I also found it fascinating how our culture can shape the way we respond to things, even something as simple as food. One part that stood out to me was the example about deworming horses—it showed how the same word can mean completely different things depending on the context.
Overall, I feel more comfortable now discussing these topics and know it’s okay to ask questions or seek help when I need it.
Good morning & Jai Hind,
The session on puberty and the changes that occur during it was both informative and eye-opening. It provided a safe space to learn and discuss the physical, emotional, and social changes that occur during this crucial stage of development. Understanding these changes helps reduce confusion and fear, especially as many young people experience them for the first time.
One key takeaway was learning how puberty can affect friendships. As we grow and change, our interests, moods, and the way we relate to others can shift. Sometimes, friends might grow apart or misunderstand each other due to emotional ups and downs or different paces of development. However, learning about these changes can help us become more patient and understanding with our friends, strengthening those relationships instead of losing them.
The session also helped highlight the importance of emotions during puberty. Emotions can become stronger or more unpredictable due to hormonal changes. Learning to recognize and manage emotions, especially through open communication and self-care, is crucial for maintaining mental well-being. It was helpful to know that feeling overwhelmed or confused at times is completely normal.
I also explored the meaning of happy emotions, such as joy, excitement, and contentment. These emotions are important because they help us build positive relationships, motivate us to achieve goals, and give us a sense of purpose and connection. Understanding that it’s okay to experience a range of emotions, including happy and difficult ones, can make this stage of life easier to handle.
Overall, the session was valuable in helping us understand ourselves and each other better during puberty. It reminded us that we are not alone in our experiences and that emotional and social support are essential during this time of growth.
I was especially glad to witness the enthusiastic involvement of the students throughout the session. It has certainly made it easier for me to approach this sensitive topic with more confidence and clarity in the classroom.
A heartfelt thank you to My Good School for inviting such insightful speakers to address relevant and timely issues.
The session on puberty was very informative and eye-opening. It helped me understand the changes that happen in our body and mind as we grow from children into teenagers. It also taught me the importance of involving an adult whenever we make any important decision.
Overall, the session helped me feel more confident and less awkward about this stage of life. It also taught me to be respectful and understanding toward others who are also going through these changes. I now see puberty not as something to be scared or ashamed of, but as a natural and important step in becoming a responsible and mature individual.
Through the Sunbeam Lens: My Learning and Growth by Manisha Khanna
Reflective questions based on Chapter 4: Great Expectations from The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn:
How does Carl's interaction with the people on his book route reflect his ability to listen, empathise, and respond compassionately?
→ Consider how Carl changes his approach to people and what this says about the importance of listening with understanding rather than judgment.
In this chapter, how do Carl and Schascha begin to build trust and mutual respect? What does this reveal about the importance of patience and open-minded communication in relationships?
→ Consider how interpersonal skills like respect and adaptability influence the growing connection between them.
Reflect on a moment when Carl goes beyond his duty as a book deliverer. How does this act show his growth in compassion and emotional intelligence? How can you apply a similar mindset in your own life?
→ Draw parallels between Carl’s actions and your own experiences with empathy or kindness.
चिंतनशील प्रश्न (Reflective Questions) डॉ. अनुपम सिब्बल की पुस्तक "क्या आपका बच्चा दुनिया का सामना करने के लिए तैयार है?" के अध्याय "संवेदना" पर आधारित, हिंदी में:
अध्याय में वर्णित कहानी में संवेदना का व्यवहार किस प्रकार न केवल प्राप्तकर्ता को बल्कि देने वाले को भी प्रभावित करता है? क्या आपके जीवन में कभी ऐसा अनुभव हुआ है जब आपने करुणा दिखाई हो और उसका असर गहरा महसूस किया हो?
→ विचार करें कि एक सरल दयालुता का कार्य कैसे संबंधों में सकारात्मक परिवर्तन ला सकता है।
यह अध्याय दूसरों की भावनाओं को समझने और प्रतिक्रिया देने से पहले सोचने के महत्व को कैसे दर्शाता है? यह जीवन की कठिनाइयों से निपटने में कैसे सहायक होता है?
→ सोचें कि कैसे भावनात्मक समझदारी संघर्ष को टाल सकती है और विश्वास बना सकती है।
आज की प्रतिस्पर्धी दुनिया में बच्चों में संवेदना जैसे गुण कैसे विकसित किए जा सकते हैं? इसमें परिवार, विद्यालय और समाज की क्या भूमिका होनी चाहिए?
→ अपने आसपास के वातावरण से जोड़कर सोचें — कहाँ और कैसे संवेदना को बढ़ावा दिया जा सकता है।
So let us pause, think, and share. Authentic learning begins with reflection.
We invite everyone to reflect on the questions above and share their reflective responses by emailing them to mk@learningforward.org.in.
About the Book- The Door-to-Door Bookstore
Everyone has a book meant just for them...
Carl, 72, may get old, but he still feels young. Every night, he walks around delivering books to his regular customers, always picking the right book for each one based on what they love.
One evening, a curious and lively nine-year-old named Schascha shows up. She insists on tagging along with Carl and even tries to teach him a few things about books.
When Carl's job at the bookstore is at risk, will he and the girl, with her yellow raincoat, be able to save his job and bring back the joy of reading to their little town?
The Door-to-Door Bookstore is a heartwarming story about the importance of friendship, the magic of books, and how reading can bring people together.
In this chapter, Carl, the protagonist, meets a man who embodies what many consider "success"—a wealthy, influential figure who seems to have everything. However, as the protagonist interacts with this man, he realises that despite outward success, he may be missing key elements of personal fulfillment, happiness, and genuine relationships. This causes the protagonist to reflect on his life and what true success means.
Reading aids learning, understanding, creating, inventing, and inspiring. The selection of books paves the way for the journey of learning. Like a loyal companion, a book serves your sad as well as happy emotions, consoles your gloom, and redirects your pessimistic ideas. They entertain with silly anecdotes from someone’s life and fancies of the authors. They are the true reflection of one’s choices, as the one who loses heart likes the autobiographies, a curious one tries to peep in the books as an explorer, and the one in search with a better understanding sits among the wisdom of great thinkers and reads different views on the same ideas. The books that mirror the efforts of one govern the achievements of someone else, whereas some books pour out the hearts of those who want others to imitate their ideas. Most importantly, the significance of books lies in the choices made by the readers. It is rightly called reflection because the book one reads reflects his thoughts. They magnify the reader’s ideologies. The rhymes of a poet or themes of any author take space in the thoughts, beliefs, and even words of the readers. Think of a polyglot who excels in languages with books or a student who studies the concepts with his teacher’s directions but expresses them with his reflections. Each edition of a book tells a story of the reader whose reflections defined it again.
WRITER VS
READERS
A character of a story remains an immersive experience for its readers. Through the insights of his life, he revives the reflections of the readers. Happiness, sorrow, excitement, or anxiety are the emotions beyond the interest of the reader. Is it what the writer wants its readers to do? Or is it a reader’s choice? Ironically, it’s something that wasn’t and, moreover, can’t be imagined. The writer who fabricates a woof without having experienced it and readers devour it without being one of them. Some of the bitter or best memories gain their vent at a moment in time where the frequency of the reader goes exactly the same as the reader.
What if the reader comes before the writer—the creator of the character? This moment opens another space for them. It’s a beginning to a new journey where the creator rejoices in the praise, appreciation, and liking his character yields, where some new characters come into existence, and where he actually meets his own creation. To a reader, the moment is a completely different place. He who has been struggling with his pain and misery, who has been so excited to find the one with the experiences and ideas akin to him, encounters a reality that’s not true. His acquaintance—the character is merely a fanciful creation. The reader who has already driven out many of his poor thoughts attains a better maturity, turning into a stronger and perfected being.
Artificial Intelligence 🤖 is transforming the world with its smart abilities, from self-driving cars 🚗 to virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri 🎙️. It learns from data 📊 and makes decisions just like humans, but without emotions. On the other hand, animals 🐾 have a rich inner life filled with emotions, communication, and intelligence. Elephants 🐘 mourn their lost ones, dolphins 🐬 recognize themselves in mirrors, and dogs 🐶 express love and loyalty. AI may be powerful, but it cannot feel the warmth of a mother bird 🕊️ feeding her chicks. As technology grows, we must respect both intelligence—artificial and natural—to create a balanced world 🌍.
Sharing our thoughts through reflection helps us connect with others and grow together 🤝. When we express our ideas, we not only learn more but also inspire those around us 🌟. Reflection allows us to look back, understand our experiences, and shape new perspectives 🧠. It encourages creativity, critical thinking, and meaningful discussions 🗣️. Just like a mirror reflects our image, our words reflect our thoughts and emotions 🪞. By sharing reflections, we build a world where knowledge, understanding, and wisdom flow freely 🌍✨.
Sunbeam School Lahartara Boarders
Firstly, a relationship is a way through which people or things are connected. People can have relations with family, friends, animals, nature and even things.
The critical elements for a strong and healthy relationship are mutual Respect, Understanding, Communication, Compromise, and Trust. We should first understand the person and respect their opinions; giving them a chance to speak and putting in their shoes is important too.
Being an 11-year-old child, I have never experienced a broken relationship, but let me tell my story with my best friends. My parents and I have lived in Bangalore since my birth. Over there, I met Ridhi and Tanishka on the first day of school. We became best friends. They were kind, affectionate and caring. They would cheer me up when I was not in a good mood.
One day, my father said we had to shift to Hyderabad for his job there. I was distressed to leave my friends and head for a new life. It was tough for me to adjust to the situation because we spent quality time together over weekend outings, playdates, birthday celebrations etc. I also had a good scoop of opportunities to learn activities like art, chess, and karate with my friends at “The Indian Heritage”, an activity centre. I also had a strong connection with nature over there. The weather was cool and pleasant, and the city was wooded and full of greenery.
After relocating to Hyderabad, I took time to accept my new life. Days passed, and it was my friend’s birthday. I was flustered because I wanted to convey my wishes to her. I gathered courage and started texting her anxiously. But to my surprise, she replied immediately, saying she was delighted and missed me. I was pleased and relieved as I thought she might be furious for not being in touch with her. I also texted my other friend. I had a good time talking with my friends. From then onwards, we have been staying in touch regularly. How could I forget such good friends? I am fortunate to reside in a peaceful, green, and safe colony which helped me to acclimate to the new locality and make new friends. Hmm! But I still miss those memorable days and keep recollecting those sweet memories.
Why should we have a relationship? We would be depressed and lonely if we did not have anyone to spend time with. Therefore, try to have more relations as they say, “The More the Merrier”.
Here is a poem in Hindi that says:
This carries a lot of meaning. It says, “If something is broken, then learn to repair it. If someone is angry, then learn to convince and please them. Relationships are destined; just learn to handle them beautifully.” So, make sure you have a solid and good relationship, whether it is a person, animal, nature, or thing.
It's for sure that in life we'll come across many people and with some people we will become very much attached, and we become a support for each other. With time our bond becomes even stronger than before, but a small problem or fight can result in the breakdown of our relationship.
There is a saying that " Don't break the thread of love because it cannot be joined again and even after they are joined a node is left in between".
There is always a cause which leads to the execution of the action and the words we speak, there is always a reason which leads to a breakdown of the relationship, and we must understand the liking and disliking of the other person and avoid all such actions which can affect our bonds. At last, there should be a mutual understanding between the two, and they should have reasonable self-control over themselves, which wouldn't lead to a relationship breakdown.
Understanding is not just about learning but also about living. When others confess their mistakes, lies or problems to us, we often turn a blind eye towards them and do not listen. Still, we need to be humble enough to understand what they are going through, be kind enough to give them a shoulder and be trustworthy sufficient to accept their reality. Treat others the way you wish to be treated. Each person deserves love and affection just the way we do.
Understanding is not a simple task; it requires the power to trust and tolerate and the necessity of being thoughtful while observing the simplicity at the heart of the matter and eventually giving in honestly to love. If we can understand, then we can trust. If we can understand, then we can be patient; if we can understand, we can tolerate and understand; only we can love.
At My Good School, understanding is experienced at its core. We initially listen to each other and then begin to understand one another. This is followed by a bond of trust, tolerance and humility, and as time passes, we begin to treasure the standard tie of love that connects us all. Understanding is the foundation stone for building upon the structure of love.
In the Mahabharata, an incident occurred during the Gurukul days of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Guru Dronacharya, the teacher of the princes, had to leave the gurukul for a fortnight due to some urgent work; hence, he had called upon all his pupils and asked them to complete their lessons by the time he returned. All students finished their work and did some extra tasks as well. Guru Dronacharya returned after a fortnight and called his pupils to the classroom; one by one, he individually asked them to come forward and inform him how many lessons they had completed while he was away.
Someone said three, someone else four, others 5 and so on; the teacher beamed at his students as he looked at them with love. At last, he called Yudhishthira, the eldest son of the Pandavas, and Guru Dronacharya was sure that Yudhishthira would have done more lessons than everyone else. However, when asked the question, he answered that he had only done one sentence. The teacher was shocked and yelled at him that in a fortnight, he could only do one sentence; Yudhishthira apologised but repeated that he could only understand that sentence. The other pupils were shocked as they saw their Guru mercilessly scolding Yudhishthira. However, he stayed rooted in his words. At the end of it, when Guru Dronacharya finally asked him what the sentence was, he confidently replied, “Control your anger and Guru ji, it took me 15 days to learn how to control my anger, so I could only complete one sentence.” Guru Dronacharya stood in awe and appreciated Yudhishthira, for he had understood the power of understanding, an ability not yet attained by many of us.
Anvesha Rana
Grade 11
Gyanshree School
Understanding someone inculcates one of the prettiest feelings in our hearts, feelings of concern, love and kindness, which make humans human. Understanding strengthens unity. We should all try to understand each other’s feelings at the very least instead of poking fun at each other for that or making judgements about them.
Understanding has a particular value that other epistemic states, such as knowledge, do not. This fact threatens the justification for the focus on learning that the history of epistemology displays. Elsewhere it has been argued that knowledge does not possess this exceptional value. There are a couple of lines of argument. However, that threatens to extend the denial of this particular value for knowledge to a denial of a specific value for understanding. Underlying all such challenges is the apparent fact that the language of knowing and learning are closely related. This discussion argues that the kind of understanding we prize most is immune from the concerns plaguing the theory of knowledge.
Sarthak Rana from Pestalozzi.
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Understanding someone, one's problems or just giving them a platform to open up fully is sometimes all one needs to get better. For that, what is needed is a mutual relationship where both people are fully committed to helping each other solve their problems because if one's just a bagpipe, then even if they get what you say, anything you share with them is just not safe.
Understanding is an excellent virtue because that's when someone lends you their ears to make you feel better. It's not like they give you a rebuttal for what you say, but they agree to whatever you say and then help you look for a solution. Now, isn't that what a true friend does!?
Everyone has a right to be understood because it is essential to know how others look at the world from. To be good at understanding, what we need to give up on is contradicting. Otherwise, then it just feels like a debate, way more hectic for the person who needs, in fact, "wants" to be understood.
Like warmth to the cold, comfort to the hurt, clouds to the sky, stuff toy to the sad, does understanding work as an aid to a cut deep into trust.
Then, the aim, which is the main, is that you need to keep all that to yourself and not go on sharing the person's views with others. Only then would you be able to become a good human being, a true one, true to yourself!
Reveda Bhatt
The Aryan School
In the book Totto-chan, Takahashi was short, but no one talked about it because they probably didn't realise that he was disabled or had faults. They just accepted him as a child.
When we grow up, we know more, we know the faults, we know when one is disabled and when we see that, we even stop feeling pity for them! That is why our brain cannot use it to its total capacity because the more we know, the more problems we create. Life will unfold itself. We don't have to force it to open its destiny.
In an extract from Peter Pan, Peter says to Wendy: Children don't believe in fairies because they know more than what they are supposed to know, and that's why fairies are fading from the world.
Accepting people is looking at their good qualities, not at their faults, because after all, everyone is different and no one is perfect.
