Kids and Teens ( My Kids - Take 1! Ashutosh )
My Kids - Take 1! Ashutosh
I teach in a low income school in Pune. My life is mostly about
lesson planning and visiting my students in their communities. I have
thirty five really adorable third graders, and I owe them so much, for
making me love my job insanely. My class is a mix of students who are
non performers, as well as excellent performers. As a teacher, I am not
supposed to be partial, because let's admit it, that's just highly
unfair. But I do have my own set of favorite students. One of them is
Ashutosh...
So, Ashutosh is not really great when it comes to academic excellence. OK, honestly, he's really low when it comes to scoring. I guess he comes to school just so that he could share his lunch box with his friends and add to the laughter in the class. My nagging hasn't helped. He doesn't study. He never reciprocated to my lessons and that has often made me want to whatever I am doing. His aim is not to take straight 'A's back home, like many focused students in my class, but to have fun with the others kids. He doesn't miss school on Wednesdays; because that's the day our school permits all the kids to bring their favorite snack in their lunch boxes. There have also been times when he has hated school so much, that he went to the extent of eloping. Most of the teachers have completely ignored him in the past, and maybe that's why he feels so discouraged.
Ashutosh is a third grader who couldn't even spell his name until recently and is way behind the other students of my class. He doesn't answer any questions, doesn't participate and has got nothing to do when it comes to learning. But he has one love. Colors! He loves to color, paint, draw and sketch. There was this one time when I had asked him to color a drawing and he was quiet for about forty minutes, which, by the way, is really difficult for a guy who jumps around so much. And that's when it struck me. Probably, this was the way he learned. These forty minutes of engagement that Ashutosh displayed changed my entire approach towards him. I got a multiple coloring sheets for him. I also got stuff like 'connect the dots'. This way, he started practicing the basic alphabets and numbers. His homework includes learning only two or three words every day, and writing them down in his favorite color.
It's been hardly two months that I have known him, but the level of trust he has in me amazes me. We both are partners in his progress. The pace is slow, but it is happening. He is on task and is making an effort to improve. He loves it when I tell stories. The other day he came up and said he wanted to narrate a story to the class. For a guy who is almost never present (mentally) in the class, this was a great achievement. I was almost in tears when I saw his level of confidence.
A third grader being able to spell his name correctly might be nothing in the eyes of most of the people. But he's making me believe in myself. The motivation I give him is making him believe in himself. And, I guess, we both are doing just fine there.
So, that's Ashutosh. We watch animated movies together, tell stories, solve crazy puzzles and laugh for no big reason. My journey of a 'teacher in a low income school' has just started, and he's making it a little easier. There hasn't been one day when he has begun to eat before feeding me. I have always been someone who hates being fed. But, as they say, there are exceptions to everything. He refuses to eat unless I eat.
Ashutosh is undoubtedly one person who never fails to make me smile. I owe him for teaching me what patience is. And I'm sure, with all the patience, he'll certainly make it big one day, even in the eyes of the other teachers.
So, Ashutosh is not really great when it comes to academic excellence. OK, honestly, he's really low when it comes to scoring. I guess he comes to school just so that he could share his lunch box with his friends and add to the laughter in the class. My nagging hasn't helped. He doesn't study. He never reciprocated to my lessons and that has often made me want to whatever I am doing. His aim is not to take straight 'A's back home, like many focused students in my class, but to have fun with the others kids. He doesn't miss school on Wednesdays; because that's the day our school permits all the kids to bring their favorite snack in their lunch boxes. There have also been times when he has hated school so much, that he went to the extent of eloping. Most of the teachers have completely ignored him in the past, and maybe that's why he feels so discouraged.
Ashutosh is a third grader who couldn't even spell his name until recently and is way behind the other students of my class. He doesn't answer any questions, doesn't participate and has got nothing to do when it comes to learning. But he has one love. Colors! He loves to color, paint, draw and sketch. There was this one time when I had asked him to color a drawing and he was quiet for about forty minutes, which, by the way, is really difficult for a guy who jumps around so much. And that's when it struck me. Probably, this was the way he learned. These forty minutes of engagement that Ashutosh displayed changed my entire approach towards him. I got a multiple coloring sheets for him. I also got stuff like 'connect the dots'. This way, he started practicing the basic alphabets and numbers. His homework includes learning only two or three words every day, and writing them down in his favorite color.
It's been hardly two months that I have known him, but the level of trust he has in me amazes me. We both are partners in his progress. The pace is slow, but it is happening. He is on task and is making an effort to improve. He loves it when I tell stories. The other day he came up and said he wanted to narrate a story to the class. For a guy who is almost never present (mentally) in the class, this was a great achievement. I was almost in tears when I saw his level of confidence.
A third grader being able to spell his name correctly might be nothing in the eyes of most of the people. But he's making me believe in myself. The motivation I give him is making him believe in himself. And, I guess, we both are doing just fine there.
So, that's Ashutosh. We watch animated movies together, tell stories, solve crazy puzzles and laugh for no big reason. My journey of a 'teacher in a low income school' has just started, and he's making it a little easier. There hasn't been one day when he has begun to eat before feeding me. I have always been someone who hates being fed. But, as they say, there are exceptions to everything. He refuses to eat unless I eat.
Ashutosh is undoubtedly one person who never fails to make me smile. I owe him for teaching me what patience is. And I'm sure, with all the patience, he'll certainly make it big one day, even in the eyes of the other teachers.
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thank you