- Wednesday Weekly GSI Journal: A Journey of Inspiration and Growth
- Thoughtful Thursdays with Poetry
- Fantastic Fridays with Book Reading
- Saturday Masterclass for Teachers
- Sunday My Good School for Students
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Good Schools India Journal
Book Reading- The Door To Door Bookstore
Book Reading- The Inner Life of Animals
Session 1 of 3, scheduled for the third Sunday of the month, beginging February 2025.
Lina Ashar, founder of Dreamtime Learning, discussed the importance of goal setting using the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, Time-bound) framework. She emphasized the need for clear, realistic goals to achieve personal and academic success. Lina Ashar highlighted the reticular activating system (RAS) in the brain, which helps focus on specific goals. She also addressed common challenges like procrastination and stress, suggesting time-blocking and realistic goal setting. The session included practical exercises to transform vague goals into SMART ones and stressed the importance of inner mastery and personal growth.
What we learnt with Lina Ashar
Book Reading: "The Hidden Life of Animals"
Chapters: Hidden Agendas & Simple Sums:
In what ways does the ability of animals to perform simple mathematical tasks impact our ethical responsibilities toward them? Do you think recognizing intelligence in animals should influence the way humans treat them?
Wohlleben shares anecdotes about animals demonstrating basic arithmetic skills. How do these examples compare to the way young children or untrained humans approach similar tasks? What does this suggest about the cognitive abilities of animals in comparison to humans?
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.
Just like a computer has Input & Output devices, our learning at Sunday School follows a similar pattern! ЁЯЦе️✨
ЁЯУе INPUT:
ЁЯУЦ Reading – Gaining wisdom from scriptures
ЁЯдФ Reflection – Understanding and applying lessons
ЁЯдЭ Building Relationships – Growing in faith together
ЁЯУд OUTPUT:
ЁЯСА Recognise – Identifying God's presence in life
ЁЯза Remember – Keeping His teachings in our hearts
❤️ Reciprocate – Spreading love and kindness
Let's keep learning, reflecting, and growing together! ЁЯМ┐ЁЯУЪЁЯТб
#SundaySchool #3Rs #FaithInAction
Sunbeam School Lahartara Hostel Students
We warmly welcome Vikas Prakash Joshi, an-award winning writer, editor, translator, podcaster, public speaker, novelist, amateur cook and occasional journalist in Pune, India. His first book for children, My Name Cinnamon (Hay House India), was published in November 2022 , and it has been lauded all over the world, in over 30+ countries, endorsed by many top Indian writers, and received 7 publishing offers. Story Ink, a Mumbai-based production company, has also acquired the book for screen adaptation. It was illustrated by the well known and award winning illustrator for children's books Niloufer Wadia. It has received 5 recognitions already: A3F Literary Award for Fiction 2023, Asian Literary Society Award for Best Debut Fiction,Asian Literary Society Certificate of Excellence in Fiction, Skipping Stones Magazine Honour List for International Books 2023, Longlisted and Shortlisted for Valley of Words Awards for Young Adult Fiction 2023. It was also chosen among 60 selected books by Indian authors for kids and YA by Hyderabad-based Beyond the Box organization, an organisation working in the field of literature.
Summary
We discussed Vikas Joshi's book "My Name is Cinnamon," focusing on the last chapter, "Chapter 17: Going Home." Vikas shared insights into the book's creation, including the integration of Usher Syndrome and the emotional journey of the protagonist, Cinnamon. The discussion highlighted the importance of early disclosure of adoption to children and the challenges of bullying. Vikas emphasized the significance of community in his writing and provided advice for aspiring authors, stressing regular writing and resilience. The session concluded with a group photo and a reflection on the book's themes.
Sandeep Dutt discussed the progress and schedule of "My Good School," a comprehensive educational program. The school meets on various days for different activities: Sundays for master classes, Saturdays for teacher sessions, Fridays for book readings, Thursdays for poetry, Tuesdays for music, and Mondays for art.
The annual fee is 2500 rupees, offering 160 hours of learning. The program includes a structured internship, fellowship for teachers, and workshops. They share learning through newsletters, blogs, podcasts, and a YouTube channel. The meeting concluded with a dance performance and a song celebrating the joy of learning.
Chapter 17: Going Home is the last chapter of My Name is Cinnamon, here are the reflection questions:
1. Character Growth
Based on the conversation, here are some strategies Vikas Joshi suggested for aspiring writers to balance quality and quantity:
- Write regularly, but don't expect everything you write to be publishable. You'll need to discard a lot of content.
- When you get stuck on something, leave it for a while and work on other parts of the story. You may find a solution later as you continue writing.
- Focus on producing content, even if it's not perfect. The "worst piece of writing done is better than the best piece of writing which is in your mind."
- Be prepared to receive a wide range of reactions, both positive and negative. Don't get discouraged by negative feedback, but evaluate if it's constructive.
- Commit to writing a few times a week, even if you can't do it daily. Consistency is key.
The key is to balance the discipline of regular writing with the patience to refine and improve your work over time. It's about finding the right mix between quantity and quality.
Key messages Vikas Joshi leaves behind:
1. Embrace the ups and downs in your journey as a writer/creative person. Be prepared for the fact that your definition of success will change as you progress.
2. Focus on developing your ability to deeply understand and connect with people. Interpret their words and behaviors beyond the surface level.
3. The "worst piece of writing done is better than the best piece of writing which is in your mind." Don't be afraid to discard content and keep writing.
4. Be resilient and consistent in your writing practice, even if you can't write every day. Commit to writing a few times a week.
5. Evaluate feedback carefully - not all criticism is constructive. Learn to discern which feedback is worth taking seriously.
6. For aspiring writers, start writing and don't wait for the "perfect" moment. The more you write, the more you'll improve.
7. Incorporate your personal experiences and memories into your writing, as it can make the story more authentic and relatable.
The overall message emphasizes the importance of perseverance, self-awareness, and a willingness to learn and grow as a writer. Vikas encourages aspiring writers to embrace the challenges of the creative process.
Reflection questions based on Chapter 12: Crowd Intelligence from The Inner Life of Animals by Peter Wohlleben:
1. Collective Behavior
