R1: Ready, Steady, Don't go! (But just pause and reflect)

Oct 09, 2020

Dear all,

At the outset, let me thank you for the phenomenal response to the newsletter. Your support so far has been motivating, and your feedback on some of the posts was extremely thought-provoking.

I’m happy to share that we are now a community of (exactly) 200 responsible adults (parents, educators and well-wishers of children). This is quite a milestone and I can’t imagine how much we can learn from each other’s experiences!

It’s been 5 weeks since the first edition of the newsletter. My idea is not to stifle you with new ideas/research week after week.

So I took a hint from John Dewey

And that’s exactly what I intend to do today. Pause and reflect.

Let’s quickly skim through the first 5 editions of the newsletter, in case you missed out on any of them.

On “The First School” so far…

#1: A preamble for parents, educators and well-wishers of children

This newsletter series began with a beautiful and powerful poem called “Children learn what they live”, which explains why children are the result of all the experiences they are subjected to! It is, according to me, the preamble for all of us as parents, educators and well-wishers of children! If you haven’t printed out the poem already, head over to the post and ensure this poem finds a place on your fridge or wardrobe!

#2: Every child needs a champion (you), but every champion needs to be supported

Unfortunately, a lot of us undermine our wellness and the need for being supported, and hence I stressed how “Well supported adults lead to well-supported children”. Don’t panic, I also shared the antidote with you in the same post. I’m referring to the TED talk featuring Rita Pearson. It will charge you up and even give you goosebumps.

#3: How many missed calls do you have?

We saw how failing to respond to a child’s serves (missed calls) can weaken the brain architecture and impair the development of skills and abilities, behaviour, and health of the child. And in what ways adults can stay alert and return these serves effectively.

Serve & Return, as the framework is aptly called, garnered attention from many of you. I thank all of you who tried it out at your homes and shared your experience (this warrants a separate post in itself).

#4: Are you feeding your child’s brain with fast food or healthy food?

“I feed my child nutritious food” - check!

“I feed my child nutritious language” - Wait, what?

How can I feed my child “nutritious language”? Don’t hold yourself back, check out what “language nutrition” is right away!

#5: Meet the parent: Mridula Swamy

Remember the phrase: “Every child needs a champion”? I hope so because it sits just a few posts above this one (#2, to be precise). I interviewed one of the champions (Mridula Swamy, a single parent of 2 children) and I can proudly say that it was one of the most insightful conversations I’ve ever had. I have read Mridula’s reflections on parenting so many times now. I’m still at awe at what she had to share with all of us! Please read it and be inspired! (You may also be interested to read about the “Eat a meal on the floor” challenge that she completed with her children)

What more would you like to see in this newsletter?

I would be delighted to hear any suggestions about the way this newsletter is structured. Also, what more can I add in the coming editions to make it more meaningful? Give me a shout!

Some logistics:

Unfortunately, all the emails initially go into the Promotions tab of your inbox, so I request you to dig them up from there. (As you continue opening them, they will behave and land in your primary folder.)

“Check your promotions tab” has been my mantra for the last 5 weeks.

See you again next Friday!

The First School