Creating Safe Spaces for All Students in Schools

🚸 Teach For India was never just a teaching fellowship for me — it was a crash course in public policy. From education to city planning, nutrition to transportation, parenting to emotional safety — the classroom became my policy lab, and the community, my co-founder in change. During my time as a Fellow, I didn’t just teach. I became: 👨👧 A parent-figure to children of migrant workers. 🍲 A nutrition advocate, when I realized that mid-day meals were often the only meals kids had in a day. 🏘️ A community worker, shifting base from the blackboard to the basti. 🧠 A mental health listener, when a child didn’t speak — not out of shyness, but because no one had ever asked how they were feeling. 🔹 I didn’t plan lessons. (They become useless when there’s a crisis) 🔹 I didn’t have fancy PowerPoints. 🔹 But I was never absent. (I lived in the neighbourhood) Because when a child asks for food, not homework — the curriculum becomes life itself. Here are 5 urgent policy insights I believe we must act on ⬇️ 1️⃣ Mid-Day Meals Must Evolve A single mid-day meal cannot suffice for growing children who skip breakfast and dinner due to poverty. Let’s upgrade it to a nutritionally dense three-meal substitute, especially in urban poor belts. ➡️ MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA NITI Aayog can we pilot this in critical districts? 2️⃣ Playgrounds Are a Right, Not a Luxury Gated playgrounds are accessible only to the rich. Poor children often don’t have any safe space to play. ➡️ Smart Cities Mission — can we ensure every child has access to a free, walkable play area? 3️⃣ Every School Should Have an After-School Safe Space When both parents are migrant workers, children are often left unattended post-school — a dangerous gap that increases vulnerability to exploitation, substance abuse, and emotional neglect. ➡️ Let’s embed after-school centers under Right to Education as a child safety and emotional well-being clause. 4️⃣ Transportation is Not Just an Urban Planning Issue — It’s a Child Safety Issue Are our children getting home safely? Who’s asking? We need PTMs and SMCs (School Management Committees) to discuss not just marks and uniforms, but safe routes home. ➡️ Can local governments implement a “Safe Journey Home” framework for underprivileged areas? 5️⃣ Parenting is a Policy Issue Too When teachers become substitute parents, it tells us something profound: parenting support programs, urban childcare infrastructure, and parenting workshops for low-income communities are urgent gaps. ➡️ Can Ministry of Women & Child Development take this up as a national conversation? 🎓 Thank you Teach For India not just making me a teacher — but an advocate, a dreamer, and a systems thinker. The classroom is no longer the four walls of a school. It’s the intersection of policy, empathy, and courage. If we want transformational education outcomes — we need transformational policies that see the child as a whole citizen , not just a roll number.

A Teacher's Simple Strategy That Changed 30 Lives Every Morning Ever wondered how one small gesture can transform an entire classroom's energy? Let me share a powerful thing that's reshaping how we think about starting our school days. Here's how it works: Each student gets to choose their preferred way to start the day: - A gentle high-five - A quick hug - A friendly fist bump - A simple smile and nod - A quiet "good morning" The results? Remarkable. Students who once dragged themselves to class now arrive early, excited to make their choice. Anxiety levels dropped.  Class participation soared.  Even the most reserved students found their comfortable way to connect. What makes this approach powerful is its simplicity. It: - Respects personal boundaries - Builds trust - Creates a safe space - Teaches emotional awareness - Promotes daily positive interactions This isn't just about starting the day right – it's about teaching our children that their comfort matters, their choices count, and their well-being is priority. What if we all took a moment each day to ask others how they'd like to be greeted? Sometimes, the smallest changes create the biggest impact. #Education #TeachingInnovation #StudentWellbeing #ClassroomCulture #PersonalizedLearning

After traveling across the United States to reunite with family and friends, I’m back in my space as an educational consultant - leading workshops, sharing best practices, and touring schools and workspaces to observe and recommend improvements. One question keeps resurfacing: What are the biggest challenges #educators face every day? Two decades in, I now answer this through the lens of one who has worked with all stakeholders. In education, we often focus on lesson planning, classroom management, and assessments. However, the real challenges are often emotional and social. If you spot a child showing the signs below, that is a crisis demanding focus. 1. Disconnection: The child is quiet, unresponsive, and avoids group work or class discussions. They look and feel emotionally withdrawn. 2. Amotivation: A child lacks initiative - missing deadlines, submitting incomplete or rushed assignments, and showing little interest in school. 3. Learned Helplessness: The child frequently says, "I can't do this!" or "This is so hard!" They avoid trying, believing they will not find success. 4. Avoidance: Increased absenteeism, tardiness, or opting out of activities. Their emotional presence in school is diminished. 5. Low Future Orientation: The child’s response to future plans is apathetic, as if silently or loudly saying "I don’t care!" They seem disconnected from goals or growth as though they no longer believe in their ability to accomplish. If left unchecked, these behaviors can escalate into full disengagement, leading to a loss of motivation and withdrawal from the classroom community. How can educators respond using social-emotional learning (#SEL) strategies? 1. Empathetic Communication: Create a safe space for conversation to uncover the root causes of disengagement. Active listening and empathy are essential. A simple, "I’ve noticed you seem quieter lately. Is everything okay? I am here to talk," can open the door to support. 2. Emotional Self-Regulation + Metacognition: Help the child identify and articulate their emotions. Break down challenges into manageable steps, celebrating small wins along the way to restore their sense of control. 3. Positive Reinforcement: Acknowledge the child’s strengths and resilience. Recognizing effort boosts their sense of belonging and self-worth, vital for emotional engagement. 4. Autonomy Support: Provide opportunities for the child to take ownership of their learning. Let them share topics that resonate with their interests or offer different formats for assignments (a video, artwork, or a report). Every #child deserves an understanding #adult. The most effective interventions happen before full withdrawal. By creating an emotionally supportive environment - one that nurtures social-emotional growth - we can help sustain motivation, foster resilience, and empower our #children to thrive because those are the life lessons not explicitly listed in the lesson plans. . . . #backtowork #hattennoki #eq