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Postal Regn. GPOLW/NP-56/2018-20                   May -  2020         Regn. No. UPENG/2009/28201         Price Re. 1/-
                                  MONTHLY BULLETIN OF CITY MONTESSORI SCHOOL, LUCKNOW, INDIA

                                Personality Development


                                 CMS creates a better future for all children by maximising
                                 their opportunities through quality education and
                                 initiatives for unity and development.

                                                                                          Message from the CMS President
     CMS student bags admission with 100% scholarship in MIT, USA
                Manan Bhatia, a student   Eight Lakh for pursuing Ph.D programme       Dear parents,         movement of people/migrant workers, is
                of CMS, Gomti Nagar    from MIT.                                       Corona does not portend   our global governance structure adequate
                Campus I has been      Manan is currently a final year student of      apocalypse, if ….. we   to deal with world-wide disasters like
                selected for Maths PhD   Indian Institute of Sciences, Bangalore,      mend our ways         COVID? Clearly the world order is
                programme with 100%    and is pursuing research from its               Humanity has not faced a   lamentably defective, lacking appropriate
                scholarship   at the   International Centre for Theoretical   Prof. Geeta Kingdon  challenge of current   institutional structures and strong
                prestigious Massachusetts   Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental   President, CMS  proportions since the 2nd   international cooperation. This is because
                                                                                                             of countries selfishly clinging to outmoded
    Institute of Technology (MIT), USA. He   Research. His special interest has been in   world war. No one escapes   notions of national sovereignty.
    also received offers from universities of   probability theory.        –COVID has equally affected rich and poor
    Berkeley, Columbia, UCLA and NYU apart   CMS Founder-Manager, Dr Jagdish   countries, and the high and low. In this   What will be the effects of COVID?  People
    from MIT to pursue research.       Gandhi congratulated Manan. Scores of   message I muse on: Who is to blame for   who were hitherto nationalists and
                                                                                                             isolationists are now calling for
    CMS Gomti Nagar Campus I Principal,   CMS students are selected in prestigious   the COVID pandemic?  Is the world well-  multilateralism and a more integrationist
    Mrs Abha Anant informed that Manan   universities abroad every year.(see page   equipped to deal with it? and what will be   approach, as they realize the need to work
    will receive 100% scholarship amounting   3 for recent admissions abroad)  the longer term effects?      cooperatively together. It is certain that
    to US $ 2,25,120 or INR One Crore Fifty                                Regarding the causes, while conspiracy   the UN system will be fundamentally
                                                                           theories a bound about the virus being   altered to make the UN Security Council
                                                                           man-made in a Chinese lab, these
        92 of 161 selected in NTS state level exam, are from CMS           conveniently deflect the blame away from   for representative, and that more
                                                                                                             attention will go to animal habitats, and
                                                                           the less salubrious but more credible
     As many as 92 CMS students have   Educational Research and Training                                     towards concerns such as climate change.
                                                                           explanation, which is environmental:
     qualified in the state level National   (NCERT), Govt. of India conducts this
                                                                           human greed has led to the cutting of   Sixty-one years ago, CMS’s founding motto
     Talent Search Examination (NTSE) out of   prestigious examination. These students   forests and loss of animal habitats, which   was Jai Jagat, based on the ancient Indian
     a total of 161 students qualifying from   will now take the national level                              philosophy of Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam (the
                                                                           has led to more man-animal encounters
     Lucknow. The National Council of   examination.                       and ‘zoonotic’ diseases that pass from   world is one family), signifying belief in a
                                                                           animals to humans, and COVID is one   wider purpose of education. Today there is
                                                                           horrific result.                  universal recognition of our Founders’
      CMS students excel in International Mathematics Competition                                            creed: the oneness of humanity and the
                                                                           Is the world equipped to deal with the
                        Satwik Sahu,   organized by the International Society for   pandemic? In a world that has become   imperative necessity of a world
                        Pranjal Verma   Olympiad (ISFO) wherein thousands of   extremely integrated over the past four   government, and CMS will continue to
                        and Gunit      students of noted schools from Kuwait,   decades with international trade and vast   prepare mindsets to work for these.
                        Srivastava,    Dubai, Nepal and India participated
                        three brilliant   showcasing their talents in mathematics.    CMS students get IIT Genius Scholarship
     Class X students of CMS, Gomti Nagar   These outstanding students of CMS                As many as three   and Ravija Chandel have been awarded the
     Campus I secured first, second and third   Gomti Nagar Campus I achieved the            brilliant students   IIT Genius scholarship. The educational
     rank in International Mathematics   highest 93 percent marks in a tough fray            of City Montessori   organization Fitzee Ltd sponsors the total
     competition and raised the school flag   and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd rank was              School, Gomti   expenses of four years B. Tech coursewhich
     high globally. The competition was   decided by a tie breaker.                          Nagar Campus I   covers hostel fee, tuition fee, books and
                                                                           namely Aadhyatm Agnihotri, Yatharth Singh   other necessary expenses.

                                          Learning During Lockdown: Empathy and Wellbeing

                Message from the       Under more normal circumstances,                                      wellbeing first, however, means homework
                Director of Strategy                                      surrounding them and from the monotony
                                       educators prioritise completion of a   of interacting with only the same household   can become an opportunity to pursue
                Across CMS, teachers are   curriculum within finite time, keeping up   members for an extended period, and it   creative projects, to do activities that
                making valiant efforts to   pressure on students through fast-paced   reduces the burden of isolation.  encourage meaningful interaction between
                shift their teaching online –   working. Considering these new realities,                    the child and others in their household, or
                rapidly bringing themselves   however, this is no longer appropriate.   It is essential that we educators shift our   to produce something that can be shared
                up to speed with the   Educators must accept that rushing through   teaching mindset at present from the   and discussed in class. Teachers thinking
     Mr Roshan Gandhi                                                     traditional model of 'syllabus-completion
     Director of Strategy, CMS  appropriate technological   the curriculum can no longer be the foremost     with this empathetic mindset have been
                platforms, adapting their   priority of schooling. Instead, syllabus-  above all else' to a greater recognition of
    own pedagogical practices to face the new   completion must be seen more as a luxury   the importance
    reality, and working hard to keep children   that the skilled teacher may attempt, rather   of these other
    engaged and motivated remotely. It is   than the primary aim of the teaching process.   reasons for
    heartening to see how CMS teachers have   The rationale for conducting live classes must   teaching at the
    risen to this challenge, and I sincerely   therefore be viewed through this lens.  present time – a
    congratulate them for this incredible work.  There are three main benefits of conducting   shift that
    The process of online learning has also   online classes at the present time, other   requires
                                                                          empathy and a
    exposed new realities about what   than syllabus-completion. The first is the   willingness to
    educators' priorities must be. At the   prevention of 'learning loss'. It is a well-  prioritise the
    present time, empathy towards the   documented phenomenon that students   wellbeing of
    struggles children are facing must be the   who spend more than a few weeks   children. If this
    highest priority of all those engaging with   detached from formal education not only   mental shift is
    children. This is an uncertain, disorienting   fail to acquire new learning, but in fact lose   made, and
    time for everyone around the world, but for   a significant amount of previous learning.   syllabus-
    none more so than for children. Young   Just the mere act of regular, routinised   completion
    people are less equipped than adults to   engagement with their class subjects can   becomes
    deal with the pressure of uncertainty, and   prevent this, supporting students to at least   understood as
    the unknowns are anxiety-inducing.   maintain their prior learning even if new   the fourth
    Children usually look to parents for   learning is unrealistic to attain.  priority instead
    emotional support, but at this time parents   The second is providing children with a   of the first,
    are themselves facing new stresses with   sense of routine and structure. Confined to   appropriate
    instability in businesses and job insecurity.  the same home for weeks on end, children   adjustments to
    Another new reality is that teaching online   find it difficult to call on the self-discipline   teaching   CMS IT Assistants and e-Learning team
    can never be a true substitute for classroom   required to maintain a productive schedule.   methodology will start to take shape   innovating with concepts like online
    teaching, even for the most talented   It is essential for students to have structured   naturally.      assemblies, yoga sessions, and hobby
    teachers. Apart from the constant   time, not only to ensure that their time is   For example, a teacher fixated on syllabus-  activities – all to the great benefit of
    connectivity and technical issues, sustaining   not wasted but also to provide a sense of   completion would rarely spare a significant   children.
    concentration in a video call is far more tiring   meaning and purpose during this uncertain   portion of limited class time for purposes   We cannot ignore the imperatives of the
    than in person, and a truly interactive,   period. This has an important effect on the   beyond their core curriculum delivery.   syllabus, and it is likely to return to being
    collaborative classroom environment is   prevention of anxiety amongst children.  However, if an empathy-led approach is   the priority after life returns to normality.
    almost impossible to replicate. Gauging how   Thirdly, children benefit immensely from a   given priority, it would be natural to allow 5-  However, the present realities have
    much learning is actually being absorbed   feeling of camaraderie – a sense of 'we're all   10 minutes of class time for casual   generated different challenges, which
    presents its own challenge, especially   in this together'. Connecting with their   conversation to inquire after children's   cannot be tackled through the relentless
    considering the barriers to conducting   teachers and peers on a regular basis,   wellbeing and happiness or allow them to   prioritisation of syllabus-completion above
    reliable assessments online. In addition,   interacting with their friends in a safe online   chat to each other, thereby boosting their   the wellbeing of children.
    despite teachers' best efforts it remains an   environment, and participating in online   feeling of community. Through the lens of
    unfortunate reality that a proportion of   groupactivities all contribute to this   rapid syllabus-completion, homework and
    students are left behind due to lack of   community feel. This is a welcome   asynchronous learning must be strictly on-
    connectivity or devices at home.   distraction from the negative news that is   topic in line with curriculum; putting   UNESCO

     CMS Head Office: 12 Station Road, Lucknow, India                                                                               City Montessori School is the
                                                                                                                                    World's Largest City School
     Phones: +91-522-2638738, 2638606 E-mail: info@cmseducation.org; Website: www.cmseducation.org   Vol XI  Issue 11               with over 56,000 students
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