Teachers’ Retreat

A time to contemplate, a time to introspect and a time to sit back and reflect, in solitude and silence – that is what a retreat and personality development should be about.

The retreat /personality development programme, held on 28 February 2023, is a part of the Faculty Development Programme, conceived and provided to the staff by the Management.The Catholic teachers, in the SJBHS chapel, were taken on a self-revelation session conducted by Dr.Fr Joseph D’Mello SJ, Assistant to the Jesuit Provincial of Karnataka. Armed with a doctorate in Theology and a specialization in Ignatian Spirituality, Father was the perfect resource person to direct the reflections of the day – a day set aside to contemplate on the theme of ‘Spiritual Health’.

Fr D’Mello spoke about core grace and transformation through awareness. Through gospel passages, analogies and anecdotes, Father asked each member of the staff to introspect on how he/she perceives himself/herself, the others around and the world. In the school auditorium, the non-Catholic teachers were led into reflection on ‘Developing Healthy Relationships at the Workplace.’ The resource person, Ms ShachiIrde, delved into formal and informal relationships, the need to build trust, the usefulness of positive criticism, benefits of being mindful, welcoming diversity and most importantly stressed on the causes of conflict and the methods to resolve such misunderstandings -all with the help of good communication skills. Through activities and stories, the theme was truly justified.

The day of rebooting, reviewing, and reorienting came to an end. However, it was a renewal and a reset, which was an absolute requisite, to deal with the ongoing final examinations, the ever-growing responsibilities of the staff and the daily hum-drum of life as it unfolds. Life itself is an amalgamation of inter-twined phases, one blending into the other, without room for reprieve or relief. In this cycle of existence, we need to calm down, take a while to re-focus, re-access and rejuvenate to live our life more meaningfully and purposefully.