unite us. I learnt that we should look beyond our differences and recognise the strengths we share.

My Key Learnings

• Diversity can be a source of strength.
• Teamwork becomes stronger with mutual respect.
• Different cultures and beliefs can coexist peacefully.
• Every community has something valuable to contribute.
• We can achieve bigger goals when we work together instead of focusing only on our differences.
• Understanding India requires learning from the experiences of people from different regions and backgrounds.

Final Thought: “The pages I read taught me that our differences make India diverse, but our shared values and willingness to work together make us strong.”

Gaurav, Class IX

Sunbeam School Mau 

Growing Together Through Reflection and Relationships- Rekha Sharma

Reading Reflection and Relationship Building: The Key Mantras for Sunday School

Reading reflection and relationship building are the key mantras for a successful Sunday School. Reading reflections encourage teachers to think deeply, gain new perspectives and improve their teaching practices, while strong relationships foster trust, collaboration and a positive learning environment. Sharing experiences and learning together help teachers grow as a community. Together, these practices create a culture of continuous learning, mutual respect and meaningful connections.

Curiosity, Habits, and Learning: Reflections from the Good School Session - Sunbeam School Ballia

In today’s reading session with Brinda Ma’am, we read the chapter “A Treasure of Spiders” from My Family and Other Animals. The chapter beautifully shows how curiosity and close observation of nature can turn even small discoveries into exciting learning experiences. Listening to the discussion made me appreciate how passion and patience can help us understand the world around us more deeply.

Along with the reading, Maira shared her review of the book Atomic Habits. Her explanation about how small habits can lead to big changes really caught my attention and motivated me to read the book myself. It made me realise that improving ourselves does not always require big actions; even small and consistent efforts can make a difference. Further, Jugjiv Sir spoke about the importance of physical movement and the development of good daily habits. His words reminded me that discipline, healthy routines, and staying active are essential for both our mind and body.

Overall, today’s session was not just about reading a chapter, but about learning how curiosity, habits, and physical well-being together shape a better lifestyle and a stronger personality.
Akanksha Rai

Today I attended the Good School session. First, Brinda Ma’am had a brief discussion about superstitions, during which many students shared various superstitions they had heard about. After that, the session with Manisha Ma’am began. It started with Maira’s book review of Atomic Habits. I have already read this book, and I think it is amazing.

Then Manisha Ma’am conducted a short quiz based on reading reflections. After that, she told a very interesting story about a school surrounded by a deep forest. The story was very engaging and enjoyable.

Overall, the session was amazing and very interesting.
Ishika Singh