Till we are hoping for their success stories to grow as they are, let’s celebrate the bigger efforts they are putting in, right from their childhood period.

It’s been close to 6 months that I have been volunteering as a Social Emotional Learning teacher via eVidyaloka Trust for Balalong in Jharkhand, one of their many (across locations) centres. Students are in the age group of 5 to 15 years and are exceptionally talented, thoughtful and sincerely looking for better opportunities to grow up as educated, respected and good citizens.

Volunteering comes with a notion of offering something, but after a long volunteering experience from a young age, I experienced to have returned with productive thoughts/ideas, meaningful discussions/observation with/of people/situations around and with a better understanding of life after each volunteering session.

Especially while dealing with children, volunteers return more energized from the positively contagious nature of children, who are naturally curious and problem solvers in their simplest ways. I’m experiencing all these positive emotions from interacting twice a week from last 6 months with my students in Balalong, Jharkhand.

They all are so eager to learn new things everyday and keep me on my toes to bring them as much knowledge as I can and presenting it in an interesting way. They are always there to attend class, bring sometimes their neighbors/friends/visiting cousins of their age group too as they believe in the value of ‘sharing with others’ from their early years itself.

I observed after taking classes for few weeks that there are four guys who were regularly coming in late than rest of the students in the class. I started to become firm with them on time management and they also kept saying that they will be on time from next class onwards. But when it did not happen after couple of weeks too then I got hold of them by asking them to come right in front of the class laptop screen to discuss with me what’s holding them back from coming to classes on time?

And that’s when I got to know from them that they go to deliver milk early morning before coming to my classes. Hmm, these boys are in the age group of 9-11 years and they are one of the brightest students in my class who know so much from general knowledge and equally keen to get opportunity to learn and grow. At first, I felt sad that at their age they need to work so hard but they inspire me with their passion for learning. I suggested them if they can ask their customers to get milk delivery earlier and share with them that they have their early morning class too to attend. And they did. But as they also depend on another set of people who get milk ready for these boys to deliver, they reach to class on time some of the days.

But my class learnt one thing that as soon as these boys walk in, they get a big round of applause. And I can see from my laptop screen their shy smiling faces that bring some relief/rejuvenation from their early morning delivery work.

Left to right : Shiv, Rakesh, Kailash and Sawan

Ladies and gentleman, give a big round of applause to these Big Heroes 4!!!

Anjana Sharda is a volunteer teacher based in Gurgaon, teaching Social Emotional Learning to students in grade 1 to 8. Since the classes are happening in eVidyaloka’s Learn From Home model, younger siblings of her students have also become her fans. Her hobbies include music, reading, practising Kalaripayattu (an Indian martial art), nature walk, reading scriptures on philosophies and spirituality, sharing her learning and skills acquired with others.

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