When I look back at my school years, nothing dramatic stands out.
I wasn’t failing.
I wasn’t excelling either.
By Grade 9, I stood 36th in a class of 42 students… largely unnoticed.
No one told me I was incapable.
But no one told me I was capable either.
So I was labelled.
Average.
Unremarkable.
Then, one summer, something shifted.
My parents brought a tutor home.
It was Mr Devdas, the Vice Principal of my school.
He took time to understand how I learned, and gently pushed me beyond the mould I had accepted for myself.
Under his guidance, I completed the entire Grade 10 syllabus in two months.
Not because I was forced.
But because someone believed I could go further.
Something moved inside me.
It wasn’t confidence yet.
Just the sense that I might be more than what was showing up on paper.
That year, I stood 6th in the school.
The marks changed…
but only after something else had already changed.
Much later, I realised what it was.
I had begun learning a different curriculum altogether.
One no timetable captured.
The Inner Curriculum
Every child is learning what I call an Inner Curriculum…
whether we design it or not.
It’s the learning that happens in the background,
alongside academics.
It shapes how children respond to pressure,
what failure means to them,
and whether uncertainty feels threatening or manageable.
Schools understandably focus on what can be measured.
Subjects. Assessments. Outcomes.
Parents, equally understandably, focus on making the right choices.
Schools. Boards. Activities.
All of that matters.
But beneath it all, something intangible is forming.
Long before marks begin to matter,
children are learning who they are… when things don’t go well.
Over the years, as a parent, educator, and leader…
I’ve come to see this Inner Curriculum resting on four gentle pillars.
Not skills to be drilled.
But capacities that grow slowly,
through everyday moments.
Here’s what I’ve learned about nurturing each one.
Awareness
It’s the ability to notice what’s happening inside
without panic or judgment.
This grows when children are allowed to name emotions,
not rush past them.
Instead of fixing immediately,
we can pause and ask:
“What are you feeling right now?”
Not to analyse.
Just to notice.
Awareness begins when emotions are acknowledged,
not managed away.
Agency
The belief that I can respond,
even when I can’t control outcomes.
Agency grows when effort is noticed before results.
Questions like:
“What did you try?”
“What would you do differently next time?”
Tell a child something powerful:
You’re not stuck. You have choices.
Anchors
Values that remain steady
when outcomes fluctuate.
Children discover anchors not through lectures,
but through what we reward.
When honesty matters more than marks.
When effort is noticed, even if results aren’t perfect.
In small moments, children learn:
“Who I am matters, even when I don’t win.”
Adaptability
The confidence to learn, unlearn,
and try again
without losing oneself.
Adaptability grows when mistakes feel safe.
When “That didn’t work”
is followed by
“What can we learn from this?”
Not resilience that is forced…
but confidence that failure doesn’t define them.
Where these capacities are nurtured,
children bend under pressure
but don’t break.
Where they’re absent,
even high performers become fragile.
Is my child doing well?
Over the years,
I’ve changed the question I ask as a parent.
I used to ask,
“Is my child doing well?”
Now I ask,
“What is my child learning about themselves?”
Not during exams.
Not during milestones.
But on ordinary days.
This week,
I invite you to notice just one moment...
a moment of effort, emotion, or failure.
And reflect on two questions:
What might this moment be teaching my child about themselves?
What did my response reinforce — fear or trust, control or confidence?
You don’t need to fix it.
You don’t need to correct it.
Just notice.
Because attention,
more than advice,
is what shapes the Inner Curriculum.
Have a wonderful 2026!
And, here’s why students will take over learning in 2026.
With love and joy,
Yeshwanth
Founder and CEO, 21K School
#zarasaaur
Connect with me: linkedin.com/in/yeshwanth
PS. As I write this, the school is getting ready to reopen after the winter break. So, no classroom stories to share yet. If you’re a parent, I’d love to hear from you instead. What was one small moment with your child in 2025 that stayed with you? Not because it was impressive, but because it revealed something about who they’re becoming?
You don’t need to write the complete story. A few lines are enough. I read every reply, and they often shape how I think and write next.
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What children carry inside determines how far anything else can take them.
