KOCHI: Children, especially those studying in lower primary classes, today are showing their peers how to put to use the things that they learn in their classroom in their daily lives. Things took an interesting turn after Class IV students of Madampil Government Upper Primary School at Kandalloor in Kayamkulam education sub-district decided to put to use the format to write a petition that their teacher had taught them to air their grievances.
Explaining what led to the move made by the youngsters, Reji D, headmistress of the school said, “As is usual in schools, the students, especially boys make use of the break time and also free periods to play. Well, it so happened that the boys in the senior classes used to let loose the Neymars and Ronaldos in them by kicking around a plastic bottle on the campus.” However, even though they enjoyed playing football with plastic bottles, it turned into a big problem for the small children studying in the lower primary classes.
“While kicking the plastic bottle around, many times it hit the smaller children when they go to the toilets. It was becoming an issue for them,” said the HM. The children were at their wit’s end thinking of a way to put an end to their seniors’ rough play. It was during this time that the Class IV students were taught how to write a petition. “The activity is a part of their syllabus. The Malayalam teacher had taught them the method on Wednesday. And on the very same day five students of Class IV - Vaishanvi A Baiju, Alsman, Abhishek, Albert James and Ananthan - decided to write one up regarding their plight.
They wrote - ‘When the senior brothers of the upper primary section kick the bottle around on the campus, it hits the students of the lower primary section causing injuries. So, we request you to ban this game of kicking the bottle being played by the UP boys. Please also allow us to pick up the bottle. Kindly take immediate and speedy action on our request’.
“It was a perfectly written petition,” said the HM. “The handwriting, the wordings and even the language stumped not only me but also all the teachers in the school. The teacher didn’t play any part in the creation of the petition other than teaching them the format. The very action of the students to put to use what they had learnt in the classroom to solve an issue that they faced is laudable. This shows that the students are rightly imbibing what they are learning and also the fact that they know the right way to approach an issue,” said Reji.
As to whether she took action on the petition filed by the students, she said, “Of course! I cautioned the students against playing with the bottle while highlighting the dangers it posed to smaller children.”