Over the years, we’ve noticed that every student goes through their education in what we would like to call a messy manner, no matter how organized they may be while starting out. Don’t believe us?

 Remember that time you kept your books so clean and in ascending order of their height for the first few days of school, and were picking up pages and holding them together by the end of the term? What happens after the first term? We all know how that story goes.

Well, this analogy applies to almost all the students through their student life, regardless of what stage they’re in. Keeping this in mind we’ve compiled a small list of daily habits to help you guys make life a little more organised and a little easier to manage.

WAKE UP EARLY – This cannot be emphasised enough! We know that as a student, few things come close to getting in bed late and waking up at your own sweet time whenever you can, but there’s nothing like starting your day early. You get enough time to plan your day, organize yourself, and divide your time into things you WANT to do and things you NEED to do.

What happens as a result? You’re far more productive and go to bed satisfied. Try it, thank us later.

This is also a super important habit for life!

MAKE TO-DO LISTS – A student’s mind has a lot going on, we understand that completely. In all the mush going on inside the head, it is normal to miss out on things. Make lists, tick tasks off the list, and get things done!

EAT WELL AND REMAIN ACTIVE – Studies can sometimes take the forefront of your life, and you are going to be under pressure more often than not, In such times, eating healthy and getting enough sleep help keep your mind active and help you function well through the day with complete alertness. If you can take up a sport in your spare time or do some physical activity every now and then, it makes sure that your brain remains alert and is an ideal mind state to be in.

FIND A HOBBY – Reading, music, sports whatever it may be. Find a hobby that you can fall back on to blow off some steam and channel your creativity into, and who knows that might just open up new roads for you too!

Take it easy, don’t stress and just make simple positive changes that impact your life positively and clear up the everyday mess of a student life.

At Vidya Mandir, we don’t just want to focus on coaching the children that seek our help in education.  ‘Help’ here at Vidya Mandir is not merely academic assistance but a lot more than that. We prefer to pick on the roles of counsellors and mentors that don’t just help them improve their academic performances, but also help them become better human beings and understand the small nuances that help an individual make it or break it in life.

Let’s break down the process simply. In most other coaching classes, there are just lectures or classes with a couple of calls for coordination or clearing of doubts. At Vidya Mandir, we follow a different culture altogether. We have the basic classes and lectures where we encourage student to student, and student to teacher interaction. We also incorporate emails and phone calls in our communication to share feedback, have one on one sessions with students that need extra attention, have dedicated social media platforms and blogs to address common doubts and issues and share valuable tips, and most importantly – Share a personal connect outside the classroom.

In the early stages of life, a student has numerous dilemmas and obstacles that society expects you to tackle by yourself or with the support of your family, not realising that it is this age when children can’t be completely open to their parents, be it matters of studies or personal issues like bad habits, company, etc. We understand that, and aim to extend a helping hand to guide them onto the right path so that they go on to become individuals of substance that are not only learned, but well educated too and share a set of values.

Remember those intense formulas that you learnt in school? Or those endless hours you spent studying the history of the world and always wondered, ‘This stuff has already happened! Why am I wasting my life studying this?’ Or “Will I ever really need this formula later in life?” Here’s then thing- the curriculum has been designed in a certain way for a reason. The syllabus aims at holistically grooming you so that you can grow and develop into knowledgeable human beings that can take rational decisions after being well informed and in the best interests of society as well as yourself. Sounds intense, doesn’t it? But what this simply means is that education is not just for personal or social use, but a well-balanced combination of both.

In fact, the history bit is so that you learn from man’s past experiences and the outcomes, so that you know ‘his’ story and make life decisions, big or small based on previous experiences so you have a vague idea of how the world works. Knowledge of history helps you understand the current affairs in the world. Why are people of 2 regions at war? Why are certain political parties more favoured than the rest? It all comes down to a good knowledge of history, geography and civics.

We look at the science formulae and think,” there’s no way in hell that this is going to be useful to us when we’re grown up”, but these subjects have daily applications and practical applications in our day to day life, and we’re exposed to it so much that we don’t even realise the science that’s going into simple things happening around us!

Remember that paper fight you’d have in the class room right before the teacher was going to enter? You don’t know it, but subconsciously you’ve used some practical physics right there. How? Let us show you. You took a flat sheet of paper, crumpled it into a ball and then hurled it at your mate. You didn’t throw it just as sheet because the sheet has a larger surface area, making the terminal velocity lesser. You crumpled up the sheet into a ball with less surface area,then hurled it so that the higher terminal velocity makes It reach your target with speed. Amazing, isn’t it?

This is just one instance! Changing a punctured tyre, lifting heavy weights, driving, designing a house/club/restaurant/fitness space, all these are other small examples of how everything that we learn in school matters.  Even simple concepts of biology such as Osmosis can be seen when you water different plants differently and just observe the many concepts and facets of gardening!  Opening the door uses force, breathing uses the concept of gases and volume that pushes out the CO2 from your lungs and fills them in with oxygen. Even exercising uses concepts of science- physics, chemistry and biology!

The point here is, that studies and subjects are taught for a reason, that may not be visible right in the beginning, but they have both personal and social use in your life and ultimately play a huge role in moulding you as a human being.

At Vidya Mandir, our mind set is very different to other educational institutions. We do not believe in comparing students, but simply focus on imparting education to each of our students in a way that is comfortable for them. Here, we believe in promoting Growth Thinking and broadening the horizons of the minds, so that our students can tackle any situation at hand and face whatever comes their way.

The training methodology is such that it challenges their brain at every step, forcing it to evolve and take their thinking to the next level through rigorous tests, revisions and discussions that reinforce the topic in the student’s mind without making it a tedious task that requires last minute studies and mugging up, like most pre-exam scenarios.

We promote Critical Thinking and analysing the situation to take the best possible route to get to the solution. For this purpose, a lot of the learning at Vidya Mandir happens through group exercises and group projects. Why does this help? This helps mainly because when you’re working in a group you learn a lot more as compared to when you’re going solo. You have a broader outlook to the problem at hand, because it’s not just your analysis of the situation that is considered, but that of your teammates too. You interact, discuss and then take action after weighing the pros and cons.This is a practice that is also very helpful in daily life, since it ensures that you’re on the best possible track! Not only this, but through group activities, you learn through your doubts as well as the doubts and mistakes of your teammates.

Here there’s no limit to learning, we harbour an environment for positive thinking where mistakes are encouraged and seen as opportunities to learn rather than something to put students down for. They should keep learning through trial and error and keep progressing, since stagnation is the enemy of growth!

Our method of teaching has proven to be successful, and so many names on our success stories are proof of that. At Vidya Mandir, your child is well taken care of, where his mistakes are not only corrected, but also encouraged, where positive thinking is the only way of thinking, where group studies form relations and also lead to better understanding, where critical thinking not only prepares the students for an exam, but for life.

Are you ready to be a part of our ever growing family?

As philosophical as it may sound, the key to everything is happiness. Think about it, why do you
study so hard, do what you do, go forward with your hobbies, or even eat your favourite foods?
Because at the ground level it makes you HAPPY, it gives you joy and that’s why you choose to do what
you do.

At Vidya Mandir, we understand the importance of academics and marks but at the same time we
believe in a fulfilling life that gives you satisfaction at the end of the day, and we want to see our students smile.
We focus on marks and exams, but we focus more on learning, education and an overall sense of satisfaction. We want to
build a world where all that matters is happiness, and all those who are a part of the Vidya Mandir family will agree with this.

It’s for this reason that we encourage our students to strike the perfect balance between academics and extra-curricular
activities so that they can follow their passion and realise their potential in whatever field they
choose to.

We’re extremely proud to put forward some of our extraordinary students that were excellent in
Math and Science, securing 90% and above, and still chased after their dream of doing what made them happy:

Kamakshi Rai follows her passion for singing and music.

Chandana Phadkule is an extremely talented dancer besides being exceptional academically.

Natasha Gracias is a pilot! Soaring through the skies is her passion.

Maitri Ravishankar is another bright spark, having completed her degree from NID, Ahmedabad!

And these are just a few of the many multi-talented individuals that we nurture to get the best out
of them so that they can follow their passion and live life to the fullest so that they can be truly
HAPPY! These students could’ve followed the road most commonly taken and gone onto become
Doctors or Engineers, but they chose to do what makes them happy.

That’s our end goal at Vidya Mandir, to ensure the students are well equipped for the exam of life, so that they HAVE THE CHOICE to
do what they want, that could be engineering or even biking!

At Vidya Mandir, the words ‘TIME MANAGEMENT’ are more than just a jargon expected to solve all your problems. It is in fact a skill that we look to impart in our students, via the various teaching methods and programs conducted so that they learn to balance their academics and manage time well enough to fit in all that’s necessary, without leaving anything neglected. Most importantly, we teach them effective time management keeping in mind that this is a skill required for life.

This is why time management is important, not just for school, but for life too-

1. Lesser Stress: When you know that everything is taken care of, or scheduled to be taken care of, the feeling is unlike any other. A student feels light, care free, and can focus his energy in the right direction towards something productive, rather than constantly panicking or fearing that something has been left out or the guilt of not being able to make time for what’s important.
2. More ‘Me’ Time: Better time management means you know exactly where your time is going, which basically frees up the time you were wasting to spend on something that actually needs it – YOU! More ‘me’ time could be whatever you want it to – extra football practice, music classes, whatever you want!
3. Better Organizational Skills – The students may not realise it now, but later on in life this training to get your time management skills on track will get you places, in whatever field you choose to pursue, and help you stay organized and spend your precious time judiciously.
4. More Self Confidence – Better Time management means you know what you’re doing and what you need to do, you have everything in place and you’re in control of your life. Nothing is left to chance and there are no ‘if’s on whether you’ll be able to do something or not. It’s planned for, and gives you a certain sense of confidence about yourself.

People often underestimate the importance of time management, especially at the school level which is the very base of a person’s identity and if learnt at the right time, will stay with you for life and make it comfortable. We understand the importance of this, and make sure our teachers inculcate this habit into our students’ lives.

At Vidya Mandir we don’t believe in putting aspirants through rigorous examinations in order to further prepare for rigorous examinations! If that was the case, you could probably prepare by yourself. We’re here to guide you and help you excel, no matter what your current academic stance is with two important qualities deciding your admission to our institution – curiosity and the determination to work hard.

Isaac Newton didn’t discover gravity while he was sitting for an examination; he discovered it sitting aimlessly under a tree, questioning the happenings around him. We believe that true learning stems from the fundamental drive to know more and stay curious and more importantly to gather knowledge because one WANTS to, not because one HAS to.

Over the last few years, exams have developed into the know all and end all of one’s mental capabilities. Society tends to judge individuals based on their academic prowess, often forgetting that some of the biggest names in the corporate world today such as Mr Bill Gates didn’t even complete his education! While that might be a one off case, the point is that the drive to know more and learn genuinely is far greater than simply mugging up knowledge and vomiting it out on a piece of paper – something that most students end up having to do in the examinations that are going to define their life.

Here we believe in something greater, something that will actually impact your life positively and guide you to succeed the right way! So if you do have the fire of curiosity burning within, and the urge to succeed and genuinely learn, then there’s no better place to be.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed thinking about your career, wondering what will the first job feel like, or what direction of work should you choose in the first place. What if you make the wrong choice? What if you’re stuck in the wrong job? What if you can’t figure out what you want to do while you’re still in school? We understand that all of this can be stressful and send some long days your way.

We want to share with you these four tips that can help you not only with deciding a career path, but in every other aspect of life.

1. Don’t be bogged down by failure, it’s a necessary step. 

   As you have heard everyone say, as you were growing up, failure is required to make you a stronger and better professional. Not only does it teach you techniques and methods to be better at your job, it also trains you to have a keener eye when proofing your work. It makes you more diligent and motivates you to put in more effort.

   Just like it happens in school with your teachers, your mentor, or boss, will know that you shall fail at some point and has definitely taken it into account when hiring you. This of course, does not mean that failure will keep you out of trouble. The best thing to do is take it in your stride, apologize, LEARN and fix the mess.

   The most important thing here is to reflect on what exactly went wrong, and figure out steps to avoid this in the future. This is applicable to those math problems, that first job, that relationship, and every other phase of life.

2. Ask for help when needed and build relationships.

   No matter how smart you are, it isn’t possible for you to know everything, and nobody at your workplace expects to either. You must trust that people higher up or who have been there longer know the process and are there to support you. This is the same as how it works in school too; when you don’t understand something, you ask a senior or a teacher. Simple, isn’t it?

   This also helps to build relationships in the office, which is always of good use. The better your relationships with various stakeholders in your work life are, the smoother and happier your journey will be. Go out of your way to help people, and they will do the same for you.

3. Have a five year plan, and break it down to action plans

   Most of us have a vague idea of where we see ourselves in five years. It’s a good thing to plan. Obviously, this does not have to be sacrosanct, and you will have to keep alter this plan as you go. Don’t forget to think of personal goals and integrate them into this plan.

   Make sure, when you do have a five-year plan, it is broken down into smaller one-year plans. These plans include actionable steps of what and how you will achieve these goals. The more broken down these plans are, the more achievable they will be.

   In an ideal sense, backward planning works best. You have a vague five-year plan; detail it for the next one-year, by creating a timeline monthly. As the months approach, create goals per month.

   The most important thing while planning is monitoring your plan. Check if things are going as planned, if not you need to revisit your goal, see if its achievable and realistic, then revisit your approach, what can you do to make things more efficient?

   Now apply this to your short-term plan of scoring good marks in your Board exams, and see how it works?

4. Understand there is no perfect job

   No matter where you reach, how successful you may be, there will never be a time where all days in the year are brilliant, productive and exciting days. Ups and downs are a part of life and work.

   Even in your dream job, two days out of five maybe bad, boring, monotonous and sometimes you may not want to get out of bed.

The important thing to see is that the other days are still putting a smile on your face, challenging you to push yourself and making your brain tick. Use this to motivate you to go back to work the next day, clean slate ready to take on the world!

As long as you’re in school, preparing for the exams throughout the year, it’s quite normal to forget everyday routines that can help you stay strong while you charge ahead. Teachers will focus on assignments, parents will focus on results and you’re left striving extremely hard to make everyone proud. While that, of course, is the ultimate goal; you cannot expect great results if you’re physically and mentally weak.

“I don’t have time for fitness”

“How does physical fitness even matter now?”

“At this age, what can I do to keep myself fit and active for studies?”

Allow us to explain.

1. Eat Healthy

While you might be tempted to gorge on junk food, especially during those long study hours, we suggest you refrain from those fatty foods and focus on eating clean instead. Even eating a lot of home-cooked meals works. The idea is to avoid junk food. Junk food tends to make you feel uneasy, and also makes you feel drowsy and sleepy. Plus it will lead to unnecessary and drastic weight gain. But make sure to fuel up with food also because your brain needs glucose to function well.

2. Drink a lot of Water

Not drinking enough water will lead to headaches, sleepiness and fatigue. Carry a bottle of water with you at all times, and drink whenever you can. Keep a reminder around you to drink as much water as possible. It will help you stay alert and fresh too.

3. Sleep Well

Preparing for exams usually means a child is sleeping late and waking up super early to study and revise. The child thus misses out on the healthy, recommended 6-7 hours of sleep, which in turn leads to headaches, sleepiness, mental fatigue, irritation, hunger pangs, forgetfulness and weakness. So how does one sleep AND study? Start preparing well in advance! Make a time-table keeping in mind your sleep schedule too. You don’t want to be sitting in the exam hall staring at the question paper wondering what the answer is, because you’re too sleepy to remember.

4. Take time out for Entertainment

This does not mean you go for movies and parties every day. Dedicate an hour every day to some sort of activity that you enjoy, preferably outdoors, since a change of scenery will refresh you and help you study better. Allow yourself one day a week where you can go out for 2 hours instead of only 1, but make sure you earn those 2 hours of stress-free living. “I will watch the movie only if I complete 5 chapters of this book” sounds like a good deal, doesn’t it? This way you will also be motivated to study more. Plus taking time out for entertainment will recharge your mind.

5. Express Yourself. Reach Out.

Do not be scared to express yourself. If you do not understand something, ask your teachers. If you do not like a subject, let the teacher know (the teacher won’t be able to remove the subject from your reading list, but will definitely help you with techniques to make you learn better) Reach out to your loved ones if you feel stressed and troubled. Discuss your exam fears with your parents. Talk to teachers and parents about your life plans. Talking will help you ease the stress. Give it a try and you will know 🙂

These tips sounds extremely simple, don’t they? But you’ll be surprised to know how many people ignore the basic habits because of exam tension. Do not let it get to you, children! We’re here to help you prepare yourself for life. Reach out to us, and let’s work together to build a solid foundation for you 🙂