My teaching experiences with children

It not about what I tought them, its about what I learnt from them. The experiences brought back the basic truth of life in front of me again. Far from the meeting rooms and all the technical talks; I was between those who were going to correct my altered perception of life. Life is far beyond just simple logic and explainations, they pull you back to the basics. Why is "M a n" is a man? why don't we fly? and so on, I stood there dumbfounded.

Before going any further let me introduce you to them.

Name: Laxmi,
Class: 4th std,
Mother tongue: Telgu.
Name: Sri,
Class: 5th std,
Mother tongue: Telgu.
... and many more...
School : GPS Tolichawki, an Indian public school running with bare minimum resources.
All these children belonged to the families from the lower socio-economic class. I went to them with the hope to give them the exposure to the so called "new Indian Middle class".

Now, let's resume the story.

When I entered the classroom, I got a Royal treatment; the way they will welcomed me, It made me feel as if I was the Prime minister of this country. So much warmth in their eyes and attitude and a loud good morning wish, I realised I was stepping into a bigger shoe. With all eyes watching me, I knew the next hour was going to be tough. On the other hand, the warm welcome gave me the required high and the energy to be stupid and act like a bird flapping my arms to describe a bird.
Yes! I was being kiddish, but that was me unlearning my development. I takes a child to be a child. It was a big change for them too, from their regular Maths and Science classes. They were seeing one of the most abundant yet one of the rare species, the Indian IT male. Yes, I was different from them, but when I look back, I was one of them, sitting on the second last bench, talking to my neighbor ,fighting with him, and yet good friends with him. Though I could not hear what I was talking, but I did feel myself there.

I was speaking aloud and was trying to get the attention of all, some were ahead of me, some following me, and few weren't bothered to listen to me. I was speaking in a language they barely understood, I was talking in Hindi and English, but obviously, for some it was no different than Greek. Yet trying to make them understand what a domestic animal is and why a Monkey doesn't fly.
Then we moved to group drawing. They all love group activities, that's the best method, I realised, to teach them. Indians are generally introverts, I dont know if its genetic or its the enviroment, but a group activity brings all of them forward. Its easy to get them follow what everybody else is doing, "Sir! should I draw a house?", if one draws a house, then everybody will draw a house. I dont know if I made them draw a house or they made me draw a house, But I will have to break this crowd mentality. Maybe, that's why I am still with the crowd. It's my own reflection looking back at me. Hopefuly, I can change it for them and myself too.

They all love attention, as I do. They loved showing me all the small details and my small-small appreciations and I loved being a part of them and yet different.
It's this small role reversal that I need to stand upto. Hope the small change, which I bring to them, on the weekends would help them and me to see the world with a broader view.