As a Peace Corps Volunteer, it is
grilled into you, for your long term sanity, that if you plant a seed
(the work we do) you will never get to sit under the tree's shade
(see the results). I have always been okay with this, understanding
that working with children, you won't see the end results until they
grow up and make choices about the way they will live their lives.
Will they continue on and go to secondary school or university? Will
they pick up a needle and choose to do drugs? Will they choose to
raise a family and teach their children to read, about proper
hygiene, acceptance and to love all creatures big and small? Will
they choose a life of crime?
Fact is, we don't really know how any
of our lives will turn out. People come in and out of our lives all
the time planting these little seeds. I can't pin it to one
particular seed that made me who I am today. It is each person who
has come into my short life that has made me who I am. My hopes,
fears and joys are shared with my friends. My family taught me
discipline, respect, and showed me how to love unconditionally. My
teachers guided my values, and encouraged socialization, teaching me
more than just reading, writing and math. My colleagues have taught
me team work, compromise and communication. The reality is, there is
no one person that makes a person who we are. Everyday we learn
something new from someone; everyday we make choices that could
change the direction of our lives. So whether these children turn out
good or bad, it won't be because of me alone; it will be because of
all of the people in their lives.
I would like to think that the seeds we
plant within the kids we work with as Peace Corps Volunteers will
ultimately flourish, not withering up and disintegrating shortly
after we leave. As we all know, seeds need careful attention, care
and nutrients to blossom. When we leave after our service is up, what
will happen to these seeds? This is, I think, every volunteers
fear... will what I spent two years on matter? As I approach my close
of service, it is my hope that the seeds I have planted will stay
deeply rooted and will find what they need from their community,
teachers, and friends, who have also received their little seeds.
The other day a parent came into school
to volunteer in the school library. We had a very interesting
conversation that clarified for me, that even though we volunteers
may not be able to see how the children will turn out, we are making
a difference in their lives NOW, and in the long run, that is all
that matters. She informed me that she hears her child and his
friends always talking about this Miss Aly lady, and how Miss Aly
always helps them pick out books and helps them and is so nice. How I
comment on their school work and tell them good job, even if I can't
tell what they are drawing, or if they can't spell something
correctly but tried their best. She sees changes in her child.
Then she told me a story that while it
kind of blew my mind, and showed me that seeds can be replanted by
the most unlikely of little ones. One day, she was in her yard and
she heard one of my little girl students telling her mom, "Mommy,
why do you beat me? It is because you don't love me isn't it? But
that is okay, because I have a miss who loves me." The mother
replied, "Who is this miss?" Student: "Miss Aly".
Mother: "Well she doesn't know you are bad." Student: "Yes
she does. And when I am bad she tells me I am bad and tells me how
to be good. She doesn't need to beat me. She loves me." I
don't know the response of this parent, but I can imagine it stopped
her in her tracks and provided a moment of reflection. Her child just made her think.
The parent volunteer told me that
overhearing this conversation got her thinking and started a
conversation with her sister about how she believes many Guyanese
parents raise their children. The children had replanted some seeds
of their own! She said she now sees clearly that many parents in her
sphere think that the role of being a parent is to provide, "food,
clothes and send them to school,” and their work is done as a
parent. But seeing this interaction between the little girl and her
mother, coupled with the joy in the kids faces talking about their
school work or books, or hearing about the small attentions I give to
them at school, made her understand that there is more to being a
parent than providing the bare necessities. She said these
interactions made her realize that being a parent is about taking
care of their happiness and their little souls, guiding them morally
and showing them you love them and care, whether they do good or bad.
She told me that she wanted to give back to her son to show him how
much she cared about him, and one small thing she could do was help
in the library, a place he loves. With this attitude, I can already
see that her tree will be strong, and I know that her son's tree will
grow up strong and beautiful, nurtured and loved. It would be
plausible that many others who pass through the library and come into
contact with her will continue to be cared for under her shade and
love.
So we may not see the end result of the
seeds we are planting, but we must push on and plant as many seeds as
we can, in as many places as we can. You never know who will replant
some seeds of their own, and where. With the grace of whatever higher
power is out there, some seeds will grow strong and powerful and
provide shade and protection for those that aren't yet strong enough
to care for themselves. Since we are all interconnected, impacting
everyone we come across, in some way, it makes sense that we should
all strive to be unconditionally accepting, be utterly kind and
patient, be a mentor, a friend, a shoulder to cry on, an empathetic
ear, be someone's teacher or their personal hero.
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