May 2024
Today was the first day for me with the Child Group originally started by Andika. I, Pabitra, introduced myself and informed the children that I would be attending future sessions. To get closer to the children, I needed to understand their habits and behavior better, which I would have the opportunity to do now.
When I arrived at the meeting, I noticed that most of the children had come. As soon as they saw me, they greeted me enthusiastically, calling me “Our New Miss.” I chatted with the children about how they were doing. Although there were fewer participants compared to the previous week, their enthusiasm and warmth made me feel really good.
I asked the children about the behaviors they liked and disliked the most. They expressed that they disliked behaviors such as backbiting, teasing, harassing, quarreling, and not listening. Conversely, they enjoyed behaviors like helping each other, playing together, taking care of their own belongings, respecting elders, and treating everyone equally. I concluded by emphasizing that we should not engage in behaviors that we dislike, and everyone agreed with a resounding “YES.”
During the discussion, I shared a story about a father and son in a village. The son was always the top student at school. One day, the father fell sick and asked his son to bring him some water, but the son ignored him. The father became very sad and remarked, “My son studies well, but he is not a good person.”
After the story, I divided the children into two groups and asked them to list the qualities of a good citizen. The children eagerly participated in the group work, suggesting qualities like not lying, respecting elders, loving younger ones, doing their own work, completing homework on time, being disciplined, helping fellow students, and assisting others in trouble.
Then I facilitated a discussion on the qualities shared by the groups. They emphasized the importance of doing one’s own tasks and being responsible for their own actions, a point the authorities also highlighted.
We played a game where everyone sat in a circle and straightened their hands in front of them. I placed a chocolate in each child’s palm and asked if they could eat it without bending their arms. Some tried to eat it immediately, but most couldn’t. Eventually, they took turns feeding each other. I asked if this behavior was characteristic of good citizens, and they all agreed it was.
I handed out meta cards to everyone, asking them to write down a commitment to becoming a good and responsible citizen based on the day’s discussion. They were to note what actions they would take to start this commitment by today and will discuss it in the next meeting, which was scheduled for May 19th. With this commitment in mind, we concluded the discussion and looked forward to the next session.
Thank you,
Pabitra