My last day at Spastics

Rein checking in -

"From the terrace of our house on another gloriously sunny 30° day! Yesterday was my last day at Spastics. For 6 weeks I have been assisting Ms. Sarala (or Saral'auntie as the kids call their Miss) in teaching the 2nd & 3rd class. Today the summer holidays start here in Bangalore (that means the start of the really hot season, leading up to the monsoon) so classes are over.

I brought a cake for the kids to mark my last class!

Apart from assisting in class, during these 6 weeks I have helped out with the physiotherapists treating the children, I have assisted in computer classes with all kinds of students, I have played with the autistic children in the so-called home school and I have joined in with the older mentally challenged residents during their group activities and socialised with them in the campus bakery.

It has been very challenging for me at times. Not only did I not have any previous experience in dealing with differently abled people (both physically and mentally) or working with children, or teaching, but it was very confrontational for me personally at times as well to interact with the kids with CP, reminding me of my own childhood and some of the tough experiences I had then, being spastic myself (albeit very mildly compared to some of the kids here).

But most of all it has been an amazing experience! I really enjoyed spending time with these kids in class, helping them with maths, reading, social studies (in which I learned a thing or two myself about the various religions in India), science etc.. Being able to spend time with these kids over a period of 6 weeks I could really witness the improvement in their reading, writing and calculus skills and feel proud of having been a small part in their growth. And the kids really warmed to me too during that time. I was "uncle" Rein for them and they wanted to know all about Belgium and Netherlands; some of them even doing their own internet searching about these countries at home!

The class, f.r.t.l., Teacher Sarala, Aksheh, Chandra, Krishna, Nakul, Harshit and Bharesh

The last day of school, the kids had prepared an open house for friends and families. They had decked out the class room to exhibit all of the projects they had been working on during the year, ranging from "our neighbourhood, displaying the workings of the local bank, police station and post office, to "our solar system" explaining the characteristics of the system and its planets, etc.

Nakul explaining various types of housing

Chandra presenting the use of an igloo

Shreya and Afrah presenting on the Post Office

Each kid was instructed to explain their part. On top of that there was singing by the whole class and a dance performance by one particularly rhythmically talented kid, named Krishna. All this was followed by cake (which I had ordered at the campus bakery as a "thank you" to the class), sweets and lemonade and was just one big joyous affair. To be honest, I was a bit sad that the classes are now over... I would gladly do it again.

Vignesh having fun with "Uncle"

Bharesh and Harshit discussing our Solar System

  

Afrah and Shreya addressing the audience with a welcome prayer

Sarala with two volunteers and the Associate Principal

And from now I will be focusing more on working with Better Future, coaching Jai and Cheryl on lifting the organisation onto the next level. Apart from that I may also help Simon with his mission at APSA and for the rest, we're looking forward to the visit of Françoise in less than two weeks as well as our experience in a silent meditation retreat where we are booked to go for ten days in May, but more on that in the future!"

- Rein checking out.