It’s hard not to notice her. The tall girl with big eyes! A twelve year old! I still remember how her face blossomed when I gave my first Hi 5 on the day I walked into that classroom. That was one of the few times she smiled very genuinely. She makes sure she hides her smile if she notices that you are noticing her. She never raises her hand despite knowing all answers. She hides her face in all the classroom photographs. She does not talk to anyone too quickly. She is just there in the class, assimilating everything that is happening.
Fatima was very unpredictable. One day she was smiling bright and another day she was angry. One day she would make comments and pull my leg. Another day, she would not answer my questions. She would stare at me angrily on some days. She would avoid all sorts of eye contact on other days. For years, I struggled to understand what goes on in that little child’s mind. Definitely, there was something that made her who she is. A story that would give a perfect sense to everything that is happening. Fatima never let me know it. She would never let me come to her house. She never wanted me to meet her mother. Being the stubborn self that I am, I would just go to her house, sit and talk to her mother. All that time, she would conveniently hide herself in a corner without even lifting her head. She hated theatre lessons. She would throw all sorts of tantrums to avoid theatre class. What was going on with her? I had no answer.
Days passed and things started getting much more complex. I noticed her influencing other girls in the class. I noticed the sort of micro-political behavior she displayed. It was very hard for me to understand what was going on in that kids head. Soon, she got herself into a huge entanglement when she started writing love letters to an older kid in the school. I inquired her about the same and she constantly denied it. She was in almost reaching her teens and I could definitely see what was happening in her mind. Finally, I found strong evidence which clearly showed all the stupid mistakes she was making. I could not ignore it for that would convey a different signal to her nor could I take it seriously for she was just a little child. I was certainly very angry for I did not expect this from her. But instead of giving consequences, I sat down and spoke to her. I told her that everything in life was a choice and every choice decided where we would end up in life. I gave her two possible scenarios that could happen from her actions and told her it was her choice to choose what she wanted. She broke into tears and did not speak a word.
Next day morning, when she came back to class, she assumed that I would tell all other kids what happened and she stood there like a silent victim. I remembered an article I happened to read about an African tribe. When someone in the tribe does something wrong, all other members remind them of all the good things he or she did. I stood up and asked the kids to come one by one and share all the little things that Fatima did to help them. For fifteen minutes, kids spoke about how they are thankful to Fatima and reminded her about all the good things she did. Fatima broke into tears and cried for ten minutes straight. We were all absolutely silent and were just looking at her. Then, Fatima told us her story. She spoke about how troubled her family life is and shared some deep personal stories that one would never imagine a child was experiencing. I could see why my Fatima was what she was! I just could see all the dots connect.
Things changed after that day. Fatima was very different. She still continued to make fun of me. She still continued to say no to me. But now, there was no disrespect. She makes class a much happier place. She is the lead actress in our finale showcase. She showed the maximum growth in RC. She writes everything fearlessly. Every evening, for an hour, she gets around fourteen kids in the community together and teaches them what I teach in the class. Fatima has come a long way! She always wanted to be a teacher and now I surely know she will make a great teacher.
Fatima’s story to me is a proof of how difficult the lives of our children are and given the right kind of atmosphere, how much they would grow. Children need to be taught not just content but the ability to think and make choices. A classroom needs to make all kinds of children comfortable and a teacher needs to understand there is a reason why a child is in a certain way. Fatima’s story is a perfect example of truth and hope for me. One day, I will see the classroom that she will teach and I know I will be a proud teacher. :)
Story submitted by Revanth, 2014 fellow, Ahmedabad
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