THE MONTESSORI LESSONS

 

Nine-year-old  Dhruv* was fantastic, this morning. He had won our hearts with his vibrant recital of a poem and the entire class had given him a long applause. “Excellent, beta… You have won our hearts!” I went to the stage to pat the little fellow’s back. “Keep it up… Keep it up,” I repeated, “Dear angels, give our Dhruv darling a very big hand, once more!”

The little angels sang, “Alleluia… Alleluia!” 

Praise be to the Lord… the little ‘Lord of the Ring’: The Public Speaking!

And, when the praises were being showered upon by all our little angels and when I was pouring my heart on him, the little master, Dhruv, looked all frigid. Just bereft of all expressions… Lifeless. It sounded like all the expressions which he had exhibited just a while ago, for his poetry recital, were only reserved for his recital… and, that’s all over now. It looked as if he could go about his little world wearing a dead-pan look. Cold and lifeless.

“Honey, your friends are showering praises on you… We all are jumping in joy,” I explained to little Dhruv, “So, show us that you too are jumping in joy… Tell us ‘thank you’… Shout ‘Yes!!!’ ”

Suddenly, Dhruv’s face lit-up. The little one jumped in joy, “Yes!!!” He was repeating, “Thank you sir… Thank you friends.”

That was an hour ago.

Now, an hour later, I had to tell the same thing to Simran*. The twenty-seven-year-old!

Simran, after her twelfth standard, had completed her B’SL (3yers), LLB (2years) and LLM (2years)… Seven years of Law studies… and, she had worked in a reputed Law firm for two years… and, now, she has enrolled for Company Secretary (CS), and that’s how she has come in contact with me for some help in her Accounting subjects. 

“Simran, show me some expressions,” I cried out, today, “How am I supposed to know whether you agree with me or not? Whether you understand or not? Whether you are with me or not?”

Simran looked at me, almost dumb-struck!

“Hello, I am talking to you, ma’am,” I waved my hands to the ‘statue' before me,  “I am telling you something.”

The eyes blinked for a while!

After that, I asked her to close her fat Financial-Accounts text-books and listen to what I had to say.

“You have done Law, madam,” I said. “You have planned to do CS with the goal of getting into the Corporate world. Tell me, will your exceptional academics alone be able to take you there, or is there something else, too, needed?”

Simran’s eyes began to blink quite swiftly, now. She was listening.

“Simran, just an hour ago, I was teaching the little ones… and, I had told them, with all my love, the same thing which I am telling you now,” I explained to the young lawyer. “The fundamentals will always remain the same… That, when I tickle you, I expect you to laugh… When I prick you, I expect you to cry… and, when I praise you, I expect you to smile… say a 'thank you'… or, at least, blush with shyness.”

Simran was now blushing. “I am so sorry sir,” she apologized.

“Come on, Simran, I am not telling all these things to make you feel apologetic or guilty,” I made her feel okay. “I am making you aware of these subtle fundamentals… Probably, no one must have drawn your attention to these 'blind spots', before… Yes, you must have been ignorant, so far, about these things."

The next one hour, I taught Simran 

a lesson in the fundamentals… 

How to say “Thank you” and why… 

How to say “Wow!” and why… 

How to say "I am sorry,” and why…

Yes, this future Corporate Lawyer, once again, felt the need to go back to her Kindergarten…

And, you know what! She was enjoying her ‘Montessori’ lessons far better than the hard-core Accounts!

Dhruv beta, we are praising you to the skies… Please jump in joy; shout ‘Yes!’

Simran madam, I am showing you the wonders of the accounting world… Please cry ‘Wow’!

* The names are changed

GERALD D’CUNHA

Pics.: Vinod Korgaonkar