While in the thick of preparing the DPS-MIS schedule and bigger plans for this year, Principal Asna Nafees recently sat down with Community for a long chat. During the course of the conversation, Nafees went down memory lane, recalling some precious memories from her time as a student, and later as an educator:
“I remember never to lie because we had Mrs Thompson in Class Four. I hate maths to this day. I hated it even then! Once, I had not completed my maths homework and lied to her saying I had submitted my book. When she realised I wasn’t telling the truth, she called me aside and said, ‘I’ll cut your tongue off if you tell a lie once again in your life.’ From that day on, I had a mortal fear of lying.
“I particularly remember my kindergarten teacher Mrs Kajotia with affection. I was maybe four and didn’t want to sleep during the compulsory hour of sleep time. I would keep crying. I remember her holding me in her arms and telling me, ‘I will take care of you’. As she would continue correcting books, she would tell me that I, too, can put a tick mark once she finishes ticking them. Also, she would play the piano only for me because I would be the only one bawling. I remember all of this because of the love and grace with which she held me.
“With years passing by, when I sit back and reflect, I have come to agree that your formative years greatly define what you become. My love for reading, for instance, didn’t come from my mother alone. Our principal, a British lady, kept a personal library open for anybody who was interested in reading. We read books which today’s children won’t even probably be able to lay their hand on. From beautiful British fiction to storybooks with lovely illustrations, I enjoyed reading them all. She would always encourage us to read, only asking of us to bring back the book safely.
“As an educator, I have always forged a deep connect with slow learners or children going through emotional or behavioural issues. It’s surprising that we usually walk into a classroom and think everybody feels included and normal. The truth is every child has a history. Some are undergoing such difficult situations and yet every morning, they must wake up and attend school. If you are able to reach out to those children – which I can, thanks to Almighty – there’s nothing that matches the connect you create and bring change in the emotional behaviour of the child and make him or her feel accepted and loved.
“Some months ago, I came across a student who was having tremendous difficulties adjusting in Grade 12 even as the examinations were right around the corner. I took some radical measures like advising him to not attend school because he just didn’t want to. I called one of his parents, requesting to help him at home as he faced severe difficulties in dealing with the school environment owing to the family issues at home.
“I always tell children that passing an exam is very simple; most students pass. But if you fail, you should have the courage to take it in your stride, and have the courage to face failure with so much grace that you should be able to take failure once again, if need be. Certainly, you have to work towards not failing, but if you fail, you should have the courage to accept it and move forward. That’s something that the Indian education system doesn’t teach our children. We have absolutely no idea how to deal with failure. That’s why at our school, we keep telling our children – it’s alright to fail. An examination is not the do all and end all of life.
“As for this student, he took his exams and passed reasonably well. He was a bright child after all, but he was undergoing very difficult times. He moved on, and is currently pursuing higher studies in Dubai. The other day, he called me to tell me, ‘You have no idea what you have done to my life. You have changed it completely. I’m so proud of what I am today because you guided me through it.’
“Every single year, we have so many children coming back and telling us such heartening things. The biggest joy of teaching is this satisfaction, this deeply gratifying feeling that nobody can take away from us. It feels wonderful to be valued by those you taught.”
Asna Nafees in her office. Photo by Anand Holla
