My Sourdough Saga

The Coronavirus pandemic hit India in March 2020 and all hell broke loose. The country went on lockdown like all the countries that had been affected by it before us. People were suddenly confined to their homes — their usual trips to the gym, to the stores, the cinema and restaurants were no longer possible. …

International Anti-bullying Week

Last week, my post was about an interview with Barbara Coloroso.  Coloroso has written the acclaimed book, The Bully, The Bullied, and The Bystander. After reading my blog post, Dr Vakil shared a summary of the book with me. A few things really stood out for me from her book. She says, "Bullying is not about anger, …

The Kids Are Worth It

Hope everyone is having a relaxed Diwali break. I certainly am. The runup to this vacation was particularly busy, so I am really enjoying this time off. What I have been doing this break is catching up on all my reading, listening (I love listening to podcasts), spending a little quality time with family and …

Let’s talk about consent

Yesterday, in place of Priya Ramani's usual column which I look forward to reading, the Mint Lounge carried this: Priya has been in the news recently because she spoke out against M. J. Akbar and is currently facing the backlash because of her honesty. The #MeToo which went viral last year when actress Alyssa Milano …

Be Kind, Rewind :)

Today's blog post is slightly different than my usual. It is a rough transcript of the talk I had with the whole school in an impromptu assembly. Tuesdays are the regular day for morning Assembly but last night, I had a sudden urge to talk to the kids and I requested the teachers to bring …

In Pursuit of Happiness

In the last week, if I had a penny for all the times I have heard the phrase: "I just want my child to be happy," I would be very wealthy indeed. But, the question really is,  would I be happy? As I was thinking about this, I chanced upon this short animated film by Steve …

The things we steal from our children

In this week's post, I want to share this beautiful poem by Dr John Edwards, an Australian educator. While it is aimed at teachers, it applies equally to parents and I would urge you to read it and reflect on it. THE THINGS WE STEAL FROM CHILDREN By Dr. John Edwards If I am always …

Questioning rules

Yesterday, I read an amusing blog post by an author of children's books, Joanna Nadin. She was talking about the delights of receiving fan mail from her audience and highlighted one exchange in particular between one of her fans and her. Her young reader asks her why she has begun her sentence on page 5 …

International Dot Day

  September 15 is celebrated as International Dot Day which marks the anniversary of the publication of the inspirational book The Dot by Peter Reynolds. This movement began in 2009 when a group of educators began celebrating this date for students to explore the story's powerful themes - bravery, creativity, and self-expression. People celebrate this day …

The Good News About Bad Behaviour

This morning, I was reading about a book that has come out in June called, The Good News About Bad Behaviour by Katherine Reynolds Lewis. Her book tries to address the increase in behaviour issues that preoccupy so many adults - parents, teachers and caregivers alike. Lewis is a journalist, a certified parent educator, and a mother …