Fostering the art of "Gratitude"

A little child of class one ,let's say A ,was a pampered and a fussy child .He used to bring all kinds of fancy    stationary to school .His colorful and vibrant pencils and erasers were distraction for B who was sitting next to him.Poor B,he could never finish his work in time because he had a very small pencil which  he could         barely hold .He was teased by his friends for not completing his classwork .Hence in the games period ,he     used to sit alone in the class to finish his pending work .One day A saw B sobbing in the class .A went inside and saw B struggling with a small pencil.A took out his fancy pencil and gave it to B .Now B finished his       work quickly .They became good friends.Next day onwards A brought normal pencils so that his friend         could finish his work .They were thankful to each other .                                                                               

 This is a very small example of how quickly kids grasp values .It is very easy to get caught in our own problems .We need to focus on how fortunate and blessed we are .Its very necessary to inculcate the art of appreciating every small thing in life . 
Gratitude is a daily practice.We need to be role  models for our kids .Giving examples of things happening around us would make it easier for us to inculcate   the art of thanksgiving .For example :-

•  Let's be thankful for our fridge is stocked,we have everything to eat . 
• Saying "Please" and "Thank you" for every small little thing .
• Encouraging charity among our kids to donate their old toys and clothes to the needy so that it inspires them .
• Let each and every member of the family appreciate each other so that the kids learn too.

Appreciation is very powerful in any given scenario, at home or at work .We all need to be appreciated.A person who feels appreciated  will always do more than what is expected.All these things will happen when we spend quality time with the children.Kids are capable of expressing heartfelt gratitude ,we just need to reach out to them ,teach them through our life examples.
.Simple things ....simple ways ...one step at a time................ 

GEG ORIENTATION SESSION ON USE OF GOOGLE APPS IN EDUCATION AT XAVIERS 8TH August 2015

A wonderful GEG Session was conducted @Xaviers on 8th August on Google Apps in education .There were  teachers and Principals from various schools not only from Jaipur but from other cities as well .
Geg Jaipur Lead +neelam chopra​ introduced a team of 7 teachers to the august gathering who are active as geg members in the community and who are actively initiating change in the classroom using these google apps.The presence of various Principals if different schools was amazing .Our school principal Rev.Fr.John Ravi was also present to extend his unconditional support to the geg team Also present were various dignitaries from various other faculties.+nidhi jain​ +sankranti bhardwaj​ gave a beautiful presentation on Google Calendar +asha john​+elizabeth thomas​ gave their presentation on Google Hangouts +sonia cherian and +Sindhu Varma​ came up for the first time on the stage as geg members to give their presentation on Google docs and youtubedupathshala respectively . 
A souvenir was also released on the occasion .It has an article written by +neelam chopra​ on "Google Apps in Education " It was a great experience overall ..Thank you GEG!

Inculcating Soft Skills in Kids

Childhood is a very tender age where we can imprint good values .This is the age when we can easily mould the child and give the right direction .Presenting here is a video shot with my little ones of 1 D.
here the kids have become independent in a span of one month .They have understood their responsibilities as a student in school .Taking charge of watering the plants ,arranging their own desks,making the short ones sit in front ,switching off the fans and the lights,compassionate towards a  crying child,learning to share in groups,volunteering for responsilities .....kids do it on their own now.This will help them to grow emotionally and socially too ..

Earth Day Celebrations

Happy Birthday Mother Earth......My little ones of 1D celebrated the birthday of mother Earth by understanding their duties as kids .They were happy to know that every minute they are also contributing in saving the Earth.
                                                  I told them that when you see a tap running, turn off the faucet ...this way you  SAVE WATER .Whenever you leave any room or ypour classroom make sure your fans and lights are put off .This way you SAVE ELECTRICITY .Do not uproot any tree or a plant ,this way you SAVE TREES .Kids showed a lot of enthusiasm  .Vivaan Sharma made a beautiful chart explaining the duties of kids .
                                                 They enjoyed posing for a group photograph in the end .

Cooperative Learning .....a wonderful tool !

Cooperative learning is a beautiful tool which helps kids in a larger way .Group strategies always work wonders for kids .It helps in enhancing the social skills too  .There are plentiful benefits of cooperative learning ,one being this that the kids mingle very easily and become confident of their surroundings.Even an introvert kid excels beautifully .
Here are some pics of my little ones of class one where i have tried group learning .It promotes peer interaction and even the slow learner gets motivated .Kids start learning to share and solve each others problems,they help each other and become responsible .All kids come with different mental strength but blend wonderfully in groups .

Workshop on Google Apps @ St.Xavier's Sr.Sec.School ,Jaipur,Rajasthan ,India

A wonderful workshop was conducted on Google apps,flipped classroom and Youtubeedupathshala at St.Xavier's School Jaipur on 30th March 2015 .There were a 110 participant teachers who showed great eagerness to learn about the apps. The workshop was conducted by the three GEG leads of Pink City Jaipur Neelam Chopra ,Elizabeth Thomas and Nidhi Jain .
                                                                             To begin with we apprised the fellow educators about the use of technology in the classroom .Why is it essential for us to be digitally literate to teach our kids who are already so advanced ?Gradually we built the momentum by introducing Google Drive ,Google Slides, Google Forms ,Google Hangout,Google Sites .It created an enthusiasm amongst all the educators .They showed more eagerness when we introduced Flipped Classroom and YoutubeEdupathshala.Wonderful response .....amazing batch of 110 teachers.Rev .Fr.John Ravi ,Principal of the school motivated the teachers to make use of these  apps and also acknowledged how these three GEG leads are inspiring ,motivating and empowering other educators in school and beyond .Thank You father for your support .It was an enriching experience .

  

MY WONDERFUL KIDS OF CLASS ONE

They entered 1 E with curious eyes ,some were super excited not because they saw a big classroom with colourful cartoons on the wall but because they had a new bag ,a new tiffin and a new water bottle .Some took months to settle down ,some got adjusted the very first period .(satrted roamimg here and there  ).
                            They were not missing their previous school ....they were missing their mother .I became their mother ,father ,friend in school .Inculcating soft skills ,teaching them basics of being a true Xavierite and ofcourse motivating them even when they spoke broken English .Today when I look back I take pride when these little ones speak fluent English ...infact now their fighting  also has  English Conversation included .My heart melts with their soft touch as if they wanna say that we know you are there.Their eyes have said so many endless emotions which their mouths have refused to speak .Understanding those emotions was a great feeling .
                                                                                                In a span of one year I transformed myself as a comedian  when I wanted gloomy faces to smile ,I became Gabbar Singh when I wanted to tell them that they have made a mistake yet did not want their soft hearts to drift away from me .I became a mother when I kept pestering them to drink lots of water and finish their food in the tiffin .
                                                           My dear children ......you all will always remain close to my heart .I wish you good luck .
Lots of love
God Bless
Your Class Teacher
Neelam Maa'm