A funny story!

Lost

I got lost once and it was the most amusing and wacky experience of my life. It happened back in January 1994. Although it might read like a slightly out of place kind of story, I want to share it with you because it’s my favourite one to tell!

Like migrating birds we flew south to warm weather for training. Our destination was Chile in South America, more precisely the town called Los Andes, where we were to spend the majority of the winter.  (Ok, at this point I might as well inform you, that I was a member of Slovenian wild water kayaking team.)

We flew to Santiago, the capital of Chile in late afternoon and then hit the road to Los Andes. We arrived in dark. The morning dawned and everything seemed new and different from our half frozen homeland in Europe. We enthusiastically set of for our first training on the river somewhat far from our base. River was grand and training was splendid. When done, our coach instructed us to do few more runs cooling down and then continue downstream until we see an opening in the vegetation on our left.  That’s where our van was parked. That’s where we should disembark.

Well, taken by the striking flora and colourful vegetation decorating the riverbanks, I went down stream with a romantic look at the whole setting.  Whistling away and just breathing in the exotic look of my new surrounding. Obviously distracted, I didn’t look left at the right time and went past the disembarking place unaware. So, I paddled and paddled and admired the nature and eventually realized I clearly missed it.

The river was not the kind to permit such mistakes. Too little eddies to even attempt progressing against the stream.  I did briefly consider getting out and walking back at one point of time but then I suddenly noticed a familiar hill with a cross on top in the distance and recognized it as a hill I have seen close to our base, the home stay kind of a house that hosted our team. The river was visibly going in the right direction so why not just follow it? I decided to get home on my own. Why have I not thought of my poor, worried coaches is beyond me now, but I guess at 21 years of age you don’t think of things, like a parent would. :)

The hill still appeared far off and the river’s gotten more rapid and alarmingly noisy. I vividly imagined those classic scenes from cartoons where a boat falls over a gigantic waterfall surprising all involved and I decided to disembark right then and there, as I was no Donald Duck and would not be able to survive such a cartoonish fall!  Just then, I spotted some labourers at the banks, collecting or separating stones. Armed with my French, Italian and some Spanish I was convinced everything is solved and they will tell me where to go. As it turned out they were Portuguese. Not the brightest ones either! Pantomime skills did the trick at the end and they pointed me in the direction where I was supposed to go. Ok, so far so good.

Geared up in complete kayaking attire with a paddle in one hand and a kayak resting on my shoulder (kayaks used in competitions weigh only 7 kgs), I started to march across vast tobacco fields following a Portuguese man, who kept smiling. Oh, boy, I am sure he was just holding back the laughter…honestly, so was I. The whole scene was very much in a bizarre category!

After painstaking 30 minutes walk through the tobacco fields we arrived at the seemingly deserted construction site where I met an engineer who spoke some English. Thank god! I briefed him on what has happened and he agreed to help me get back to our house. Did I mention I had absolutely no idea what the address was of the house we stayed in? Well, we just arrived late in the night and I didn’t count on getting lost the very next morning!

The young engineer suggested we take the bus. It must have been kind of logical that I had no money on me.  Seeing my hesitation he reassured me that he would pay for the ride. Perfectly dressed for the occasion (ahem!) I headed for the bus. Well, it would have been perfect attire if the bus were actually a kayak! Nevertheless, wearing my helmet, a life jacket and a paddle still in my hand, my neoprene shorts and spray deck dangling in front of my legs I boarded the bus and the entire bus went instantly silent and staring. I froze my smile widest and looked straight.

Not knowing the address I scrutinised the route we were on and tried remembering even a slightest thing from the day before. I had no clue where I was.  After 20 minutes or so, people still staring at me in disbelief, the bus took a left turn and I recognised the road. I started nodding enthusiastically to let my engineer friend know I finally see some light at the end of the tunnel. But then the bus took another turn and I shrieked, “No! Stop the bus!” I honestly didn’t want to part from the slightly familiar road.

We continued on foot.  By this time, I couldn’t care less what everyone thought seeing me parading the town in my kayaking gear. I turned into a hound dog trying to figure out where we stay. The familiar road became definitely the road I recognised from the night before and I knew where to go.  At last the light at the end of the tunnel became bright and obvious and I found our place. Hallelujah!

My teammates already finished their dinner, my coaches still on the search for me (oops!) I finally found my way back. I tried to repay the engineer who flatly refused to take the money and I felt absolutely victorious about the ordeal I went through. The last thing, to conclude the day, was facing my two coaches who screamed at me from the top of their lungs but I could tell they were happy to see me and were just letting out the steam, as they were worried sick.  The next day we went back to the construction site and picked up my kayak and everyone there was waving at me surely saying something like, “look at that crazy girl!” as I heard the word ‘loco’ couple of times. Loco, in Spanish, means crazy. Yes, what a loco day that was!

Our budding grade 4 writers at work

Reading this week's paragraphs a week was really invigorating. I knew this week's topic was a bit demanding on my fourth graders but the submissions surprised me in many ways. When I read what my students wrote I felt I almost had a glance at the future that is theirs alone. As I was reading the paragraphs, I was instantly reminded of a poem written by Kahlil Gibran. I can connect to it very strongly as a parent and I feel every line is as deep and powerful as it gets.

On Children
Kahlil Gibran

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

That said, here are few paragraphs done by our fourth graders. 

'If I were an exchange student in a foreign country'

A student exchange means students from a secondary school or university study abroad in one of their partner institutions. A student exchange program may involve international travel, but doesn't necessarily require the student to study outside of his or her home country.

Well, if I were an exchange student, I bet it would feel good because I would get to live in a new culture, make new friends, explore new methods of learning and increase my knowledge. There are a lot more things to do but I would really miss all of my family and it would be difficult for me to be far away from them. Sometimes it would be scary for me and I would not be up for it. It would be hard for me to adjust to the new culture because I am not used to it but it is better for my life.

Hard work and perseverance will lead to success. Even though it would be difficult for us to leave our family and go to another country as exchange students, it is better for our future.

Rishika, grade 4

Travelling to a foreign country for education offers an opportunity for adventure, imagination, fun, and knowledge. Staying away from my incredible India, my family and my friends would be very hard and difficult for me but I could keep in touch with them through phone, e-mail,  and Facebook. I would become more independent and confident in myself and the choices I make. I would be able to understand and embrace the new place, people, culture, and language. I am allowed to make mistakes as long as I learn from them. I am sure I would have an ecstatic experience abroad. 

Ananthika, grade 4

Yippee! I am going to study abroad. I have mixed feelings about it. I am happy, excited, sad, nervous and all possible feelings. I am happy because I will be studying in a new school and at the same time I am sad because I will have to leave my family and go alone all the way. I will be excited because I will meet new friends, explore new places, traditions, culture and food. I will be homesick as I will miss my parents and dear ones. Though we can have so much of new technology to keep everyone connected all the time, we cannot actually feel their presence. I will definitely miss my mother's food and my family's love It will also be a challenge for me to be alone and manage myself but it will make me stronger and a better person.. Though I'll make mistakes initially, I will definitely improve to make myself the best. This will be a great experience for me to grow in life.

Venya, grade 4

If I were an exchange student in a foreign country, I would go to USA. I would be upset to go to a foreign country and study there, leaving my parents. I would feel homesick. In a foreign country everything would be completely strange to me. Without friends I would feel left out in the hostel. It would be difficult for me to do my work myself, like washing my clothes and cleaning my shoes. In the class, I wouldn't  be able to understand the concepts ad the teachers would be new to me. I would face these problems only at the beginning. Slowly, I would adjust and study there happily.

Yashwant, grade 4

If I were and exchange student in a foreign country, I would like to go to Oxford city. Oxford is in England which is a country in the British Isles. Oxford is in central southern England and it revolves around its prestigious university established in 12th century. It would be difficult to stay away from my family for a year but I would like to know about Oxford university. I would like to tell them about my country. I would describe them about our famous universities like Indian Institute of Science, University of Delhi, etc. I would like to share with them about my country's varied culture. It would be a knowledgeable and joyful visit to Oxford. It would be hard to adjust in a new culture but in few daysI think I would adapt to new ways. No, I wouldn't find it scary in fact, I would love to visit Oxford.

Aarya, grade 4

Presenting our teachers series.... First one in the spot light...Namita ma'am.

I love the idea of using this blog to present our teachers in a light  that parents maybe never see them. I instantly knew I need to start such a project with our dear Namita ma'am. She is like an Energiser Bunny of Open Minds! Where does she get all the energy from?

Namita ma'am is a grade 2A class teacher. She is one of a kind! She does wonders in the classroom and believe it or not is also extremely active in her spare time! She is wonderfully creative in the field of candle making and was regularly conducting classes in her community. Apart from candle making she creates paper flowers and loves to create art from waste materials! Below are some of her amazing creations:

Namita ma'am is very athletic and loves all kinds of sports. If she could choose an ideal family vacation it would most likely involve hiking in a forest and camping in the tents! A true nature lover. 

What an adventurous spirit she is! Our students are lucky to have her around.

I heard that she also conducts creative writing classes in her community and when I asked her,"Where do you get all your energy from?" She casually replied, "Actually, I feel relaxed when I teach kids." 

Great to have you with us, Namita ma'am! Some people were born to teach and I have a feeling you are one of them.

The White Snake with The Golden Crown

In today's story telling session in our Hook-a-book program, we have introduced the children to a folk tale that originates form Slovenia and was never before told in English language. The children received it exceptionally well and I have never before gotten so many spontaneous high fives and thank yous. Especially from our first and second graders! I decided to share it on our blog so you can read it to your children again and again as we all know, children enjoy hearing same stories numerous times. So, here it goes:

The White Snake with The Golden Crown

Once upon a time, in a land far away, a little, charming village was hidden in a lush river valley. For centuries, the valley people lived in this revered place where life was beautiful most of the time. Simple, yet beautiful houses were scattered through out the valley, like small wind-blown leaves on a windy day. The village people were hardworking, honest farmers who respected the land and the gorgeous nature as they were depending on it for their food and income. They were cultivating the fertile land with love and respect to get food and apart from that they skilfully weaved baskets and sold them in the nearby market to earn money. The basket weaving was passed down for generations and no other place was as famous as this one for their meticulous, detailed, artisan baskets.

Each morning the village was bubbling with activities. The children hurried to school, the parents rushed to the fields that needed attention and the village animals were roaming around doing their regular daily business. In the midst of the village hullabaloo, two houses stood out. In the first big, orange house that looked like straight from a fairy tale, lived a family with 4 children. They had no pets whatsoever and the children had their grandmother who took care of them while the parents worked in the fields. The children were rather spoilt and unkind.

In the second house, a pale blue villa that has long lost it’s former shine, right across the yard from the first, lived a young family with 3 witty children, a black cat with long silky fur and a friendly, brave dog that kept the children safe through out the day. The parents left early every morning to work hard on the fields and the children were home alone. Their mother left some yummy food on the table every day and a big round, clay vessel, full of milk, so the children wouldn’t go hungry.

Each day, when their mother returned from the fields and saw that the vessel filled with milk was empty, she was so pleased and complimented them: “Well done, my sweet children. I am so happy to see you ate well and drank all the milk.” The children replied: “We didn’t drink it alone, mother. The white snake with a golden crown drank some milk with us.” Their mother laughed out loud and said: “Oh, you children! Your imagination knows no bounds,” for it was not easy to believe such a thing. A white snake? With a golden crown? No, way!

But, you see, every day around lunchtime, when the sun was high and shining brightest, a striking, slithering, slender white snake appeared in the village, looking for some company and, yes, some food. When she visited the orange house for the first time...oh, what drama she encountered! It could simply never get past the grandmother, as the old lady started shouting from the top of her voice and swinging a bulky wooden broom towards the poor snake. “Go away, you disgusting creature! You are not welcome here, you slithering troublemaker!” The children were no better either! “Hit it, grandmom! Yeah, smash it hard grandmom!” They were all shouting and created such ruckus that they woke up all the sleeping babies in the village!

The snake slipped away, across the yard towards the pale blue house. There, the 3 children, the cat and the dog welcomed it full heartedly. “Oh, look, a beautiful snake!” Said the youngest child. “I wonder if it’s hungry,” said the second child. “Come, snake princess! Welcome to our house.” Said the oldest one. The black cat just purred away indifferent to the new visitor and the dog sniffed at it, to make sure it didn’t pose any threat to anyone. The friendly, curious children shared the milk, cuddled and admired

the fascinating snake lovingly. They thought it was the most beautiful thing they have ever seen.

One day, while working in the fields the two mothers were talking about their children and the first one exclaimed, “I am so relieved my mother is keeping my children safe from that horrible white snake!”

“What white snake?” asked the second one and almost forgot to breath. Were her children telling her the truth? She got incredibly worried and alarmed; she instantly dropped what she was doing and sprinted home. She came home just around lunchtime and through the window she saw the children just grouped around the table to relish their lunch. She decided to hide and peep inside secretly to see what’s going on. Just then, the stunning white snake entered the house and the mother froze with horror. She could not move. To her surprise, the snake gently mounted up into her son’s lap and onto the table. The children were rubbing its skin and laughing cheerfully. The mother was amazed although still petrified. After the snake finished drinking milk, something strange happened! Something that never happened before! It shook her head gently, dropped the crown on the table, and left swiftly. As soon as the snake disappeared the mother scurried inside the house and took her children to safety of the bedroom. She seized the little golden crown and placed in on top of a pile of fine wooden splints that her husband used to weave baskets. She didn’t think much of that crown, she was just extremely thankful that her children were safe.

But why did the snake leave the crown behind? Will it come back to get it?

When the father returned home that day, he begun weaving his baskets and although he completed many of them the pile of fine wooden splints was not getting any smaller. Everyone was astonished. ‘What if the crown is magical?” thought the mother and she decided to place the crown somewhere else and see what happens. She took the shiny,

golden crown and placed it in a practically empty wooden chest where they stored their food.

The next morning the chest was entirely packed with food and the family rejoiced. They have never seen such abundance of food before! They shared it with all other villagers and still they never ran out. Mothers were now able to spend more time with their children and no one ever went hungry again. The crown was indeed a magical one and the snake left it behind to repay the gracious children for all the kindness they showed it.

The old grandmother from the first house regretted bitterly that she was so mean towards the magical snake but fortunately for her, with such noble neighbours even she benefited from the food bounty, as they were such kind and sharing people. She was never again mean to anyone in her life.

As for the snake, has she ever returned to the village? Some children claimed they saw her again but she has never returned to collect her crown.

The End 

Positive reinforcement and praise - a key to good relationships and behaviour!

Sometimes I feel that we are too quick to point a finger at something wrong and never quick enough to praise what was done well. Children thrive when we praise them. Not only children. We all do! We should use every opportunity to praise our children, colleagues, spouse, parents or neighbours. 'Good job,' won't cut it though! We should make sure our praise is very concrete and specific. The homework only half way done? Make sure you appreciate the half that is done before pointing out the part that isn't. Go through your children's notebooks regularly and appreciate everything you like. Is his handwriting bad but then in one page you see a significant change? Make sure you not only notice it but praise your kid for showing so much patience and interest to actually focus on the handwriting. 

The whole idea of positive reinforcement is neatly put together at the following article i stumbled upon online:

Think about the times you’ve been honoured for your contributions at work, gushed over for cooking a delicious meal or high-fived for rocking it at karaoke. Likely, the recognition made you feel awesome and motivated to do more of the same. Positive reinforcement helps bring out the best in all of us, especially children! Focusing on and praising your kiddo’s desirable actions is the best way to shape consistently good behaviour. Here’s the scoop on positive reinforcement.

How positive reinforcement works

Rewarding your sweetie right after he does or says something increases the likelihood that he will repeat the behaviour again. That’s because your praise makes him feel really good – it helps boost his self-esteem – and he’ll continue to do the things that gain your attention. For example, when you give your child hugs and hoorays for putting his toys away properly, he’ll be motivated to continue cleaning up nicely in the future. In contrast, if you give a lot of attention to what he’s doing wrong and little recognition to what he’s doing well, the rate of his negative behaviour will rise.

Put positive reinforcement into action

To increase a particular behaviour, you must reinforce your kiddo as soon as she does it. That way it’s clear to her what action has earned her an awesome reaction. Let’s use the example of sharing toys at playtime. The instant Sriya calmly gives her Dora doll to a pal, deliver specific verbal praise – “I love the way you share your toys!” – and give her a tickle, hug or high-five. Celebrate each positive step she takes – be your child’s cheerleader! – and ignore any negative outbursts until sharing toys appropriately becomes automatic behaviour. Once that happens, you can fade back reinforcement, giving praise intermittently.

(The article borrowed from: http://kidmechanix.com )

So, let's take this one week ahead and try to full - heartedly focus on positives and make sure we praise everyone who deserves it! That said, of course we should never lie when praising! That would do more damage then good. Praise should come when deserved and if you focus on positives the opportunities will be plentiful!

Teachers' Workshop Report: Learning Hinderances

Trainer: Ms.Afshan Jabeen - Ripples 

Participants: All teachers from GTs and OM 

Venue: ILS - Open Minds! ! 

Date: 4th July 2015 

Time: 9:30 - 2:30pm! ! ! !  

The workshop was planned to address the different types of hinderances that a child might face while learning. The hinderances could be either mental or physical. The teachers need to be aware of the different kind of issues that a child could go through due to developmental delays. Without proper understanding of such issues, there could be chances where the teachers might not be able to acknowledge the problem and could lead to labeling the child. 

Ms.Afshan Jabeen, from Ripples, was approached to handle this topic to introduce all such issues to the teachers as they are the ones who build a child’s confidence. This workshop has helped all the teachers in understanding the reasons behind few behaviours that children exhibit in classrooms. It was an opportunity where a teacher can acknowledge the different aspects of learning and behavioural patterns of the child and can be more sensitive. 

These were the issues discussed, as to how the child with any of these difficulties could behave or react in a situation. What symptoms to look for and what could be done for addressing it.

• Cerebral Palsy (C.P) 

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) 

• Down Syndrome (DS) 

• Intellectual Disability 

• Children with below average I.Q (Slow Learners) 

• Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) 

• Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) 

• Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) 

• Specific Learning Difficulties (SLD) 

The teachers were interested and wanted to take this learning further. The details of Ripples was shared with them and they could study further. Ms.Afshan is also trying to find a suitable Special Educator for us, who could work across all the 4 schools to address any such special needs. 

All the teachers from Globe Tot’ers - Jubilee Hills, Gachibowli and Gopannapally and Open Minds were a part of this workshop. The feedback received from the GT teachers and Center Directors was very positive and they could even discuss the way forward in this area. 

Report by: Ms.Padmaja Penmetsa - Life Coach

Report On "Investiture Ceremony, 2015"

Are leaders born or they made?  To nurture its students to be future leaders, on 3^rd July,2015 Open Minds had its INVESTITURE CEREMONY .The first mega event for this academic year.

Investiture ceremony sets the right tone for an academic year during which the young leaders not only learn to guide other students but also create models in leadership for others to follow. They pined to show how a positive journey can transcend faces into visages of the new era.

The new student council was elected through a formal School Elections. Students from grades 7 to 9 contested for different positions based on their interest and abilities.  The elections were held on 19^th June,2015 in the school premises.

The campaign was done by the contested students speaking on their strengths and   promising that they would deliver their duties with great zeal and commitment and address all the concerns. The slogans like VOTE RIGHT, VOTE BRIGHT, VOTE FOR ME brought the whole house together.

The day of elections engaged every heart with galore of feelings of hope, nervousness, readiness, the strange charm of unsurety, excitement, and confidence. All the students voted through secret ballot. The sound of joy and mirth reverberated and resonated through the school campus as the results were announced.

A week prior, the preparations started to honor the new student council on investiture ceremony.  The entire team was together to make the event memorable. It started with, Mr. Jacob training the newly elected council members on the protocols to be followed. Meanwhile Mr. Keshav & Ms. Koushiki prepared the students for the beautiful welcome dance .Our principal Ms. Swapnali and Academic coordinator Mr. Arup were always there with their suggestions, supporting the magnanimous whole. Our front office executive Ms. Lovina was a great support- hand during the entire program.  

 

3^rd July,2015- the day most awaited by entire Open Minds family.

The  program was compered by Anushka Anumanchi, Aryan Kadli and Arshiya..

It started with welcoming the chief guest Mr. M Jagadishwar ,IAS  along with our Chairman Mr. Sudhakar Reddy and parents students. Keeping the tradition intact the melody of shloka whispered the commencement of the event. The school choir presented a jubilant disposition of our school song followed by a gleeful welcome dance by our students.

Then started our most awaited moment, the student council with 21 students marching towards their goal. It was a splendid moment to watch. With the vigorous beats of drum, our Dean Aryan Sharma took the lead and marched forward, followed by our Asst.Dean , Kriti Reddy, Sport Capitan Meganath , Sports Vice Captain Shamitha. Then our House Captains and Vice Captains marched ahead followed by our Cultural Captain, Cultural Vice Captain, Assembly Captain, Literary   Captain ,  Literary   Vice Captain, Health & Hygiene Captain ,  Health & Hygiene Vice Captain, Community Service Captain and  Community Service Vice Captain.

With the heads high, hearts in humility along with the House Masters, they all collected the Sashes and badges from our chief guest, our chairman and our beloved principal Ms. Swapnali Deore.  The entire venue was filled with great applaud, echoing the exhilaration hidden in every hearts. 

Cut from same cloth and woven in strands of integrity, sincerity and honesty, our student council took an oath that they would live up to the expectations and would be fully committed to all that the school stands for and strive to achieve them  which was administered by the chief guest.

The event continued with an inspirational speech by the chief guest.  Then the new dean encouraged his team and students with his speech.  The young leaders were motivated with the Principal’s words which rejuvenated every soul: ‘This is the beginning of a new era in your life…..’ indeed portrayed- the deeds of a whole epoch lies within the short span of every life. The lines from our school song ‘Be the change, the change is you’ came with a new gusto and passion from our Principal and kindled the flame of underlying leadership within the students.

After vote of thanks by the Asst. Dean Krithi, the event concluded with the National Anthem.