What are we teaching in the classroom

There were endless moments where the question 'What are we teaching in the classroom?' hung above my head. Travelling from Delhi to Bandarjhund was a change in environment, food, and the general pace of life. Are our classrooms teaching only the spelling of 'responsibility' rather than its essence? A visit to Arthur Foot Academy (GSA Special Project) is set in a beautiful village under a blue sky. It might have fewer computers, but clean air to breathe. This visit to AFA was to set up the library, attend their Founder's Day, and meet the teachers we see online for the teacher training sessions. 

The training sessions (Learning Forward Saturday) have become an interesting space. Teachers are warming up to us, adapting to this form of communication, and sharing their classroom stories. We dwelled on the theme: How does the teacher take care of oneself in the classroom? We brainstormed lesson plan ideas that are collaborative, creative, and artistic, so the teacher can have a moment of silence without interrupting the learning. This is essential for the classroom space: we are humans in front of our students who need rest on days, and we are modelling that to them. 

This brings me to another conundrum that Brewing Knowledge Friday brought to our group. We have been reading about moral development. It brought to our attention the hypocrisy we adults exhibit toward our children about humility, yet we punish them if they help their classmates. An eighth-grade student shared a real-life example from her class about how her teacher discouraged her from sharing stationery with her friends in the classroom. This is important and pertinent to our group and readers since it sheds light on the hypocrisy of being an active part of our school environment. Are we walking the talk for our young minds? Are we just teaching them the word, not the ways of the world, which require more compassion, consciousness, and responsibility at the moment? Ending the week on a note that we can reflect on in these spaces together, share gently what can be done at an individual level, what we can do as educators, and what is essential right now. 

Neelashi Mangal

Editor and Host Brewing Knowledge Friday

Books of The Week

COLONIZATION CRUSADE AND FREEDOM OF INDIA: A Saga of Monstrous British Barbarianism around the Globe by Rakesh Dwivedi

ABOUT THE BOOK

Empire wrapped itself in lies. Britain called its conquest of India a civilizing mission, a gift of democracy and order to a land it branded barbaric. In truth, it was conquest by loot, famine, slavery, and genocide—masked by the myths of imperial grandeur.

In this searing book, Rakesh Dwivedi rips through the veil of colonial propaganda to show how India’s story of freedom was never isolated, but bound to the blood-soaked geopolitics of the world—from America and Africa to the Middle East and Asia. Drawing on secret British records, the wars that reshaped the globe, and the betrayals of Partition, he reveals how global rivalries and armed might shaped the destiny of nations. Bold, uncompromising, and unflinching, this book exposes the real face of empire and reclaims the truth of India’s long struggle for independence.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rakesh Dwivedi is a senior advocate with recognized expertise in civil and constitutional law. He began his legal career at the Allahabad High Court and now practises before the Supreme Court of India. He is the son of the late Mr Justice S.N. Dwivedi, former judge of the Supreme Court of India.

Mr Dwivedi has served as the Additional Advocate General for Uttar Pradesh and has represented several states and prominent institutions—including the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)—in a wide range of important cases.

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