Story of Two mothers...
It was a bright and sunny day. School had planned parents meet and like all parents both Sumera and Barkha were getting ready with great enthusiasm to meet the teachers. Sumera was a working mother, a meticulous Banking Professional. Diligent and extremely committed to excel in whatever task that was assigned to her. Barkha on the hand was a homemaker.
Tending the plants, helping secure comfort and beauty of the home and its members.
As they got ready to meet the teachers, both Alka and Naina were rather indifferent. Alka was Barkha’s eldest daughter and Naina was Sumera’s second child.
Upon seeing the Maths and Physics score which were rather impressive for Naina Sumera, summoned the teacher in the meeting “I think you are making a mistake in trying to make schoolwork so interesting for the children. After all, they are going to have to spend most of their lives doing things they don’t like. Life is not a fun place. One has to do the boring, the mundane, the drudgery and endless list of dreary duties. My request is to remove the outdoor assignments and field trips to make the children learn about birds and trees. Naina is excellent in Physics and Maths and I think she should be given harder assignments and task sheets to get her better and increase her abilities to solve complex problems so that she is ready for the IIT entrance exams”.
The teacher took a note on the special request and thanked Sumera for her inputs. Meeting ended with flipping time spent on literature and social and behavioural sciences.
The second meeting was scheduled with Alka’s parents. Barkha, was concerned with the low scores that Alka had received for her work. For all subjects Alka’s scores were consistently low and looked concerning. Barkha was gentle and contained in her expressions. She made a remarkable choice and said “I have somehow missed the chance to put much joy and meaning into my own life; please educate my children so that they will do better. These opportunities of field trips and fun learning lessons are a great starters and can open the learning process to newer possibilities. How can I contribute towards Alka’s success so that her scores improve?”
The teacher took a deep breath, and sighed.
She said, she will assign more outdoor lesson plans since Alka’s energy and commitment in sports was commendable.
The meeting ended with warm comments on language and behavioural and social sciences subjects.
As the teacher packed up for the day and began driving back, she couldn’t help herself but feel confused and worried. Meeting and addressing the Parents is never easy. Sumera, Naina’s mother was intelligent, attractive and highly successful. Yet she carried the belief that acing in just subjects will fulfill the demands of learning and help Naina secure admission in IIT. Ultimately she wanted Naina to work for a large MNC in a corporate sector drawing seven figures. She was aiming high. On the other hand, Barkha was low profile Mother. Friendly and caring. She was looking at the expanse of her own life and ensured that no obstacle can impede the development and learning process for Alka. She wanted Alka’s school experience “worthwhile”.
Two kids, Naina and Alka about fourteen years of age on a Saturday morning after the parents teacher meeting, led their thinking about future lives.
