Today I went to school for one of the last few times that I will be going to the Junior school. There will possibly be just one more function – the graduation before the Little Ones go to Middle School.

I felt a little sad as I got off on the 4th floor where the fifth graders were having their exhibition. Unlike the exhibitions of our childhood, these were actually projects done by the children themselves on topics that they were passionate/interested about.

There was an overarching theme about connecting India but the subjects were something that the children chose themselves in which they not only showcased their learning skills over the past five years but also displayed their own distinctive identities.

Little PO

Little Po spoke about music and healing, in particular the Mozart Effect or rather a variation of it. His premise was that Music heals and particularly wards off the loneliness and isolation that people in old age homes, palliative care or even institutions for the differently abled feel.

His own visits to three such homes not only brought much joy to the people living in them but gave him a sense of purpose that his gift of music could make a difference in the lives of others albeit fleeting.

Ms Papaya

Ms. Papaya on the other hand, with a passion for fashion discovered that unnecessary expenditure on clothes is not only wasteful but environmentally damaging as well. As part of her learning, she decided to conduct a clothes donation drive and donate the clothes to a non-profit that re-uses, re-purposes and re-cycles old clothes.

This was met with a huge response with literally a ton of clothes from both the junior and senior schools. Some children even sent their old clothes home to save us the hassle of carrying them back from school. So yesterday it was my task to deliver the clothes to the collection centre.

And the others

The hall was full of parents and children and as I visited each stall, I found all the kids so different from the toddlers they were when they first met each other in Upper Prep.

These confident young boys and girls were taller than me, spoke with authority and moved with a confidence that was truly remarkable. They answered questions without ums and aahs. Their presentations were polished and truly it was a joy to see how then had grown so beautifully.

As I got out of the lift, I felt a twinge of sadness. It won’t be long before I will have little to do with helping them with school work. No longer will they be my babies who have to be dropped off or picked up.

They are slowly going to spread their wings and finally fly away.

Goodbye little ones. Should I re-christen you to Big Little Ones?

Ciao