✍ A. Laxman Rao
A child is normally born and brought up in a family. The family is the first school of the child and the mother is the first teacher and the family is the immediate society of the child. The primary responsibility of the family is inculcating values and dispositions based on the established culture of the nation. The mother plays a crucial role in shaping the life of the child.
Bhuvaneswari Devi, the mother of Swamy Vivekananda and Jiji Matha, the mother of Shivaji Maharaj are the best examples of this.
A school becomes the second family or the second society for the child and the teacher is the second mother. I mean, teacher should behave like a mother in respect of care and well-being of the child. The voice of the teacher in the school is always a motherese voice only. Here not only the teacher, but the whole school and its culture plays a crucial role in shaping the future of the child.
The school has to play a significant role in learning of the child. The preliminary responsibility of the school is to motivate the child to learn with attention and enthusiasm as well as to develop curiosity in learning and so the learning becomes a long-lasting process or lifelong learning. The school culture is one of the biggest influences on inculcating values, dispositions and Samskara amongst students. Not only just values, norms and beliefs but its manifestation processes are expected to be so interrelated.
Environment and Atmosphere
School entrance, gate and the inner premises decide its environment. Generally, there may be many symbols, pictures, paintings and other worthy displays on the walls and sometimes even within the classrooms. All these displays on the walls and in the school corridor, communicate or inculcate values among the students and they print some images in their brains and minds.
With regard to the photos displayed in the school and within the classrooms, the students should be informed about what they are or who they are and what they did or why they are important for us to know. For example, if a photo of Veer Savarkar is there in a classroom, even the students of that classroom should know perfectly about his biography and contribution to the nation. It is observed that, many a time, there are photos but none can say even two sentences. School heads focus on this. In some schools, some idols or small temples are seen but cleanliness, every day offering pooja, garlanding or even offering flowers are ignored or neglected. If such atmosphere is there in the school, the students should be encouraged to go for darshan and seek blessings.
This becomes a habit to the students even after schooling.
School Assembly
School Assembly reflects the culture of the school. It is the platform to develop values among the students by making them participate to perform some activity in turns, in small groups with the guidance of the teachers every day. In the prayer, there should be one or two-minute meditation which enhances their concentration power. Thus, better make the students practice Omkara for a few minutes. Saraswathi Vandana, National Anthem, National Song, Pledge, some News presentation, General Knowledge Questions, quotes of great persons, patriotic songs, culture related shlokas, Stotras and so on are to be planned for regular performance.
Other Activities
Participation in all activities with all the students irrespective of caste, gender, religion and community, develops inclusiveness among the students.
Social behaviour begins its formation here in the school only. Honesty, integrity, fraternity, tolerance, understanding diversity, pluralism, gender equality and gender sensitivity, respecting all, Satya, ahimsa, swachatha, seva, niskama karma and so many values are inborn values of our nation. These are to be transformed to the next generation through the school culture. Schools’ heads should have this vision and action plan. Group discussions, seminars, weekly clubs, subject clubs, various forums, Quiz, Mock activities like mock parliament or mock assembly and so on are to be meticulously planned and conducted with advance and detailed planning.
Conducting Important Days
Normally, some important days like birthdays, death anniversaries, national festivals, cultural festivals, historical events and other memorable days are planned in the schools. Many opportunities for sharing what students are learning in various subjects, ranging from their library class to activities at home, may be created. Focus should be on the purpose of celebrating the day.
What inspiration the day gives to the students, how their behaviour is going to be modified, how they link to their lives and follow the footpaths of the great persons are to be kept in mind while planning the activities. Role plays, small skits, one act plays are to be planned.
For smooth and well conducting of the programmes, duration of the programme, minute to minute agenda, seating arrangement, anchoring responsibility, proper communication and delivery skills, use of musical instruments, if necessary, sound system and cordless micks are arranged.
Premises decoration with mango-leaf arches and banana pods, and all the presentations, performances should be based on our culture.
Work ethics and work is worship
Cleaning the school premises, arrangements at mid-day meal, availability of pure drinking water, preparation of sports materials are some of the areas for the students to take part in and engage in work. It should be inclusive and non-discriminatory from every perspective. Distribution of work aims to develop importance of team work, collaboration, a sense of equity and fairness, sense of responsibility and good work ethics among the students.
Students from various socio-economic backgrounds sit together and enjoy the meal together. Teachers also are suggested to eat along with the students. Sharing of food, if necessary, inculcates many values. Reciting Bhojana mantra, before taking meal is a samskara. Good hygiene standards have to be maintained, and groups of students and teachers can take up the responsibility of washing their tiffin boxes or plates.
Relationships among the Staff and Others
There should be mutual respect and trust among all the stakeholders. By respect, we mean recognizing and valuing an individual’s presence, view and identity, and fundamental rights bestowed by the Indian Constitution. Teachers should give respect to the individual learning pace of the students, and plan accordingly providing learning opportunities. Teacher-administrative staff relationships, Teacher-student relationships, student-student relationships and even School-community relationships influence and affect the learning environment and learning pace with learning quality.
Annual Day Celebrations
Now-a-days, most of the schools are celebrating school annual days but the path of celebration is being diverted. Some school managements invite celebrities like cinema stars, cricket stars and political leaders to bring some attractive colour to the programmes. Annual day celebrations have become very costly and expensive. Different colour lights, DJ sound systems, and dance programmes by professional artists, costly costumes, and collection of high amounts from the students who participate in the performances have become a business. Some schools collect in thousands of rupees to participate in one programme.
The celebration must be purposeful. What the students have learnt in school in the entire academic year, should be performed on the dais. Teachers should guide the students only. In the cultural programmes, our culture should be reflected. Students’ talent in various areas must be nurtured and their innate potentialities are enriched, and they should be performed.
Thus, the school culture should be properly designed by keeping the shaping the future of the young children in mind. School culture includes many other aspects also. School heads and management should think about the culture of the schools and run them in a way to make the young minds, the national property.
(Author is educationist and Mantri of Vidya Bharati Dakshin Madhya kshetra.)
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