Saturday, 29 November 2025

The Importance of Communication Skills - Lotus Petal Foundation

Communication skills are an essential part of a student's growth and future success. To help students understand their importance and inspire them to develop strong communication skills, the school organised an interactive and enriching session led by Mr Kartik Bajoria. 

The session helped students realise that strong communication skills can transform the way they connect with people, solve problems, and achieve their goals. It was an inspiring and motivating experience for everyone, leaving students more aware and confident about improving their communication.
My Good School Reflections by students at the Lotus Petal Foundation.

Friday, 28 November 2025

Lessons in Growth, Perseverance, and Open-Mindedness - Sunbeam School Ballia


How people grow, change, and step into new roles, often surprising those around them. Schascha reveals that she no longer works at the bookshop and has moved beyond that chapter of her life, underscoring that growth sometimes means leaving familiar places and expectations behind. Carl's surprise shows how we often hold onto outdated versions of people, assuming they haven't changed. Their interaction highlights that moving forward requires courage, planning, and a willingness to let others see who we are becoming, not who we used to be.

We often judge others based on appearances or preconceived notions, yet those assumptions can be completely wrong. The character expected the book-delivery woman to be "plain" or unimpressive based on her job, but was surprised to find that she was confident, capable, and even charming. This moment challenges the narrator's biases and shows how easily we underestimate people simply because of the roles they play or how they are presented to us. It is a reminder that every person carries depth, skill, and personality that cannot be measured by first impressions, and that staying open-minded can lead to unexpected respect or admiration.

Themes of guilt, regret, and the desire for redemption also appear. Carl's harshness toward others and his emotional distance leave lasting effects not only on the people he pushes away but also on himself. Meanwhile, Scheacha's determination to "rewrite" events like a story shows her longing to restore what was broken, proving how deeply she cares and how strongly hope can motivate change. The contrast between Carl's withdrawal and Scheacha's persistence underscores how human connection can either wither or be rebuilt depending on the choices people make.

Chirag Rai, VB

Today's session taught me some valuable lessons that can help us grow in life. One of the most important things I understood is that failure is not the end. If we fail in our first attempt, we should not lose hope. Every outstanding achievement begins with trying again.

Another important lesson is the power of persistence. When we continue working towards our dreams without giving up, success eventually comes our way. Hard work and consistency are the genuine keys to reaching our goals.

Chitransh Pandey, VA
My Reflection on Today's Session

First Session
My Good School Alliance session today was one of the most interesting sessions. We had two great personalities with us. Firstly, we had Mr Jugjiv Singh. He asked students to read their own reflections. Then he continued the story, The Door to Door Bookstore. His reading voice was really inspiring and lovely. The story was all about how books can connect people and help them share knowledge in a fun and entertaining way. This class was really knowledgeable.

Second Session
After Mr Jugjiv's class, we automatically changed to Mrs Manisha Khanna's class. Firstly, we had a short and wonderful quiz with her. Then she read the story रणजी का शानदार बल्ला. I learnt many new things in this story.

  1. We should not give up if we do not achieve our goal in the first step.

  2. We should never lose hope and give up.
    This class was really full of values.

At the end, both sessions were really eye-opening, full of morals and emotions. I would like to thank
Mr Jugjiv Singh
for giving us this opportunity to enhance our reading and vocabulary.

Thank you.
Janhvi, VC


Monday, 24 November 2025

GSA Calendar December 2025


 My Good School

7th  December 2025

Book Reading- What You Are Looking For Is in the Library
Book Reading- दी व्हिसलिंग स्कूलबॉय और अन्य कहानियाँ

14th December 2025

Book Reading- The Inner Life of Animals
Book Reading- दी व्हिसलिंग स्कूलबॉय और अन्य कहानियाँ

21st  December 2025
Amardeep Singh Screening of Episode 24
बाम-ए-नानक (नानक की ज्योत) Allegory: A Tapestry of Guru Nanak's Travels 
Book Reading- What You Are Looking For Is in the Library

28th December 2025
We aim to inspire young minds, helping them navigate their dreams and aspirations as they embrace their goals. The YES workshop on Communication with Kartik Bajoria
Book Reading- My Family and Other Animals

The Teachers Academy

Brewing Knowledge 
Fridays at 5.30 PM: Book Reading with Neelashi Mangal, entry by invitation from The English Book Depot. We are currently reading: What Did You Ask At School Today: A Handbook Of Child Learning.

Saturday Masterclass 
Read And Lead at 5:30 PMCo-hosted by Gurdeep Kaur and Sandeep Dutt, for subscribers only. Sign up on The Teachers Academy website at www.DilJeeto.com.

Learning Forward Saturday
Early Childhood Development training sessions for teachers at 2:00 PM every Saturday - Hosted by Brinda Ghosh and Neelashi Mangal. You may join the cohort from The Teachers Academy website www.DilJeeto.com

GSA Meetings and Events
GSA Squad
We review programs and plan for the coming week.
At 5:30 PM every Monday on Zoom - GSA Coordinators, Volunteers, and Mentors. #JoyOfGiving 

AFA Monthly Review 
Zoom Meeting for Arthur Foot Academy Special Projects Review: 4th Friday of Every Month

Good Schools of India

Are you signed up for the Good Schools of India Weekly? Don't miss valuable insights—published every Monday at 7:00 AM! #JoyOfLearning. Subscribe at: www.GSI.in

Open to All

Follow the Brewing Knowledge WhatsApp Group. If you wish to join, please send a request by WhatsApp to Vikram Kumar at +91 97331 97341 or email vk@ebd.in

Sunday, 23 November 2025

Sunday Reading Session and YES Workshop - Sunbeam Bhagwanpur

Today, we learnt about the foundations of effective communication in the YES workshop by Kartik Sir. I learnt about the importance of maintaining humility and sensitivity to become a better speaker. Other than this, being alert to factors like positive body language, eye contact, and smiling makes us connect better with our audience.

Then, in the chapter Artificial Environment, we learnt how urban spaces can actually contribute to preserving animals, especially the endangered ones. I learnt about agrarian deserts, which changed my idea about deserts being arid regions and lacking trees.

Shristi Prasad
VII
Sunbeam Bhagwanpur

In today's YES workshop by Karthik Sir, we got to learn about the importance of maintaining communication skills. We also learnt about the various essentials of communication, like sensitivity, humility, and sounding compelling enough to ensure effective, positive communication. If one maintains eye contact, body language, appropriate hand gestures, and a smile on one’s face, along with being aware of the content one is speaking, one will engage the crowd better. To become a better public speaker, besides understanding one’s crowd or audience, one needs to develop these qualities in oneself.
In the chapter Artificial Environment, Brinda Ma’am read out the disadvantages and advantages of artificial environments that affect animals. Besides talking about pet houses, cages, and zoos, we also learnt about deserts like agrarian deserts that have thousands of plants and house several animals, making us call them animal farms.

We also learnt about the role of animals in human activities like farms for grazing and logging. Sometimes animals are not happy because no one asks them whether they wish to work or not, so we as humans should not lose our humanity while forcing animals to work for us.

Gauri Agrawal
VIII
Sunbeam Bhagwanpur

In a world where AI is taking the lead in guiding the generation on how to present themselves suitably—be it an office presentation, a simple debate, or a speech delivery at the morning assembly—genuine human communication is suffering a setback. Humans are failing to communicate their emotions to each other through words. Wasn't verbal communication a primitive method among humans? So why are we failing today?

We had Kartik Sir in the Sunday YES session with us to tell the generation the basic pointers for effective communication—things like sensitivity, humility, being astute, sounding compelling enough, and such that one remembers our words and understands us.
Today's generation is indeed very sensitive. So, to convey our thoughts without hurting anyone's emotions is a big deal. Social media is a boon and a bane that way. Chatbots are there to emotionally sustain us as well as destroy us. Therefore, it is indeed very important to ensure that we are becoming better at communicating so that we have less dependency on AI for communication.

Lavanya Jaiswal
VIII F
Sunbeam Bhagwanpur

Meaningful Sunday School Session - Sunbeam Ballia

Today I attended a Good School Alliance session with Kartik Sir, Jugjiv Sir, and Manisha Ma’am. They spoke about good communication, empathy, kindness, and being humble with everyone. In the end, there was a question-and-answer session where students shared their doubts, and they answered them with a lot of patience and clarity. It was a simple but very positive and inspiring session.

— Ishika Singh, 9th A


In today’s session, firstly, Mr Jugjiv Singh Sir introduced the great personality, Mr Kartik Sir. He told us about the “Construct Communication Paradigm,” in which he explained the types of communication. He also told us about:

  1. Competition

  2. Noise

  3. Deficit

  4. Sameness

  5. Apathy

  6. AI

  7. Global Stage

And the main topic of today’s session was communication.
This session was really awesome 
I really thank Mr Jugjiv Singh Sir for giving us this amazing opportunity to learn new things and improve our vocabulary 
— Talat Bano, 5C, Sunbeam School Ballia

Today’s Good School Alliance session was the most unique and interesting session. In the first session, we had a very special personality with us — Mr Kartik Sir. He is a writer, educator, and mental health advocate. The first session was about “Effective Communication.” In this class, I learnt about empathy, kindness, and many more values. This class helped me communicate with people positively.

We also had Mrs Brinda Ma’am. She read the story “Inner Life of Animals.” Through this story, we learnt about the feelings of animals. I also learnt how deep and strong the emotions of animals are, just like humans.

At the end, I would like to share that both the sessions were really inspiring, knowledgeable, and full of emotions.
 Thank you!!
— Janhvi Singh, 5C

Insights from the Lotus Petal Reading Circle


My Good School

Students from Lotus Petals Foundation shared their thoughts after Sunday School at My Good School. They enjoyed discovering new words, understanding stories better, and feeling inspired by the engaging read-alouds. The session allowed them to think, imagine, and connect with characters deeply. Reading together boosted their confidence, improved their fluency, and made them enjoy stories as a community.

Sunday, 16 November 2025

Reflections of Growth from the Retreat and Sunday School Session- Sunbeam Hostel Lahartara

 

Reflection Sunbeam Lahartara
Sunbeam Hostel lahartara

Students of Sunbeam Lahartara shared that the retreat and Sunday School session offered them a meaningful space to slow down, connect, and learn with intention. Through guided reflections, interactive discussions, and values-based activities, they discovered the power of listening deeply—to themselves, to their peers, and to the lessons within each story.

They expressed that the retreat helped them build clarity, confidence, and a sense of inner calm. The Sunday School session strengthened their understanding of compassion, gratitude, and mindful action. Many felt inspired by the stories shared, noticing how simple narratives can open doors to self-awareness and better decision-making.

Collectively, the students highlighted that the experience taught them to think with openness, speak with kindness, and act with purpose—learnings they hope to carry into their classrooms, homes, and daily lives.

Sunbeam Hostel Lahartara

Saturday, 15 November 2025

Sunday Reflections of Young Readers - Lotus Petal Foundation

 

Reflection_Lotus Petals Foundation

The Sunday reading session filled the students with joy, curiosity, and a sense of discovery. As they listened to stories come alive, they felt the excitement of new words, new ideas, and new worlds opening before them. Many shared how reading aloud helped them speak with confidence, imagine more deeply, and understand emotions better. The session reminded them that every story brings its own surprise — a moment of learning, a spark of inspiration, and the happiness of reading together as a community.

Lotus Petal Foundation

My Good School Reading Session 9th November 2025 - Sunbeam School Balia


My reflection on today's Good School session:

Today's reading session was exciting and enjoyable. I learned new words and improved my reading and speaking skills. The first session was with Mr Jugjiv Sir, who read "The Door-To-Door Bookstore." His reading voice was lively and inspiring.

The second session was with Manisha Khanna Ma'am, who read "The Whistling Schoolboy Aur Anya Kahaniyan." Her stories were emotional and full of moral lessons about kindness and the realities of life. I also enjoyed listening to my classmates and learning from their reading styles.

Thank you...
Anahita Pathak
Class 5th B

Today's session was one of the most interesting and inspiring sessions I've had. My reflection was about two interesting books that we read.


In the first class, we had "Jugjiv Sir." We continued to read the story "The Door-To-Door Bookstore." This story illustrates how books can bring people together. I learned about new words and how to pronounce them.

The second session was with "Manisha Ma'am."


She read the story "The Whistling Schoolboy Aur Anya Kahaniyan." The story was fascinating and full of morals and values. I learned many new words and values in both sessions.
I realised the importance of reading in both sessions.

Thank you!!
Janhvi 5th-C

My Reflection on Today's Good School Session...

Today's reading session was exciting and enjoyable. I learned new words and improved my reading and speaking skills. The story we read provided a valuable moral lesson and made me think deeply. Reading aloud helped me build confidence in front of others. I also enjoyed listening to my classmates and learning from their reading styles. The teacher explained everything clearly. Overall, the session was fun and educational.

Thank you...
Aadhya
Class 5th B

Reflection – Sunday Session (9th November 2025) - From Sunbeam School Ballia Today's Sunday session was a truly enriching and joyful experience. We began with "The Door-to-Door Bookstore" read by Jugjiv Sir, followed by "Dekho, Sriman Oliver Aaye Hain" read by Manisha Ma'am. Both readings were engaging and full of meaning. Listening to them helped me connect deeply with the stories and appreciate the beauty of language and imagination. I enjoyed learning new words and exploring fresh ideas through these readings. It felt wonderful to spend my time productively while developing my love for books. I'm thankful to the whole team of my Good School Alliance for organising such inspiring sessions that make learning enjoyable and help me grow as a reader and thinker. 

Akanksha Rai 
Class 9th 


Tuesday, 11 November 2025

Reading with Heart and Mind: Our Sunday Reflections at My Good School- Lotus Petal Foundation

 

Lotus Petal School

At Lotus Petal School, our Sunday Reading Sessions at My Good School help us see reading in a new light. Every story becomes a lesson in thinking, feeling, and growing.

Through the Four Fs — Fact, Feeling, Finding, and Future — we read with both heart and mind.
Fact helps us remember what happened,
Feeling lets us connect with the story,
Finding reveals hidden lessons, and
Future inspires us to apply them in life.

Each reading leaves us a little wiser, a little kinder, and more aware of the world around us. At My Good School, reading is not just an activity — it’s a way to learn and live better.

Lotus Petal Foundation



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Reflections Since 2021