Swami and Friends - Anvesha Rana

However badly Mani would have despised Rajam, he cannot bring the cruelty in his heart to hurt him. On being face-to-face, they apologize to each other and end up being great friends. What scared Mani the most was that if he hurt Rajam, Rajams' spirit would haunt and torture him, so it was best to be friends rather than foes. 

I am not afraid of ghosts or spirits, except at night, whenever I sleep and even if the door is slightly open, I feel as if someone is peeping in, so I permanently close my door before sleeping. Also, I find it really hard to sleep alone after watching a horror movie since the scenes are living in my mind, and I just can't bear to think that there will be a ghost standing there when I turn around!

Swami talks about odds and ends, ups and downs, to his one-of-a-kind grandmother, who just wants to tell him how wonderful his grandfather was. The constant bickering between the two is very usual to others. For me, a conversation with my grandmother is fun. We talk about her times, like how school was then, how the uniform was and how strict the teachers were. She loves to talk about knitting, which is also her favourite activity and then my grandmother likes to ask me about myself. Also, she always cooks my favourite meals whenever I visit her. 

Swami, Rajam and Mani are good friends, but they were impertinent to a fellow helper, and this also ended up in Rajam being offended, but that was alright as it was Rajams' fault in the first place since he was trying to show off. There is a mark difference between show, and show-off; we show everything from our books to clothes to gifts, but we also show off a colossal amount of things like a new watch or some expensive clothes. To show off is to exaggerate the object more than its actual value, and to show is to make others see what you have in its truest and purest form. 

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School

Into the Fabric Buzz - Anvesha Rana

As I enter the fabric buzz, 

I look here and there, 

Nothing seems to be

Right enough to wear. 

The colours are strong.

But they do not stand out, 

The lines are long, 

But they only wait for a shout. 

The clothes at the start

Are overflowing with jewels, 

Their colours do not blend, 

Their design is awful, 

Their pattern makes me feel bad

But what can I do?

Yet People look over them. 

As if precious diamonds, 

Yet the mass buys them 

As if a lost treasure, 

And yet all wear them 

As their prized possessions. 

I can’t manage to look.

At such faces, 

Not because I am jealous, 

But it just makes me feel devastated. 

So, I enter deeper into the market, 

Where there is less racket, 

And for the first time, 

I see something I like. 

The clothes at the end

Do not stand out, 

But they make me feel welcome. 

They have just the right. 

Blend of colours yet 

No one there for them, 

They have just the 

Perfect pattern yet 

No one sees them, 

They have just the 

Best design yet 

No one buys them, 

They have just the 

Good inside yet 

No one understands them. 

I like it better here, 

In the end, 

The start is too crowded and painful, 

But the end has no one yet it is oozing 

With Love. 

The Way we see Beauty, 

Is no different from this, 

We like the ones with pretty faces, 

But not the ones with untied laces. 

We seek perfection in looks, 

Not in books. 

Beauty lies within, 

And there is no beauty out, 

When there is no beauty in. 

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School. 

A New Day - Anvesha Rana

A New Day is a new beginning, 

it's an old ending and 

something exciting. 

What it holds, 

we don't know. 

What it shows, 

we don't know

 For we only know it's a new day, 

   and it ought to be good. 

Bend forward and soak in the sun, 

Lay back and let the wind run, 

Enjoy the new day 

for it is only one. 

Look forward to learning more, 

Vow yourself to curse less, 

Be who you want to be

for a new day is a unique opportunity.

Learn to live, 

Learn to love, 

Learn to laugh, 

For the new day is only 

one. 

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School

Totto-Chan's Life - Anvesha Rana

Chew, Chew, 

Chew it well, 

Everything you eat, 

Your rice and fish and meat 

Little Totto-Chan

Can make a soldier

 Cry happy tears

Totto-Chan can 

Comfort an Importuned

Father

She can make Tomoe a good school, 

For she is a really good girl, 

She is Totto-Chan. 

Anvesha Rana,

Grade 10-B,

Gyanshree School

Totto-chan and Us - Anvesha Rana

School, a place to learn and grow, a garden to walk and stroll and land to meet and greet. We go to School every day, but what does School mean? School comes from the Greek word skholē which means leisure. In ancient times, labour was challenging, so going to School was fun since children could simply meet their friends, ponder on diverse topics and completely unwind when from School. The School was meant to be a place for fun and learning. I go to School to learn new things and meet my friends and teachers. Going to School is fun because I get to do a lot of extra activities like sports, dance, music, theatre and art. I even learn some of my favourite subjects, like English or science. But the best part is that when I return home from School, my sister and I get to exchange all our learnings for the day. Discussing School with my parents is also something that I love. Mr.Kobayashi, the headmaster at Tomoe Gakuen had a right hand man as Mr.Maruyama. A Right-hand man is someone who supports and helps us in all our tasks. The children could often associate the smell of incense sticks with Mr Maruyama since he was the one who introduced them to the Rehei Amanoya. Similarly, a scent that I sense is of a ball of yarn. Whenever I see wool or a ball of yarn, I remember my Grandmother. She sat on her rocking chair and would continue to sew woollen sweaters for all of us. That image is still strong in my mind; whenever I recall it, it always fills me with nostalgia. Totto-Chan was called Korean by a boy Masow-Chan, but she couldn’t understand it until her mother explained this. It is true that behind every unique child is an even more radiant mother. We all love Totto-chan, but it’s only because of her mother that she is so curious yet so calm, mischievous and yet so sublime. Totto-chan’s mother has inculcated every possible value in the young girl. Be it equality, love, patience, humility, appreciation or compassion, perhaps Totto-chan has it all! We all should be a little more like her; we all should learn to master our two hawks, our two bears, our two rabbits, our stubborn donkey and the most vicious snake. Let us flow with this rivulet of love!

Anvesha Rana, Grade 10-B, Gyanshree School.

Totto-chan's Life - Anvesha Rana

Totto-chan has taught me many things, from selflessness to compassion, curiosity to care, pity to love. She has taught us innumerable life lessons just through her mischievous nature and jovial personality. 

Totto-chan had participated in a sports event and that single event had the most profound effect on her. Similarly, even the sports day at my school is not only a day full of fun but also a day submerged in learning. 

The sports day taught me acceptance, that even though I did not win anything, I needed to accept that fact. It also encourages appreciation for others, I learn to acknowledge the rewards of my mates even when I don't have any. It teaches me to care for those who might have hurt themselves while playing, but the most important lesson on the sports day is cooperation, understanding and following your team and leading them in the right direction. The sports day is a day oozing with fun, learning, sports and values. 

Totto-chan had a fun pet, Rocky, who was a German shepherd. Rocky and Totto-chan are best friends, but their favourite pastime together was to play the game 'Wolf'. In wolf, you had to roll down on the mat and face each other only to make the scariest, wolf-alike face possible. Rocky and Totto-chan were simply playing this game, but Rocky, a German shepherd, raised its animal instinct and bit Totto-chan on her ear. It was awful, the ear was dangling down but the only thing that mattered to Totto-chan, while at hospital to get her ear mended, was that her parents should not scold Rocky. This incident demonstrated the pure form of love that Totto-chan and Rocky share. It showed how deeply they cared for each other but after all Rocky was her pet, only Totto-chan considered him a friend.  

We all want to have a pet, even I want one but I think we should not keep these animals caged in our homes, far away from their families. Moreover, owning a pet requires time, honesty, humility, love, care, patience, cooperation, appreciation and quality, and if we want to have a pet then, we should take full responsibility for it. It should not be that we got a dog home and then just got stuck in our everyday life only to forget our pet. We should respect our desires, and if we want to have a pet, then we should also acknowledge our pet. 

Totto-chan is indeed a unique girl. Her enthusiasm is contagious and full of love and passion, and her inquisitiveness is simply enchanting. She found a great interest in creating haikus. A Haiku is a kind of a Japanese poem where 5-7-5 syllables are applied to express daily situations with a unique twist. 

Here's a Haiku I tried to create: 

                 The Joy is found, 

                     Love is spread at the MGS, 

                           Meet us now at 11:00!

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B,

Gyanshree School

Coffee with the Coach - Anvesha Rana

                                           

Maybe it was a grandparent, a colleague or a teacher, someone older, patient and wiser, who ignited your lost mind; crackled the fire of learning in you when you were young and impassioned. It perhaps helped you view the world as a more profound place and gave you sound advice to guide your way through it. It was my teacher, maybe for you, it would be someone else but...

Wouldn't you like to see that one person again, to ask the more important questions that still haunt you and receive wisdom for life the way it is now?

Coffee with the Coach is a conversation between a teacher and his student about almost everything. Most importantly, about the 22 immutable values cornerstone of My Good School. Coffee with the Coach is a magical chronicle of their time spent together.

Anvesha Rana,

Grade 10-B,

Gyanshree School

Totto-Chan - Anvesha Rana

I wish I could be a little more like her, 

for Totto-Chan would be a true dreamer, 

Her incidents can make you laugh out loud, 

and her innocence can create love around. 

Totto-Chan is so much fun, 

      She can pass through barbed wires without a grunt, 

  She makes up her own crazy games, 

and plays them without any aims. 

I have never seen another like her, 

So sensitive and empathetic, 

and yet so succumb. 

She can make anyone a friend, 

from Takashi to Yasuaki-Chan, 

all of them are mates. 

Totto-Chan is truly a gem, 

living the way she loves to, 

by sliding down a cesspool, 

or standing in the sand for a

time too long!

I wish I could be a little more like her!

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School

Ignorance, Evolution and the Avatar - Anvesha Rana

It is uncanny that we sometimes just need a short story or a mishappening to make us realize our position in this circle of life. We all are human, yet we stand at different steps of the same staircase. Our mindset defines the place we idealize, but there are many positions to choose from: 

Realization of Ignorance is the first stage of development. It is the state where we think we are superior to our fellow beings, but in reality, we are just the same. Ignorance makes us turn a blind eye to the tiny creatures; it fills us with a sense of pride and destroys the humility within us. When the worms discovered the ray of light, they felt that it was meant for them to find and that they were special, but if the worms had been a little wiser, they would have decided to share this finding with the entire the worm population for everyone's wellbeing. Ignorance makes us immature, and after some time, it will cause us to rot. There is no development in ignorance; when we blindfold new learning opportunities and avert our eyes from new people when we disregard new things, that would stop our learning. Ignorance stops us, but observance adds a boost to our life. 

The second stage of development would be Evolution. Evolution is simply letting go of all sad things, destructive grudges, negative emotions and guilty practices; it transforms yourself and then rises above others. Evolution is perhaps the final and supreme stage of development for all humans; it is exploring and experiencing such a level of spiritual consciousness that no pleasure can be more significant. It is simply breaking free of all the chains that hold you back and then unfurling your wings to fly in a free and limitless sky, only to discover the real deception of life. We can live genuinely only when we have evolved, grown, learnt and understood, for Evolution is the true joy. 

The third stage of development would be The Avatar. The Avatar is the truest, pure, divine form one can pursue. It is a reconciliation with the almighty to develop the utmost level of emotional, mental, spiritual and physical being. The Avatar is definitely hard to reach and even more challenging to maintain. The Avatar is not god, but it can be us if we attain the final enlightenment possible. Buddha and Mahavir were ordinary people, but the course of their actions was so holy that they acquired the form of The Avatar. The path is not hard, but it is filled with thorns and pricks until the rose. 

The development that I hope for is Evolution. Some day I do expect that I can be the worm who could spread its wings, cross the horizons and truly realize life.

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School

A Trip To a Hot Spring - Amaira Bhati

It was getting dark when all the children of Tomoe Gakuen were ready for a three-day trip. It was almost time for dinner when all fifty students had finally arrived. The Headmaster hadn't brought along any food supplies with him, and he had an amusing thing for the students to do. 

The Headmaster sent all the kids to buy the veggies and fish. He knew that some kids would be afraid of this, but he wanted to make them experience the essential things in life. This simple action of buying vegetables could make them more open and make them learn more about doing calculations.

People at the market were eating their food and asking the students about them, and the students were supposed to reply politely. Some students took all the fish and veggies, but others either got lost or didn't get it. Some children went missing and had even cut their feet in the sand since it was filled with glass. This might have not been fun for some students, but in the end, it enclosed a lesson for life.  

When it was time to go back, everyone was sad that the trip was over, but they couldn't stay there forever…Half of the students slept on the way around, and the other half could not stop talking about this beautiful memory of the hot spring trip.

Amaira Bhati
Grade 3-F, Gyanshree School. 

Totto-chan's Mother - Amaira Bhati

        

Totto-chan’s mother is kind, gentle and calm. Totto Chan had been expelled from her old school, but her mother had not scolded her, and she did not even tell her about the suspension so as to not upset her daughter. Instead, she made Totto Chan go to a new school. 

The teacher of Totto-chan’s old school was disappointed and annoyed by her but mother always stood by Totto-chan’s side and let Totto Chan be the cheerful and chirpy girl she was; mother kept Totto-chan’s expulsion a secret. 

It was the first day of Totto-chan’s new school, Tomoe Gakuen. It was a school with railroad cars as classrooms, and it deeply excited the jovial Totto Chan. Her mother played a crucial role in all this; she encouraged Totto-chan to share what she liked at the school that day and listened to all her tales with amusement. 

Even when Totto-chan ran to her mother and told her she wanted to be a ticket collector, her mother coolly reminded her that she wanted to be a spy instead. Totto-chan is very lucky to have a Mother so encouraging. Deep down, Totto-chan’s Mother knew all about her daughter’s potential even when she concealed her feelings most of the time. That’s the power of a mother.

Amaira Bhati,

Grade 3-F,

Gyanshree School

Totto-chan's Mother - Anvesha Rana

Totto-chan's mother is a unique parent. She understands her daughter like a mother, treats her like a friend and protects her like a soldier. Totto-chan is lucky to have such a benevolent mother who supports her in all her decisions. She is a calm and composed lady and has brought up her daughter similarly.

The best part about Totto-chan's mother and Totto-chan is the comfort level that the mother and daughter share, so much so that Totto-chan shares everything with her mother. Behind every young child who believes in himself is a parent who believes first. Totto-chan is an open minded and free spirited child only because she has a mother who doesn't want her to walk in her footsteps, but she wishes for Totto-chan to imprint her own feet on a new field.

Totto-Chan's mother is just like my mother,

She is soft hearted yet strong willed, 

She is compassionate yet unwavering in principle, 

She is a loving mother, yet she wants her to go beyond the horizons, 

She worries about her daughter, yet she pushes her into the waters, 

In short, simply a SUPER MOM.

Anvesha Rana,

Grade 10-B,

Gyanshree School.

My Good School Song - Anvesha Rana

    

My Good School,

where passion meets education.

My Good School is our school, 

Where passion meets education

And we reach our destination. 

We can read or write, 

Speak or create, 

Just find your calling, 

And carry it forward. 

Create a podcast, 

Or write a blog. 

Whatever you do, 

The Joy of Learning will be sure. 

My Good School where,

Learning is Fun, and Fun is learning, 

Where we are not mere students,

But all of us are lifelong learners at this school of life. 

Anvesha Rana,

Grade 10-B,

Gyanshree School

Learning: The Fun Way - Anvesha Rana

At Tomoe Gakuen, the students could study the subjects at their own pace. Unlike regular schools where children have fixed periods for different topics. At Tomoe, one could start by doing their favourite subject and then somehow manage to do the ones they dislike; this was learning the fun way. Independent decisions made the children ready for real life. 

Another aspect of Totto Chan's new school was that lunch was unique. Everyone was supposed to bring something from the ocean and the hills to meet the essential nutrition requirement. Also, if the child only had something from the sea or something from the sea, then the headmaster's wife would dole out the other. So all kids at Tomoe Gakuen always ate Something from the ocean and something from the hills. 

The Headmaster was a distinctive individual; he always encouraged the children to chew their food well and respect it. He would often test the students' culinary knowledge by asking them about the place from where their food belongs: The hills or the sea? 

This was all the fun at Tomoe Gakuen, but the best part was probably the School Walks. After lunch, all the kids would walk in the open with their teacher in the midst. Everyone would think of it as leisure time, but these walks were actually memorable lessons in science, history and biology.

This is Learning the Fun Way, which is at Tomoe Gakuen but is even at My Good School, where Learning is Fun and Fun is Learning! 

Anvesha Rana, 
Grade 10-B, 
Gyanshree School

Today Is The Day When You Define for Yourself - Amaira Bhati

                                                                

Sometimes it's the most minor decisions that can change your life forever.

In life, you always have two things to choose, a right decision or a wrong decision, and you choose between right or wrong as per what you think is best. Well, I will tell you when I got stuck at my crossroad.

I had a stomach ache one day, so I told my mother, and she said, “Go to the birthday party with your father and maybe you will be fine there and take a holiday from school.” But I thought deeply, in my mind there was only one question – Should I take a holiday and go to the birthday party or should I go to school? My mind was jumbled up with the consequences of school and birthday party situations. I thought that everyone in the world has a birthday and you just get food and food, and you eat food every day and skipping such an excellent educational day of school was something I didn’t like! So, I told my mom, “No, mom, I won’t take a holiday for the birthday party. I will go to school no matter what" in response, my mom just said Good, so I knew that I had made the right decision. 

Life is complicated like a tangled box of yarn, but decisions are those colourful strings which need to be separated one by one, and that is the Beauty Of Life!

Amaira Bhati,

Grade 3-F,

Gyanshree School

Real World Learning - Anvesha Rana

   

Real-World Learning and Reel World Learning are the sides of the same coin. Real Learning is necessary, but Reel Learning is what seems necessary. We cannot be aware of our education unless and until we are put in a situation to test our learning. Exams are the only way to test understanding these days, but there are numerous other ways to check our education. School Trips are an excellent way to assess students' global perspectives and core values.

Gathering in one place and deciding what to bring. The memories of dancing on the bus, eating on one plate and being friends with teachers are the recreations of my school trip. Schools trips may be educational, but they truly make learning fun!

Some trips are just unforgettable because they are lived full-heartedly with the best ones, and the best thing is that while coming back from these trips, we have an extra-large suitcase full of all the memories in our Hearts.

Anvesha Rana, 
Grade 10-B, 
Gyanshree School

Teachers Travel with You All Your Life - Anvesha Rana

        " A Good Education can change anyone, but a Good Teacher can change everything. "

When we go to school, we go with the mindset to learn whatever is taught but seldom do we ponder upon the lives of those who come with the vision to give others as much knowledge as possible, our teachers. A Teacher is a crucial part of any child's development, and they play a vital role in success. Wherever I am standing today, it is all because of my parents and teachers, who never gave up on me and constantly encouraged me to walk forward and never look back again. 

Since childhood, I have always felt connected to all my teachers and share a special moment with each one. I cannot describe it accurately in words but simply say that My Teachers are the Best. A few instances where my teachers are still travelling with me are: 

When I was young, I loved art and would almost draw anything in sight. One day when I went to the fruit market with my mother, I had set my eyes upon a green apple, and it was the first time that I had seen an apple other than red, so this was really amusing for me. The next day at the art class, when we were asked to draw an apple, I drew a Green Apple! All the other kids were doing red, but I was confident that Apples were also green. When our art teacher came to inspect our work, she looked at my drawing and asked about it, so I told her that I had seen green Apples. To my surprise, my teacher agreed and even praised me for my creativity; a phrase that she had said at that time makes sense to me now 'Art Has No Rules.'

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Many other occasions have taught me lessons for life, and those are the learnings that I carry forward. Teachers are critical to me because I am who I am because of them.

Thank You, Sandeep Sir, for being the most creative teacher I have met.
Thank You, Brinda ma'am, for being the most dedicated educator.
Thank You, Sunita ma'am, for motivating me to indulge in language.
Thank You, Mahvesh, ma'am, for laying the foundation stone and constantly guiding me.
Thank You, Akanksha ma'am, for making lifelong geography learning.
Thank you, Supriti ma'am, for always being there no matter what.

Thank You to all my teachers who have always promoted Learning for Life!

Anvesha Rana
Grade 10-B
Gyanshree School
Intern at My Good School

The Annual Day at School - Anvesha Rana

The Annual Day at School is an occasion where we ignite the concealed explorer inside each child. Be it the sports day, the investiture ceremony or the theatrical performances. All these functions at school initiate children to think beyond the blue. Studies are not the only thing we go to school for; school is about friends, teachers, skills, sports, services and most importantly, Fun! 

If you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life. If we all love to go to school, then we will indulge in all the activities there, and by doing that only, we will be able to experience The School of Life. 

Annual Days have always been special to me. The teamwork by everyone to put up the show is evident in the performances, the zeal with which everyone performs is irreplaceable, and the sense of belonging to the school lasts forever. Annual Days are an excellent way to create mutual trust between the students. All the kids strengthen their bond and spark respect for their school by performing together. Annual Days should celebrate the community and promote the diverse cultures in the particular region.

The Annual Day should be one such day when the entire school comes together for a single cause. It should celebrate each student's creativity, uniqueness, interest, skills, and values as part of this colossal organization. A school without students is like memory without a picture. Students make up the school. Thus, it is vital that the students are happy. 

Anvesha Rana.

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School.

Why Go To School ? - Anvesha Rana

All of us go to school, where we learn and grow. Most of us love to go there, some don’t, and others just despise the idea of a school, but do we even know the latent purpose of the place we have been attending since our childhood? Many believe that schools are where students study, but they are beyond that. Schools are abodes of knowledge where students learn under the direction of teachers. Schools are more than academics. They are about encouraging sports, promoting service and initiating skill. The real purpose should ignite lifelong curiosity and make every child a lifelong learner. If any person has the will to learn, the fire to know, and the desire to succeed, they are unstoppable. 

A School should value each child who knocks at the door to seek knowledge. The school should not become a matter of marks, subjects or grades. Instead, it should be a journey for each individual to mould themselves into perfect works of art to discover their true identity and passion. Live as if you were to die tomorrow; learn as if you were to live forever. If we start taking an interest in daily education, not just in school but outside the school boundaries, utilize life as much as we can, we will never miss an opportunity to learn something new. Be it a new dish, a new skill, a new dance, a new craft, etc., the passion for knowing everything will always run in us, which is when passion will meet education.

Schools are not just for students to discover their true self; some teachers can also realize their self-creation at schools. Teaching is one of the most beautiful professions, where students never run out of questions and teachers always have an excellent reply to each one. Happy teachers are one of the most integral aspects of making a Good School. Educators and teachers also launch themselves on a path of self-discovery whilst providing education to many.  

All schools have different visions, missions and philosophies. For instance, Shanti Niketan, a school by Rabindranath Tagore, had a task for education for better concept clarity and understanding of topics. It was a different school and was one of the best in its league. Similarly, schools should stand out with some striking features, making parents choose them for their children. 

To sum it all up, a school is not just a brick-and-mortar structure but a haven of knowledge, safety, friendship, learning, and happiness. School is an environment for improvement, which any individual can create within themselves through ‘ The School Of Life.’

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10 - B, 

Gyanshree School