I’ve been teaching at MAD for about two months now. Just two months,
and I’m discovering a part of me that I had no idea existed. I teach at
the Don Bosco Centre, Kilpauk, on Sunday mornings. The students at Don
Bosco consist of only boys and they are between 15 and 20 years of age.
When I first found out that I’d be teaching teenage boys, I admit, I was
both disappointed and apprehensive. Disappointed, because I was looking
forward to teaching tiny tots, and apprehensive, because I thought that
teenage boys would be a handful. But, how wrong I was! Today, I
wouldn’t trade places with anyone for the world! The first time we met
the students was at an icebreaker session with them. And it turned out
to be fantastic! Their excitement, enthusiasm, and innocence touched me.
That’s when we realized that these boys really do want to learn
English. They’re old enough to be aware of the importance of English in
today’s world, and they genuinely want to be taught the language. But
only once classes began did I see the child in their hearts. Their
innocence shines through. They are attentive and obedient, they answer
when spoken to, they call me Ma’am and they ask for permission before
they enter the classroom. In short, they’re not what I expected them to
be.
Tanya Joshua at a MAD class
Last Sunday, it started raining; the weather got a little chilly. And
the boys at Don Bosco, they brought us hot tea and biscuits during the
break – a very touching gesture indeed! However, sometimes I do feel
that my lack of fluency in Tamil hinders my ability to reach out the
kids more effectively. But then, I remind myself that it’s been just two
months. All it needs is a little more time, and I’m certain these
barriers will no longer exist. Oh, how I love Sunday mornings! The fact
that I get to spend the morning teaching eager young minds gives me a
sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. It’s funny how before I joined
MAD, I used to wake up late on weekends. I just hadn’t realized how much
valuable time I’d been wasting – the time that I now use to Make A
Difference.
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