” How has anyone ever understood anyone,
Except through love which is wordless.
Fay Weldon
Being associated with children has always been a very rewarding and joyous experience. On World Autism Awareness Month which falls on April, I was looking to put up something pertinent yet unique on my blog, which goes by the name of Growing Beyond Boundaries . After endlessly rummaging through a lot of material, it is this picture that caught my eye.
In a world where love is expressed in innumerable ways, be it through exchanging greeting cards, in the form of long reassuring conversations or short emojis; often in the moments bygone, and many times through the lyrics of a favorite song, the power of “unspoken” love seems restricted only to the movies.
Yet, in my limited tenure of working as a preschool teacher, as well as shadowing children with special needs, I have been very fortunate to experience the pure & unconditional love of children.
A toddler wordlessly outstretching his tiny arms to envelope me in a big hug, or a child leaving his father’s hand to hold mine on the way to school, are a couple of the many beautiful instances that will be etched in my memory forever.
What then, is the one factor which makes such kind of love so unique? Is it because a lot is conveyed without the pressing need for verbalization, or has it more to do with the rapport shared between the teacher & her student? Answers to this, however, may be varied. While for some, building a connection happens instantly; it develops and deepens over time, coupled with a tremendous amount of patience and trust for many others.
Having said this, the unstinted faith & support of parents both towards their child and the pedagogue is something that can never be undermined. From being silent spectators to their little one’s trials and tribulations to entrusting them to a stranger for many waking hours in a day, their journey has never been easy, to say the least. What is even more challenging is to gradually get oneself to believe, that an ideology other than your own will work better for them.
Also, a constant fear of social isolation or the possibility of their child not being able to outgrow challenges & complexities is just a few of the unspoken parental concerns, especially for those caring for differently-abled children.
While we all come together as parents, teachers, and caregivers to decipher the many languages of love, this is what the child has to say 😊
Yet, in my limited tenure of working as a preschool teacher, as well as shadowing children with special needs, I have been very fortunate to experience the pure & unconditional love of children.
A toddler wordlessly outstretching his tiny arms to envelope me in a big hug, or a child leaving his father’s hand to hold mine on the way to school, are a couple of the many beautiful instances that will be etched in my memory forever.
What then, is the one factor which makes such kind of love so unique? Is it because a lot is conveyed without the pressing need for verbalization, or has it more to do with the rapport shared between the teacher & her student? Answers to this, however, may be varied. While for some, building a connection happens instantly; it develops and deepens over time, coupled with a tremendous amount of patience and trust for many others.
Having said this, the unstinted faith & support of parents both towards their child and the pedagogue is something that can never be undermined. From being silent spectators to their little one’s trials and tribulations to entrusting them to a stranger for many waking hours in a day, their journey has never been easy, to say the least. What is even more challenging is to gradually get oneself to believe, that an ideology other than your own will work better for them.
Also, a constant fear of social isolation or the possibility of their child not being able to outgrow challenges & complexities is just a few of the unspoken parental concerns, especially for those caring for differently-abled children.
While we all come together as parents, teachers, and caregivers to decipher the many languages of love, this is what the child has to say 😊
– Divya Rao
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