There is hardly any school event that
matches the splendour of annual concerts for the multitude of emotions it
evokes. In both - parents and academicians. . It is difficult to articulate the
feeling of getting to watch each one of your students work as a team while
expressing themselves individually on the stage. It is also an immensely proud
moment experiencing the moments crafted tirelessly by your teams with the minutest
of planning and attention to detail. To watch your teachers and students transform
magically into directors, choreographers, light & sound technicians,
videographers, digital engineers, script and dialogue writers AND turning an auditorium
lobby into a business studies zone with marketing, branding & accounting
and so on..
I was enraptured by the performances put up by
my students of Billabong High International School (BHIS) Santacruz recently. This
year’s theme was ‘Reflections’. It entailed the journey of the story’s protagonist,
an extraordinary boy Johnny, who is thrown head first into a land he has no
desire to be. Johnny is one of a kind but doesn’t realise his potential. He is
plagued by his insecurities and doesn’t believe in himself even though other
characters in the play consider him as their saviour. He encounters the story’s
antagonist the wicked witch Elphaba who feeds on negativity and fear and uses
Johnny’s negative opinion of himself as the source of her power. At the end, we
reflect the essence of a true ‘hero’ – how actions and intent override physical
strength as the pre-requisite.
I believe this story has a
powerful message. Its theme presupposes empathy and understanding of people and
events in their life, which lies at the core of great performances impacting
them not only as a person but also preparing them for the real world
tomorrow.
Undoubtedly, the paradigm shift
in skills required for the success in 21st century warrants a change in how we
educators, facilitate learning. We strive to provide a stimulating culture to
our children; aspiring to foster a sense of reasoning, a desire to learn, grow
& evolve. We must acknowledge though that while as educators and parents we
remain the facilitators, ultimately it is children who are the makers of their
own lives.
We need to have them believe in
themselves right from when they are children. And at time it may also mean
believing in them first before they get to believe in themselves. However, it
wouldn’t mean pushing one to be a replica of the other. We need to understand
what our child loves, what he is all about. Both parents and educators, we accept all their little
individualities, the embarrassments, and all the wonderful and magnificent
things they do so well and a few that they may not do so well, accepting the
whole package of our children with love - Unconditionally.
It isn’t just about academics or
topping an exam, it is the values we exhibit and that they derive from. We have
a huge responsibility as academia, as parents, as policy makers. We need to be
at par – ideologically, purposefully - to be an indomitable community. The main
pillar of this community being Inclusion. One that safeguards the interests and
future of every child regardless of the community s/he may belong to. That each
child believes in self and is able to charter his/her course even if he may
have to challenge a few status-quos. So that through strife, we progress much
further than we would have. So that we create, share, live fearlessly with joy.
So that no negative forces may derive power from the insecurities of a young
mind, battered by societal inadequacies and inequalities and use it as
ammunition to burn any university, community, society
It will do much good if we take some time to reflect upon what and how we choose to reflect what defines us – our ideology, our values, our actions, our intent – to the world around us.
