Honesty - Arav Agarwal

Honesty for me means being authentic and being who I am.

Whenever I feel that I should not tell the truth, I just ask myself, do I want to live peacefully or in fear. If we say a lie, we feel regret, and then our minds cannot live peacefully. Being honest has helped me get many opportunities for my growth because of my teachers, coaches, friends, and parents' trust and confidence in me. I also get a good feeling and calmness in my mind by being honest.

I have listened to many stories on honesty since my childhood and many parents' experiences where being honest has helped them in life. Even my experience of being open and getting appreciation from my teachers and parents has made me more confident and courageous to always be truthful and honest in life.

So, we should always keep in mind that practising honesty will take us ahead in the future. By being honest, we are only being true to ourselves.

Name: Arav Agarwal
Grade: 5C
Billabong High International School, Thane

Real World Learning - Yashraj Sharma

Learning is a lifelong process. In books, classrooms and word-of-mouth, all we can learn is theory. But, the real learning comes from application and not just by memorising theories…..Like Issac Newton discovered gravity by merely watching an apple fall from a tree, with no aim or goal to find something.
 

Let me give you an example from my life - When I was in the 3rd standard, for classes 3 to 5 a ‘Rock sports camp’ was organised by our school. There were many activities, like zipline, Burma bridge, rock climbing etc. For the first time in my life, I got to experience walking over a Burma bridge. I was so hyped, and it was a much more thrilling experience than I had imagined. I also got to experience zip-lining over a bottomless, large pit. I was terrified and excited at the same time. After these two activities, I did rock climbing, and that was the part I was most scared of.

But, the important thing is that until that time, I had only heard of these activities and heard other people’s experiences. When I finally got to actually do and experience these activities in real life, I understood why people always said, “Rock climbing is very scary” or, “Zipline is breathtaking!”. I also learned that all these activities require spot-on hand and eye coordination.

No matter the situation we face in our lives, be it good or bad, we can always learn something new from our experiences. All of it depends on the individual’s personality, intellect and capabilities. Therefore it is rightly said that “When there is rain, look for the rainbow; when there is night, look for the stars”.

So, in conclusion, I would like to say that no matter how many books we read or how many videos we see or how many articles we read. We can only experience authentic learning by doing what we have seen, heard or read.

Yashraj Sharma

Grade: VIII-D

Gyanshree school 

Today Is The Day When You Define For Yourself - Arav Agarwal

Reflection of the chapter Today Is The Day When You Define For Yourself from the book My Good School ~ Where Passion Meets Education by Sandeep Dutt.

I was really inspired after reading the chapter - Today Is the Day When You Define for Yourself. The chapter is about decision making, and every day we have a choice to choose the wisest option for ourselves. The line with which I connected deeply was that whenever you make decisions listen to your inner voice to make the right decision. Also, the counsellor we need for counselling is our inner self, which helps us act as a counsellor; we only have to start listening to it.

There have been many times when I also had to make decisions and choose for myself. As I reflect back, I think it has helped me become better and more confident. What I have learned is that when we make choices, we should be kind enough to think about ourselves and others. And this will keep us happy.

Name: Arav Agarwal

Grade: 5C

Billabong High International School, Thane