Showing posts with label Good life for kids. Show all posts

The first profession that I chose when I was a kid was to be a teacher. Yes, a teacher. Although a lot of people have weird perceptions about this profession, I think, now because of my extremely short lived 3 week experience, it's, what I feel, actually the most rewarding and the toughest profession ever.

Yes, I am now on the road to becoming a teacher, since I have been selected by the Teach for Pakistan organization. I believe that the experience was much better than the experience that I had in my college. Like really.

During training, we were teaching kids in summer school for a short period of three weeks. It was crazy. It was a roller coaster of emotions. But the last three weeks would now be ranked at top five of my best moments in my life.

As a Teach for Pakistan fellow 2011, I have to teach at government schools in Karachi, where most of the students come from low income backgrounds. What pains me is the fact that I see a lot of people ignoring a huge amount of talent that these kids have. I was teaching science to 4th graders, and I saw a lot of talent and a lot of thirst for knowledge, that the three weeks were just not enough for them, and honestly for me too.

My kids - yes, it has come to a point that I have started calling them my kids - were cute. My kids were learning all that I was teaching them, even though they were disruptive in many occasions, partly because I tried to show that I was a fun teacher, and partly because of many reasons that I reflected back upon. But all in all my kids dreamed.

The last day of summer school, I believe was so emotional, I never thought it was going to be like that at all. The students at the school and the my fellows were sad to say our last good byes to the children. Although I know if a friend of mine was reading this she would think, "Oh you hated this this student, and now you're all proud and stuff?", I really have to say that I am PROUD of those kids. Bottom line though, WE ALL CRIED. Some students cried more than the others. (Ok, most cried)

One of the most memorable moments of the day was when all the kids from three grades formed sort of a goodbye committee, and were following the bus till as far as they could. One of the kids ran all the way till the turn to see us off, and that just brought tears to my eyes.

I never thought it would have ended that way. I really did not. I did not expect that we would cry the way we did. I did not expect the children to care about us leaving at all. But they did, and that translates to a lot of things. And even though I think I felt bad about myself for not succeeding at many times, what the student actions were, really makes doing what I am doing right now so much worth it.

I just have to say to these kids to be AWESOME, GREAT and not to forget their dreams...