The darkest hour of the day - Vani Pandey

It was the 31st of October and the darkest hour of the day. My parents were out, and I was alone at home. It wasn't the first time I had been like this. This was about the hundredth time I had been all alone. I wasn't afraid, for all I could think was how to paint the wall in my room. It was huge, and it was a giant project for me. I was all blank for inspiration. 

" Hmm... What about a giant rainbow and a few of my original made characters in it? Or... What about a beautiful seascape? 

That was my mind, all messed up and out of place. Suddenly, I heard a whistle. Maybe it was the wind, or was it, someone? It came from the dark and blank lobby. Did I dare to go there? Well, no. I stayed where I was. And then went to see whether there was a wind blowing. There was a slight breeze, but it couldn't be the wind whistle. But I made up my mind and got back to work. Then again, I heard a whistle. But this time, it was more of a faint cry. My body got cold for a second. It was 11 at night, and a muffled cry was haunting me. I got hold of all the confidence I had and walked into the lobby. I switched on the light, and all I could see was the living room, well set and no one. As soon as I was returning to my room, I heard a whistle and a cry at the same time again! But this time, it came from the abandoned room in the corner. I, in fact, no one had been in there for a long while. We used it as a storeroom for our old things.

I entered and followed the cry. It was coming from a cardboard box. It said- 'Old toys'. I opened it and found a doll. And then, I remembered that it was a haunted doll my brother got me on Halloween. I saw that the button, somehow, got switched on, and it was making all that noise. I switched it off and closed the door. And by then, my parents had come back. The best part was that it was all over, but I still didn't understand how the doll's button got switched on. But as it is said- " Some things should be left as a mystery."

Vani Pandey Class- 8th:C Gyanshree School Noida

Why fit in when I can stand out? - Rishona Chopra

We have grown up with values and are taught to be kind to everyone around us. But we often exhibit the behaviour of dependency – we are nice to people only when they are nice to us. 

If they behave wrongly with us in small or big ways, we feel an impulse to strike back in the name of tit for tat or an eye for an eye. We copy people's wrong behaviours and give up our inherent goodness. From today, start living by your value compass, no matter what. 

Holding on to your qualities when tempted to copy others' wrong behaviour increases your inner power. Remind yourself – "Irrespective of my environment and people, I use my original qualities in every situation. Irrespective of the other's behaviour, I am caring and kind to them.

Unique the way I am,
That's how I stand.
With all my values and principles in place,
I will always stay at my own pace!

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

The Wonders Of The World - Rishona Chopra

Are you thinking I'm talking about the 7 wonders of the world? No, not that; I am talking about each of those miracles that we encounter in our lives every day. 

Do you wonder where the beliefs gathered along life's journey have come from? Whatever you believe about happiness, love, respect, anger or stress is mainly thrust on you based on your social conditioning. Have you paused to evaluate them, accept what is right and discard any limiting beliefs?

Do you wonder why you were born? Do you wonder why the world is there? Do you know why it is such that as it is? Well, to all these questions, there is only one answer - that it is a miracle to wonder about.

Talking about wonders, I thought of the word "wander". Does it relate? Can we wander in our wonder? Yes, we do; with all these thoughts in our minds and all things happening, we always try to find a logical reason, get lost in our world, and start wandering. 

But let me tell you a secret - The fact that I am alive and healthy today is simply an incredible miracle.

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

Why Reading Aloud Never Gets Old - Edutopia

Research shows that reading aloud to your students—even long after they're reading independently—benefits learners of all ages.

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Education - Reveda Bhatt

Education! First, they ask what it is? Then they don't let you have your own definition!

Warning: *CHOKING HAZARD* Contains I.C.S.E. - keep out of reach of kids studying elsewhere.

We should have gotten that, but sorry, here in India, you don't have a choice but to mug the syllabus up!

How do we do it? Does it remind you of something?

It reminds me of Doraemon's gadget - the one just eating the bread; you could learn the whole thing from your book. Doesn't exist, but if it did, the top purchasers would be the children of Indian schools.

Okay, so I personally don't like the system here. It's like you have to scan all that's printed in your books and make a photocopy of it on your exam sheet! Doesn't matter if even it's the last thing you would need in your life. You need to learn all about it.

If you want to become a doctor, you should know the depth of the core beneath the surface.

To become a geologist, you should know the names of the human body's bones.

Does it make any sense? No, right?

But according to our education system, it does. In fact, that's the motive to feed you every baseless knowledge that would help you anywhere in your life!

THEY DON'T KNOW THE FACT THAT FOR EVERY LITTLE THING WE FIT IN OUR BRAIN, ANY AND EVERY USEFUL THING GOES OUT, out in the sense-sinks in into this heap!

Literally, there is no experiential learning. I doubt they even know of that word! L.O.L.! All they do is supply each child with a box to fill in with dead warriors, articles and other things, and by the time you pick out useful stuff, your bag is complete!

Keeping us in a box like that serves no purpose but forces us to enter the class and just wait around the clock for the bell to ring!

Trin Trin!

Reveda Bhatt
Grade 9
The Aryan School

Celebrating the Journey - one year at My Good School

One year ago, I got a call which said an Internship was being offered by My Good School.  

I was excited and nervous, but as time passed, I settled there, or you can say I now have a family here!

In a family where everyone is a good learner, and all accept each other as they are, The best part is we all learn from each other irrespective of our age, place or class. The priority is that learning comes first. We know, excel, collaborate at every moment, and find joy at every flash.

There is no point on the geographical map where we met or collaborated. The bond, love and corporation we have are better than other "offices" (We also have an office National Office), and we collaborate there.

Learning from books is present over there, but I have learned from people you can call "learning by collaboration" I learn from every personality there Anvesha, Arav, Reveda, Rishona, Simar and many more. We also have mentors. They are not like any other one who makes the path or creates the boundaries to explore. We create the way, and we create our own exploring areas. They are just there and observe us.

I can't count when I completed one year, but the journey had to put a mark. I hope the journey continues, and I will be part.

Thanks to Mr Sandeep, Ms Rajeshree, Ms Sukpreet and the family of My Good School for always being there and making the journey remarkable.

Viva La My Good School!

Kunal Rajpurohit
The Fabindia School
Village & PO Bali
Dist Pali, Rajasthan
India

1st Birthday 🎉 Celebration @ My Good School

A special podcast to celebrate Children's Day at My Good School

Release Date: 14th November 

Recording Date and Time: 13th November at 5 pm

Hosts: Anvesha and Simar

Guests:  

• Students:

1. Rishona Chopra, Gyanshree School

2. Arav Agarwal, Billabong High International School Thane

3. Yashraj Sharma, Gyanshree School

4. Vani Pandey, Gyanshree School

5. Arfa Khan, Ahlcon Public School

6. Reveda Bhatt, The Aryan School

7. Shambhavi Nautiyal, Ahlcon Public School
   

• Teachers: 

  Sandeep Sir; and Jugjiv Sir, Governing Council members at My Good School.            

The Script 

No story is ever complete, so with this script!

Anvesha: It's crazy how fast time flies and how things progress around us. We are new to My Good School, but a year has passed. We just didn't realise that. 

Simar: That is very true. My Good School has been a milestone for me. It has taught me so much, and I will forever be grateful. 

Anvesha: This journey has been incredible, full of learning and love. So today, I Anvesha

Simar: And I Simar

Anvesha: Welcome all of you to the one-year Podcast at My Good School! This celebration would be incomplete without all the interns and our mentors who are a part of this beautiful journey, right?

Simar: Truly, so I invite my friends and interns at My Good School, Rishona, Arav, Yashraj, Vani, Arfa, and Reveda, and we also ask Sandeep, sir.

Anvesha: Hi Rishona, How was my Good school? It has been quite a journey, right?

Rishona:  I absolutely agree. From "Is Your Child Ready To Face The World" By Dr Sibal to Totto-chan, Swami, friends, and now Hari Ghass Ki Chappar Wali Jhopdi aur bona pahad. It has been a journey full of learning, writing, reading and, of course, reflecting. Each of these stories carries its beauty and never fails to leave us with food for thought. I am sure we all agree that My Good School is perhaps unique and has so many outstanding memories! The most memorable part is how we all make the team and work together in coordination.

Simar: I couldn't agree with you more, Rishona. I would like to invite my friend Arav to talk about his experience. 

 

Arav: It has been an amazingly fulfilling experience at My Good School. This 1 year has helped me to explore, learn and know myself better. The books we read together helped me reflect on and taught me how we can inculcate life values in our everyday life. I think somewhere we all could find a part of ourselves in Totto Chan, Swami and Bolu. From reading to working together, My Good School has helped me experience the absolute joy of learning. I am grateful for this beautiful platform. 

Anvesha: Thank you for sharing that with us, Arav. The Hindi session is essential in The Sunday School, doesn't it? Let's invite our host for the Hindi session, Yashraj, to answer that. 

Yashraj: Yes, indeed. It is an honour to be a part of the Hindi session and, of course, to host it. Yesterday, I was self-assessing and noticed how much I've improved since the Hindi sessions started. I'm sure everyone who has participated in the sessions has benefited in some way or another from our Hindi sessions. Every Sunday, we try to make our sessions more joyful and exciting by adding short trivia and quizzes. In fact, we have decided to write a play based on the book we're reading, with everybody taking up different characters and working together!

Anvesha: Thank you, it was beautiful to hear you say so.

Simar:  What about you, Anvesha? What have you learnt from your one year at My Good School? 

Anvesha: My Good School has been a beautiful journey. All of us, the interns of My Good School, have been planted here at the Garden of Learning with so much love and compassion. Every new task is an opportunity to learn, do, and be more. There are numerous things that I have learnt from My Good School that will be impossible to put into a few words, but some of the most important lessons have been: Team Work; I learnt to work with others, collaborate and create. The stories read at The Sunday School left a deep impression on me and made me wonder whether Swami conquered another problem or what Totto-Chan did? I just love it! My Good School is a school we go to every day; it is the school of life, learning and love. 

Simar: That's great. For me, my journey at My Good School has been quite exciting. I was very keen to experience real-life work. My Good School has been helpful to me in many ways. It helped me improve my confidence level and my speaking and writing skills. Furthermore, I was introduced to so many others like me! It was a fantastic experience, one I shall never forget and will look back on in the future. But now, living it is beautiful, and I treasure all that I have been taught here, all the people I have been introduced to, and all the insightful books we read together every Sunday! 

Anvesha:  Wonderful; now let Reveda and Vani share their experiences at My Good School. 

Reveda: My Year at My Good School was great, exciting, significant, fantastic, outstanding, incredible, excellent. I would have put more words into it but let's talk ahead. So, it's brought so many changes in my personality. I can now speak in public fearlessly, yeah, right? It is totally a different concept, I wouldn't call it a School but a Freelancing Group where we can express ourselves in any way we want, and it totally brings my mind out of the box. 

Vani:  Definitely. For me, My Good School has been an outstanding learning experience. I love how we all come together from different schools, read, and share our experiences with each other, which in itself is marvellous. This has been an excellent platform where I have encouraged myself to speak out and write poems and stories. It is a perfect place for every young mind to join, and I have been telling my friends to think about it.

Simar: Thanks Reveda and Vani; now let us invite Arfa and Shambhavi to share their learnings over the past year at My Good School. 

Arfa: 

My time at my good has been fantastic, and I can see how it helped me. When I read in the reading sessions, I increased my reading skills and vocabulary. I was also able to do what I like, writing! I learnt new values each month and improved myself in a good way. In My Good School, I experienced the joy of learning and improved and made myself a better person.

Anvesha: Thank you, Arfa. After hearing you speak, I am sure that all of us love My Good School, but what is your favourite part of My Good School? 

Rishona: For me, the favourite part of the session in The Sunday School is the reflection. After the exquisite reading session, it gives me immense pleasure to reflect, share my experiences and write, speak or draw about them. As Claude Monet said, "It's on the strength of observation and reflection that one finds a way. So we must dig and delve unceasingly".

Arav:  My favourite part at My Good School has been exploring different things, from reading to working on podcasts and comic strips and creating posters. I loved working with the podcast team, and with the help of my mentors, I learned to do Podcast and video editing and found my joy through speaking. As rightly said, "The best education does not happen at a desk but at hands-on exploring and real-life experiences".

Yashraj: I, too, love to reflect and share my experiences with everyone! Reading everybody else's articles daily motivates me to work on my articles more and reflect every week!

Vani: My favourite part is the Joy Of Learning Diaries, where we can post our experiences and facts in the form of stories, poems, articles, drawings and even letters! It has helped me a lot in gaining confidence in writing.

Arfa: My favourite part is the reading session of the book 'Art of Focus' in The Sunday School. It is fun to learn new morals through intriguing stories and uplifting quotes!

Simar: My favourite part is making the Podcast. Podcasts are an engaging and fun way to inculcate all we learn in Sunday School. I always enjoy recording and making podcasts as they reflect everything I know. It is such a pleasure for me!

Anvesha: That's great, and the best part about My Good School for me is the Sunday School. We learn much at the Reading sessions, from Swami and Friends to the Art of Focus; all the handpicked tales flow with love and values. Sunday School is a beautiful experience and definitely, my favourite! We invite Sandeep sir and Jugjiv Sir to share their knowledge and favourite part about My Good School? 

Sandeep Sir: My first year at My Good School was like starting again from Early Years, from Nursery! New school, new friends and an unknown curriculum added to the excitement. I cannot believe how much we can learn from each other, and a classroom has been flipped from the traditional teacher-led to a comfortable space with students at the centre. This really challenges the conventional schooling system. Reading was just the beginning. What followed was pure joy in reflections through blogs, podcasts, meetings and the internship program. Our school is one living example of spreading the joy of learning. As we move to year, too, it seems excellent times ahead as the students lead, and we add to the curriculum programs like Well-being, Space, using edtech and maybe end up with a virtual school for the world! Thanks to each of you for all the joy you spread, and may you always be the young learners at heart.

Simar: Thank you so much, Sandeep, sir. 

Anvesha: With that, we come to the end of our Podcast. Comment below and let us know if you liked our Podcast. If you want to be a part of similar podcasts, join us. That's all for us today. Thanks for tuning in. 

Life is a journey with problems to solve and lessons to learn, but most of all, experiences to share and experiences to enjoy. 

We at My Good School come here today to celebrate our learnings and lessons as a beautiful year passes. 

Join us in celebrating our school as we laugh at Totto-Chan's tactics, learn from Swami's mistakes, realise the road from the Art of Focus and improve from each session hereafter. 

Anvesha Rana and Simar Kaur - Hosts from Gyanshree School

Rishona Chopra, Yashraj Sharma and Vani Pandey - Gyanshree School

Arav Agarwal, Billabong High International School Thane

Arfa Khan, Shambhavi Nautiyal -  Ahlcon Public School

Reveda Bhatt, The Aryan School

Sandeep Sir, Jugjiv Sir - Mentors at My Good School

Comment below and let us know if you liked our Podcast. If you want to be a part of similar podcasts, join us. That's all for us today. Thanks for tuning in. 

             

- Scripted by all the Interns as one joyful 👥.