Finding purpose and happiness (Final post)

The children are getting into the routine of researching a wide range of topics and writing about them. My hope when I got them to research completely new topics, they had heard very little about, was that after these few weeks, they may realize that the opportunities beyond their town are within their reach, that more professions exist than only that which they've seen, and they believe that they are just as worthy and capable of achieving these goals as anyone else. As I come to the end of my one-month journey coaching these children, I see how their sights have become as far and wide as the world, not just the borders of the town.?

I am happy to see that they have a lot of passion for continuing this work. To ensure that their journey continues, I have divided these seventeen children into small groups of two or three and showed them how they can continue to read new books, write essays, review each other’s work and hold each other accountable.??

There is something so special about the value of community that is present here in this small town of Wadakkanchery. ? Strangers seem to know why I am here and are expressing their thanks for doing what I can for these children. Any one child being able to grow and get help is celebrated by all. I have lived in a big city all my life so this concept of the neighborhood knowing about me and what I am doing there is quite interesting. It gives new light to the phrase, "it takes a village to raise a child." All children and all parents belong to one another, it is so beautiful.

One evening, my husband and I were in for a surprise. Two cars full of the school’s management committee members came home to felicitate and thank me for helping the school students.? They gave me a shawl which is a traditional symbol of respect, a photo of the reigning deity of this small town of Wadakkanchery and the school souvenir book from last year.? I was very grateful for their gesture.??

As much as I appreciated that, the actions by the children really touched me. On my final day at school the children gave me a painting they had done of a ‘Kathakali’ dance for me (the traditional dance form of this state), which the principal and vice principal presented to me. Yesterday, another student of mine said ‘I want to give you something, and since I don't have anything else, would you mind taking my used pen'. Such an innocent, and meaningful action meant so much more to me than I would have ever expected. Similarly, another kid came and gave me a smiley face and a small statue of her ‘favorite’ Krishna.? One more child was hovering around me saying he wanted to continue talking and listening to me, not knowing exactly what to talk about.? All in all, I feel very happy that the students connected so well with me and saw the value in what I had to offer.?

I would be remiss if I didn't include some standout learnings from this trip:

• These students in the small town may be young children, but they have a great capacity to think bigger and bolder.??
• They have a strong hunger to succeed in life beyond the opportunities their small town has to offer and are looking for coaches and mentors to help them in this journey.
• Modern teaching methods such as access to digital boards and good library books, computers etc. will be key enablers in successfully reaching their goals in life.??
• Parents, teachers and immediate family can play a key role in their success by using positive reinforcements to motivate them along their journey of reading, writing and learning more about the world versus just pushing them to score more marks in their school examinations.?
• If each able family were to coach one student with potential from a smaller town or community and help them in their journey to broaden their thinking to be more global, it could result in faster progress around our world.??

As I come to the end of this short journey with the students of this school in this small town in India, I know that I have made a small difference to their lives by starting them on this journey to see more of life beyond their current environment. I am excited to see their progress, and the world they shape. Their actions may change the world at large, or their town, but if nothing else, they hold the power to change the trajectories of their own families, as they pursue successful careers in their own expanded worlds.