DAY 2 : The Unexpected Happiness :D

July 10th,2012

Day 2 : Indeed a long day…with an expected ending !!!

An apparently good morning (read didn’t have to drive a few kilometers back home to pick up the forgotten wallet as happened on DAY 1 :( ). Metro ride followed by an auto ride to the school where the kids awaited me for yet another exciting day. The day began with an assembly and usual inspection and cleanliness talk. A few more kids came to the class and the number reached 33. The roll call was followed by the much awaited drawing class. A few forgot the drawing books and a few came without colours, but it was a good opportunity to teach them about the importance of “sharing.”

So we began with the kids colouring  a scene out of the “crocodile and monkey” tale. The ones without the colouring books drew everything from the ice – cream to a kite to a peacock to flowers and what not. Two “creative geniuses”  made really nice stuff that adorns the class bulletin board from now on. The arts class was followed by Mathematics lesson on tables. The kids were really good at tables; knew most of them and that did make me proud of them. Tried teaching the names of fruits and English text but then their energy and excitement called in for emergency measures.

The kids wanted to learn addition and so I gave them a few questions. Well they knew that as well and all they wanted were more questions. After sufficing their appetite for Mathematics, I thought of teaching them newer words using a game in which the kids were supposed to come up with “a name, a place, a thing and an animal’s name using a specific alphabet.” They did learn a few words, the funny part is they had heard about “America” rather “Amrica” but had never heard about Calcutta. The supposed credit for this goes to feature films.

The day also saw poem recitation and story-telling by a few kids.

What followed was the “diary writing ritual”…mentioning everything the kids were supposed to do back home and what all they needed to get to the class tomorrow. It’s one part that kids surely look forward to and are very particular about. Through the little fights and the complaint sessions that play in the background, the kids teach you patience and management of the highest order.

The day ends and all the kids rush back home, like literally;  the highlight of the day comes in the form of the “high five” that the kids do before leaving class. The unexpected hugs and kisses, that is their way way of showing you that they have accepted you as a part of their lives, and that leaves you happy for the rest of the day. 

Who cares then, if the day was a long one…in the end it was all WORTH IT !!!!