Bravery – a word often used to describe something heroic; saving a life, sacrificing for someone else, catching a wild animal…

What comes to your mind when you hear this word for the first time?

Let me tell you mine: I see myself jumping off a cliff into the ocean (although I can barely swim). I see people riding vehicles through a busy road, exploring a non-treaded path...list is endless.

‘So is bravery all about doing daredevil things?’ We asked ourselves when we were reflecting over lunch today about what it really means to be brave. This topic of conversation came up in between us while contemplating about a recent incident where one of us had to choose between continuing to ride through a busy street, passing through a narrow passage between a lorry or wait until the lorry has passed, for the sake of safety of others who were riding with her. And it got us thinking…

If personified and empathized with the word ‘bravery’, one can probably feel how misunderstood and left-out the word truly feels, as it is often left to stand in the shoes of outwardly humongous achievements by others. So then what about the little actions and decisions made, like choosing to be a mother? Or confronting somebody when all you want to do is run away at the mere thought of standing up for yourself? Or even choosing to answer a phone call when you experience anxiety every time you talk on the phone?

And that took a turn when we went deeper on the topic with ‘what about the times when bravery to somebody is all about being brave to prove to others and yourself of your capabilities? Where does this intention come from, what drives this behavior of wanting to do things for the sake of some kind of approval?’ This led us to ponder over another thought about being brave - doing things for the sake of pure pleasure, avoiding the consequences.

Examples kept piling up between us when we were struck with another question, ‘How about being brave responsibly?’ What does it mean to be responsibly brave? Is taking care of yourself when you live all by yourself responsibly brave? How about facing the crowd and presenting a poem? That left me with another question, ‘Does being responsibly brave come with growth?’ I think the answer is, perhaps?

Some of the examples received from two of my other colleagues who happened to pass by while we were reflecting were words such as,
-          Having a sense of purpose
-          Confidence
-          Soldiers
-          Animals and reptiles such as snakes and tigers
-          David Goliath
-          Good over evil
-          Me
-          Facing the fears
-          Moving out of comfort zones
-          Staying true to who you are
-          Upholding your values
-          Smiling in the face of strife/adversities
-          Willingness to change

This would mean, we are all brave, doesn’t it? Sometimes we are too hard on ourselves, that we often don’t tend to see the truth behind our lenses of harsh self-criticism. But I think the truth is, we are all perhaps, brave, taking bold decisions, living our lives to fulfill whatever purposes we give our lives. And maybe, being brave is also a form of self-love? I leave you to that.

#reggioemiliainspiredlearning
#sparklingmindzglobalpreschool
​#inspiringconfidentlearners
#facilitatordiscussiondiaries

Contributed by Sruthy Krishna, Learning Facilitator at Sparkling Mindz Global Preschool. 

​Times have been unpredictable, with the COVID-19 spreading, driving the world to take refuge in a dark shell of uncertainty. First, the schools were shut, then we were to keep our distance from each other and then, a complete lock down extending for over a month. Does this mean we shut everything down? Should children's learning stop? How are parents going to keep them engaged? These are some of the questions we asked ourselves.

We, at Sparkling Mindz value and nurture growth mindset. We believe that there is always a way, even in the face of adversities. We took to technology and reconnected with our children over video calls. Our children too vibed with our mindset, that NO Virus Can Stop Our LEARNING! 

We have been connecting with our children ranging from 7year Olds to 14 year Olds, reiterating to them about the importance of managing themselves mentally, emotionally and physically, and being able to create a routine that involves productive engagement. Oh! trust me, our children can create amazing schedules for themselves. 

On the last video call with our youngest group of children (the 7 to 8 year Olds), we presented a variety of activities that they could add to their schedules, which included different kinds of chores, workouts, experiments, skill building activities etc. Our children were  more than delighted to accept the repertoire of  options to choose from. 

Here, we have V trying to pick ice cubes with a piece of string as part of his play and learn experiment. The joy on his face shows us his engagement and wonder. Knowing V, we can imagine the curious wonder questions and observations he must have made while he experimented. 

Here is our Advika, doing the same challenge, inspiring all of us in the process, in her own creative way!

We viewed this adversity not as a hindrance but rather as an opportunity that presented itself to help our children and us learn and grow through it. 

Children, need to be encouraged to deal with adversities with a growth mindset. Why? So they become individuals who can deal with their circumstances without giving up on themselves or their dreams.


Contributed by Disha HK, Learning Facilitator at Sparkling Mindz Global School.

#sparklingmindzglobalschool
#sparklingmindzglobalpreschool
#youngachieversacademy
#inspiringconfidentlearners
#everychildcan
#covid19
#gamebasedlearning
#challengingourselves

On a gloomy Monday afternoon, the facilitators at SM were busy preparing for their classes next day when T (a 5 year old pre-schooler) walked in and sat on a facilitator's chair.
F: Do you want to be a facilitator?
T: I want to be a scientist! 
F: What does it mean to be a scientist?
T: (now in thoughts and guestured to not know) What does a scientist even do?
F: But you wanted to be one? 
T: Maybe I want to be a doctor or a librarian. I have not decided yet, when I become fifteen I'll get to choose.
(Something strikes her and she continues) Ah! I know! I want to explore space, I want to learn about the universe, I wish to be the first kid on space. Hmmm... What's a space ship driver called?
F: You mean an astronaut?
T: Yes! I want to be an astronaut.
T: (still thinking) Maybe I want to be a writer! 
F: What would you write then?
T: When somebody goes missing, I 'll write missing on a paper and put it up so that they can find them.
T: (continued with her eyes sparkling as bright as the sun compensating for the gloom outside) maybe I'll write stories!
T: Hmmm... Maybe I'll be a zookeeper, I love animals specially dinosaurs.
F: Do we have dinosaurs in the zoos now?
T: No, they died 15 million years ago, but I'll draw them... I'll become a zookeeper!
T: (seeming confused) they are all so cool, I'm unable to decide!

By then, her Mom arrived to pick her and she leaves. as she left, she screamed out loud from the door, "Ma'am! I want to be a tooth fairy"

If we can sustain this unique and imaginative thinking through their schooling years we would have succeeded in creating individuals that will carve their own unique paths and become changemakers in their own right!

#reggioemiliainspiredlearning
#sparklingmindzglobalpreschool
​#inspiringconfidentlearners

​Contributed by Yashika CG, Learning Facilitator at Sparkling Mindz Global Preschool.

In yet another 10 year old child's case: his prompt was "a perfect evening". Sharing his visualization.

"I've been struggling to watch a particular angle of the moon for several days, got a picture uploaded it onto a forum that I've been following. I won a cash prize of $1000! Yayyyy!

When I told my dad in the evening, Dad and I decided to go for a celebratory walk (mom not joining...yay!!!). I saw a t-shirt at discount and bought it! Day was made!"

Facilitator: What was the perfect part S?
S: Of course, the cash prize and the new T-shirt! Duh!!!
F: In your visualization.

S is looking at external and materialistic things as making up a perfect evening and not seeing the satisfaction in his own effort of getting the snap of the moon or his evening spent in his dad's company.

​For a very long time I only thought the world was doomed (in an environmental way, and maybe some other ways) but I only voiced it out I never really took much action. That was until I was able to be involved in a journey that I’d always wanted to be part of.  Here’s the journey…

HOW IT STARTED?
At Sparkling Mindz we aim to change the world, to be changemakers and what I soon learnt was we can’t wait for the opportunity of change to be given to us. No! We had to grab it.
With the help of our facilitators grab we did. Our mission this time was about looking at our world, the one we live in, and turn it into the best world it can be. To bring it back to the once  sustainable, original and “green” form. We tried empathising with the land in which we live in and we figured out if kept at the rate at which we were going (which is carelessness of our natural resources and abundance of harmful litter) we weren’t going to go far. So that’s how we started TRUI.

OK, WHAT’S TRUI?
Tinker, 2Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle), Upcycle and Innovate. TRUI, simple, right? Wrong.

TRUI was a mission that needed blueprints, stepping into it just like that wouldn’t necessarily be an ideal plan. The process involved using waste materials and turning it into something useful, TRUI made You the magician. It was one of the centres of our learning this year, making all out learning areas revolve around it. How? Well, taking a pieces of junk and recreating which connects to so much that we have learnt in our learning areas (in other words, all the subjects we learn).  And it reflected in our output.

OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
So as said before our learning areas really helped in the ideation process of using TRUI. And here’s our  output. We were able to come up with  a set of ideas which involved making coasters, wind chimes, lamp shades and dust bins. Each learning area helped us in the process of getting here. We’ve already started attempting these and so far it has been fun and we still have so much more to do.

MY LEARNING
Through out this journey I have learnt many things, some I may have known and actually played out and some I found out on the way. There were many learnings that played a role in my learning areas and yet so many that I know I will use in the future for my academics. So other than learning how I can be an innovator, I learnt how being a part of a change that is going to impact the lives of so may people just makes me a better person along the way.

So there it is, a short yet fairly detailed glimpse of our TRUI journey and from the beginning till now I felt like magician, except that I knew the magic that was released was real.


Contributed by Maya Nair, Falcons (Grade 8), Sparkling Mindz Global School.

#reggioemiliainspiredlearning
#gamebasedlearning
#joyouslearning
#sparklingmindzglobalschool
​#inspiringconfidentlearners

#sparklingmindzglobalpreschool
#sparklingmindzglobalschool
#inspiringconfidentlearners
#youngachieversacademy
#21stcenturylearning
#socialemotionallearning
#74thindependenceday
#reggioinspiredschool

As the pups and calves discovered more about our country India and learnt about its special day and coming together to celebrate it as fellow Indians, here is a compilation of our precious little ones singing the "variety song" which shows off their patriotism towards celebrating India's 74th Independence day together! ​

The Covid-19 took the whole world by surprise. Before we knew it, the entire world went into lockdown. The regular life came to a pause. It started to show up in everybody's lives differently. When we look back at it a few years, decades and centuries from now, what will people see or talk about?

​As the children in the school embarked on a newsletter project on - No Virus Can Stop Us, they asked Sreeja Ma'am to write a column about it. She chose to write a poem in her role as a mother of all children in the system and it's an exploration of the mother and child together of the situation that they suddenly find themselves in as well as a promise of hope to the ones who can't see the light.

 Let's read on.
​

The machines came to a grinding halt
The morning rush no longer the default
People scared, holed up in no virus can stop us listening to me homes
A sight one heard of only in tomes

Did the virus win? What happened next?
Mummy, please don't stop just yet
How did everyone live like that?
In fear of a virus from a bat!

Did everyone put down their arms?
What about workers and the farms?
Did everyone stop everything?
From factories to market gathering?

No one went out to play?
Or on a holiday?
No one strolled in the park?
What a sad story with no spark!

Sonny boy! Not all that meets the eye
Is the truth or what we should buy
Let's Look further and beyond
To see how humans respond

There were doctors and nurses
Who without a care for themselves
Served every needy sick and patient
Despite lack of equipment

Tough decisions they had to make
Who to save and who to forsake
It broke their hearts and soul
Yet, they focused on the goal

To prevent loss of life and reduce pain
They tried hard, sometimes in vain
What made them not give up
Mummy, of what are they made up?

Pain and adversity have their way
They go deep within to find a way
Through the hurt and the pain
To build out the power within

Some families drew closer together
A few others broke altogether
Industries, workers had to heed
Very harsh realities indeed

Less fortunate were losing homes, 
Migrating by foot, hurt by stones
Hungry for food, blisters on feet
Breathing their last on the street

Briefly, students cheered
No exams that they feared
Soon boredom and despair loomed
Everything seemed to be doomed

Through these times, a few discovered they could
Work from home
Work on their own
Do house chores 
Cook
Dream
Sing
Dance
Tell stories
Play
Connect
Be generous
Serve
Discover themselves
Generally, do with less

Mummy, do tell me more
Did they forget how they lived before?
My dear boy, people didn't forget
But people didn't regret

They ventured forth to create - 
New ways of being
New songs for dreaming
New dances for creating
New books for seeing
New forms of working
New norms of serving
New connections for making
The world a better place
And each of our lives worth living.

It's your turn to reflect on how you are taking this pandemic, and how you are choosing to spend your time. Let us know in the comments. 


Contributed by Sreeja Iyer, CEO & Co- Founder, Sparkling Mindz Global School and Preschool.

#sparklingmindzglobalpreschool
#sparklingmindzglobalschool
#youngachieversacademy
#covid-19
#deepthinking
#inspiringconfidentlearners
#21stcenturylearning
#reggioinspiredschool

In May, children at SM had created the first edition of SM Times, our student-led newsletter. The process of creating these newsletters was challenging and fun - just the way any true learning process is. And it left all of us with a feeling of growth and inspiration. The second edition of the newsletter is about just that. About how the children have continued  to grow and stay inspired despite the lockdown. 
At the start of the lockdown, Sreeja ma'am had asked the children "No virus can stop us, can it?" They answered with a wide-eyed, open-hearted 'Yes!" The newsletters below are a compilation of some parts of their journey of learning, growth and inspiration... 

​

Contributed by Poorva Agarwal, Learning Facilitator at Sparkling Mindz Global School.


#sparklingmindzglobalschool
#sparklingmindzglobalpreschool
#youngachieversacademy
#inspiringconfidentlearners
#everychildcan
#21stcenturylearning
#buildingownershipinchildren
​#gamebasedlearning