Every meaningful change in a classroom starts with a teacher willing to learn…and this Saturday, I got to spend the day with a room full of them.
I had the joy of facilitating a workshop on Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) with the educators at Anand Niketan School, Sughad, Ahemdabad and it turned into one of those days that stays with you.
We talked about what it actually takes to make a classroom feel safe. Not just orderly, but safe. Where children feel seen, not just supervised. We spoke about empathy, emotional vocabulary, belonging, and the quiet discipline of teacher self-awareness. We sat with the idea of “connection before correction” and what it really asks of us as adults in the room. Strategies came up, of course — but what kept surfacing, again and again, was this: relationships are the curriculum underneath the curriculum.
As I reflected on it later, I realised it wasn’t just a message about working with children. It was equally true of leadership. Whether we’re leading a classroom, a team, or a school, people are far more willing to embrace expectations when they first feel seen, heard, and respected.
My heartfelt thanks to the leadership and team at Anand Niketan School for their warmth and hospitality, and for building a space where teachers could slow down, reflect, and grow together.
I’m also deeply grateful to Aditya Birla Education Academy for making this collaboration possible and for their continued commitment to strengthening SEL in schools………..read more
