Autobiography Of An Aloe Vera - Rishona Chopra

Hello, my dear friends! I am Aloe Vera. The most beautiful, most remarkable and kindest plant you have ever seen.

I have done many good deeds in my life with my best friend "Gel". I have healed several people. You might give credit to Gel, but who produced him? Me. Who motivated him? Me. Who supported him? Me. But I am very humble. I'll let you take credit, but we all know who really did the work.  

I have been healing you, humans, for centuries, but what do you do? You cut me in half and apply me on your sticky, dry, sweaty face. You don't care about the pain I go through. You just put me so you get a pretty face, but what on earth happened to my pretty face? And that, my friends, is my struggle in life. 

Rishona Chopra
Grade VII
Gyanshree School

A letter to my future self - Aria Gupta

Image courtesy Getty Stock Images

Sec 104, Noida, Uttar Pradesh

A student from Gyanshree School

6 July 2023

Dear Future Aria Gupta

How are you doing?

Please read this when you're at college or have a job. This is you from the past, and I have tons of questions. Did your/my book get published? I hope it did; I've been working pretty hard on it. What job did I/you get (If I/you have one)? Is it boring? I hope it isn't. Are you/am I happy? I'll blame you if I'm not, even though I'm basically blaming myself.

Here's a list of things I never want to become

• A bully. What is good in ruining someone's self-esteem?

• A robber. No one wants to become this! 

• An introvert. I want to have many friends and be super social. Just know, no offence to those who are one.

• A drama queen. Ugh, I hate those people; they make the most significant problem out of the most minor things.

If you are any of those things, I'm warning you in advance, then guilt will take control of you!

Anyways, do you think I’m stupid and immature? It’s totally fine if you do. Just kidding, no way I’ll forgive that. I don’t care that much if someone says bad things about me, but not myself!

Got to go now! Bye!

Your Past self

10-year-old Aria Gupta (Grade 6)

Appreciation - Tenzin Jambey

Image courtesy Pestalozzi World website.

Regarding appreciation, the image of people clapping for you and words like thanks and thank you come into our minds. Almost every people appreciate others by saying thanks and thank you. Some people think that only getting the word of thanks from others is an application, but I don't think about it that way.

Regarding my application work, I have done numerous good jobs. Whenever I do any good job or something, I first appreciate myself because it doesn't bring me any sadness or down feeling because of not being appreciated for my good work by someone; we should be the first to enjoy ourselves if we do any kind of work. Doing an excellent job in the presence of someone can be seen, and others might praise you for that, but being yourself without anyone's presence is a different thing; at that moment, there is no one to clap for you, and that's the moment when we should pat on our back for doing a good job. We should be good and kind to all humans, but what about plants and animals? They, too, have the right to live a long peaceful life. Humans are taking so much from nature and animals; in return, we are doing nothing helpful but destroying, killing and taking their life.

We should be kind to the plants and all the animals around us; in the hostel, I have planted varieties of flowers and plants since I am so attached to nature and the environment, and sometimes I water them in the evening. When I see that the soil level is unequal, I add soil and organic fertilizer like cow dung and decomposed vegetable peals. After returning from my vacation, I found that the plants had dried, and some had even died. I felt sad about that as I cared for them with my heart, I watered them, and the next day I saw them growing again, which thrilled me. No one appreciated me, as none saw me doing that, but when I appreciated myself, I heard the soundless appreciation of my plants and flowers. As the wind blew, they began to move, and I imagined they were dancing and singing with joy because I had watered them after so long.

We must come out of the mindset that being only kind to a human does not bring us appreciation, we must equally respect our mother earth and all the components of nature like air, water, land, soil, fire and even the dumb stones that stays in a fixed position and says nothing but we use it for many purposes.

Tenzin Jambey
Pestalozzi Children's Village India

The Bookshop is my happy place! - Bob

Hello, my dear friends! You would know me if you have ever visited the EBD Bookshop in Dehradun. After all, I am the main reason you come there. My name is Bob, and I am the cutest dog you will ever see. There came this girl in the Bookshop a few days ago, she called me a "soft toy". Now, that is sheer disrespect. I am very soft and sweet, but I am not a toy at all. In fact, I have a life of my own; I know how to talk and express my feelings. I know how to write and read; that is why I am in a bookshop in the first place. I am one of a kind. I love relaxing, calm, loud, and clear music. Oh please, don't be surprised; dogs have preferences too. 

Lately, I have been facing some back problems. Oh, how it hurts! I have to sit with a bent back and a sad face. I have been passing hints for a few days, but no one noticed until today.

One of the fellows at the Bookshop finally noticed my back pains, so they gave me the perfect remedy! They helped me stand up straight with the support of nothing else but a music system! Oh, how happy I was! And it was also my favourite colour, red! They fixed my problem and made me sit closest to the music system. The people are so caring and friendly. The Bookshop is indeed my happy place. Everything is perfect now, and I can relax again, enjoying the music and the bittersweet smell of coffee!

Bob 
EBD Bookshop Dehradun
( written by Rishona Chopra, School Captain My Good School)
Check out the bookshop https://englishbookdepot.com/

What it takes to spread the joy of learning at schools - Unnati Dabral

Children and Young Adults tend to spend their joyful yet crucial years of life in school. School days are the precious years of a student's life. 

The joy of learning in schools may be defined in numerous ways. Learning something new with fellow mates always has its charms and challenges, whether in the classroom or on the playground. 'Finding Joy' is seeing oneself grow little by little, learning, growing, falling, escaping, again coming on the loop, trying and experiencing unusual things in those marvellous hours at school.

Have you ever thought about our adrenaline rush while reading a thrilling novel? Oh! And how just a mere acknowledgement of the fact that its sequel might be available in our school library in the coming month excites us? What a relieving thought with an inexpressible enthusiasm.

An infusion of joy with learning helps a learner to feel less stressed. It motivates positive learning experiences. Children are more eager to learn when handled with care and happiness.

To understand what it takes to spread the joy of learning at schools, we need to know what actually brings joy to the students?

The answer is:-
∆ Games
∆ Toys
∆ Colours
∆ Artworks
∆ Cartoons
∆ Adventures
∆ Jokes
∆ Celebrations

And for these to take place, a teacher should have the listed qualities and thus qualifies his/her limitations to strengths:- 
∆ Passionate towards teaching
∆ Caring
∆ Kind
∆ Able to create a flowing atmosphere
∆ Introducing egalitarianism among students
∆ Humourous
∆ Knows his/her students

There is much more to learn, give, write, do, and thus explore. Looking forward to spreading the joy of learning at schools and worldwide.

- Unnati Dabral 
Fellow at My Good School for the year 2023-24

Appreciation - Aria Gupta

Appreciation is a life skill. Most people say that you should appreciate others, and that is true, but you should also appreciate yourself. If you never show gratitude for anything, you might think your life is the worst when it might be the best, which can bring a lot of pessimism and negativity to you. On the other hand, If you are grateful for everything you have, you think that you are lucky, which can bring optimism and positivity.

On my first day of school after summer vacations, my bag weighed like it was a massive boulder. Our teacher spent the class not studying but making sure that everyone's bags were light. I cannot thank her enough. It might seem small, but it made a huge impact on me, who used to struggle everyday just carrying her bag. 

I also think there is a specific group of people we need to appreciate, celebrities. They work all day, whether they are singers or actors. Most of them are also forced to eat once a day to maintain their body and make the public satisfied! On top of that, they also have to deal with rumours, dating scandals and judgments from many haters. They’ll probably say things such as ‘She’s so self-centred’ if she asks someone to stop taking photos of her. It’s like the public is in control of their lives, yet they still do their work just for us to be entertained. They definitely deserve respect for that.

Aria Gupta

Grade VI 

Gyanshree school

Appreciation - Rishona Chopra

Appreciation is to appreciate, as in to be grateful and thankful for something. 

Most of us have so much to appreciate, but we still take time to find mistakes and need to remember to embrace all the privileges we have and don't appreciate. There shall always be greed for more, but it's on us to know how to control it, appreciates what we have, avoids finding what we don't have and stop this greed for more.

Finding out mistakes is easier and more catchy to talk about. I faced this problem myself! Although I have a lot to appreciate, I used to find what I didn't have. I have worked on that mistake and have stopped complaining and enjoying what I have. It's a little tricky, but when you think about your home, good clothes, and education, most people might not even have you feeling happy and grateful for what you have. 

Apart from appreciating the little things in our life, appreciating someone can fill a heart with joy. It can motivate someone to work harder and strive for more. 

Just clapping for someone, giving them a thumbs up, or even smiling at their work can bring a smile to someone's face. 

Appreciation is also a vital quality. Appreciating the little efforts done by our peers and students is essential. We each have something special about us, and instead of thinking just about ourselves, we should take the time to appreciate others. Who understands that better than our teachers? Teachers take particular time enjoying, helping, and thinking about their students. And I am sure we all can appreciate our teachers for the time they took to think about us.

At the same time, Appreciation for others shows your modesty and humbleness. Instead of thinking about ourselves, we appreciate other person's efforts. Humility and Appreciation build a good relationship between peers, two base values of a healthy classroom. Values like cooperation and respect come in when we have the base of humility ready.

Rishona Chopra Grade VII Gyanshree School