A New Learning for a Teacher
By Swati Kakodkar
Founder & Storyteller at Story ki Bory, Bangalore, India
Foreword by Venkat
There are two kinds of values that matter to be able to create and receive the value to/from others. The first kind includes the core universal values of love, care, forgiveness, truthfulness and gratitude. The second kind includes the personal ones, made by individual preference and temperament viz. Choice of dress, style of presentation, brand of pizza etc. While the first kind brings stability and sustainability, the second kind brings energy, and better engagement in the same relationship when both of these kinds are recognized, respected, appreciated and expressed.
Dreaming BIG, having great ambition are good and may certainly bring success but without embracing the universal values has no chance to survive long and without acknowledging the personal values of others, contorts progress into a hard challenge. In this candid sharing of her personal experience with students of a state government school, Swati brings out perspectives on dreams and values. What we are supposed to do matters as much as what we want to do. When both are considered in one’s purpose, it is sheer bliss and that is exactly what captivated Swati in her class with the students.
Find inspiration from the sweet and big hearts of the young children in this simple yet beautiful narrative by Swati Kakodkar.
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Swati Kakodkar is the Founder & Storyteller at “Story ki Bory®” – an initiative with a vision to make a definite difference, and create a positive change through the transforming energy of stories and storytelling. Swati believes in destiny, and at the same time strongly believes that it’s up to each person to make it a reality – like when she stumbled upon storytelling in the US libraries where she participated in the parent-child sessions with her son. She herself was so awed by the story time program that she decided to try her hand at it.
Website: www.storykibory.co.in
A New Learning for a Teacher
Today is my first class at a local community government school. The children are eagerly waiting. A bright, cheerful and energetic “Good morning” greets me. This is an English language class. The lesson is – “The Great Coachman”. It’s a story in which a young Narendra watches a coachman riding a horse carriage and tells his mother that he too would want to be a coachman when he grows up. His mother advises that if he wants to be a coachman, he should be one like Lord Krishna who guided Arjuna and the whole world. In a couple of years, the young boy fulfils this dream – he grows up to be Swami Vivekananda.
It occurs to me that the story is a good opportunity for me to better understand my new class. I ask them – “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Cricketer, Teacher, Engineer and Officer are the answers. Fantastic! Inspirational! I am glad the children have these aspirations.
I want to understand the children even better, hence my next question – “Why these professions?”
“I want to win the World Cup for my country” replies the budding cricketer.
“I can give my parents a comfortable life” grins the aspiring engineer.
“I can help people in my village” confirms the tall boy who dreams of being an officer.
“If I become a teacher, I can help others become doctors and engineers” says the bright girl.
I wouldn’t bat an eyelid if these answers came from children studying in regular private schools, who enjoy a very comfortable lifestyle and whose parents would be educated and well-placed professionals. What tugged at me was the fact that the responses were from lower income group children, whose parents are mostly struggling with meeting basic daily needs. But see the irony – not a hint of selfishness in the dreams the children are carving out. These are not parroted answers, they have come straight from the heart. Spontaneous and real. I can see it in their eyes. I can hear it in their voices.
In a rat-race world, filled with ambitions for greater and greater materialistic comforts, this was indeed surprising, heart-warming, and extremely heartening. At the end of the class, the children had learnt a new English lesson. And the teacher had learnt a new perspective!
By Swati Kakodkar
Founder & Storyteller at Story ki Bory, Bangalore, India
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Wonderfully brought out by Swatiji the ambitions and aspirations lingering even in village govt schools. Yes…in 1950s, when we were studying the scope of even dream high so much restricted in minds, so much so, in elementary school, we would think to the extent of becoming an Engine driver of a train, as an ambition and the mind was narrowed by the prevailing circumstances if poverty or teachers knowledge were also so narrow.
Kudos and compliments to Swatiji to succeed in opening up even a larger thinking process in the down-trodden..Commendable.
Thank you so much Vaidyanathanji for taking the time and sharing your very valuable experience.
Yes, the thinking and horizons are changing, but I believe that our values like respect, integrity, empathy, etc remain timeless and these keep us rooted on the right track.
Thanks
Very well narrated Swati. The story gave me also a new perspective as you wrote in the end. Continue writing, will like to read more from you.