School Sasthrolsavam 2023

 The day marked the inauguration of The State School Science-Mathematics-Social Science-Work Experience IT Fair 2023. The Director of General Education, Shri. Shanavas S IAS hoisted the flag marking the initiation of the programme. The inaugural ceremony was formally inaugurated by Shri. AN Shamseer, Hon'ble Speaker of Kerala Legislative Assembly. 

The inauguration of the School Sasthrolsavam, where young minds make a positive impact on the world by bringing a fresh perspective and innovative approach to various science fields, saw a touch of innovation to the traditional lamp-lighting ceremony when water was used instead of fire.

As Speaker A N Shamseer poured the drinking water handed over by Aishwarya, a student of Cotton Hill, into the lamp, the set of LED lights suddenly glowed, amid applause and cheers from the audience. A lamp having an electric circuit was the one used. It was arranged in such a way that when water is poured, the electric circuit gets completed, facilitating electricity to reach the bulbs and they start glowing.

The speaker underlined the need to strengthen scientific thoughts to overcome the growing superstitious beliefs in society. District Panchayat president D Suresh Kumar presided over the function. A A Rahim MP, General Education Principal Secretary Rani George, Director A Shanavas, Additional Director M K Shinemon, SSK Director Supriya, KITE CEO Anwar Sadath, and Municipality Education Standing Committee Chairperson S S Saranya spoke on the occasion.

29/11/2023

After the classes in 9C and 8E, I asked the learners to submit their notebooks so that I can check them. It was a tiring task as the learners had made errors in terms of vocabulary and grammar. I left sticky notes on the notebooks as little tokens of appreciation and also as reminders of the pending works.

Readers Theatre♥

I engaged 8E during the first period. The learners were given instructions and guidance to practice Reader's Theatre of the scene being discussed in the class. Since it was something alien to the learners, it took them a while to understand the concept. Once it was clear, the readers theatre emerged to be more efficient than I thought it'd be. Later, comprehension question were displayed using a chart and the learners discussed the questions in groups and answered them correctly. When asked about the effectiveness of this new practice, learners responded positively.

In the afternoon, I engaged 9C. The central idea of the lesson was the sound of happiness machine. I asked the learners to imagine and write the conversation between Leo Auffman's neighbours regarding the mysterious sound. They completed the activity in pairs and presented it before the class.

Gender Stereotype in The Happiness Machine

I had only one class that too during the last period in 9C. I discussed a small portion from The Happiness Machine and asked learners to compare the domestic roles of Leo Auffman and Lena. Learners told me how stereotypical it was that Lena was ironing the clothes and acting anxious about the household chores while Leo acted carefree and carried on with his fancy of the happiness machine. I shared my opinion about the graveness of the grand narratives propagated through the media that tie women to the kitchen and let men roam around freely.

Food Fest😋

I engaged 8E during the first period and discussed a small portion from A Day in the Country. My next class was in 9C during the second period. Since there was a food fest happening at the school, number of learners present in the class was comparatively less. However, I started The Happiness Machine. I talked about happiness and how it differs from person to person. Learners were asked to write a paragraph titled 'My Happiness' regarding the things that they associate with happiness. The opinions were so different from each other. For some of them, it was friends and family. Some others correlated it to boyfriend, good food, movies, BTS etc. I  was overwhelmed as I went through the paragraph written by Jewel as she mentioned my class while writing about happiness.

The food fest was a grand success. Learners and teachers from all sections actively took part in the food fest and made it a successful venture. Food items from juice and black tea to biriyani were there in various counters. There was a live Dosa counter set up by the teachers and a counter that specialized in the dishes made from millets. My taste buds were excited as I tasted puzhukk, payasam, laddu, black tea, unniyappam etc.

21/11/2023

I engaged 8E during the first period. I started the new lesson A Day in the Country, a beautiful short story by Anton Chekhov. When asked their thoughts on village life and city life, learners had very different opinions. Some of them loved village life as it offered calmness and the warmth of nature while some others preferred  city life as all services and facilities were easily accessible. 2 or 3 of them ended up choosing a middle ground and told me that they'd spend weekdays in city and weekends in village. I asked them to write a paragraph on My Village and told them that it can be their own village, a village they've visited or an imaginary village. Learners seemed curious and excited while writing it and came up with creative write-ups.

I engaged 9C in the afternoon. I took a direct instruction model lesson to discuss modal auxiliaries. Since the projector wasn't working, I had difficulty transacting the content. However, I repeated the definitions, rules and examples in order to ensure the effective transmission of the content. Learners actively contributed to the teaching-learning process and finally managed to create their own examples of sentences with modal auxiliaries.

20/11/2023

I engaged 8E during the first period. Rethi teacher handed over the attendance register to me, I marked the attendance in the register itself. Since it was the first day after District School Sasthrolsavam, a couple of minutes were lost in rearranging the class. I gave a quick recap of the significant details of the first part of First Showers and discussed the final part. Learners thoroughly enjoyed the poem and actively shared their opinions about rain and its grandeur. Towards the end, learners were asked to pick out instances of various poetic devices from the poem. Though there were some minor mistakes made by them, the attempt was a success. Finally, I consolidated the poem and asked them to write an appreciation of the poem.

In the afternoon, I engaged 9C and discussed types of adverbs through the advance organizer model. Even though there were slight confusions, learners actively participated in the class and managed to understand adverb of place, time,  manner, degree and frequency and the lesson succeeded in attaining the outcomes as planned.

Science Fair ✅

 

It was the last day of Thiruvananthapuram District Science Fair. The key attraction of the day was the VHSE Career Seminar, Kollam Region. The number of students and escorting teachers were less than the previous days. We were asked to check the number of benches and desks in each class and inform the authorities if there's shortage in any class. 

Since it was a local holiday due to Vettukad Perunal, we were given permission to leave the school in the afternoon.

Science Fair.

It was the second day of Thiruvananthapuram District Science Fair. Sibana, Mary and I invigilated the still model competition of HSS(Science). Later, I went to see the exhibits and improvised experiments. The day was less busy than last day. The lunch and payasam were so delicious. Since majority of the competitions ended before 2 pm, there weren't any particular duties in the afternoon session. I left the school by 3 30 pm.

Duty Time

It was the first day of Thiruvananthapuram District Science, Social Science, Maths, Work Experience and IT fair. We were asked to report at the school office at 9 30. A meeting was held at the conference hall and duties were assigned to us. We dustrubuted tea and snacks to the officials and judges. Later, Parvathy and I accompanied Sujith sir and two other judges who evaluated the Still Models of HSS section. It was a whole new experience. Majority of the models were based on the the space innovations and sustainable development. Some of the models concretized concepts like ideal fishing village, model village and biodiversity conservation. 

In the afternoon session, I was asked to invigilate Local History Writing(HS). The competition threw light over various unexplored locales within Thiruvananthapuram district. Since it was the last item, the competition ended by 5pm.

Children's Day♥

 

It was Nehru's birthday. There was a special assembly held to celebrate children's day. I was happy that Nehru, his life and vision are being discussed in schools. I was asked to engage 8E during the second hour while they learned Hindi. During the third hour, I had a class with 8E. I started First Showers, a beautiful poem about rain written by Nalini Sharma. A learner asked me if the author is still alive. Actually I hadn't paid attention to that detail while I was going through her profile. I told her that I'll let her know the next day. I understood how important it is to always refer to the details. The class went really well. Learners shared their rain memories and their favourite things to do while its raining. Active participation of learners in the interaction and activities added to the life of the class. Later, I played the animation of The Nightingale and the Rose which was screened in Sydney International Film Festival. I found it hard to deal with the mean comments the learners threw at the characters. 

During the fifth hour, I engaged 9C. I discussed the elements of a news report. However, the class ended soon as there was an awareness class for the learners related to Diabetes day. We were asked in the evening to actively cooperate with the school to successfully curate the Thiruvananthapuram District Science, Social Science, Mathematics, Work Experience and IT Fair.

13/11/2023♥

Right after the prayer, Usha teacher called English trainees and asked us to handle the English portions of 9A, 9D, 9G and 8D since their teacher had gone for a treatment and took medical leave. We were given her timetable and told to plan how we'll engage these classes so that that learners wouldn't have to suffer till the teacher returns. The task kept us engaged till the noon as we had to cross check the time table of all four of us and finalize the periods available for us to engage them. 

In the afternoon, I engaged 9C during the last hour and made them identify the character traits of Sue and Behrman and fill up the diagram given on the textbook. The answers were discussed in the class and a solid analysis of both the characters were done.

Story Houses..♥

 I reached the school by 9 15. As usual, my first class was with 8E. I completed the story - The Nightingale and the Rose. The learners were asked to build a story house based on the story. They actively participated in the activity. A learner had written my name when she wrote the letter to the ypung student's friend. The letters presented by learners before the class were well written. 

I engaged 9C during the third and fifth periods. I finished The Last Leaf as well. The learners created a story map based on the story and volunteered to stick the papers on the charts and read out the corresponding elements. Since learners repeatedly complained about forgetting the follow up activity, I thought of a solution and ended up deciding to leave sticky notes on the class shelf as a reminder.

Radio Play.

The learners had written the name of the lesson with colour chalks on the board before the class. I realized how this gesture is giving out positive vibes and radiating energy. I dealt with the last moments of the nightingale. When I asked the learners if they think that the nightingale's decision is right, they told that it is not wise to die for love and life is very precious. 

In the afternoon, I engaged 9C. I discussed elements of a radio play, its features and significance. I played the radio play of a classic Basheer work and it helped learners realize the nature of radio plays. Later they were asked to prepare the script for a radio play in groups.

Happy happyy..🥺

I reached the class by 9 25. I felt overwhelmed as I saw the title of the lesson written on the blackboard. It was such a sweet gesture. I dealt with The Nightingale and the Rose, the part where the nightingale's song was slowly creating the rose. When I asked them what would've happened if the nightingale didn't press its heart against the thorn and a learner told me that blood wouldn't have enter the veins of the rose tree.

 I had my second hour at 9C I dealt with The Last Leaf. The learners were asked to write a conversation and present it before the class. They finished the task and the class ended within the stipulated time. In the afternoon session, I borrowed a period from Prasheela teacher and played the movie adaptation of The Last Leaf. Learners seemed excited and they thoroughly enjoyed it. By 3 pm, it started raining. I ended up thinking about my next lesson- First Showers. I was wondering how the internship is keeping me physically and intellectually busy..

New class..😇🖤

 It was my first day with 8E. I was nervous. I was wondering whether I would be able to get along with them quickly. The class turned out really well. The learners were very responsive and vibrant. I think I like them already. There was a certain degree of curiosity that dominated their eyes. I liked how pure it was. I dealt with The Nightingale and the Rose. They wrote the conversation between nightingale and the oak-tree and 2 pairs presented the conversation before the class. As I turned to write on the board, they started mimicking me. Though I knew it wasn't a nice thing to do, I felt quite at ease.

My class with 9C was during the 5th period. I asked the learners to write a character sketch of Mr.Behrman and they finished writing the same within the allotted time. The classes ended by 2, as there were traffic regulations in the city due to the closing ceremony of Keraleeyam.

Friendship Cards.♥

 

Since Salini teacher has joined as a guest instead of Sapna teacher, I was instructed to finish my portions in 8J and engage another class. I was sad becuase the learners of 8J were so close to me. It was a lively class. I'll miss them. 

Usha teacher allotted 8E class to me and asked me to meet Rethi teacher and discuss the portions with her. Rethi teacher gave me necessary instruction and an overview of the class.

I showed a postcard which chandu has sent me months before to the learners. We discussed how important it is to have good friends. Then, I asked learners of 9C to write friendship messages to their friends. Colour papers were distributed among them. They made beautiful cards and wrote warm messages to their friends. Towards the end of the class, I told them that I'll give the cards to their friends in secret. Many of them made beautiful drawings in the card and they thoroughly enjoyed the activity.

03/11/2023♥

I had my first class of the day with 8J. I helped them understand the structure of an appreciation and its elements. I discussed various poetic devices and gave examples to have a better understanding. Later, activity cards were distributed among the learners and they were asked to complete it in groups. Learners actively worked in groups and finished the task. I understood the importance of activity cards and other stuff in keeping the learners engaged. Later, I asked them to attempt to write an appreciation of The Sower. The learners did a really good job given the fact that it was their first time writing one. I engaged 8J for another hour since one of the teachers was absent.

I dealt with the part in The Last Leaf where Johnsy was counting backwards. Learners made rational remarks about the importance of hope in people's lives.

New responsibilities♥

As we were walking to the office, a learner was standing at the corridor. She was crying and having difficulty to breathe. We made her lay in a bench, warmed up her limbs, called her parents and Najma teacher took her to the hospital. I was told to wait at the office since another teacher was engaging 8J. I engaged 8J during the second hour and completed The Sower. I had planned to make them write an appreciation of the poem. But the learners said that they didn't know how to write one. Thus, I made them write answers of the textual questions. I decided to engage them for another hour and teach them how to write an appreciation. I collected their notebooks to assess their works and writing. I corrected the minute errors and left a note of positive reinforcement on the margin.

My class with 9C dealt with The Last Leaf. When we were discussing the difficult words and I was explaining Bohemian I mentioned how they hate institutions like families and all. The learners asked me whether family is an institution. I told them that marriage, family, school etc. are all institutions. A learner asked me if friendship is one. I gave them scaffolding questions and they found the answer on their own. Then when we were discussing 'stalking', I mentioned Annayum Rasoolum movie and how Fahad stalks her. I told them that stalking is a crime and shouldn't be celebrated or normalized. I'm loving the fact that I'm getting to discuss such things to the learners.

കേരളപ്പിറവി♥

Celebrations and programmes were arranged for the whole school. Principal and additional HM delivered message for the students regarding the need to celebrate Kerala and be responsible members of the society. The programme was hosted by students of UP section and they did their job very well. Learners from UP and HS sections adorned the day with their artistic potentials. A presentation on milestones of the History of Kerala was also shown. The language pledge was taken by the learners and teachera. I was assigned charge to maintain discipline during the programme along with fellow student teachers and teachers. The whole vibe was so vibrant and learners were bursting with energy.

The teacher handed over attendance roll of 8J and told me to complete it since Sapna teacher was transferred and the guest teacher was hasn't joined yet. Later, I supervised 10F during their unit test. Both my regular hours were lost due to the Keralapiravi celebrations.