Academic Honesty - Khushi Badgeri

Academic honesty means doing all school work with great interest and not cheating in studies. 

It helps students to be honest with teachers and their friends. A great academic student will always be regular to school, be obedient and studious, which encourages them to be a good study planner. It also teaches students to value their teachers, school property, and friends. It encourages students to have the courage to admit their mistakes and learn to accept them. It will help the student to be a responsible student. 

A great Academic student will learn to value time. Academic honesty helps a student to grow and achieve their goals in life.

Name: Khushi Badgeri

Grade: 3A 

Billabong high international school Thane

'If I'd Known It Then' poem by Malvika Mishra

'If I'd Known It Then.'

When midnight dawns and I lie in my bed,

When all is quiet, safe yet dark,

I travel to places near and far

But perhaps my favourite is a land called 'The Past',

Where there are no deer, no ponds, no trees,

Many and much has been lost here, for here it floods memories.

And as I swim my way through the past, I wish I'd known it Then

That a merry day too shall face an end,

For Fate and Time will take it away

That later, I'll wish but every day

'If I'd known it Then ….'

And I think how selfish of Time it is,

For it keeps what is gone, all to itself

And what is to come, it refuses to tell

And yet how generous of Time it is,

To give us what we have Now, to provide us with what we have in hand,

We can choose to make it a mere 'now' or decide to make it grand.

And this I shall not forget,

So, for now, I'll be happy, I'll smile,

I'll take a step down a road that is long a hundred miles,

For I know, I'll wish I'd been happier Now,

When I'm on my last step and in pain,

But, alas, I can not do that now; for now, I wish I'd known it then.

To whosoever is reading this,

This poem is incomplete; I did all that I could do,

But although I poured my heart out, there's not much a poem can hold true…

Malvika Mishra, 9F,  Ahlcon Public School

If School Bells Could Talk - Aanya Kumar

"TRIIIIIIING! LUNCHTIME!" I would say this every day at noon. Neither a second before nor a second after. I am always on time. However, I am not taken seriously by my folks. I am there in schools so that children learn to be disciplined. Sometimes teachers need teaching too. I am more like a principal of the school. Strict, disciplined and most importantly, very (and I mean VERY) punctual. Here's how my days go. I wake up sharp at eight, and my first words are always "Morning, School!" Next, I talk to the real principal. "Second Period" and "Third Period" and so on till SEVEN periods!. That's how my days end. Moreover, I have to say the same thing every day just for punctuality in children. What a tiring job I have. "TRIIIIIIING! SIXTH PERIOD!" I may be found irritating to those who love the concept being taught during class timings and a lifesaver for those who are getting bored. But now you know… I am way more than that. I am the timetable of those who don't value my friend's time.

Aanya Kumar

Podar International School

Grade 6B

The School Bell

Refections from the reading session on the 27th of March 2022. 
We are reading My Good School Where Passion Meets Education by Sandeep Dutt.
Published by Rupa Publications, available online and in Kindle format at bookstores.

You will definitely hear the school bell ring in your head whenever you lend your ear to it! The sound of the school bell has a certain amount of energy that makes the adrenaline flow, and we look forward to the next hour. 

The first bell of the day brings in great energy as enthusiastic young, and fresh minds come racing into the school gates. The day will see the entry and exit of fun and joy in the class, till the last bell that leaves the campus devoid of energy and seems like the sunset hour in midday.

Perhaps our first lessons in time management are rendered to us by this innocuous bell that may sound jarring at first but part of our growing years. A school period blocks time allocated for lessons, classes, or other school activities. They typically last between 40 and 60 minutes, with around 3-8 periods per school day. Educators determine the number and length of these periods and may even regulate how each period will be used. 

Managing time is really the first challenge for all of us at school; using the 40 odd minutes to ensure learning and capture the imagination is always the biggest challenge for teachers and students alike. 

Perhaps our first lessons in time management are rendered to us by this innocuous bell! 

The race against time, the need to complete the lesson plan, ensure good understanding and give the students the absolute joy of learning between two bells is not an easy task for even the best teachers. How best you use your limited time determines your effectiveness as a teacher or a mentor for a group of learners. There are thus crucial questions to be answered, keeping in mind that the next bell will ring soon- What do I do? When do I do it? How well do I do it?

Our life sets a limit of time, and this is indeed the wealth we often do not value in our quest for materials and the race to beat others to it. 

“...there will be sleeping enough in the grave....” by Benjamin Franklin. 

Hear the bell, find the energy, think for yourself and make a conscious decision about how best you will use your time. Remember the school bell and hear it always ring; let it not make life uncomfortable but instead help you enjoy every moment and be the master of your time. Time management alone will help you find yourself and live a joyous life.

The views expressed above are of Sandeep Dutt alone, and you are welcome to comment and share your thoughts with him by email to sd@ebd.in, please. For more about the author, please visit www.SandeepDutt.com.

School Bell: The First Lesson in Management - Anvesha Rana

                                   

The School Bell

Tringgg goes the bell,

Casting the gleeful spell

  As children dash out, 

  some to the classes they like, 

  others to the ones they dislike, 

  Everyone suddenly has a new thereabout. 

Faces shine with mirth 

when the Sports period comes 

and turn into sulks

as Math hums.

The bell is uncanny yet beautiful, 

Galling at 8 but melodious at 3.

What may come our way?

The bell will always be the shimmering ray.

Be it a school, or a temple, 

or perhaps a rooster's cock-a-doodle,

All These are Bells, 

Reminders that Time Flows. 

-   Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School

Autobiography Of A Clock - Rishona Chopra

My name is ….. What was it? Oh yes, a clock. I am a clock. The one used to check the time. My grandpa was a sundial. He was also used for checking the time, but now he is dead. No one uses him anymore. But he was luckier than me. How? You ask, well he was allowed to stay in the open air, right beneath the sun, and I am closed in a glass-like case, as a prisoner. I hardly can breathe; I feel like I could choke at any time. Luckily, I have not. 

There is something extraordinary about me; I have three hands while everyone has only two! Isn't that surprising? Everybody thinks having three hands makes my work easier, but it makes it even harder. One moves very fast, like in seconds, the other moves a little slower, and the third one moves every hour. I work very hard, but those rectangular things called 'phones' have replaced me. No one really cares about me. If I was allowed to do anything, I would ban phones!! I do have a very tiring life.

Clock

Rishona Chopra Grade V Gyanshree School

Teachers Travel With You All Your Life - Rishona Chopra

The chapter Teachers Travel With You All your life tells us how a teacher is a crucial factor in a child's success.

One poem in the book ' Tips & Tidbits for Parents and teachers' is about a teacher. She is a counsellor, police officer, travel agent, and many more things. After hearing this poem, I realized that this one simple word, 'teacher', means much more. 

I, being a child, am not so sure about how teachers manage loads of work but am confident that they are indeed a mastermind. I have been taught by a few teachers that truly motivated me. What is so special about them is that they always find the good in a child and focus on growing that quality. 

The chapter also highlighted that we shouldn't be dependent on teachers because the most outstanding teacher is our soul.

Rishona Chopra
Grade V
Gyanshree School

Happiness - Rishona Chopra

Happiness, as we all know, is a feeling where we feel pleasant, jolly and satisfied, but where do we get happiness.

All of us want happiness in our lives, but there are so many bad things happening in the world; how on earth can we be happy? Here's the answer, we don't get happiness from things and situations. Even the worst thing in the world can have a positive side!! So if we take a look at each case from a  positive angle, we can easily be happy.

To understand it better, let me tell you a story-

Happiness is everything

Once there lived a young boy named Jack. People said that his luck was never on his side, and he was also known as the unlucky boy. 

Once in his exam, he broke his pencil, and it took him 10 minutes to sharpen it! The other day in the park, he fell several times and from that day till the next few weeks, he was not able to play. Such minor unlucky instances made Jack very sad. It was like his happiness was lost.

That night Jack wanted to cry all his pain out, and he called out to his mother and said, "Mum, everyone calls me the unlucky boy, and it really isn't my fault, and what did I do wrong that my luck never supports me?" His mother, surprised, told him, "My dear, your luck was forever on your side; you just had to take a look from another angle. When your pencil broke, didn't your teacher give you extra time to sharpen it?" Jack said, "She did". His mother said, "Well, then you could have used that time to calculate a few questions too, right? Jack, realizing what his mother said was true, happily cried out, "Yes, and when I got hurt?" "When we get hurt, it helps our body grow stronger!" said his mother. "Oh yes, mum, yes. 

Thank you for making me realize that," said Jack, smiling.

From that day, Jack was never unhappy and found little joy in everything!

So even if a thing doesn't have a positive side, don't be sad; you can be happy by thinking about the 

the solution to that problem!

Rishona Chopra

Grade V

Gyanshree School

My Family and Their Happiness - Gaurangi Rastogi

We, humans, are social beings. We have family, friends, and relatives. Since this Covid-19, we have been separated from our families. Now, let me tell you, what does family mean to me?  My family means a place where I can be safe physically and mentally. My family means a culture my world resides in. My family means a shield that protects me from bad influences. My family is like a body in which everything works in harmony. 

My family means everything to me, and I want to see them always happy. My family makes me happy, and so even I should try and keep them happy. Some simple ways in which I give happiness to my family are:

● by bringing good marks and doing well at school. 

● by spending time with them instead of playing on gadgets. 

● by teaching them something 

● by supporting them in bad times

 ● by not being stubborn 

● by sending them letters and emails every weekend from school. 

Gaurangi Rastogi 
Class VI
The Doon Girls' School