My First 'Venture' to 'My Good School'...- Unnati Dabral

Did I call it a 'venture'?

Indeed yes.

You might be thinking, "Why I wrote venture instead of putting 'visit'?" Of course, to make my readers wonder why? And to make them curious.

I was a creative and rough-tough kid since I first started schooling. But that doesn't mean I was confident back then. When it comes to vivas, although my 'Know it All' attitude used to kick in, I used to get nervous. I still do.

So, the first fellow to join 'My Good School' happened to be my friend, Geetankshi. She told me about this opportunity at 'The English Book Depot'. She told me to write about 'What it takes to spread the joy of learning at schools?', mail it, and then wait for the reply. At first, I procrastinated on the task for a few days. My friend told me to visit the place and meet the founder. I thought it was a good idea. I wrote a mail to the head body before leaving for the visit.

The moment I reached there, I fell in love with the place.

I pondered, "What a wonder it would be to work in such a peaceful and calming environment!"

I went straight ahead towards our founder to greet him. With the intention of an intellectual chit-chat as I go. Alas! I end up giving an interview for the post. I was in bewilderment. Sandeep Sir asked me about learning; how do children learn?; what is the joy of learning; what can we do to spread it in our schools?

Amidst answering a few of them, I went blank for a few minutes. Firstly, I had no clue that I would be at the trigger point for the interview. Geetankshi told me otherwise. Secondly, It was an interview. Jeez, my heart was palpating. I was feeling so nervous. One could have seen my arm-hair twitch. 

The interview was over. I felt the sluggishness under my skin. Sir told me about 'My Good School', its vision, Learning Forward India, etc. And soon after, I found my heartbeats slowing down and healing. It was Sandeep Sir, and what he said at the end, "So, this is what we do. Now you are a Fellow at My Good School. Welcome. अब तो मुझसे डर नहीं लग रहा, ना?"

I called the visit 'A Venture'. 

And what a venture it was!

Have you ever 'Bungee Jumped'?

The nervousness and the feeling of hollowness in your stomach you get before jumping off the cliff is what I felt during the interview. And the power you have felt in your gut after accomplishing the task, that same power I felt after his words. And thus, I felt at home at that moment. The acceptance I got as an individual on my own was so pure. I was so happy, felt so content and thankful to god. The feeling was unforgettable.

I have always thought of being a part of such a generous vision. And getting an opportunity to work for 'Joy Of Learning' at 'My Good School' with such a fabulous team is the most 'beatific feeling' I had in so long.

I feel I am in the right place. 

Thank you so much, Sir. 🙏

~Unnati Dabral 🌻

(Fellow at My Good School)

Appreciation - Aati Pema

In a beautiful village in Kerala, a boy named Ramananda was fast asleep with his head resting amongst the crumbled pages of his efforts to write a 'note' to himself. His parents were proud, and his friends saw him as an intelligent kid, but when he used to ask himself how he was, no reply would be there. At the young age of ten, he saw how people thought of him. With this in his mind, his consciousness would let him rest, so he pushed himself repeatedly. Even when the results were good, he got frustrated it did not get better, and he was never content with his work. Even his teachers began to notice and praise him openly, giving him a hollow sense of satisfaction that he feared might make him complacent. Though he now studied at a prestigious university and was still appreciated by everyone around him, he felt increasingly lost. 

Day in and day out, he would work to be better, but he had sacrificed the sense of oneness with himself, and thus he now felt lost, so he did the only thing he thought might help. He had begun to ask himself why he felt no sense of achievement and could not find fulfilment in his everyday life. Now he was lost, and on top of that, he had to answer his question. Neither did he see his own worth nor anyone else's, and began to progress without purpose. He was always aware of his thoughts, so his academics also declined. Only then did he see how good he was before and learn to appreciate his work. Having done so he was again that brilliant child that everyone admired now, having also grown in the sense of ethics. 

Only when we appreciate and be compassionate to ourselves will we understand others' company and not only just live but also be mindful of life. 

Aati Pema

Pestoalozzi Children's Village India