Interacting with kids

Last Sunday I visited a weekend children's class run by Youth for Seva volunteers in a slum in Byappanahalli. The volunteers are all college students and recent graduates, and they conduct activities for the children's intellectual and physical development, such as games, story telling, spoken English, etc.

I was really impressed with the children’s enthusiasm for learning and with the volunteers’ determination to influence these kids in a positive way. The kids were asking me about life in America, and some of their questions really surprised me. I doubt that I ever thought or knew about things they asked, such as visas and recessions, when I was their age.

I met one tenth grade student named Raju whose parents work as construction workers. Despite their financial hardship, Raju’s parents work and save tirelessly so that they can send him and his brother to a good quality private school. Their willingness to sacrifice for the sake of school shows the great faith they place in education. I could see that this faith definitely influenced Raju, as he seemed extremely bright and enthusiastic.

During last week’s story-telling competition, Raju told a beautiful story about Abdul Kalam, India’s inspirational former president. He said that Kalam was his role model because he came from a poor family yet rose to such great heights. I was really impressed by Raju’s English vocabulary and public speaking skills. I brought him the book Wings of Fire (Kalam’s autobiography) when I went back today and Raju started reading it immediately. It was really moving to see his eagerness to read and learn, a $1.20 book made him this happy. It also made me feel guilty about the thousands of books I have at my disposal and how I still manage to never find the time to read them. So many kids want to learn and have great potential; it’s just a matter of providing a few resources and the right role models.

The kids also found out last week that I know karate and they made me promise to teach them some basics today when I came back. I taught a one-hour class (of course after making them promise to use it only as defense in a dangerous situation!) and it felt really great. I didn’t feel the language barrier at all, and the kids were so happy to learn. They were even practicing as I was leaving. This experience made me realize that all of us have things that we can share, whether it be singing, art, academic knowledge, computers, writing, etc. The enjoyment of all these things really comes in sharing them with others, as I learned today.