Lessons for Life
Lessons for Life
Learning is for life.
When I started my career as a preschool teacher in 1991, little did I
know that I was stepping into an unfathomable ocean. After 26 years of an
enriching career, today, as a Principal, I feel that each day of these years, I
have not only learnt from my mentors and colleagues, but also largely from my
students. Numerous incidents have left
indelible marks on my teaching career but two students who I have spent time
with have taught me lessons for life.
Inclusion policy these days has become a part of most
schools’ framework. Way back in 2002,
when I was working as a middle school teacher, I had a student named Venkatesh
Potluri in my class. Venkatesh was born with an incurable vision impairment. He
went to a special school for sometime but his parents wanted him to be educated
in a regular school. We, as teachers,
were clueless as to how we were going to handle the boy in class. Most of my colleagues had similar
apprehensions. Our Principal told us to
believe in the boy and carry on with our classroom transactions normally. Back then, the concept of shadow teacher was
not so popular or affordable. Venkat’s
mother Uma became his shadow teacher. Every day, for six months, she
accompanied her son to school, sat in class and learnt with him. At home, she would write his homework and
revise the lessons taught in school by reading out from his textbooks. After six months, she started sitting in the
library and copied notes for him. She
wanted Venkat to learn independently.
Venkat became the blue eyed boy of the class. His classmates were considerate and caring.
Venkat’s well being was their job. We
never gave special instructions to
Venkat. The students decided to share the responsibility of ensuring that every
notebook was handed over to his mother after two periods. Venkat’s braille training was happening at
home at the same time. In the first
year, he was exempted from taking tests and exams. Gradually, all the notes
were converted into braille script – which was quite expensive at that
time. Simultaneously, he started
learning the drums. In the second year, he was like any other student of the
school- familiar with the number of stairs, rooms and labs, moving with ease in
the campus. Venkatesh was a student with
special needs at the 10th board exams. He passed with flying colours and joined
another school as our school had not started with the higher secondary section . He graduated in Computer Science from IIIT,
Hyderabad and currently works for Microsoft India as a Research Fellow.
Most of his work is centered around ‘Accessibility
Matters’ as he believes that accessibility challenges for the differently abled
are far too many - an ATM transaction for the visually impaired is still
inaccessible. He was featured on TED
Talks as a Visionary Fighter in 2017. He
loves drumming, paragliding and horse riding.
The support of family, friends, teachers and assistive technology has
inspired him to move mountains. His
friends fondly call him ‘ Hyderabad’s Stephen Hawking’ . And he always smiled. That’s what I learnt from him. Happiness is a state of mind, it doesn’t
depend on what we are born with. No
challenge in life is so gargantuan that it can’t be overcome. With focus and determination, all tasks can
be made achievable.
Ahmed Fouzan, a quadriplegic, joined school in Grade
9. He had spent most of his life in the
Middle East as his father worked there.
He was wheelchair bound. At the age of 14, he weighed 30 kgs, with no
functional limbs and lower back. His
wheelchair was specially designed. A
happy go lucky child. He never let his disability come in the way of his
learning. He was hardly absent from
school. He had a caretaker all through
the school day, though his friends selflessly offered to shoulder his
responsibilities including the challenging washroom visits. Every student in
the class wanted to spend time with him be it in the corridors, classrooms or
the ground. In two years, he made friends
for life. Uncomplaining , unruffled and
untiring that’s how I describe Fouzan.
Now he has formed his own company named Beyond
Graphics. A budding entrepreneur, facing
challenges that every new businessman faces but his undying faith in his
capabilities has led him to become what he is today. Quitters never win and winners never quit. He
has made this his mantra for life.
These two students have made me think
differently. When I see a Special child,
I want him/ her to be embraced by their teachers and give them all the
opportunities that any other child is given.
I want to understand their needs and create a platform for them to
thrive in life. They have to be loved
unconditionally and encouraged always so that they lead a meaningful life. They teach us to develop resilience,
endurance and never say die attitude. I salute these two young men who have
conquered their malady and turned it
into scope . They are visionaries in their truest sense.
Kalyani Chaudhuri
Principal
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