Journey for a Dream

"Today we shall all make sure we finish our work independently and on time, unlike yesterday. This will help us make time for the games at the end of the day. Are you all ready?" "Yeeessss!" As I transitioned into my lesson I felt proud of myself and the class. They genuinely listened and engaged. But then again, as always, there were a few who were drifting away. I have always had this issue. We start off well, like it was the best day ever then one starts abusing the other, then there is nudging, pushing and then before you realize what's happening, you can see the entire class indulging in fights or other related activities. Some who manage to stay away from all the violence, become busy in cleaning their bags, endlessly sharpening their pencils etc. Where do I even begin to solve this? I had figured out long back that these students lacked the skill to differentiate between right and wrong. They idolized violent dons, emulated local thugs and shrugge...

As we turned left onto the road that lead to our destination, I sensed something amiss. The two students sitting with me in the auto had fallen silent. They were vigorously turning their heads to assimilate everything that was there in front of their eyes. They were trying to grasp all the happenings around and understand its purpose and existence. They had never gone beyond a one kilometre radius of their house, ever! After having decided that I needed the kids to witness the working of a "normal" world, I announced amidst all the excitement in class, "In a week, the first three students who show values through actions will get to go out." Everyone wanted to help their friends, go out of their way to accommodate someone etc. Although, this momentum did not sustain after a couple of days, I pushed through. At the end of it, I had two boys and a girl who had made it. The two boys were anxious and overjoyed. But the girl... "I not come bhaiyya. I go to ...