The Things Children learn to live with…
Notes from my classroom in Kathmandu.
“I had older brothers, but they all died.
“We had small siblings too, right dai? (Translation: brother) But they also died, and another died with our mother when she gave birth to him.”
My heart contracted when I heard this from my students.
They said it with such simplicity like it was just another simple thing they were talking about.
I teach English to grade three and four students (ages 8–12). All my students have siblings in either my class or another within the school. I know this because there are three students in my class who look identical. The way they speak and support each other makes it evident that they are siblings.
There’s another set of sisters, who are bickering with each other at all times. Typical sister behaviour! But, they also love and care for each other endlessly, I know it because I see them share one set of raincoats when it rains heavily as they return home. They are among few who go home to their family after the classes.
All others stay at the school.
Some of the students beg me to let them go early every Friday (some ask me not to come) as they need to wash their and their siblings’ clothes. Most younger siblings wait for their elder ones outside of the class, either by playing among themselves or by chasing each other in the corridor. Regardless, I always assumed that all my students have a sibling within the school.
That assumption was broken recently, when I saw a new bright smiling face in the class sitting next to my student, Rabin (Name changed to protect privacy). He was sitting next to his sister, Ankita (Name changed). They resembled each other, even more when they smiled. I could see radiant energy coming off of them. It made me happy to see them together.
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I asked Rabin, “Is this your sister Rabin?”
“Yes, she will study in this school from now onwards. She will study in grade 2.”
To Ankita, I asked, “Where did you come from?”
“Bajura.”
“Rabin, do you have other older brothers or sisters too?”
“No! I had brothers but they all died. I don’t know how.”
“What about younger ones? Is Ankita the only younger sister you have or there are others at Bajura?”
“Only Ankita. I had older brothers, but they all died.”
Ankita added, “We had small siblings too, right dai? But they also died, and another died with our mother when she gave birth to him.”
My heart contracted when I heard this from my students.
They said it with such simplicity like it was just another simple thing they were talking about.
Then, they went on to talk happily about the new stationery that Ankita had got at the school.
