How does Nalapad Academy build good character traits in pre-teens and teenagers?

Comprehensive education includes positive personality development. Acquiring good traits and practices are just as crucial as academic learning. Good character traits aid in overall achievement in life. These qualities will help students thrive personally and professionally later in life. Nalapad Academy helps inculcate and practice these traits particularly in pre teens and teens, because the early years are more open to absorbing information and new practices introduced to them, preteens and teens come with reluctance and rigidity mentally and physically. It has to be addressed and tackled differently to get desired results.

Acquire discipline and following rules as qualities

To instill discipline and consistency there are preset practices to be followed. They are not rules which are rigid, they are practices which are tested and justified. They can be curated for improvement. Some examples we practice and encourage are: While in classes, paying attention to your teachers words, maintaining class decorum, raising your hand before speaking, showing respect to the speakers by staying silent while they speak, reorganising the class before the next teacher steps in, winding up after yourself in library and other co curricular activities.

All the areas in school present different opportunities for students to practice positive behaviour. While in the cafeteria, allowing the junior grades, who take longer to eat, proceed before them. Setting an example by taking smaller portions of food to avoid wastage, segregation of the waste, and piling the dishes neatly for the helpers to wash.

The responsibilities are divided in a class amongst all students and these responsibilities are changed weekly or fortnightly to ensure everyone had this experience. This is to instill a sense of onus. The practices we consistently and stringently practice are: being polite and kind, expressing gratitude, showing respect to all around us, being punctual, displaying patience, working sincerely, being obedient and having faith in our mentors. These are significant guidelines for building strong and good character. Setting a positive example for others by walking the path. We encourage the middle and high school to practice and demonstrate these explicitly as the pre primary students are very idolising of their seniors. They clone them in many ways.

Practice opportunities

Practice and consistency is the key to all successful endeavours. What has been preached also has to be practiced to become a part of the personality. Children are observed, reviewed and counselled for this all along.

Nalapad Academy helps students differentiate between the good and bad/ right and wrong through live examples in their daily school routine. Their choices are reviewed and they are given consistent feedback for the same.Getting active in social circles and community service outside the school are also encouraged to practice developing good morals and character.

Supporting positive role models

Idols play a great role in molding a student’s personality. They are encouraged to choose real life idols to express their best takeaways from these people. Identifying and idolising epic & legendary characters from history, literature, science, and the arts add to their kitty of adding different elements to their existing personality.

Students are allowed role plays, free speech ,skits around their favourite characters which allow them to analyze, describe, and compare the characteristics and actions of these individuals, in a work of fiction. They might even dramatize or alter some of the plot points to let a character make a different decision. Talk about current world leaders, athletes, and celebrities’ behavior. At Nalapad academy, we ask students if a person’s talk and behaviour match and describe the benefits of having positive character traits.

Promote consideration and kindness

At Nalapad Academy, kindness and acceptance is a way of life. They are involved in many Community service activities apart from practicing these at school. The striking difference of practicing a good character in school and in an underprivileged setting are different.

• Volunteering and helping people around them, even in a small way
• Understanding people’s difficulties and comforting them
• Accepting new people as they are
• Respecting all age groups around and appreciating cultural differences among them

To conclude, at Nalapad Academy, free expression, opinion and communication is encouraged at all times. Teachers positively guide students and therefore they develop and display good character traits.