The abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life.
-WHO (1993)
Realizing the need to enshrine this WHO’s meaning of Life Skills in our children, we implement Life Skills Education (LSE) to the best we could do.
Life Skills Education walked into our school unconsciously in 2000 with the very first sound of the school’s bell and consciously in 2013. Our former colleague Mr Tshering Dorji conducted a three day vigorous SBIP after attending a NBIP on LSE in Gelephu. He took us all through the contents of LSE and ways to implement LSE in schools. Since then our school has been ensuring one LSE period for each class in a week. And still today, despite heavily loaded with both curricular and co-curricular obligations, each one us take at least one period of LSE in a week.
During LSE periods, we follow the guidelines of the LSE Guidebook for Teachers developed by then Comprehensive School Health Programme of Ministry of Education to lay concrete foundation of life skills in the children. The guidebook has been very handy in delivering LSE to the children especially when we don’t get time to plan our own LSE lessons. The 19 modules in the guidebook are thoroughly planned and are very essential for our children to pick up and pack up for shaping their futures. The modules running in a format—age group, advance preparation, objectives, activities, facilitators’ guide and fact sheet—serve as readymade food for us to feed the children directly. We make sure that we deliver the modules which are age-appropriate for our children by referring the age group section. However, we try to adapt and instill the modules for adolescents too if they are very beneficial and crucial for our children’s life skills development and advancement.
Then it is impractical for us to say we only cascade LSE distilled in the 19 modules of the guide book whole through the year. So when we are done with the modules age-appropriate for our children, we immerse them into activities such as games, storytelling, gardening and watching movies demanding exercise of some important life skills.
Further we don’t just limit our children to embrace life skill values in LSE classes only. As required by the policy, we sincerely incorporate ten core life skills values in our daily lessons without compromising the content and quality of the lessons. We make sure that our lessons breathe at least two of the ten core life skills. And similarly in co-curricular activities too.
And all these acts of kindling our children with finest values and life skills is reminded by the sign post displaying ten core life skills in our garden at the Nachung Scouts Den. Often we take the children to the sign post to cascade LSE. Surely the sign post stands there braving all weathers to imprint in both children and us the 10 core life skills and actions thereof both in our rush and leisure hours.
Particularly this year, in February, it had been very appropriate for us to cascade some distilled life skill values during the Nation-wide Value Orientation Week as a part of planned programme. The 10 core life skills were divided among us and we were to prepare a session incorporating the delegated life skills strengthened by effective strategies for our children.
Then on 25/3/2017, Refreshing LSE, a PD refreshed us all with life skills values particularly 10 core life skills and the usage of the guidebook. On that day we re-committed ourselves to instill fine life skills in our children realizing the importance of values and life skills in children whether they excel academically or not in their lives.
Despite our heavy curricular burden due to shortage of teachers we will make sure to use the guidebook sincerely and cascade some of the best values to our children.
All in all, with LSE Refresher Professional Development Course done, a LSE period for each class per week, LSE values infused in our lessons and co-curricular activities, the 10 core Life Skills post standing strongly, and the school’s both physical and internal ambience emanating endless learning inspiration, LSE will surely succeed in shaping our children with ‘the abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable’ them ‘to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life.’
