I was nervous as I walked down a long corridor with the teacher. I didn’t know what to expect. Having walked through a dirty street in what looked like the end of a forgotten and largely neglected part of town I wasn’t really expecting a clean environment.
Then I walked in to a chorus of “Good Morning, Teacher! Good Morning Teacher!” (repeated at least five times) and I forgot about the surroundings. I was looking at a bunch of little children with faces scrubbed and powdered, in their cleanest clothes, all ready to learn. I could feel them sizing me up as I took a seat in the front of the class.
They perched their bottoms on the carpet, bags in front and pretended to check their bag as they slid sly glances at me. When I’d catch them at it and give them a big smile they’d blush, give a shy smile and look away. My heart had already begun melting.
One little boy called out to “Miss” and declared it was his birthday. (With the lisp and hand gestures it took us a couple of minutes to figure out it was his birthday and not someone else’s.) After being sung for he got to distribute candies to everyone. Since I was a guest I got a handful of sweets, which I wasn’t allowed to refuse – to see such simple generosity from a 5-year old was heart-warming. The over-all cuteness quotient in the room was overwhelming.
They were allowed to eat their candies. Some of them ate all of their share while I saw some stuff part of their share into their bags, saving it for later. Now, it is very common in India that people aren’t mindful of littering. However, to see a kid get up, fetch the trash-bin from inside, throw his candy-wrappers in the trash-bin and place it back near the door so that others could do the same was very encouraging. For the most part, this kind of behaviour is not taught at home, so to witness these 4-7 year olds being responsible was just beautiful. I am sure this was taught to them in class and has been incorporated into their natural behaviour.
After this I was treated to a range of poems, songs and rhymes. Given that English is not even remotely their language I was pleasantly surprised at their pronunciations and intonation. This is when I realised, if given the right education these kids really did have a bright future. I further realised the effect of their environment, upbringing or lineage could be diminished if they were just given the right chance.
Later, as I watched them write the alphabets on their dusty slates with their pudgy fingers, come back and eagerly stand in line as they waited for the teacher to write down the next set of letters on their slates for them to copy, I was further reassured of the value of this education.
Given that the kids are from the ages of 4 to 7, the teacher had to individually remember what to write on each of their slates and she never missed a beat. For some it was the first 4 alphabet of the word, for some more than that and for some others it was the entire word. There were also times when she would teach or re-teach how to write a letter. It was amazing how she knew exactly what each kid needed – some needed cajoling, some encouragement, some scolding and some just the instructions. They would go back to their places and diligently work out the letters.
However, no class is complete without its set of brats. Two little boys at the back row were trying to brew some trouble. Even on being separated, sly grins passed between them as if to say it was all to be continued later. I couldn’t help but smile at the simple nature of the kids that seemed to be unaffected by their surroundings.
They were later given a fruit as a mid-day snack. Again, I was so impressed by their discipline – none of the kids crying or making a fuss. It was probably their only healthy snack all day and they ate it gratefully.
At the end of school-day they were called in to the kitchen one by one with their lunch boxes and given a packed lunch to take home with them. Again, I believe this one of the only healthy and regular meals all day. As their parents or older siblings came to take them home they bid me goodbye and asked me to come visit again. All in all, it was an uplifting experience. By the end of it all, my heart was a puddle at my feet.
I had forgotten all about the dirt outside the building as I stepped out. But this time I knew it can all be cleared out with the continuing effort to educate the coming generations.
(by Jerusha Gaikwad, Mumbai, India)