Mini Conclave held at Podar World School - Sherkhi - 2017

8 th June '17
Report  Mini LeaderShape Conclave 5.0 at PWS, Sherkhi,
Vadodara.

The teachers who arrived on 8th June'17 after the Summer break assembled in one of the classrooms for a meeting. The Principal joined them. She welcomed  with her usual maxim, ' Extending a warm welcome to Podar, all rejuvenated and with a positive energy to put one's best foot forward for a successful and vibrant year ahead'.

Then as a part of ice-breaking session, the teachers were asked to introduce themselves and brief about their favourite teacher or what motivated them to become a teacher. As the teachers introduced and talked about their favourite teacher, the Principal posed questions as 'What prank did you play with your teachers?' or 'What makes you feel nostalgic about your school days? The teachers shared about their favourite teacher and also the what made them their favourite! Thus the Principal sensitized all the teachers what traits would make them their student’s favourite teachers. She urged everyone to respect the noble profession which they are into and do justice to it and to always remember that every teacher has got only one child in the class and that is every parent’s child, cater to each child’s need.

Proud to be a Podarite- Carrying forward a Rich legacy: Conducted by Ms Preeta Pillai ( Originally presented by Shri Raghav Podar , Chairman)

The PPT displaying the rich legacy of Podar was shown and explained as a proud Podarite by Principal, Ms Preeta Pillai. The Trust - Minutes of the first meeting duly signed by the first President of the Anandilal Podar Trust besides being signed by other trustee members viz. Shri Madan Mohan Malviya, Shri Jamnalal Bajaj and Shri Anandilal Podar on 2nd August 1922, when displayed made the gathering feel proud being a part of the Podar family whose foundation stones were laid by great stalwarts of history. The Vision and Mission was explained and urged everyone to believe in the same Vision and Mission and strive towards the achievement.

She then quite enthusiastically shared the commendable class X Board results and felt very happy to inform the teachers about the Managements' appreciation for the same. Her happiness knew no bounds when she shared the Awards received by both PJK and PWS for sports (PWS) & Staff Haven Award/ Social Media Butterfly Award (PJK). The concerned team members were once again called and honoured with the trophy amidst rounds of applause.
The duties/ Roles and responsibilities and Time Table for the academic session was discussed.
The Principal instructed the co-ordinators to remind the gathering of the agenda for the next day's meeting and soon after a tea-break, around 11.00a.m., the teachers retired to their classrooms to do their work

9th June,'17

DOSE,  conducted by Ms Priya Patel
(Originally presented by the Chairman, Shri Raghav Podar)

The session started with Ms Priya Patel's talk on 'DOSE', a very significant part of the Chairman's all pedagogical presentations. Her versatile personality made the talk a lively and an interactive session. The gist of her talk was that the formula for happiness is within oneself and it is by activating the chemicals like Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphins. Through regular exercise or with required exertion of the body to burn extra calories, these chemicals get activated. Dopomine, when activated, the person becomes proactive to reach one's goal. Oxytocin is a chemical that creates trust and intimacy when activated. Serotonin when activated is responsible for feeling important and respected and Endorphins are pain killers and associated with persons who involves a lot in physical exertion.

Energizer by PE teachers Mr Aashish Jha and Ms Kanchan Ingle

Then the teachers moved to the atelier for an energizer. The P.E Instructors instructed the teachers of both PWS and PJK to form circles of six members each. Then a holla hoop was made to lie dangled between the two joined hands of the members which they have to pass over their body to the other member without breaking the circle of freeing their hands. The group that completes the activity first, wins the game. It was great fun watching the teachers bending and wriggling and rising again to pass the loop from person to person. As the winning group was announced, there was a great round of applause and screaming among the winning members.

Setting the right Culture by Ms Preeta Pillai
(Originally conducted by Shri Raghav Podar, Chairman)

The talk on 'Setting the right culture' by Principal madam was done rather dramatically. She gestured as if entering a class walking clumsily, with a sullen face and instructing in a monotonous tone to open the book and read the page. Then having acquired her normal agile posture she said that such an approach by a teacher will only de-motivate his/her learners. Then she narrated an anecdote from her life. It was during the time, when she was working as the Principal of the Primary section. In one of the Maths proxy periods allotted to her, she entered the class with an object which looked like the spherical surface of a ball. As the thing was held raised in her hand and as there was a wink in her eyes indicating of a mischief or having some fun, the children of class 2 were all up to their feet and applauding. She asked the students 'What was it that she had in her hand?' The children said that it was a ball and added that if they were going to play. Then with a smile, she gradually turned the ball to show its other side and to the surprise of the students, they  found that it was a clock. Then in an affectionate manner she told them that they are going to learn about 'time'. Thus she had created the right culture or mood for learning among her students. A congenial atmosphere makes learning faster and the learned content gets registered forever. So the teacher has to try to bring in the right vibes for learning to take place in a stress free and positive environment.

Leveraging conducted by Dr Durgeshwari and Mr Sanchit.
(Originally conducted by Mr Ajay Shad)

Then an activity was performed under the guidance of Dr. Durgeshwari Gusein and Mr. Sanchit Shastri. The purpose of the activity was to highlight on the teachers that they should engage in 'leveraging' to maximise the resources of an organisation by willing to give away and if required requesting  for help from one's own colleagues so that a balance is maintained and each one learns to be a problem solver at their best.

'Moving from being a good teacher to a great educator conducted by Preeta Pillai
(Originally conducted by the Chairman, Shri Raghav Podar)

The talk on the topic, 'Moving from being a good teacher to a great educator' by Principal madam was quite enlightening. The gist of her talk was that a good teacher gradually rises to become an educator with self confidence, updating and dedication. The decisions he/she makes should be made without being nervous or afraid of what others would think. Secondly, possessing the art of 'excellent communication skills' is what makes a good teacher, a great educator. This could be through a formal meeting, a one to one chat over a phone or through e-mail and sending messages. Thirdly, a good teacher has to be a resourceful person. He/She does not get set in his/ her own way but takes the information from the past and present and applies it to the resources of the future. She/he makes the class interesting by being creative and innovative, shows practical examples and also the application of the topic in real life. Last but not the least, a good teacher becomes a good educationist by leading by example and not simply by words. If a teacher wants a student to show one another respect, then he or she must show them what being respectful is all about by words and deeds. If he/she wants all his/her students to communicate in English, he/she herself should do that always. Relevant examples were shared.

'Making of Leadershape Conclave 5.0'

The video on 'Making of leadershape conclave 5.0' was shown, which was a feast to the eyes of those who could not attend it and an upsurge of nostalgic feelings could be observed on the faces of those who attended it as they pointed out at instances in the video and smiled or shared a giggle with their friends.

 The teachers then wrote their valuable feedback on a chart titled ' Your feedback is our Breakfast'. Then the curtain was drawn on the two day session of mini conclave 5.0 held at the Sherkhi Campus of Podar World School, Vadodara.