Visit to SchoolEducation.com - Rishona Chopra

"A book is a gift you can open again and again."

- Garrison Keiller

I WAS SHY AND QUIET when I first joined My Good School. I still remember when I was the first to join and then realised that I immediately left the meeting and joined when other people were there! 

Looking back at that time, I understand my changes and how I have learned to open up quickly and be confident. It's the perfect environment for anyone who loves reading, writing, drawing, blogging, podcasting, creating, or participating in discussions. They provide many opportunities and experiences that can really help you (they did help me!). 

Writing to just pass my time or to express my feelings has been my favourite thing to do. The Joy of Learning Diaries is a website where students can post their reflections on My Good School's reading program every Sunday. They can literally post anything they want. We publish the Joy Of Learning Diaries, and our blogs go in an extensive diary where many students can post. Just by listening to the name, you know it's a diary full of reflections, learning and joy!

The Sunday School, as it is fondly known, is the weekly session where students read books, reflect on them and learn. We have both the Hindi and English sessions where we simultaneously read three books, and by the end, we can see the connection between them. 

The website, www.schooleducation.com, sums up the whole idea really well. When you open the website, it gives you such a bright, warm and happy feeling! It feels pretty welcoming too! Several options come up when you open the website. The first one is "Good Schools".

As you scroll down, you see the school song. It has a great beat, it's easy to learn, and it's something you can sing along to any time you want. Next up is our learning programs:

These are the seven steps to joy.
 1. The Good Schools Alliance
 2. My Good School is our Sunday School, where we read, write and reflect!
3. Happy Teachers, which is a program for teachers.
 4. My Guide Inside, a program held by Christa Ma'am, we explore our inner voice and learn to face daily issues much better.
5. Kidspreneurship is a program where we learn entrepreneurial skills to help us for life.

6. Dil Jeeto, which means "Winning Hearts". We do bring a smile to everyone's face with our entertaining podcasts. 7. Last but not least, Slooh is where we explore space and its beautiful sights.

The next page is Internships. The word sounds heavy-duty and tiring, but it is definitely not. It is fun. Earlier, my weakest subject used to be Computer Science, and now it's definitely one of my most vital points. I have learnt to make posters, videos and several other things.

The page beautifully sums up all the benefits of our program and what we do.

Then comes the page about our Book Cafe. It tells about the My Good School Book, which was why this program started in the first place!

It also details the Bookshop - The English Book Depot, established in 1923, which has served the education sector for 100 years, with a maiden bookshop at Dehradun. Our inherent strength is in offering a delightful book-buying experience for the family. In 2010, EBD acquired the brand Book Cafe.

Last, we have OER, which is Open Education Resource. This page lists documents that tell us all about our school in detail. 

This website is indeed detailed and quite well-maintained. You can all visit it here:
https://www.SchoolEducation.com

It has been an awe-inspiring experience, and I recommend joining this program. It has been quite enjoyable for me to be on this journey of joy, learning and passion. As said, this is the place where passion meets education!

Rishona Chopra
Grade VII
Gyanshree School

Advice From An Owl - Rishona Chopra

Hello, my dear friends! I am an owl. Through all these years, I have been sitting right outside your window, looking and observing you. My family is out there, hearing each of your foolish conversations and looking out for those creative inventions of yours. Speaking of inventions, I must say, your inventions clearly show your witty evil brain. First, it was those nets and then it was those obnoxious guns. Why, do you have nothing better to do than to kill us?

Moving on, as I told you I have noticed you and I believe it's time I give you some inputs. First off, you humans speak too much. It is much better to listen trust me. Wherever you go, you keep talking; half of it is absolute nonsense. And even if you talk, you forget to hear. Many of you just hear the other person and don't really listen. You just stay quiet waiting for your turn to talk and running through your mind what you're going to say. My! That is quite disrespectful, isn't it! 

Second of all, you have made your life quite difficult. All you do is practically sleep all day. Nothing like what we do! You have robots doing your work, the autocorrect correcting your spellings and online dictionaries to tell you the meaning. And don't even get me started on your means of entertainment. Our owl community presents an entire dance for entertainment and all you do is just turn on your television and watch some overly dramatic shows on it. How many of you, go to watch classical dances for entertainment or have a cosy family night playing charades and cards? 

Television is quite fascinating, I must say. I also watch it from your balcony when the curtains are open but it's important to spend time with your family doing something fun together. 

Last but not least, you should always be prepared. Most of you are not prepared for change. Here's one owl rule you must know - Always be alert for your predator. And your predator is almighty change. It is something some of you never adapt to but remember change in constant and if there is no change life would be rather dull and boring!

Rishona Chopra
Grade VII
Gyanshree School

Unity - Shambhavi Nautiyal

Our Unity should be such that we should be willing to combat any injustice and be conditioned to pay heed to our conscience and presentiments. Our Unity should be balanced but deliberate. There is 'unity in diversity', just as Jawarhal Nehru said. There is Unity in us accepting our differences and rising above them. Forgiveness strengthens our Unity.

Once we accept each other just as we are, we stop getting bugged by our differences. If we are one, we can overthrow the tyrants and free ourselves from oppression by mutinying.

As they say, in today's scenario, the majority wins, so we must ensure awareness about what is going for real, not misinformation. This happens through our education system; a sound education system can proceed to feed the masses with the correct and legitimate information, and then the schools can follow to produce a bright and brilliant future for the country. However, if the opposite happens, then that system's products will become hostile, despotic and haughty individuals who only want to spread their influence and mindset to the entire world. Hence, we should favour what is righteous and not believe any fraudulent information available under the sun!

We can be a reliable asset to society, uniting whenever we need to overthrow any deviousness out there.

https://www.joyoflearningdiaries.com/2022/12/the-power-of-love-shambhavi-nautiyal.html

https://www.joyoflearningdiaries.com/2022/10/what-have-i-learnt-from-my-good-school.html

What does Unity mean to you, and do you think it is pivotal?

L.I.T.M.

You know how it is when people tell you that you are not setting your aim or wasting your time having fun-the most common one being- "You can have fun later on when you have achieved everything you want."- Well, what is this everything? 

As the word suggests, what is the main point is that-does it owes any boundary? 

Well, yes, it does, but the feeling is so strong that we succumb to it into thinking that it is endless.

The sea of desire is too deep, but only if you find it in yourself to control yourself can it be controlled. Live in the moment, not thinking about the next, and you’ll realise what’s life!

This common definition of life is not right because life does not have a definition.

LIFE IS NOT A STAGE to wait for. IT IS A FEELING to live in!

Live in the moment = L.I.T.M. = Let It To Marvel.

Reveda Bhatt

The Aryan School

Being Human - Tenzin Jambey

Having a good brain, two hands, two legs, two eyes, and a good outlook doesn't make you a human. Being human means being kind to humans and other living beings like animals, birds and insects. Being human means having a kind, gentle heart and personality with a  positive attitude toward everything. Some people have no mercy and love for people, and they do kidnappings and murders. People are killing people than just thinking about the way of treatment given to animals; these people are no less than a monster who has no mercy and love for anything except themselves. A good human has a kind and open heart that accepts other living beings as their own family, and they give love and care; they have mercy upon all living beings, even microorganisms.

I remember the saying of a great monk who once said that he feels sad and pitied to take steps because it kills microorganisms which can not be seen. 

We can not be called human until we feel humanity, humanism and tenderness upon living and non-living. We all should have mercy and love upon everything. At least let's be human with a kind and soft heart with gentle behaviour rather than being a monster with no compassion and love. 

Tenzin Jambey
Pestalozzi Children's Village India

Gyanshree School Noida has helped build our Internship Program

 #mygoodschool

Gyanshree School Noida helped build the Internship Program.

Anvesha Rana
"I joined Good School this month only. I am new here but did not feel that way; all the managers and other interns are accommodating at this organisation. I love being a part of the Good School Alliance primarily because of the honest feedback I get from everyone here, which helps me improve my skills and initiate more company growth. The best thing about being an intern is that I can collaborate with the other interns and brainstorm more ideas for the company's development. As an intern, I complete the managers' tasks and write blogs for the Joy Of Learning Diaries".

Simar Kaur
"I am Simar, new to The Good Schools community. I applied for an internship after attending a few reading sessions. At first, I thought being an intern would be nerve-wracking, but I was wrong! Rather it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Along with my fellow interns, I am working on the My Good School podcast and enjoy working on it. Being acquainted with the program is refreshing, as I can do something productive when I take a break from schoolwork. I also enjoy writing blogs and reflections for the Joy of Learning Diaries. All this is new for me, but what makes me happy is that I went for it and loved it!"

Do you have the courage?
Students, Teachers and Volunteers
Interns are an intrinsic part of the Joy Of Learning Program; they attend Sunday School, the monthly meetings and work remotely. During their tenure, interns are intimately engaged in the school community, and these experiences often create lasting impressions for all.

Critical areas for participation are Instruction and Training, Supervision, Counselling, Marketing and Assessment. Depending on the individuals' interests and experience and the school's needs, the intern may be appropriately placed in an online classroom supporting and occasionally leading core curriculum classes and extracurricular programs.

Two Girls On A Mic ▶️

Our script is ready and we will be recording this Saturday. We are doing the first podcast on mental well-being and Christa Ma’am joins and tells more about My Guide Inside.

Tune in every month 

Oshi and Simar, Gyanshree School

Being Human - Keyura Rao Cheeti

My school, The Hyderabad Public School Begumpet

Human beings are unique. But what are the qualities that make us so? Our intelligence and qualities, such as kindness, compassion, love, care, and empathy, differentiate us from other living beings.

We can use these qualities to improve the world by improving our and others' lives. We humans also have a responsibility towards Mother Earth. Some of the little things around me that I observed where I feel humanity can be put to use are children in the neighbourhood can learn to be compassionate towards the stray animals, friendly with other children, adults can be empathetic towards the beggars and the poor.

We must let go of our jealousy, pessimism, greed and pride that will stop us from seeing the good in others. We need to set an example for others to learn from us. We need to bring change in the world to make it harmonious for all of us to coexist.

Keyura Rao Cheeti
Class VI
The Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet

My Passing Out Speech at School - Keyura Rao Cheeti

Hi! I am Keyura, a student of class 5 who is now graduating from Primary and moving to middle school. How can I ever forget the year I first stepped into this school in Primary. The teachers, the ayyammas, the students, everyone were very welcoming. 

The first time when I saw a Prefect minding the assembly and telling the children what was right for them, that was the moment I knew I wanted to be a Prefect! When I discovered I was selected for the Prefect interview, my heart jumped joyfully!

I WAS VERY NERVOUS when I reached the waiting area, and my heart was beating fast. When my name was called to take the interview, I pushed that nervousness away and felt confident. A few days later, I found out I was a Technology Prefect! On the day of the investiture ceremony, I was super excited. I got to shake hands with the Commissioner of Police, Mr C.V. Anand, IPS! That was amazing! 

I made friends yearly but lost touch with them as we got shuffled. In the Primary, I was also a part of the choir. I got to participate in all the singing performances. Joining the choir made me realize my love for singing and being on the stage. During COVID, when I was in 3rd and 4th grade, I made some excellent friends and stayed in contact with them online. I ended my Primary with a BIG surprise! Me and four of my other friends were selected for a student exchange program, My Good School Retreat 2023.

Good School Alliance also offers a Sunday school program for avid readers. We got to go to Dehradun as part of this program. We were warmly welcomed at The Doon Girls School. We visited  The Doon School. We had a lot of fun in Dehradun by trekking, watching cultural programs and attending circle time, where we express our gratitude daily. There, we had to talk about our state and our school. I enjoyed it a lot

though I was a little homesick. But overall, what a way to end primary school, isn't it? 

We learnt many things here in Primary School that we must apply in Middle School. I enjoyed winning, learnt to accept failure, stand up for what I believed in, let go and always have a good time. My best friends might be shuffled as I speak, but this will allow me to make more. I am leaving here with many memories, advice, friends and teachers that will be in my heart forever. 

Keyura Rao Cheeti,

Class VI

The Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet

Being Human - Anvesha Rana

We are all human by birth, but that does not make a difference until we choose to be human. God has gifted us with the power of speech, the ability to harness raw materials and turn them into resources, the power to help other living entities and the capacity to develop a world of acceptance, but we have only taken the better out of our birth given right, never considering it to be a boon but an obvious fact. We never are grateful for being human simply because we don’t think we are human.

In this fast-paced world where everyone seems to be struggling for something, we have forgotten what being human means. We only cater to our needs, worry about our goals, focus on our problems, and only look at good things for us. As we forget to be human, we fail to be empathetic, compassionate and helpful; we might say that being independent is the need of the hour and that one should always look out for themselves, but then what is the difference between the predators and us out in the wild which only kill the weak and gullible to rule over, what will the world be if the innocent are further pressed down and walked upon.

Humanity comes to a still, and we forget our virtues as this world nurtures us into selfish and greedy individuals. It teaches us to bite the hand that feeds us and to not help but heap upon the frail ones. The sight of being human vanishes more every day, and although we have seen enough cruelty, we have also witnessed a few instances where love was present, where humanity was finally caught. Even if the bad is growing ever more and it feels that cruel people are stronger out there, never forget that only a little bit of humanity can extinguish a lot of evil deeds. Only a little bit of love can transform millions of hearts. The good is always more substantial than the bad; our positivity is so contagious that it can kill any negativity. 

Being human means not to profit out of someone’s weaknesses,

It means not to have eyes that see gain but that feel the pain,

It means to help without expectations and to love without getting it back, 

It means to be selfless and give more, more and more

When someone leaves a seat on the bus for an old lady or man, 

I understand what it is to be a human, 

When someone goes out of their way to help, 

I know what it is to be a human, 

When a child selflessly gives away their lunch to a friend who has none, 

I know what it is to be a human, 

When a teacher empathizes with a kid who has suffered a loss, 

I know what it is to be a human. 

Being a human is the greatest asset, 

We are human for a purpose and reason, 

Let us not trample upon the ones who hurt us, 

Forget and forgive is to be a human, 

To give more and expect less is to be a human, 

To offer a hand to others and walk together is to be a human,

To listen to the heart rather than the mind is to be a human,

We all are human by birth, but we must embrace it by nature.

Anvesha Rana

Grade 11 

Gyanshree School