Nivedita Mukerjee
Education consultancy for parents and schools
3-2-1 Tuesdays with Ms Niv
Issue #331, 3rd November 2026
My school in Jaipur celebrated 100 years and I was there to meet my friends, teachers and visit the school. What creates memories of school days? Who are the people you remember? Why do you remember them? Spaces, people, routines… For me a few of my teachers made a lasting impression, some of my classmates are my lifelong friends and some of the silly things we did made everlasting memories that did not seem significant then but have stayed forever with me.
What are we doing today as educators and what are the routines and learning environments we have created today that will stay with our students long after they become adults?
This is a free newsletter for parents, educators, and students. If you like my content, please subscribe by entering your email address here.
Three Images of the Week
Two Thoughts of the Week
“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” — Henry Brooks Adams
“Every child deserves a champion; an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best they can possibly be.” — Rita Pierson
One Video of the Week
Teachers have the ability to create defining moments in the classroom every day. My talk, “A teacher changed my life”, is a celebration of the profession that creates other professions. It is also a call to action for society to appreciate teachers and elevate the noble profession. Darren is a bestselling author, inspirational speaker, coach and entrepreneur. In 2015, he initiated The Inspirational Teacher Tour, which has seen him impact over 10 000 teachers throughout South Africa with the message that their profession has the ability to turn around the decay we see in society.
Reading with Ms Meenu: Tip of the Week
Meenu Gera, Consulting Home and School Library Reading Guide
The Right Books Make a Great Library: The Important Role of Librarians
A great library is not measured by the number of books it owns, but by how carefully those books are chosen.
A library is more than a collection of books. It is a place that inspires learning, curiosity, and imagination. However, the success of a library depends largely on selecting the right titles for its readers. This is where librarians play an essential role.
Understanding the Readers
Every library serves a different audience. A school library may focus on children’s literature, educational resources, and engaging fiction, while a public library must meet the interests of readers across different ages, cultures, and backgrounds.
Librarians understand their communities and select books based on readers’ interests, reading abilities, educational needs, and changing preferences. The right book can turn a reluctant reader into a lifelong book lover.
Choosing Wisely Within a Budget
Library budgets are often limited, making thoughtful book selection especially important. Librarians must balance popular titles with classics, nonfiction, educational materials, and books that represent diverse perspectives.
Rather than simply buying more books, they focus on purchasing titles that offer lasting value and meet community needs. A smaller, carefully selected collection can sometimes be more effective than thousands of books that remain unread.
Encouraging Reading in the Digital Age
With social media, smartphones, and digital entertainment competing for attention, choosing appealing books has become increasingly important.
Librarians can encourage children and young adults to read by selecting graphic novels, mysteries, fantasy, sports biographies, and books that reflect their interests. When readers discover stories they genuinely enjoy, reading becomes a pleasure rather than an obligation.
Balancing Technology and Human Judgment
Modern librarians use borrowing statistics, reader feedback, and digital tools to understand which books are most needed. However, numbers alone cannot determine a book’s importance. Professional knowledge and personal interaction help librarians identify valuable titles that readers might otherwise overlook.
Conclusion
A librarian is much more than someone who manages books. They are a guide, a curator of knowledge, and an advocate for lifelong learning.
By understanding their readers, managing budgets wisely, and selecting meaningful titles, librarians create collections that educate, entertain, and inspire.
A good library has books on its shelves. A great library has the right books in the hands of the right readers.
Happy Reading!
For more information, please visit: placealibrary.ca
I Think, I Wonder, I Ask
–Dr. Shreelakshmi Subbaswami, Academic Director, Vijaya School, Hassan, Karnataka; https://vijayaschoolhsn.in/
The Act of Looking
Recently, I had the opportunity to explore wordless books from 30+ countries. What stayed with me was not just the diversity of illustrations or stories, but the act of looking itself. The power of visuals to transcend geographical and language boundaries, evoke emotions, invite interpretations and help us construct narratives without a single word was just fascinating…
My educator instinct made me wonder- How do we facilitate this Act of Looking and observing among our students, teachers and parents?
As adults, we are often in a rush to teach, correct, explain and interpret a child’s actions. How often do we pause to simply observe the child? What are their interests? How do they approach learning? What makes them curious? What comes naturally to them, and where do they struggle? And sometimes, we are so occupied with telling children what to see that we forget to allow them the time to discover it themselves.
The same applies to learning materials. Do we give children enough time to explore a book, a mathematical manipulative, or an unfamiliar object before we explain? As adults, do we observe people, places and perspectives around us without immediately jumping to conclusions or judgements?
I think wordless books offer a wonderful opportunity to nurture this skill. They encourage us to notice details, make connections, interpret perspectives, and build our own narratives. More importantly, they remind us that there isn’t always one right way to see or understand something.
Perhaps introducing a collection of silent books into our curriculum is a small addition that can nurture a lifelong skill- the ability to observe closely and understand deeply.
For educators interested in exploring Silent books: Handbook of Silent Books – IBBY
Three questions for you…
- In what ways can we cultivate the habit of looking closely at people, places, objects and situations in our everyday lives, rather than relying on our first impressions?
- In what ways can we create opportunities for children to observe before we explain, interpret or offer answers?
- How can wordless books be integrated into the curriculum to develop visual literacy, imagination, storytelling and critical thinking?
Showcase
Thrive, A STEAM project for young learners https://thrivesteam.com/
Facilitator: Pooja Khattar
WHERE SHOULD OUR CITY GO?
As part of our THRIVE STEAM BEYOND: BUILD A CITY workshop, children explored what makes a city a good place to live. They revisited their earlier observations of Hyderabad through aerial photographs and satellite images. They identified buildings, roads, lakes, green spaces and residential areas, and discussed how these places come together to form a city.
The children watched a selected excerpt from WALL-E and discussed what happens when a place becomes filled with rubbish and loses its greenery. They understood why cities need clean surroundings, trees, open spaces and proper waste management.
Next, the children compared pictures of Disneyland Main Street with familiar places in Hyderabad, such as Charminar, Hussain Sagar and Necklace Road. They noticed differences in roads, buildings, signboards and how places were arranged. They also discussed how people move around and what makes a place easy to access.
When asked how they would improve a city, the children suggested making roads wider and smoother, planting more trees, creating open spaces and keeping the surroundings clean. They also shared that better roads would help emergency services and community helpers reach people more quickly.
Through these activities, children began to understand that a good city needs more than buildings and roads. It also needs people, nature, open spaces and well-connected places to make life easier and healthier.
Maira Reddy – 6 years 1 month Neev,Mayra &Yuvan – 8 years 1 month
Dear reader,
My work in education includes designing learning ecosystems where students thrive, teachers grow, and schools build lasting cultures of excellence through innovative curriculum, evidence-based practice, and meaningful educational leadership.
Professional development with Ms Niv: Click below to find the teacher and student workshops and trainings I currently offer:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ypWO8KpVh56vhYqAMH4XoytLRKMXvwpCAfv3l3fryJQ/edit?usp=sharing
3-2-1 Tuesdays with Ms. Niv is a newsletter you can subscribe to and enjoy your learning journey with me.
