A Student’s Life - Misses and Balances by Archana Narula, Content Writer, New Delhi

A Student’s Life - Misses and Balances…

I feel each one of us, no matter at what stage in our life, do remember and love to go back to our school days. Some memories make us smile while others make us repentant. 

Surely those prime 14-16 years of our life leave an impression which is so influential on our entire lives. So it is indeed important that these initial enthusiastic years of our life are happy, rightly directed and lay a sound foundation for the rest of our lives. 

A student’s life is so full of vigour and enthusiasm. We just want to do anything and everything. To achieve high grades, to increase the friend list, to be the star in whatever way we can. 

The energy we hold at this age is so tremendous to overcome anything and achieve what we determine to. This age crosses all emotional and mental barriers to achieve whatever we aspire for. 

What we need to ask ourselves is a simple question - Are we running at a right pace? Is it crumbling and overcoming others or is it walking, treading, enjoying and being together?  

At the end of the day, this succeeding, surpassing and wining might get you an appreciation but is that all what you desire or is there more to it? 

Tomorrow you may end up becoming a doctor, banker, engineer or a highest level professional but will you be a happy person?  – What matters the most is – Are you Happy today and tomorrow? 

Before we try to find answers, we need to understand a simple fact that: 

Karma + Destiny = You. 

Here both the factors are important. Be it Karma that is your thoughts/ actions or destiny that is Fate – what life has in store for you. 

Life comes with so many choices and opportunities. Which path you tread on is important when at the crossroads in your life. 

And here comes the importance of your Imbed Value system which helps you make right choices at the right time.  

It is this value system which helps us distinguish between right and wrong.  

Being young students we have an independent life to lead, a future in the process of designing; here it is important for us to individually abide ourselves  

by values and ethics and proceed at a pace walking along with others; helping those who need help. 

Don’t forget that its man’s efforts that a make hell lot of difference but its that subtle value system that make the decisive difference in what you are today and where you land up tomorrow. 

What Really Counts in Assessment by Twinkle Khanna, Teacher, Sunbeam School Annapurna, Varanasi

What Really Counts in Assessment???

Assessment- the word which gives jitters not just to the students but also to the teachers. The question which keeps everybody confused is “what really counts in assessment?” Assessment literally means judging or evaluating someone’s ability but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. Every child is unique. If we start judging every child on the same parameter, we will perhaps be unjust with the students as it will not be a true reflection of their calibre. This is the biggest concern related to the assessment pattern of the education system. Every school aims to achieve holistic development of a child. Then is it not necessary to assess a child holistically? In the present scenario a child is assessed on the basis of his performance in the written examination. A child scoring 90% is considered to be intelligent and a child scoring 60% is considered to be an average child. But is it always true? Does this give us the true and actual evaluation of a child’s ability? I don’t think so.
A child may score well in the exams but he/she might lack the skills or deeper understanding required to deal with the practical real life situations. On the contrary a child may not fare well in the exams but might have the skills required in the long-run. To be precise the written examination cannot be taken as a true reflection of a child’s abilities. While assessing a child emphasis should be laid on more complex capabilities like conceptual understanding and long-term transfer skills. As educators we also need to think of some ways to help students understand and reflect their own learning progress. This will make them self-sufficient. So, next time before judging a child we first need to ensure whether we are able to see the hidden part of the ice-berg or we are still looking at the surface.

The Values That Make Us Human by Garima Chaudhary, B.Sc. (Hotel Management) IHM Pusa, Delhi

The Values That Make Us Human

Do you know what is 'common' between us and the saints?

That, we all are the 'creatures of the god'.

Do you know that is 'uncommon' between us and the saints?

The 'sacredness' of the saints.

Do you know what 'should be common' between us and the saints?

'The values of life that make us a human'.

"Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values".

— Dalai Lama

Today's generation is moving at a very fast rate. As a parent, spouse or business professional, we encounter several circumstances each day which test our patience, character and the peace of mind. During such times, our values guide us and shape our priorities and reactions.

Here, I am going to emphasize the importance of three values which. I believe are the basic values to be a human and to live peacefully in today's scenario.

(i) Character

"Reputation is what others think of you. Character is what you know yourself to be".

— Helen Keller

Character means that you take pride in being the absolute best that you can be, regardless of whether anyone else is paying attention. Character is what you owe to yourself; your dignity, integrity, effort and self-respect.

If one has to choose between 'character' and "Reputation'; one should always choose "Character" because reputation can be earned for the second time but character can't.

(ii) Forgiveness

"The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naïve forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget".

—Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

We live, we fight, we forgive, we forget. It is cycle of life which goes on. It is natural to feel bad, to feel hitting back after a fight. But what makes us stable in such condition is the ability to go let it go. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong, it makes us at peace and give us an upper hand. One should forgive, but never forget the lesson learnt from pain.

(iii) Tolerance

"Tolerance is about how your beliefs lead you to treat people who disagree with you".

—Mahatma Gandhi

Lack of tolerance in today's society is leading to, matricide, patricide, fratricide etc. And 'suicide'. If we wish to have peace and harmony in our societies and personal lives, we need to develop and imbibe the value of tolerance within ourselves. Tolerance  comes by from learning to forgive.

So, a value system can keep people moving along in life making good choices and  being proud of who they are. When our actions and words are aligned with our values, life is generally good and we feel content, confident and satisfied and proud of ourselves.

A Mother's Message to Her Son Before She Leaves Him Forever by Kiran Goel, Student, Class 11(Medical) MGN Urban Estate Phase 2 School, Jalandhar

A Mother's Message to Her Son Before She Leaves Him Forever

A wait prolongs my dear

Let's welcome let's welcome it with a new dear

Don't feel alone my heart is with you anyway

Whatever words you hid just say

I am gonna be away too long a day

I know paler would the sunlight get

Less darker would be the night over our head

For some time now you will open your arms for me

But nothing like me would you see

Don't this hearten yourself my dear

Just hug your own self then and you feel near

I love you tiniest parts

My life longs for your smile every second

But for now you won't feel my palm when you extend your hand

It's just a little long lovely lifeless lonely wait

Just have faith I promise I won't be late

Let your soul be strengthened by my memories

You wont find me in celebrities

I will always be inside your heart so feel

Keep your hand on your chest

Close your eyes and speak my name when you need

Remember my son,

Stars change places every night,

BUT HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THE MOON DEEP?

       

Mirror by Neha Goyal, Teacher, Sacred Heart Convent Sr. Sec. School, Khanna (Distt. Ludhiana), Punjab

Mirror

Spending hours infront of thee

To refashion the natural order ,

Spending hours infront of thee

To refashion the natural order,

Anxious about the reflection of the ephemeral,

Turning every stone to be presentable,

  

Unnerved by a glance at the divine version of thee inside 

Horrified even at the thought of the ugly reflection

Unable to veil it with the artificial correction

  

But can not do without glancing at it 

For to be presentable to ultimate source of reflection,

I look for the cleansing of the dark soul,

I need to bleach it with confession n admission,

I need to nourish it with acceptance and forgiveness

After cleansing, bleaching and nourishing the dark soul 

I can feel presentable to the whole...

What Should be the Real Concern...By Neha Khanna, Teacher, Sunbeam School Lahartara, Varanasi

                                         What Should be the Real Concern...

Einstein said "It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge". Years ago, Einstein, an intellectual genius, had beautifully expressed his thoughts with such simplicity that somehow seems to be obsolete in the ever so fast moving world of today.

                  The tech savvy generation of the present world spends each day in the struggle of keeping pace with the swift changes that affect their world every now and then. The ones who are most affected by the changes in the face of education are the parents, and even teachers, who still live with their individual experiences and struggles of their student lives. They often develop certain inhibitions towards the increasing complexities of the education system and start bombarding their children with advice, suggestions, warnings etc. which eventually do more harm than good to them as it keeps adding on to the pressure on the children. Each step taken by the anxious parents act as bricks that build the humongous structure of pressure on the young impressionable minds.

                   The focus these days seem to be only on the marks and results of the students. In this process the students fail to enjoy the most endearing part of their education - the student life. We must have heard it before that the journey is more important than the destination. But we completely seem to ignore it when it comes to a child's educational journey. The fixation with the end results and the numbers reflected on the report card is so strong that it completely overpowers our moral reasoning.

                   Sadly enough, in the present educational system numbers seem to define and certify a child's capabilities. This clearly explains the obsession of the parents as well as the students with the results. It's high time we sit and ponder over what  will actually matter in the long run. Is it the numbers on the report card or the true qualities of a child that will make him/her a successful and more importantly a HAPPY person.

                  Our respected Prime Minister had rightly said "Never let the child in you die". But the question that we need to ask ourselves is "Are we taking away the childhood from our children?" Hope we all are in a position to give a confident NO as a reply to this question.

Getting on with Life Once a TV Series Ends by Aditi Agarwal, Student, Eco (H), Kamla Nehru College, DU

Getting on with Life Once a TV Series Ends 

When you invest hours upon hours in a story, the characters, the relationships, and the emotions, you form an attachment to that TV series. Watching it and waiting to watch it becomes a habit you can't seem to shake off. You think about what happened in the last episode you watched when you wake up and you wonder about what will happen next when you go to bed. You start breathing, living, and dreaming in the world of those beloved characters. You obsess and you want to get to the end. But when you do, it hits you like a sledgehammer.

It's not easy to move on from the life you had experienced alongside your own. It was as if it's yours, too. You were with them right there on the island, too. So, how to get out of the funk and get on with your life when it's ended?

Here are 5 ways how...

1. START WATCHING A NEW SERIES.

Well, isn't that the most obvious option? To stop obsessing over one thing, and to start obsessing over something else. As simple as that. Not exactly healthy. But, well, a person in need got to do what they got to do.

2. WRITE AND SCRAPBOOK.

Get it out, darling. Whatever it is that comes to your head when you think of it, write it down in a separate notebook/ scrapbook. Paste pictures, and little trinkets that remind you of that favorite scene, write stuff about characters and write about your opinions on a particular twist that the new season brought about. And once you have it all poured over the pages, make a time capsule and put the notebook away for next, say, 2 years. You will reminisce and be so damn happy when you get to see it again.

3. START A FANBLOG.

It's the new cool. People love to find people with similar interests. Write reviews of episodes, your opinions about different relationships throughout the series, how it could have turned out better, how it couldn't have been any better, characters and their lives, the actors and their lives...blog it out of your system.

 4. START YOUR OWN RANGE OF MEMORABILIA MERCHANDISE.

If you have the funds and the time, you can start your own range of merchandise dedicated to the series. This will engage your creative sides and will make the ideas swirling inside your head a beautiful reality. This will get you to stop going crazy and will be like a productive transformation of the series in your life. Not to mention, you will make money out of it.

Who doesn't want an amazing pendant, or ring, or keychain, or mugs, or tee-shirts which reminds them of their beloved series?

5. REWATCH.

Rewatch the whole series again. Maybe then you will get over it and stop obsessing. When it becomes predictable and not so wonderful anymore, maybe it won't be that great for you. Maybe you will realize that all it was meant for was 2 reruns and now it's time to move on.

 Getting over something isn't easy. It takes time and patience. A TV series is nothing different. So, try to get over it, do stuff that might help, but if you aren't able to move on, maybe you aren't meant to. Not yet.

(NOTE: This isn't only about moving on from a TV series. These steps can be followed to get over anything. If it's a relationship --with friends, with family, whatever --maybe you got to start trying. Or, maybe not. It's your call. Take your time. With a little improvising these steps can be used to get over anything in life. All you need is patience. And, a little faith.)