I owe to them...

Looking through the staff-room window, I saw the kids playing and the thought of the man I met an hour ago kept coming back to me. He is father of one of my student from class V. This student is not able to read English. Every day I go to his class in the last period and ask him whether he practiced reading at home and he says he did. I then teach him to read simpler and shorter words.

His father told me that his child has been crying and refusing to go to school for the last 15 days because Ma'am asks him to read and he is unable to. It then occurred to me that the kid is afraid of me. I told his father that my intention is merely to teach the kid to read and I never beat kids, I never would. His father told me that he had no problem even if I did beat him and that his child was studying in Hindi medium since last year and therefore unable to read. He told me to scold him and beat him if needed to teach him. I asked the man who teaches the child at home and he said no one... at that moment I realized that it is not the child's fault and not of his parents either, for all they want is that their kid should learn something they never could. He said that he is searching for the tuition for the child because there is no one at home who could teach him. He then told me to take care of the child, to give him work for home and that he would send some new notebooks with him if needed for practice.

What I saw in the eyes of the man was "hope". He is sure that I am capable of making his child what he wishes him to be. I felt obliged to stand up to his expectations. He was talking to me as if I was someone very important.

I feel like I owe it to him to teach his child, to make him what he wants him to be, better than himself. And as long as I am at this place I will make sure that I do my job dutifully.

To sow the seed of curiosity, of the desire to learn and I know half of my work would be done.

Rest is the human will, capable of almost everything. 🙂