The School That Cared

 

When we turned ten-ish, or graduated to middle school in the fifth grade, school life as we knew it, changed. We were told that we wouldn't be having eight days off in the month, we'd have seven. We were told that each of us had to let go of one Thursday off, and that day would be dedicated to something called 'Village Work' instead. Didn't make much sense at that point in time. 

And then, while we were making our routines, two periods every week were set aside for Work Education, which would mean time set aside to learn how to stitch and knit, as a part of our West Bengal board curriculum. I simply hated the thought (I still avoid needles and threads and wool). 

But we had, as usual, underestimated Sr. Cyril and her brilliant mind. At ten, there isn't much you understand either. The Thursday we'd 'give up' every month, were about packing about a hundred girls (from four classes, V-X) into a bus, traveling to CINI Asha's centre in Joka, dispersing into ten smaller groups and walking to ten different village schools to teach English and Science to students there. We were armed with carefully prepared lesson plans, flash cards, simple equipments for simple science experiments and other materials (which I later came to know are called Teaching and Learning Material). We'd walk, some for half an hour, and some of us for up to two hours, to reach our respective schools, finish delivering our lesson plans and come back to CINI. Those from the farthest schools were allowed to take autos to come back. Once back, we'd share our lunch with our friends, get on to the same bus and come back to school. Throughout the journey back and forth, we would be singing at the top of our voices, albeit mistuned, thoroughly enjoying the ride and caring a damn about how cramped for space we were. 

During the Work Education periods, half the class would be sewing, and the other half would be preparing our Rainbow children for school or helping them with homework. Who were the Rainbow? Over 260 children from the urban slums in Kolkata who added so many colours to our school lives! They'd stay in our school, where the roof was converted to a huge room. We helped prepare them for school and those who coped with the English curriculum were admitted into our school, and those comfortable with vernacular curriculum were admitted into goverment schools nearby. Though our Work Education teacher was extremely sweet, I remember I'd always long to be in the other group, with the Rainbow. Our Rainbow had all kinds of colours, children with varied life experiences one can only imagine. 

Though these were part of our routine, a majority of us never felt forced to participate. Infact, when I think back, I can only remember happy faces. Phrases like 'peer-to-peer education' and 'volunteerism' I didn't know of back then. It all just felt great, just felt like we were part of something inately good, and pure.

I remember once parents told Sister that they'd arrange for bigger and more comfortable buses for the village work journey, they'd pay for it they said. They also asked for permission for us to be able to take autos bothways on our journey to the village schools. And Sister had simply asked - you'll give them the comfort of bigger buses and more space now, what will you do when they start availing public transport? Let them learn. About autos she said - do you know how far the students in the village schools have to walk to reach school everyday? And yet there's full attendance on Thursdays because they love your daughters. Let them understand the value of education. Let them walk.

We learnt many life lessons through subtle things like these in school. We learnt to be compassionate, to be respectful of other's time, to not take our lives for granted and to be grateful for what we have. We also learnt to acknowledge and respect the different realities that co-exist with ours. We realised the power each of us have to single-handedly bring change, however small it may seem. 

And we learnt that volunteerism is not about giving up your time and skills for a good cause, it is about taking on a journey towards being a better human, little by little. These experiences made us better people, better professionals, better friends and better citizens. 

One last thing, our school doors would always stay open, all day and all night - for anyone who needed a safe space, a shelter, a place to sit or just to see some friendly faces. Just by keeping her doors open, Loreto Day School Sealdah taught us how just volunteering to be there for someone, anyone who needs you, is the biggest deal of all. 

#InternationalVolunteerDay