The benefits of effective listening

Everyone has so much to say. We miss out on so many little details because we are busy in speaking and we barely listen. Listening is an art and there are certain benefits that listening provides you with. It is difficult to be patient and listen to what the other person says, but it has its own set of benefits. I went to one of the reputed residential schools in India as a child and I remember having special meditation classes wherein we were taught the art of effective listening. Also, we were told about the benefits that one gains from it. Here are some of them, which I have experienced in my own life:

Pleasing personality
Everyone likes a person who listens! Yes, it is true. If you are always eager to talk, lesser people show interest in you. Listen to people as it makes you a person you everybody wants to talk to! Not only people trust you more, they find a friend in you. I have been complimented many a times by the closest of my friends that I listen to them with full intent.

Observation skills
If you listen to someone with concentration, you get to observe that person closely. The more you observe you get to know that person better. This helps you in getting an idea as to who is how if you are in a new environment and behave accordingly with people. This is a big benefit and once you are in the corporate world, you will make use of it!

Better memory & understanding
You would not forget the little details that someone talks about. You have vivid memory and better understanding. This is extremely useful for students. If they listen to the lessons in class, half of their work is done! The more closely you listen, the better you understand and remember! My school, one of the best boarding schools in India has inculcated in me the art of being a good listener, and I am reaping the benefits till date!

An All Round Development for Kids

In this progressive environment where parents are working, every parent worries about the ethical and moral values that their children need to ingrain in their psyche to grow up as a human being. So in order to make their children more perceptive for the future competition and to make them more imaginative, the parents are gearing up by opting for unconventional courses.

Various courses in dance, photography and designing etc. are introduced in several schools in Noida and are proving to be popular among the parents. Stressing on the level of competition the children have to face to even get into higher studies, every one of them need to get prepared. The schools are strapping up the kids by underlining their need to be an all-rounder. State of the art studios are being introduced and more interactive methods of teaching are being thought of. Making presentations and audio-visual study books are proving to be propitious for the children.

To make the children more amenable the parents are ready to shift all over the country, the need to put the child over their comfort is taking the front seat. Over the years various child day schools in Noida being set up and a shift can be seen among the worried parents. These schools offer more attention to the students as the number of students in one class is limited. Other than that, huge infrastructures and unconventional subjects seem to be working in the favor of these schools. The education not just limited to the traditional math-science dialects, rather a well round and sound development is being stressed upon. Gender neutrality is being offered in schools too which is imperative for sound adulthood, no gender specified course are practiced which is another relief for the parents.

Stay in touch with your long-distance friend

We are devastated if our best friends move to a different city. Probably all of us have been through this ordeal some time or the other in their lifetime. You certainly can’t let go of your bond due to distance, can you? You would have to come up with ways in which you are still in touch with your best buddy like you always were.

My best friend and I were together since our childhood days in a public school in Noida. It was like we never needed anyone if we were with each other. Our school days passed as if it was a collection of our countless memories and we were together all the time. At school, after school and on our way to school! We had to discuss everything with each other. Our closeness was often envied by our siblings as we were visibly closer to each other than our own siblings!

All hell broke loose when she was sent to one of the renowned boarding schools in India for higher studies. We were devastated. But as the time of her departure came close we planned to be in touch with each other in a way we don’t miss our time together much.

Talk everyday
Be it over calls or message. We had to be in touch every single day. It is weird because every day you don’t have something special to share, but we found peace in telling each other about our daily routine and I was anyways excited to know about her new school.

Video chat once a week
We made it a point that any one day of the week we would make time to video chat with each other, even if that meant during our exams. We religiously followed that. We did not get that ‘feeling’ of chatting up with each other unless we saw ourselves. She showed her room and introduced her room-mate too over video chat!

Never hide anything
Concealing thing from your best friend can ruin the bond. So we promised we won’t hide anything from each other. We shared every single detail of our lives and we still remain best friends!

Good teachers vs. school facilities

Comparing teachers with schools facilities- sounds absurd- does it? I am not here to make any kind of judgements but many people do decide upon a school for their child solely on the basis of the infrastructural facilities the school provides. They are willing to shell out some extra money to provide the comfort the child is so used to at home. And that is absolutely fine as long as the original and primary purpose of schooling i.e. education doesn’t take a back seat. 

But if I ask you to choose one- a relative unpopular school that just provides the basic facilities but has great and passionate teachers vs a renowned school providing every comfort known to mankind with average teachers- what would you do? From what I have learned in the last few years, I have come to the conclusion that hardships exist to help one forge one’s character and the greatest minds in history were fostered under the care of their great mentors. If we read about the greatest inventors, scientists, doctors, etc., we would realise that the most significant inventions which have become necessities in this day and age, were made under extreme circumstances. I firmly believe that the varied facilities merely exist to facilitate the process of education. I have had the fortune of encountering some of the best teachers, even though I didn’t study in one of the best schools in Noida. And while I did not have a chance to study in air conditioned rooms or with the fastest and latest computers, the quality of education could not have been better. Unlike many others, our teachers actually liked teaching us and their passion was apparent in their conduct.

So, ensuring that your child studies in one of the best child day schools in Noida, or the best school in Delhi is great, but please make sure he/she gets the best of real and holistic education as well. 

Noida is All about the Best Education

Noida is quickly emerging as a perfect place for parents wanting the best of education. The lack of population there has allowed many schools to build large and luxurious buildings which will help a student to achieve an all-around development.

Teeming with schools right now, from day care schools in Noida to certified crèches and also an abundance of regular schools which will see to a students education from 1st grade to 12th grade.
Schools in Noida attract kids and parents from all over Delhi and even if the commute is long they are willing to do it just to get the best education for their kids. Here are a few reasons that these schools are attracting so many people:

1.Large Infrastructure:
The fact that not many people populate Noida at the moment has allowed schools to go all out and build lavish and big buildings that are able to house more equipment and better adapted to be able to allow a student to try their hand at some of the branches that wouldn’t necessarily be available at schools in the more populated areas of Delhi.

2.Teacher-Student Bond:
The fact that few people live in Noida again works to the advantage of the schools as it allows the teachers and students to build a more holistic and well-rounded relationship. Also fewer students can allow the teacher to give more and at the same time equal attention to the students in their classes.

3.Lack of Distractions:
Almost every positive for the rise of schools in Noida can be attributed to the lack of population in the area. So that sort of works in the students favour as it does not let them get distracted by the many distractions of city life.

4.Working Parents equal Day Care Needs:
There are a lot of corporate offices in Noida and especially for young parents this can be very difficult as how to maintain their hectic careers and their child. But the rise of day care schools in Noida has come as a welcome relief to many parents.

Day Boarding - the best option for working moms

As a working mother of a 3 year old, I was facing the dilemma of my life. It was time I admitted my son to a pre- school and I got a fantastic job offer which I couldn’t refuse. I didn’t know how to manage him and my job. Leaving my job was not an option and compromising on my son’s proper education and care was not an option either. I was advised by a friend of mine who was in a similar situation herself a few years back. She gave me the information about one of the best day boarding in Delhi and I inquired about the place myself after that.

It was aided with the best facilities that claimed to take care of the growing children. They provided the beginner level lessons to kids just the way they would like it. The curriculum was designed exactly according to the age of the kids and their grasping level. It had all the amenities that took care of the overall safety and well-being of the child, leaving the parents with no chance to complain. I found the place reliable and the best option as a solution to my situation. With full support from my husband, my decision was executed within a week before my joining. Both of us kept an eye on their ways of managing the kids and we made sure our son suffered in no ways. Surprisingly, it seemed our little boy found great pleasure in his day school.

This day school for kids provided my son with the right amount of ‘education’ in a fun way and he enjoyed his time spent there. I am thankful that I took the decision and now I can manage my career and my son simultaneously. I know my son is well looked after during the day which leaves me with time to dedicate to my work!

My experience in a boarding school

Let me be absolutely honest! I could not sleep during the first few nights after my parents told me about their decision to send me to a boarding school in a different city. I pleaded to not send me away, promised I would behave myself, and even threatened to never talk to them again- I did all I could to change their mind. While they were extremely kind and repeatedly said that it was for my own benefit, I refused to believe them. I was just in 5th grade and simply could not understand the reason behind sending their only child away. But how often do children understand their parents? Rarely!

They told me every day that they loved me and were sending me to the best boarding school in India for my own growth and development. But I did not wish to study in the best school in an alien city; I simply wanted to stay with my parents in our house and study alongside my cherished friends in my regular school. The days passed by and the big day finally arrived. In hopes of convincing my parents at the last moment, I did not stop crying. But they just hugged me, told me that they would call me every day, and then handed me over to the person in charge. 

Let me admit- the first few days were probably the most difficult days of my life. But owing to the training that each teacher and care taker had been given, each of them was extremely compassionate. With the passage of time, I grew more comfortable, made new friends, and started concentrating on my studies too. Unlike my earlier school, skipping co-curricular activities was not an option there. Considering that I hated sports earlier, it’s only a miracle that I learnt to play basketball. And you know what, I would not have learnt so much in a regular school where I would have been absolutely comfortable in my comfort zone. The school truly was the best boarding school. If your parents are planning to send you to a boarding school, you would feel dejected initially. But always keep in mind that life would undoubtedly get better and you would be grateful to your parents when you grow up and look back, just as I am!