Habits – Key to Effectiveness
We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence then, is not just an act, it is a habit.
Excellence then, is not just an act, it is a habit.
-Aristotle
The power of habits is mind-boggling. If we develop positive habits then we can multitask efficiently and achieve the desired results in all that we do. The question is, “Is there any standard technique, strategy or rules that can help us to develop the habit of becoming successful?” The answer to this is very well explained in the very inspiring book, ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens’ by Sean Covey. In this book, he has put forward the seven fundamental habits that can help a teenager achieve the desired goals, fulfill his dreams, build a successful career, live a happy and stress free life and build a highly esteemed character.
Shivam House had an opportunity to explore, analyze, correlate and share the 7 habits of highly effective teenagers with all the students at AVM throughout the week. The following points were discussed in the assembly:
Habit 1: Be Proactive
· I am a responsible person
· I take Initiative
· I choose my actions, attitudes and moods
· I do not blame others for my wrong actions
· I do the right thing without being asked, even when no one is looking
Habit 2: Begin with End in Mind
· I plan ahead and set goals
· I do things that have meaning and make a difference
· I am an important part of my classroom and contribute to my schools mission and vision, and look for ways to be a good citizen
Habit 3: Put First Things First
· I spend my time on the things that are most important. This means I say no to the things I know I should not do
· I set priorities, make a schedule and follow my plan
· I am disciplined and organized
Habit 4: Think Win-Win
· I balance courage for getting what I want with consideration for what others want
· I make deposits in other’s emotional bank accounts
· When conflicts arise, I look for third alternatives
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand and then to be understood
· I listen to other people’s ideas and feelings. I try to see things from their view points
· I listen to others without interrupting
· I am confident in voicing my ideas
· I look people in the eyes when talking
Habit 6: Synergize
· I value other people strengths and learn from them
· I get along well with others, even people who are different than me
· I work well in groups
· I seek out other people’s ideas to solve problems because I know that by teaming with others we can create better solutions than any one of us alone
· I am humble.
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw (Perpetual Learner)
· I take care of my body, by eating right, exercising and taking rest.
· I spend time with family and friends.
· I learn in a lot of ways and lots of places, not just at school.
· I take time to find meaningful ways to help others.
Under the guidance of teachers, the students explored what the parents, teachers and the business world expect from all the students. It was also an opportunity for the students at AVM to realize how the principles of AVM as laid down by Param Pujya Hariprasad Swamiji are leading them towards becoming the leaders of tomorrow.
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What
Parents, Businesses and Teachers want for students? |
Mapping
Habits |
Swamiji’s
Vision |
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Independence
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Initiative, Self Motivation
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Habit 1-3
Be proactive
Begin with end in mind
Put First Things first
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Students should have a goal in life which should be serving parents
and society… |
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Self Confidence
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Planning Skills
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Goal Setting Skills
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Organization/Time Management
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Interdependence
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Conflict Management Skills
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Habits 4-6
Think Win-Win
Seek first to understand then to be understood
Synergize
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The Student should have stable Speech (vani), righteousness of act
(vartan) and Thinking (Vichar). |
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Communication Skills (both listening and presentation skills)
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Honesty
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Fairness
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Openness to Suggestion
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Team Work
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Problem Solving
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Decision Making
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Creativity
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Renewal
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Technical Skills
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Habit 7
Sharpen the Saw
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The student should be a leader; wherever he should go he should make
changes.
Love, passion, dedication, devotion, determination, enthusiasm and
spirituality. |
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Good Health and Hygiene
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Emotional Stability
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Analytical Skills
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Involvement in Meaningful skills
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Students understood that if they started with any one of the above mentioned habits, then slowly and steadily they will be able to imbibe the others. This will not only help them to become successful but also a good human being.
Such a person will be a significantly contributing factor to the family, society and nation.
Compiled by: Shivam House Team
Student Council Election 2014-15
A leader is one who knows the way, walks the way and shows the way.
To be a responsible citizen of any nation, one needs to inculcate the 3D’s i.e. dedication, devotion and determination. The seeds to develop such a citizen should ideally be sown right at the tender age, during school education.At Atmiya Vidya Mandir, students are given such an opportunity to use their talents, and shape their being not only into better humans but also into proactive citizens of the nation.
According to the vision of H.D.H Swamiji, a child must be made capable of serving his parents, society and nation. And, school is the sphere where a child can learn the value of serving mankind. To put this into action, the Student Council further advanced this year.
Atmiya Vidya Mandir witnessed its fifth student council election in the last week of June of the academic year 2014-15. The election campaigning process took place from 26th June to 28th June, wherein all the nominees expressed their thoughts and reasons to be a part of the student council.The speeches were delivered focusing mainly on offering services to school, house and students with utmost devotion and dedication. Each of them was heart-touching and mind-stirring even to the elders. The campaigning process ended, with the election held on 28th June 2014 i.e. on Saturday, at the school prayer hall. It was a challenging task to vote, as all the nominees were equally capable and devoted.
The entire voting process went very smoothly. All the students of grades VI to XII, teachers, Vice-Principal, Principal, Administrator and entire non-teaching staff enthusiastically participated in the election.
1st July 2014, Monday, the most awaited morning rose with the arrival of results and declaration of the new leaders.
The members of 2014-15 Students Council are mentioned below:-
Head Boy: Arpit Trapasiya
Vice Head Boy: Vinamra Patel
Sports Captain: Rahul Patel
Satyam House
Captain: Nikunj Aggarwal
Vice-Captain: Dhyey Rathod
Shivam House
Captain: Sarvanaman Patel
Vice-Captain: Niramay Kachhadiya
Sundaram House
Captain: Smit Patel
Vice-Captain: Sahaj Bakhda
Suhradam House
Captain: Prashit Patel
Vice-Captain: Karan Desai
Waiting for the Student Council to take their charge of duty and assure all of their commitment to serve the school with a difference!
Written by: Rashmi Ma’am
Std 1-3 Trip 2014-15
This academic session began with lots of enthusiasm and zeal. With the new students and new comers in the various classes, the school management arranged an outing and movie show for the students of 1 to 6 to help them adapting into the new environment and get along with their teachers and other students. Students found this trip more to be an entertaining cum orientation outing where they got a chance to mingle with their new teachers, new class-mates and new Didis. The nostalgia and apathy disappeared as the students became cheerful, jovial and vivacious after this trip.
Health & Nutrition Awareness Seminar
It was a sunny Sunday afternoon when all the atmiyans of class VI to XII garnered at the Atmiya Prarthana Mandir, to receive and expand their knowledge on the importance of nutritional diet and physical fitness.The guests were warmly welcomed and were escorted to the stage by our school’s principal Dr Vijay Patel. A very enthusiastic Prabhudarshan sir introduced the guests and explained to all the purpose of the session.
The session then started with poojan of Shri Thakorji and by seeking the blessing from the almighty. Dear Sachinbhai, Dhwanitbhai and Vinamrabhai welcomed the guests by offering them bouquet.
Dr Dinesh Sutaria, the coordinator of the session, gave brief introduction about his team and requested them to educate us with all the knowledge that they had.Dr Lalit Kachhadiya, a dietian and nutritionist, gave us a presentation on the importance of nutritional diet. He explained the various merits and demerits of different types of food items that we eat on a regular basis. He also described in details an ideal diet intake with the defined nutritional value needed on a regular basis. He further explained the advantages of having a balanced diet and to avoid dieting or fasting to keep the body fit without the consent of a doctor.
Dr Satvik Govani, a physiotherapist, shed light on the importance of physical fitness and of regular exercise. He talked about the disorders that arise due to not exercising on a daily basis. Various tips were discussed by him on how to be fit and healthy including having a balanced diet and daily exercise. He concluded his presentation by responding to queries and doubts of students.
This very informative session then ended with vote of thanks by respected Vijay Sir to all the guests for their time and guidance and appealed to all to lead a healthy and fit life.
Reported by: Lalit Desai (Class 12 Science)
Interschool Volleyball & Basketball Competition 2014
Atmiya Vidya Mandir have started the 2014-15 campaign in sports with a bang as they won the first interschool competition of the year. School’s U14 team was the runaway winner at the interschool volleyball competition at Shri Ramkrishna Harikrishna Academy, Kamrej.
Such was the dominant display of the boys from AVM that they reached final without even breaking a sweat as the opposition teams could not even reach the double figure in points. The final was against the home team of Ramkrishna Academy. They gave a stern test in the first set as AVM boys barely won the set with the score of 26-24. However they picked up the pace in the second set and won the set very convincingly with the score of 25-10.
Playing away from the home ground is always challenging, especially to the young students, but the school volleyball team showed mental toughness and top level skills to clinch the first title of the year. Dev T Patel from class 9A was the star performer for the team as his overall contribution was very significant and it made the task easier.
The Basketball U-16 team also showed some great resilience and promise as they got beaten narrowly with a single point margin. With key players missing due to studies in higher classes it was always going to be an uphill task, but the younger boys showed what they can do in coming years as the team bowed out of the competition.
Congratulations to both the coaches Ritesh sir (Volleyball) and Bankim sir (Basketball) for good showing and a good beginning of the year. We also congratulate the participant students who made the school proud.
As you sow so shall you reap.
Nature teaches us a lot of things and one of them is the Law of the Harvest. Ploughing is the first step where the farmer ploughs the field and sows the seed, which can be compared to teaching and learning in the school at the beginning of the year when the syllabus of each subject is covered by the teacher in the class meticulously. Just like the farmers and his team, the teachers and the students have to work extremely hard to learn the concepts.
Preservation is the second step where the farmer takes care of his farm, gives adequate water to the plants, removes the weeds, sprays adequate fertilizers, etc. Similarly this is the time when the syllabus is over and the teachers ask the students to revise the concepts they have learnt. It is the time when the students clarify their doubts arising through perfect practice. This is a tough time when prayers are used to revive your faith that you will reap what you have sown.
Finally the time comes for the harvest and the farmers produce their crop and reap their profits. It takes the farmer months of hard work, patience and faith to reap his result.
The students of Atmiya Vidya Mandir have imbibed this law of nature and worked extremely hard, purposefully. They followed up on whatever the teachers asked them to do. Just before the exam, P.P. Swamishree visited the school, showered His blessings on the students and asked them to resort to prayers in time of need. Students regularly revived their faith in times of stress through prayers.
So we understand that just like in farming, in studies too, one has to build a strong foundation through planning and preparation, making sacrifices where needed, having incredible patience and persistence and combining competency with timelines which our students did and proved to themselves as you sow so shall you reap.
Total 36 students appeared for the 12th CBSE exams in March this year, out of which:
- 11 students scored above 90%,
- 13 students scored between 80% to 90%,
- 10 students scored between 70% to 80%
- 2 students score between 60% to 70%.
The science class average was 83.4% and commerce class average was 87.6%.
COMMERCE TOPPERS
SCIENCE TOPPERS
Congratulations to all our 12th students, their parents and teachers!!!
The Rewarding Results of Grade 10!
These VACATIONS are well-deserved by our class 10 students hence some might be escaping the summer heat amidst the cooling breeze of hills, some might be enjoying at the playground in the May sunshine, some must be savouring the mango-bites with grannies, some may be socializing with relatives at functions and some might be basking in the gentle air of their native place but there was a sudden halt to this relished-relaxed holidaying when CBSE announced result of class 10 for the year 2013-14.
The complex and vast syllabus and critical assessment criteria made it quite an intimidating affair for the teachers to enable these students to be competent and meet the standards of CBSE but with the kind grace and blessings of HDH Param Pujya Swamiji, the result turned out to be 100%. This time 59 hardy heads appeared in this examination out of which substantially weighty number of 20 students scored between 9.2 and 9.8 CGPA, remarkably 15 students scored between 8 and 9 CGPA nevertheless 10 students secured their position between 8 and 7 CGPA whereas those who had their own challenges did not give up with 6 and 7 CGPA, and quite honourably, 3 students bagged the perfect 10 CGPA.
SCHOOL TOPPERS
This was a crucial phase for the students and teachers as they were preparing for this board exam with much anticipation and calculations of ‘expected marks’, it was a herculean task to guide and train the impulsive and fun-filled minds to meet the challenges of board examination yet their unshakable faith and boundless confidence kept it firm that hard work always gives rewarding results. The relentless efforts and endeavours of the students, teachers and hostel staff made this feat possible.
In a nutshell, there’s an enduring axiom of success which students of class 10 batch of 2013-14 lived i.e. “Simply get started, make mistakes, listen to the feedback, correct and keep moving forward towards the goal”.
CONGRATULATIONS to all students of Grade 10, their parents and teachers!!!
Being blessed by Him to be better
It was the eventful month of February and the so called examination mammoth was inching closer……the students and the teachers were feeling nipped; Occasionally, the pursuit of targets left the minds weary and the fatigue engulfed these mortal forms,… as if passivity was hovering over for its prey: consequently, a growing urge for a divine help was apparent from the swelling visitors to the altar at school’s prayer hall….hurrah !!!! The prayers were answered!!! His Divine Holiness Param Pujya Hariprasad Swamiji Maharaj arrived at AVM, His very glimpse was like a sight of an oasis by the parched travellers, there were delighted faces and elated hearts, the joy was unfathomable as the students, the teachers and the entire AVM family and everything around here.. took on a bright sheen as if rejuvenated and imbued with happiness by His presence.
His boundless love for the students called for an assembly (Sabha) which was held in the school prayer hall on 25th February 2014. The hall was brimmed with devoted heads and eager hearts as Swamishree addressed all with His kind and deep concern. To begin with, the students sang a heart stirring lyrical hymn… adding a bit edge to the ardent ambiance and there came a benign smile on Swamishree’s face as He listened to these prayers being offered to Him. Purvesh Sir handled the mic and being a zestful host of the programme, he shared a few incidences where students of AVM evidently practised ideal behaviour in classes, playground and in hostel. Soon after Vinamrabhai of Std 8th was invited on the stage to present a brief report on cultural activities through which lessons of harmony and the moral values are imparted to the students. Thereafter, Purvesh Sir specified a few more incidents stating how the very mission of the school “Union of Body, Mind and Soul” is being accomplished. This brought an appreciating and enchanting gesture on Swamishree’s face and His encompassing gaze left us in total bliss. After that Abhishekbhai Ariwala and Nileshbhai Yadav of Std 12th offered a prayer on behalf of all students and asked for His blessings in all their endeavours. It was followed by a much awaited and momentous opportunity for the students of class 12th to get one-to–one meeting with Swamishree. He was being affectionate, listening patiently to each one of them enveloping them in His divine aura and blessing them.
Then came the ever auspicious “better one day in your court than thousand elsewhere” moment, when Swamishree voiced His golden words. How convincingly yet persuasively He explained to the students that they should always be extremely respectful to their parents and withdraw instantly the very thought of aggressiveness towards elders in the family! Students listened very earnestly when Swamishree stressed over becoming God-Loving and adopting the habit of resorting to prayers in all times. Moreover, He strengthened their commitment and zeal for being better by insisting them to avoid watching distracting movies and keeping good company. Thus, Swamishree blessed students not only for a brilliant career but induced the contemplation to lead a fearless existence with righteousness, purity of intentions, positive thinking and focused mind.
If glorious sun shines above our head … what more light needed to be asked for? Seemingly Swamishree’s very presence among us exudes a powerful scent of serenity, how fortunate we are to be sheltered under His umbrella of love and enjoying the bliss!!!!!!!