Game of Math Symbols
On 16th September, Sanjay Tiwari, an old friend and supporter of JMC, visited the Centre to take a class on Math. Currently with Shantilal Mutha Foundation in Pune, Sanjay has more than 30 years of rich experience in Elementary Education. The session he had with the students was brief but generously informative.
The session started with the Hindi language and various dialects related to it. Sanjay got the students to identify the similarities between their mother tongue and Hindi and discussed the basics of mathematics in the context of this relationship.
He taught the children some interesting tricks to understand the subject of mathematics. Just as a certain image is created in our minds on seeing various words, similarly we should impress our minds with images of the symbols in mathematics such as +, -, x, /, etc. He demonstrated how an interest in mathematics can be enhanced by paying more attention to the basic concepts and practising them. Along with this, he also used examples of some common household items like glass, plate etc., with the help of which children can relate to mathematics more easily.
He offered many suggestions to the teachers and explained the tricks to be used to increase the interest of children in various subjects of study.
Sanjay’s lesson on Math was innovative and very useful. His energy and the ease with which he communicated with the students drew an enthusiastic response from them.
National Nutrition Month
(Rashtriya Poshan Maah)
On 14th September, halfway through the month dedicated to raising awareness about nutrition, a discussion on the topic was organised at JMC. Mothers of the students were special invitees to this conversation. About 22 women, including pregnant and lactating women, participated in the discussion.
Two videos on “Poshan, Swasthya and Swachata” (Nutrition, Health and Cleanliness) and “Swasth Badna” (Improving Health) were screened to initiate the discussion. The women watched the videos attentively and expressed their views on the issues discussed in the videos, adding their own experiences. They discussed anemia, personal hygiene and the changes that adolescence brings to one’s health and being. Topics of menstrual health and cleanliness, good diet that protects from anemia were discussed in the context of their adolescent daughters.
The JMC programme coordinators elaborated on the manifestations of anemia, i.e., low haemoglobin in the blood such as exhaustion, breathlessness, lack of focus, irritability, and paleness in the nails and eyes. They also explained that nutritious food was not necessarily out of reach for working people. There are various affordable foods like sprouted chana, jaggery and chana, palak dal, greens and seasonal vegetables. They advised the mothers to ensure that their daughters do not miss the weekly dose of IFA tablets provided to them in the school, as also Albebdazole tablets available in the school and in the Anganwadi Centres.
There was also a discussion on the necessity to acknowledge the changes that adolescents go through, and for mothers to engage in frank and comfortable conversations with their daughters, being sensitive to their anxieties and the many answers they are seeking at this stage of their lives.
All the women were extremely happy with the opportunity provided by JMC for such a useful and informative discussion. The conversation concluded with the commitment on both sides to hold such sessions regularly.
Teachers’ Day
Yet another occasion for celebration in JMC is Teachers’ Day which reflects the cherished relationship between the student and the teacher. This day is observed with an abundance of enthusiasm every year.
Not surprisingly, 5th September 2024 was celebrated with a programme in which every student in the Centre participate actively. It also drew many alumni to the Centre that day. The students themselves were the organisers.
The programme began with a song by the youngest students in honour of their teachers. The teachers acknowledged the respect and honour showered on them by their students and expressed their confidence that the students would demonstrate the sentiment every day of their lives. Teachers’ Day is a special day that brings home the significant role played by education in shaping society.
One student was inspired to create and recite a poem dedicated to teachers. Through the poem, the student acknowledged the teacher as a beacon of light that lit the path to her future and guided her to become a better human being. Other students related experiences with their teachers, thanking them for all that they have given to them. The programme was also interspersed with joyous songs by the students.
The programme concluded with a group dance as a tribute to the teachers.
JMC’s courtyard wore the festive colours of Raksha Bandhan
Raksha Bandhan was celebrated with great joy in JMC on 16th and 17th August. Students participated in the sessions to celebrate the festival, after their respective classes were concluded for the day.
In the first session, students from across all classes created beautiful illustrations depicting raksha bandhan. On the second day, each one brought a beautiful rakhi that they had made at home. Some of them, who were not able to make their own, collaborated with others to learn to make their rakhis at the Centre, The rakhis were made with glazed paper, shiny beads, glitter powder, coloured ribbons and adorned with eye-catching imitations of pearls and semi-precious stones.
The illustrations and rakhis created by the students reflected their imagination and creativity. The students enjoyed the experience immensely.
Traditional Tales, Voices of Children
Jaishankar Memorial Centre (JMC) was fortunate to receive an invitation from the Bachpan Society for Children’s Literature and Culture for a programme organised in Pragati Maidan on 10th August 2024. Choti si Khushi, Gyan Deep Growth Foundation, and Ankur Library were other invitees. “Traditional Tales, Voices of Children” was proposed as the theme.
There was much excitement in the air as the students gathered in JMC and proceeded to Pragati Maidan with the teachers. On reaching the venue, the participants were welcomed by Ms. Kusumlata of the Bachpan Society. This was followed by an inspiring address by Ms. Deepa Agarwal, the Chief Guest for the programme.
It was the privilege of JMC’s students to kick off the programme. They performed a short dance to the song of Su-Swagatam (warm welcome) to welcome all present. As the resounding applause to the dance died down, they began enacting a skit titled “Paryavaran” (Environment), through which they conveyed the significance of trees and plants in our lives. The skit advocated planting more trees and plants; and saving them from being cut down or destroyed. The skit was followed by presentations by other organisations.
Each child was presented with a certificate and a book.
