VALUE EDUCATION






Pic.: Anima D'Cunha

I was to start the PD sessions for the pre-teens at 11 toady morning. Parents started dropping their little-ones right from 10.45… Some of them wanted to talk to me about their kids… Some of them wanted to enroll and wanted more information… Kids, as kids are, were restless… and, I was finding it difficult to focus on parents… Still, using all my experience, tact and patience, I was doing a great job in dealing with my last-minute stress… And, just then, entered an elderly man… His speech wasn’t that clear… He seemed to have difficulty in seeing and hearing both…

“Are you  Gerald?” the gentleman asked.

“Yes sir, I am,” I gently replied.

“My son and daughter-in-law live in so and so place and I live in so and so place,” he said, “They want to send their son, my grandson, to your Personality Development classes.”

“Sir, I will be starting today at 11. Can the little-one start from today?” I asked.

“Today it is not possible… Can he come from tomorrow?” the gentleman enquired.

“No problem sir,” I said, “Please take this form and return it tomorrow… Please ask your son or the daughter-in-law to call me on this number… I will give all the information, sir.”

There were at least five mothers in my office and only five minutes were left for the session to start. The elderly man pulled a chair and sat down. “You finish with them… I can wait,” he said totally oblivious about the gas-stove I was sitting on!

“Sir, don’t worry… I will give all details to your son or daughter-in-law over the phone… Or they can meet me between so and so time… Today is the first session for the kids… These parents want to talk to me… Kids are restless in the class, you see… So sir, can we talk later today?” I respectfully escorted the grandfather to the door.

Only two minutes were left now! I was about to leave for the class…

“Gerald, I know I am bothering you,” the gentleman got into my office, “I spoke to my daughter-in-law and she said, my grandson is already inside the class… I want to see him.”

“What is his name sir?” I asked in surprise.

“Vignesh,*”

“Sir, Vignesh?” I know your son so well… He was my dear student twelve years ago. I did not know you were talking about this kid… Don’t worry… I will take care. Relax, sir.”

But, the grandfather of Vignesh seemed to have something more to discuss… He was still not getting the message I was about to give: “Sir, I am busy at this moment… Can we discuss this after the class…”

Anyway, at 11 sharp, I got inside the class room… and, frankly, I had a blast with the little brats! In the end, I showed them two videos. One was - ‘The art of fighting without fighting’… a wonderful scene from the movie, ‘Enter The Dragon.’ I showed this to little-ones to convey through it why we should not show off our knowledge… How empty vessels make more noise…

The second video was a Google ad – ‘Teach your mother get online.” I showed this video to teach the little-ones the value of patience… caring… knowledge-sharing… Why we should not forget the love and care of our parents when we grow up… How patient we should be when they are found not good in some of the skills we are good at… like computers, mobile phones… all sorts of internet apps… Why we should empathize with them, understand them… use loads of patience with them…



Yes, today, I did show to our kids this Google video and I know how it touched them… I told them to make a short write-up on it and present in the class tomorrow…

But, then, one thing kept haunting me after the session… My own impatience with Vignesh’s grandfather…

No matter how busy I was and no matter how justifiable my impatience sounded to be… I, now think… I had to be more patient with him.

So, before my little-ones would come up with their version tomorrow, I thought I would come up with my own… today.

It is my turn to pick a lesson on value education, you see.

 *Name changed


GERALD D’CUNHA

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