Ryan
happened to be the tiniest child in the class as far as his stature was concerned. He was not only small
in size but also needed special attention and individual assistance. Every day he
would come to school in his father's auto-rickshaw whereas, most
of his classmates came in their chauffeur-driven
cars. Children in the class would derive some fun at the cost of hurting Ryan’s sentiments. As children would like to enjoy with friends of their age, so did Ryan want to enjoy with his classmates. As luck would have it, each time he joined them in some activity, he would face disappointment and get back to his place. Ryan did not take much interest in his studies yet one subject which really interested him was Geography. He would be excited to attend the Geography lessons.
To make Ryan feel more included in the class, the teacher decided to conduct a quiz on topics from Geography lessons. The winning team would be congratulated by the Principal during the assembly time. When the class was divided into groups, Ryan's group was visibly unhappy to have him with them. Ryan could not express his excitement seeing the reaction of his teammates. The class was all geared up when they were leaving for the day. When Ryan was leaving the class, he turned around to look at the teacher with expectant eyes. She smiled and said "All the best, Ryan...it will be your day tomorrow!' He smiled back and left. Next day, as the quiz started, to everyone's surprise, not only did Ryan answer all questions thrown at his group correctly but also answered a few bonus questions. Finally, Ryan's team won the quiz and his teammates simply picked him up in the air and cheered for him. The smile on Ryan's face and sparkle in his eyes, after that win, was worth more than a million-dollar! All the students of the class started asking Ryan to be in their team next time a quiz is held in the class. They had all become a big team, tolerant of each other. They were happy to be just friends.
Innovators @ Billabong High International School Thane
-Bhumi Punjabi, Vaishali Pathak, Krishnakshi Ravishonkar, Smita Bhobate