Self Compassion

At Seth M.R.Jaipuria, we truly believe in the ripple effect that compassion creates. For junior grades we conclude each day with a ritual of self-hugs- no matter what our faults maybe we still have a spark of Divine within each of us and that makes us kind and gentle beings. Students of higher grades (grades 5 -12) are engaged in writing letters of self-compassion. This internal dialogue and soft-vocalization has helped our students to be more confident and less anxious about their shortcomings.

Moment of Silence

At Jaipuria, we start and end our lessons by observing a minute of silence. We believe this is the first step to nurture young minds that are mindful of their thoughts and actions. For younger children silence is guided and introduced in short bursts during the day. Students of higher grades confirm better memory skills and a longer attention span, when they start every task with a moment of silence.

Lunch With Me

Teacher-student rapport is a cornerstone of effective classroom management at Seth M.R. Jaipuria. Lunch with Me is an effortless way to build a genuine rapport between students and teachers by providing opportunities on different days of the week for them to share to a meal together. Eating lunch together helps teachers see students beyond grades and assignments and form a deeper connect by engaging in heartfelt conversations that express unconditional positive regard for who they truly are. It also helps to connect the less connected – the shy introvert students who in the realm of social-awkwardness may not be able to express themselves in a crowd get a chance to make strong bonds with their teachers.

The mere act of showing up for lunch without an agenda is a powerful proof that in our classrooms everyday is a new day and also shows the value of commitments. The Lunch with Me activity is encouraged right from Playgroup to class 12.

Awe Walk

The intent is to help students appreciate and find beauty in their ordinary surroundings. Such an activity also helps students differentiate between Joy and Awe. Researchers define awe as a response to things we perceive as vast and that transcend the way we understand the world. Researches also suggest that experiencing awe not only enhances happiness and physical health but also reduces feelings of entitlement and increases generosity.

The concept and research of Awe was introduced to the staff first through a workshop followed by the Awe walk. Teachers implemented it by introducing the concept of Awe to their students followed by a discussion about what filled them with a sense of awe and why.

Students are given A4 sheets of paper and colour pencils and asked to take an awe walk around the campus in complete silence. They are given 30 minutes to quietly explore the campus and find something that struck them with a sense of awe. Then they are encouraged to journal it down in the form of words or drawing. Students then share their drawings and experiences with each other during circle time. feedback. This exposure has helped students to communicate with greater clarity.

Gratitude Bank

Our school diary has a section to list three things that each student is most grateful for each day. We believe that by remembering and listing three positive things that have happened in our day–and considering what caused them—we tune into the sources of goodness in our lives. It’s a habit that can change the emotional tone of our life, replacing feelings of disappointment or entitlement with those of gratitude. Students from Grade 2 to 5 partake in this initiative. Each class maintains a piggy bank (the ones made out of clay). The front of the class has preset chits with the following sentence printed: I am grateful for…

The teacher introduces the concept of gratitude and how everyday there are moments and things that we can all be grateful for and when such a moment occurs students should write it down on the chits kept in the front of the class and mention what they are grateful for at that moment. Students may or may not write their names on the slips – it’s entirely their choice. At the end of the month during circle time, everyone together breaks open the clay piggy bank and read all the blessings of the month that the class has been grateful for.

When we are able to notice the contributions of one person in our lives we start noticing the contributions of everyone leading us to become more grateful beings.

Ladder of Feedback

Conflicts are a reality and conflict resolution is often spoken about, but we at Jaipuria work towards equipping students with tools to resolve conflicts. The Ladder of Feedback is one such idea. Students in junior school are taught how to use this valuable tool to give constructive feedback. Students are encouraged to follow the communicative sequence – Clarify, Value, Concerns & Suggestions while articulating.