In Transit to a Whole New World: A Rendezvous with the Mentors
The Transit Class is at the top floor of the Touching Lives Learning Centre. You climb two floors to get there, and you see a sign that says, “Welcome to Transit. The Journey of crossing over starts here.” Right above this sign there is another little arrow sign, “Happiness this way!” and then on the door, a lovely chart with this note on it –
When you enter the classroom,
You are authors
You are readers
You are creators
You are explorers
You are a friend
You are loved
You are important
You are the reason
We are here
By now your heart is melting. Perhaps your inner child has awoken and you simply want to open the door and find out what’s in store for you. You enter a room that is lighted and breezy. The energy is vibrant and most suited for creativity. It is here in the Transit Class, that children come to get friendly with their school studies, or academics, as they are generally referred to. Transit mentor Tanvi and her co-mentor Zahra work tirelessly toward helping the children cope with their studies. They want their students to lose their fear and develop a healthy, loving relationship with their studies.
Zahra is quite upbeat about her role as a mentor. For her, Academics is not a burden at all. It is simply something that is necessary for taking the next step. That is what Transit is all about. The road is not an easy one though. Unfortunately, the term ‘academics’ more often becomes associated with fear, compulsion or boredom, rather than love, curiosity and fulfillment. These mixed emotions make the children want to turn away from their studies rather than embrace them. Transit class is designed to fill this gap. Tanvi believes that we need to proactively encourage our children to love studying. How does she make it possible? “I help them see how much fun studying can be, because it is all about discovering our Universe. Once they become genuinely interested, they are delighted to find out that there is so much to learn. We discuss different concepts with them and build various themes around their studies!!”
It is only a matter of time that the children begin to lap up what is being served to them. The knowledge is going to stay with them for a long time and will be like a friend to them in the long run. Children are innate seekers, and we need to stoke up this thirst within them. When that happens, learning just goes on and on.