THE JOHANNESBURG DIARIES - KING OF THE CLASS - #BLOGCHATTERA2Z2023

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A trip to school to pick up S revealed a few home truths as brought out by his doting teacher. S was asleep when we went to get him, but the moment he heard our voices, he rubbed his eyes and was with us in a trice. His teacher was thrilled to see two grandmas, one mom and one big sis (we don’t believe in doing things by halves!) and she took pains to explain how wonderful it was to have S in class.

“Oh, so good to see y’all! S is not just a prince; he is the king of the class. He is intelligent…” the monologue continued for the next two minutes, ending with “I asked a question in the class yesterday, and nobody answered. It was then I realised that S was absent.”

Of course, we were all thrilled to hear such compliments rolling off her tongue. The grandmas, especially! As I have always maintained, having children is happiness, but having grandchildren is pure bliss. Maybe it is the joy of being able to enjoy them without having to discipline them. As one quote went, “If I had known that grandchildren were this much fun, I would have had them first.”

                                                                  Pinterest

Since I am an educationist myself, I went around the school just to compare notes. The classrooms were all done up in a way both colourful and educational.




What I loved was how the teachers had created corners with inspiring quotes, emotions and hilarious puns – one wall actually said “Go bananas in class” and then went on to elaborate on the acronym ‘BANANA’ - the picture below illustrates this.





Since it was Easter, there was a special area which wished the little ones with cutes bunnies smiling at them. All the illustrations were feel-good ones and created the ambience that is so vital when one is dealing with little ones.




 The play areas were also impressive with swimming pools for children of different age groups. There were trees adding to the greenery, and little statuettes dotting the area. I fell in love with one of a little boy sleeping peacefully, quite oblivious to the hustle and the bustle of a regular school day.




It was time to get back home to lunch and a quick siesta. Speaking of home reminds me of yet another nugget of wisdom that our little ones provided us with. 

Z, for a long time, and S, till recently, believed that Nana and Mooma spent their entire lives on airplanes, travelling around the world till it was time for them to come to Johannesburg. Every time they saw a plane, they would feel their grandparents were on it. Regular globetrotters, as it were!

 

The bottom line is simple. Being grandparents is not just fun. It teaches you to appreciate the big and the little moments in life, of living life to the fullest, and of being allowed to act silly, when required. Life lessons worth remembering, no doubt! 😊


 This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z2023.

Comments

  1. A Rustic Mind4/12/2023 09:47:00 PM

    This was so endearing. I love the 'Bananas' poster and the little resting boy statuette

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    Replies
    1. deepti menon4/13/2023 10:48:00 PM

      Thank you so much, Manali! I love them too! :)

      Delete
  2. Anshu Bhojnagarwala4/13/2023 12:53:00 PM

    Such beautiful pictures of the school and the classroom. I can understand your happiness being a grandmother. There is a saying in Hindi - mul se jyada sud jyada pyara lagta hai, meaning the interest is more valuable than the principal amount itself. Parents are busy earning, so they usually don't enjoy their kids, but when it is time for their grandkids, they enjoy them more as they don't have the added stress of earning for them or bringing them up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. deepti menon4/13/2023 10:49:00 PM

      I so agree with you, Anshu. Being grandparents is an extremely enjoyable period in life! The interest is more valuable! :)

      Delete

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