One of the biggest obstacle on the path of our vision is perseverance, the will to move ahead against the tides on a daily basis. It is difficult to be inspired at all times, not because we don't believe in it any more, but because failing consistently gets to us. The process becomes annoying and the purpose seems unachievable, more so in the event of failure on an elemental level.
After a brilliant day one, my vision seemed a lot more closer. Everybody had reached the objective for the day without any major issue. The kids were inspired, some transformed overnight (as mentioned by the parent) and some found their 'I can' attitude. I was not only ecstatic, but also looking forward to continuing the flow. Anything lesser than this achievement was unacceptable. It is not okay to come down by a notch for any reason. I have excellence issues, it must be achieved at all times, especially when it involves the future of so many kids, the present of the families and the notions of their extended families.
Pushing the children to want to do something, when they believe they can't is not a piece of cake. Subtlety goes a long way in bringing them on your side and then making them believe in themselves. Day two and I made a brilliant plan of dividing up the kids into homogeneous groups depending on where they stand with respect to academics. They were expected to inculcate team work and help each other and to a certain extent, it did work.
At the end of the day, all of them progressed but there was no sense of achievement. On day one, they were eager to learn more even at the cost of extending school time but today, they just seemed to want to get it over with. Though, they achieved, I failed at making their day at school count on multiple levels. I believe that students deserve to go back home everyday from school with a sense of awe, having learnt new and amazing things. That is what education should look like.
On the other end, misunderstandings and my own vocal stands almost cost me a close friend. Coupled with failure at school, it made me everything I didn't want to be. May be it was my words or even silence, because this is a world filled with interactions between everything and everyone. If what I say or don't say makes so much of a difference then I should mend my ways very soon, for giving my students the best and also making sure that I am not a burden on my friends. To that extent, I shall begin with a humble apology. Because every failure is an opportunity at making a bigger difference!
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