From tears to the class clown

Suraj attends the Pratham Balwadi program, which helps pre-school children develop good school habits, including physical, social, emotional and cognitive development.

When he first joined the class, he cried and did not want to leave his mother’s side. After spending just two months in the program, he became one of the liveliest in his class.

Suraj thoroughly enjoys and participates in all activities of the class. He can count and recognize numbers from 1-10 and recognize colors. As soon as we entered his class, he greeted us with the loudest voice and instantly showed us a paper fan that he made during his craft lesson.

His eyes lit up when he was told that his picture will be taken and immediately posed for the camera; and as soon as he was satisfied he said ‘sabka photo khincho, please’ ”please take everyone’s pictures.” His confidence was very impressive!

According to Suraj’s teachers, he is very naughty and loves attention. “This leads him to constantly distract the class, but that is not necessarily a bad thing,” says his teacher. “It helps the shy children to open up, interact and express themselves – and that is what preschool is about.”

Thanks to your donation, Suraj is a happy, confident learner. Thanks for making this possible.

For more uplifting stories and to see how your donation is making a difference, please visit http://pratham.seeyourimpact.org/readathon2013/ and scroll to the stories section at the bottom of the page.