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A child with low confidence and speech impairments can still flourish in school with the right kind of support!
Zeeba was very excited. Today was going to be her day, her day of winning the quiz. Zeeba was an extremely shy girl and usually the last one to speak up in the class.
Mrs. Adams, her general knowledge teacher liked to give the class quizzes on important topics. The first ones to answer and the ones answering maximum questions were not only given extra credits but also received handcrafted chocolates from the school’s kitchen. It was considered a big honour.
Today’s topic was ‘Fire Station’ and who better than Zeeba to win it? Her father was the ‘Chief Fire Officer’ of their town’s fire station. She had learned and practised all about a fire station with her dad. She just couldn’t wait for Mrs. Adams to begin the quiz.
Mrs. Adams began with a big smile, “Hello class! I hope all of you have learned well. I am going to ask you five questions. You know the rules, if you know the answer to the question, put up your hand, and the first one to raise their hand get to answer. If you answer right, you get a point, if not the next person gets to answer and so on till we have all the right answers. Are we ready?”
There was a big “YES” from the class, everyone wanted those delicious heavenly chocolates sitting in a nice gold pouch on Mrs. Adams’ desk.
“O.K. question 1: Name five important things on a fire truck?”
Zeeba’s hand went up immediately.
“Yes, Zeeba?”
“They ara ..a hoooo……..sssseeee, soooo…rry………, I mean……….” Zeeba stuttered, and the class burst out laughing. As usual Zeeba’s shyness had taken over despite her preparation and determination.
Mrs. Adams understood at once and declared, “Sorry class I forgot, today’s quiz has to be answered in writing. Mr. Robert, our chef has asked for the answer sheet of the one getting the chocolates today, he wants to display it on his board for a whole week. It is an added honour.”
“So, I am writing the questions on the board, please answer on a sheet in neat handwriting. The first one submitting their sheets will be checked first, rules are the same as always. Please do not forget to write your name.” She was both speaking and writing the questions on the board.
Q1. Name five important things on a fire truck?
Q2. What does a fireman do?
Q3. Why do we need a fire station?
Q4. What are the 3 Ps of fire safety?
Q5. What are your three fire safety rules?
Zeeba was well prepared and wasted no time, in less than 10 minutes she handed her answer sheet to Mrs. Adams, way before anyone else in the class. Mrs. Adams looked at her answers and announced, “Ok class, today’s winner is Zeeba, 5 credits and chocolates and her answers on Mr. Robert’s board for all to see, well done Zeeba!”
The class applauded Zeeba as Mrs. Adams presented her the chocolates.
Everyone in school who passed Mr. Robert’s Board saw Zeeba’s answers and couldn’t help but think what a clever little girl Zeeba was.
Her answers, proudly displayed on Mr. Robert’s Board were:
A1. Water tank, ladder, hose, helmets, axe.
A2. A fireman saves life, property and the environment.
A3. Because we can’t handle the fire and rescue people easily like firemen. Fire station has enough water to control the fire.
A4. Three Ps: prevent, plan and practice.
A5. Do not play with fire, matches and lighters are not toys. Do not hide during the fire, let firefighters see you. Stop, drop, and roll if your clothes catch fire.
Image source: Akshayapatra on Pixabay
Pallavi Prakash Kumar is a conscious parent, an IT engineer, an author, and an award-winning parenting blogger, poet and the founder of 'She Narrates®'. Her forte is Technical Writing and creative writing. Her favorite read more...
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
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