Shining Star International School

Instilling Gratitude, Positivity, Resilience, Grit and Tolerance

Shining Star International School, an independent institution in Abu Dhabi, UAE, has cultivated an environment in which its students are trained to be highly resilient to all forms of mental stress and has been recognised as one of the best schools in Abu Dhabi by Which School Advisor.

Students’ lives are the heart of the school’s work and the school is dedicated to helping them build a future for themselves after they graduate. For this, the school recognises that academic instruction alone is not enough and that outside their work they are likely to face numerous mental and emotional stresses and strains in their lives.

The school set out to strengthen its students’ resilience through Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), with a mental training programme that sought to instil the values of “Gratitude, Positivity, Resilience, Grit and Tolerance”. Alongside traditional studies, teachers are trained to construct their lessons to create situations where students learn to handle pressure. Teachers were trained on how to create challenging situations to develop emotional control on inner negativity within the students while performing teamwork. Usually, one lesson is entirely focused on the Gratitude concept itself, where students are taught to be grateful for what they have in comparison with those less fortunate, and students take modules in moral science and philosophy. This is then reinforced with reflection sessions, journal writing and assemblies that celebrate students’ contributions and achievements.

If Shining Star International School were to win World’s Best School Prize for Innovation, it would use the funds to extend its research in helping children in other countries who have been traumatised by natural disasters and conflicts and help restore the confidence lost through harrowing experiences. It would also use the money to create a programme, free of charge, to train teachers this educational model.