According to American cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead, the first evidence of “a civilised society” was a 15,000-year-old, fractured femur, that had healed. “Wounded in this way, you are meat for your predators. In the wild, no creature survives a broken leg long enough for the bone to heal. You are eaten first. A broken femur that has healed is evidence that another person has taken time to stay with the fallen, has bound up the wound, has carried the person to safety, and has tended him through recovery. A healed femur indicates that someone has helped a fellow human, rather than abandon him to save their own life,” she elaborates. Clearly, the spirit of empathy and humanity, spearheaded civilization. Needless to say this spirit of kindness and empathy is essential for civilization to continue.
Two years ago, we embarked on a nationwide lockdown. Little did we know then what the territorial and temporal extent of this social isolation would prove to be. One of the collaterals, was the closure of schools for almost two years. Without physical school, children languished in a monotony bereft of discipline or routine, lack of extra[1]curricular activities, a drop in peer time, and increased dependence on digital gadgets. The ramifications were exponential. After all, schools provide not only academics, but also develop and nurture social skills.
Today as normalcy is restored and schools open up physically, they need to revive and replenish children’s social skills. Our children need to relearn how to care for the proverbial “broken femur”! Psychologists call this Emotional Intelligence (EI) — ability to recognise, understand, and manage emotions. EI deals with self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. — essential for social success.
DPS Mihan acknowledges that building EI is a necessary exercise and has initiated a range of engaging, age-appropriate activities. Each morning, our kindergarteners get to decide how they want to be welcomed — with a hug, a wave, a handshake, or a namaste — to class. It not only starts the day with a cheerful greeting, but also exposes children to a plethora of expressions, and teaches them to be connected to their moods.
Teachers use egg shell faces and puppets to accustom children to recognise and display varied emotions. Role play is used to enact social dilemmas like feelings of isolation, grief, envy, and even social ambiguity and confusion. Through role play, children learn new behaviour, empathy, and how to identify counter-productive behaviour.
As much as this pandemic brought with it innumerable challenges, it also taught us to count our blessings. Our middle school children have created a ‘Gratitude Jar’ where they drop notes of appreciation. Every week, these notes are read out followed by a discussion. Gratitude also extends to those who help us make our lives more comfortable. Mother’s Day and Family Day were celebrated with letters and messages for their loved ones.
Going a step further, the school celebrated its non-teaching staff, so children could acknowledge their valuable presence, and accord dignity to labour. The school also celebrated Autism Awareness Day to sensitise our children to the needs of the differently abled. Empathy and care need to extend to animals, and nature, as well. A seminar on conservation helped to highlight several environmental issues.
High school students have been initiated into the art of journal writing that not only proves cathartic for turbulent teens, but also helps them introspect. Once a month, an open forum is conducted in each class which is moderated by a mentor who is open, accessible, and unconditional. Soft skills classes covering communication skills, bridging the generation gap, time and anger management, for older children, are also on the anvil.
In an infotainment initiative, the school plans to screen the award[1]winning animated film, Inside Out followed by a discussion.
It is gratifying to see DPS Mihan give EQ building its due. They believe it is only an extension of their credo of holistic education and character building.