For the most part, we shouldn’t be surprised by children’s behaviour. They learn it from us. They watch us closely  – not just when we think we are “teaching” them, but all the time. They watch when we are under stress, when we are angry, when all our buttons get pushed. They watch us when we are hot and tired and exasperated and they store it all up in their bag of tricks to be brought out when THEY are hot or tired or exasperated.

Usually, this means trouble, and parents and teachers often get “caught,” so to speak, when we see our worst selves being imitated to perfection by our children.

So I was moved almost to tears on a visit to Karuna Vihar School today where I had the chance to observe children practicing what they have very obviously learned from their teachers.

Chotu is a boy with many difficulties, one of which is  called “self-hurting”. It is painful to watch him hit and pinch himself  or to struggle and cry to be allowed to. It always amazes me to see how gently and lovingly the teachers work with him.

This is Ramesh holding Chotu and he never seems to lose his cool or to forget the importance of what he is doing.

One of our strategies with Chotu is to keep the number of people working with him to an absolute minimum. So it’s an intense job for Ramesh, with few breaks. His loving interaction is inspiring.

And when I say inspiring, I really mean it.

Here is Shweta, who is a few years older than Chotu and has taken on the role of elder sister to him. Clearly taking her cues from Ramesh and others who work in Karuna Vihar, she looks like a young special educator in the making:

I know this speaks volumes about Shweta and what a wonderful person she is, but it also speaks libraries about the fine examples she has to emulate at Karuna Vihar.