I remember the first time that I attended a VITeach event. It was the Curtain Raiser. When a senior played a video, where the children had enquired why he hadn't turned up for class and told how much they missed him, I realised that I wanted this too. I want to teach them, guide them and, just be there for them. So what started off as “giving back to the society” soon turned into something that I enjoyed doing. In spite of having familiar faces of VITeachers, the children were very warm and welcoming to me and I felt super comfortable around them. You get to teach and inspire them, and while being in the process of doing it you learn so much more.
There are many anecdotes to talk about, but there is that one that moved me. This one girl was super quiet throughout the class, so I had gone to ask if she needed any help. I could see tears in her eyes but she didn’t want to be seen. When I tried to make her feel more comfortable, her friend told me that she was wounded because she had stepped on a nail. She didn’t cry, she didn’t draw attention, she just suffered in silence, while most of us would've screamed out loud at the slightest inconvenience. Though she was in her second grade, she must have been pretty strong to endure all that pain. When I asked her why she hadn’t informed the teacher or her parents, she said that she didn’t want to trouble her single-father who was already busy with his work. I advised her to go to a doctor with her father and take a tetanus shot. The next week when I came to the school, she told me she did get the vaccination done and also had the wounds dressed.
Many such incidents got me thinking about how hard life is for some people, but then they don’t stop smiling because of the hurdles. While everyday might be a struggle, they never lose hope and try their best to make everyone around them happy.
I’m so grateful I could be part of this wonderful club.
I remember the first time that I attended a VITeach event. It was the Curtain Raiser. When a senior played a video, where the children had enquired why he hadn't turned up for class and told how much they missed him, I realised that I wanted this too. I want to teach them, guide them and, just be there for them. So what started off as “giving back to the society” soon turned into something that I enjoyed doing. In spite of having familiar faces of VITeachers, the children were very warm and welcoming to me and I felt super comfortable around them. You get to teach and inspire them, and while being in the process of doing it you learn so much more.
There are many anecdotes to talk about, but there is that one that moved me. This one girl was super quiet throughout the class, so I had gone to ask if she needed any help. I could see tears in her eyes but she didn’t want to be seen. When I tried to make her feel more comfortable, her friend told me that she was wounded because she had stepped on a nail. She didn’t cry, she didn’t draw attention, she just suffered in silence, while most of us would've screamed out loud at the slightest inconvenience. Though she was in her second grade, she must have been pretty strong to endure all that pain. When I asked her why she hadn’t informed the teacher or her parents, she said that she didn’t want to trouble her single-father who was already busy with his work. I advised her to go to a doctor with her father and take a tetanus shot. The next week when I came to the school, she told me she did get the vaccination done and also had the wounds dressed.
Many such incidents got me thinking about how hard life is for some people, but then they don’t stop smiling because of the hurdles. While everyday might be a struggle, they never lose hope and try their best to make everyone around them happy.
I’m so grateful I could be part of this wonderful club.