CONVENT GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL : PRABHADEVI
TEACHERS' ORIENTATION PROGRAM
June 18, 2014
This scholastic year 2014-15, has been an opportunity of 'many firsts'! For the first time, AVEC had the privilege of conducting a full day's Value Education Orientation Program for 52 teachers of Convent Girls High School, Prabhadevi. Mrs. Marie Pereira, senior supervisor, welcomed Mr. Rochwyn Fernandes and Fr. Glenford Lowe to the school. Sr. Stella Marathi, Principal of the school received the tow speakers very warmly.
Mr. Rochwyn Fernandes, thanked the management of the school for their kind welcome. The session began with an interfaith prayer song, invoking God's blessings for peace and abundance for the new scholastic year ahead. He invited the teachers to put aside all their distractions and anxieties and introduced them to a fantasy meditation and a few moments of personal self awareness. This set the spiritual tone to the session that followed. He took the opportunity to brief the teachers about the many activities of AVEC. Fr. Glenn was then introduced to the participants.
The four hours that followed were indeed challenging, motivating and yet, very practical. "This session is about seeing things differently. Perspective changes set in procedural changes. Value Education enables one to make 'qualitative changes' and for this the teacher has to make necessary shifts", he said. He explained, "The shifts are: from Career to Vocation, from Prison to Palace, from Referee to Coach, from Hurting Words to Kinder Ones, and from Survival and from Survival Lifestyles to being Significant Value Gurus! This is a life time journey, but if embraced, the change is drastic and its ripple effect is felt all through."
Through a number of very day anecdotes, a creative PowerPoint presentation, coupled with a lot of humor and deep insights into the world and attitudes of the young, the teachers were able to understand the who meaning and importance of 'Management By Values' ( MBV). The entire session provided the teachers to 'look within' and seek relevant responses to making their home, school and society a 'valued environment'. The simple interactive exercises and the final Brian Hall-Benjamin Tonna Value Map enabled the teachers to identify their present lifestyle and to make the necessary value shifts in their own personal life first.
The teachers were so engrossed in the session that they did not realize how quickly the time flew past. At the end of the session, Ms Chaitra proposed the vote of thanks.
The following comments were entered in the AVEC log book:
"Reflective and thought provoking" - S. Subramaniam
"We had a very informative and interactive orientation at Convent Girls' High School. Thank you for being a magician in our lives and bringing about a change in all of us" - Mrs. Bhareti Nair
Congratulations to the management and staff of Convent Girls' High School for the good 100% results.
Thanks to one and all for your very kind hospitality and participation in the 'Management By Values' Orientation Program. God bless you all during this new scholastic year 2014-15.
