I consider myself a novice gardener. I started four or five years ago when the teacher who ran the garden club at my school moved to another school, and I realized that we needed someone to coordinate and continue the work she had started.
A fellow teacher and I worked to keep the momentum going, and I realized how amazing it is to plant and grow vegetables. This realization led me to take a look at my own very neglected yard, and I started the journey of learning how to plant and maintain a garden. This past summer as I wandered around my yard, thinking about where things should go, planting vegetables and flowers, and digging out goutweed and other invasive species, it felt akin to setting up a classroom.
My inexperience often means it takes me time to make gardening decisions: I have to really think about what I am doing and where things should go. As a seasoned teacher, my classroom setup is faster: I have years of experience knowing what works, how I might tweak things, and an understanding that the classroom will evolve over time. The school year is long, and how the space is used by students and teachers is dynamic.
I remember my first year with a classroom: I spent two weeks setting up. I put fadeproof paper with borders on every bulletin board, purchased lots of supplies at the teacher’s store that I never really used, and spent a great deal of time arranging posters and areas on bulletin boards. A few weeks into the school year, a school reorganization happened—I was moved into a different classroom and all of that work was lost. I should have spent that time hanging out in my backyard, enjoying the last gasps of summer!
Looking back, I’ve realized that whether you teach 6-year-olds or 13-year-olds, setting up a room isn’t about filling empty wall space—it’s about deliberately preparing the ground for your students to take ownership.
Here is the essential setup to focus on before day one:
Desk Layout and Learning Zones: Set up desks as well as areas of the classroom where different types of learning can occur (e.g., reading area and books, building area, games, math manipulatives). A break spot for emotional self regulation can also be very helpful.
Material Management: Label student materials (e.g., lockers, duotangs/notebooks). Determine a plan and space for students to access school supplies such as pencils, rulers, scissors, glue sticks, and markers.
Anchor Walls (Not Decor): Keep bulletin boards mostly bare. Leave room to co-create class agreements, anchor charts, and display student work as the year unfolds. Organize a space for Jobs, and determine what those jobs are.
Visual Routines: Draft a daily schedule and calendar. Using green painter’s tape directly on a board creates clean grids that keep both you and students grounded. Make daily, weekly, and monthly routines visible and editable.
First-Week Foundations: Plan the initial community-building routines and draft your day-one home communication. If you have time, set up a parent/guardian communication binder and an Occasional Teacher binder.
Think deliberately about the spaces you want, and remember that the classroom environment should be developed collaboratively with the students. A conversation about classroom agreements and learning starts on the first day and continues throughout the year, and so the walls and spaces of the classroom should reflect the students’ work and ideas. Like a garden, the students will change and grow, and the classroom space should reflect that transformation over time.
Rethinking Invitations in the 2026 Kindergarten Curriculum
Many of us are probably wondering what the new Ontario Kindergarten Curriculum will look like in classrooms that have embraced play-based learning for so many years. How will play fit into our teaching now that the curriculum places a stronger emphasis on structured literacy and numeracy?
The most substantive change in the 2026 Kindergarten Curriculum is the focus on evidence-based systematic and explicit instruction in foundational language and mathematics. However, I don’t see this as a rejection of the 2016 Kindergarten Program. Instead, I see it as an iteration that builds on what we have already been doing while placing a stronger emphasis on intentionally teaching foundational knowledge and skills.
For me, this means that play is not something we move away from. Instead, it is something we become even more intentional about. The curriculum recognizes three instructional approaches: evidence-based systematic and explicit instruction, student-centred play, and inquiry-based learning. As educators, we determine which approach, or combination of approaches, will be most effective when planning responsive and inclusive Kindergarten programs.
One of the things I have always loved about teaching kindergarten is creating simple invitations to play. There was something joyful about setting up materials with intention before students arrived and then watching their curiosity lead them.
With the new curriculum, those invitations still have an important place in our classrooms. Rather than thinking that every learning experience needs to begin with an invitation or that every experience needs to begin with direct instruction, we can think more intentionally about the learning goal and which instructional approach will best support it. Sometimes that may mean explicitly teaching a skill first and then providing opportunities for children to practise and apply it through play. At other times, play or inquiry may be the starting point that allows us to observe children’s thinking and determine what they are ready to learn next. This balance is what I find most exciting.
Outdoor learning continues to be one of my favourite places for this to happen. It is a powerful environment where children can build on classroom learning while developing oral language, early reading, number sense, and problem-solving in authentic and meaningful ways.
Let’s imagine that you have just finished teaching a lesson on one-to-one correspondence. Rather than moving to a tabletop activity or a worksheet, students head outside to an invitation filled with pinecones, sticks, and stones. Suddenly, those natural materials become tools for counting with accuracy, comparing quantities, making sets, creating patterns, and talking about their mathematical thinking. The same materials can also become a follow-up to a literacy lesson where students describe, label, sequence events, and build their oral language and vocabulary.
In this example, the play experience is not replacing explicit instruction. Instead, it provides children with an opportunity to practise and apply the knowledge and skills they have been taught in a meaningful context. The learning is intentionally connected to the curriculum and to the learning that came before it, while still allowing children the freedom to explore, problem-solve, communicate, and make choices within their play.
The other day, while spending time outdoors with a group of kindergarten students, we started talking about the hot weather and all the ways we like to stay cool. It immediately brought back memories of some of my favourite outdoor invitations. It also made me realize that many of these experiences fit beautifully within the new curriculum with just a slight shift in our planning.
One outdoor setup that became a class favourite was a fence music wall made from old pots, pans, lids, and wooden spoons. Students gathered to explore sounds and rhythms, and every group used it differently. Some created songs, others made repeating rhythm patterns, and a few worked together to put on their own performances.
Now, we might explicitly teach students to hear and produce syllables, clap simple rhythm patterns, or identify beginning sounds in words and then provide opportunities for students to practise these skills through play. To further build on the connection between the lesson and the play, we could add word cards to the music wall using words from our explicit instruction. Students can clap the syllables in each word, identify beginning sounds, read familiar words, or use the cards as they create chants and rhythms. Once outdoors, students can continue practising those same skills by experimenting with rhythm, creating rhymes, and sharing ideas with one another. The invitation becomes a meaningful way to reinforce foundational literacy skills while keeping the joy and agency of play at the centre.
Another favourite was our PVC waterfall wall attached to the fence. Equipped with funnels, tubing, cups, and containers, children spent long stretches of time testing ideas, changing the flow of water, and solving problems together.
Following explicit instruction on comparing capacity or using mathematical language such as full, empty, more, less, and equal, we can provide opportunities for children to practise those concepts in a hands-on way outdoors. They can estimate, compare, measure, test predictions, and explain their thinking as they work together. In this way, the play experience reinforces mathematical language and concepts while giving children opportunities to apply what they have learned in a meaningful and engaging context.
There are so many other outdoor invitations that can be adapted just as easily.
Looking back, I realize that invitations to play have always been about creating meaningful opportunities for children to explore and make sense of the world around them. That hasn’t changed.
What has changed is the way we may think about the relationship between explicit instruction, play, and inquiry. The 2026 Kindergarten Curriculum does not mean that we need to choose between explicit instruction and play-based learning. Instead, it asks us to be intentional about how and when we use different instructional approaches to support children’s learning.
If anything, the new Kindergarten Curriculum reminds us that explicit instruction and purposeful play can work beautifully together. When we intentionally teach foundational skills and then provide engaging opportunities to practise and apply them through play, we create learning experiences that are both purposeful and joyful. The goal is not to replace play with explicit instruction, but to create a thoughtful balance where children receive the instruction they need while still having meaningful opportunities to explore, experiment, communicate, problem-solve, and learn through play.
The Joys of Co-Teaching: Part 2
Hello Fellow Travellers,
In response to Part 1 of this conversation, a collaborative thought partner asked me some key questions. From those questions, I have synthesized the gist for us to think through and respond here:
- As some of our members have not had the chance to have co-teaching opportunities, what would you say to those who wonder how realistic these opportunities are for them?
- How can we support early career teachers who may not know about how they can do this?
- What if an instructional coach or consultant does not offer? How can they look into this?
One Size Does Not Fit All
I do understand that everyone is not ready to reach out to someone within the school or outside the school. Some members may be unaware of the possibilities and promise in this practical strategy–and the many benefits of a co-modelled pedagogical partnership.
Look around you and take small steps.
Follow someone’s work on social media if you prefer that path.
First Things First
For new teachers, it is important to think about planning or examining curriculum expectations as well as assessment practices. For that ETFO has many easily accessible resources on the Members site. Register and login to access them.
Sometimes, it is a matter of reaching out to colleagues you meet at professional learning workshops in your school district or those you may attend with ETFO – ask to partner because these collaborations do not always germinate in one work site as well when they thrive across different locations the learning is richer because we can learn from one another.
Please reach out, as I like hearing from you.
With You, In Solidarity.
Rashmee Karnad-Jani
The Joys of Co-Teaching: A Grade 7 Experience (Part 1)
What Do You Value Most?
In the work that we do as ETFO members, many of us know and speak about the things we value most. Collaborative colleagueship, connections with families and time spent with students on a daily basis are the three things that matter a lot to me. There are others but I shall speak about them at another time.
Collaborative Colleagueship
I have listed this aspect at the beginning because without this key ingredient, the other two do not quite work out the way one would like. Although we may be identically credentialed as Ontario Certified Teachers, we may have more in common with some colleagues in terms of beliefs, interests, advocacy practices and so on. It is important, therefore, to listen and be present because even when people may have very different interests, our professional standpoints may align and lead to a long and productive working relationship. Therefore, an open mind and a learning stance are key.
Connections With Families
Even though right now, I am not in direct contact with families the same way as I was when I was a school-based teacher, I am always delighted when I attend school events, awards ceremonies, graduation or meetings with families because there are multiple opportunities to learn from people who know our students well. That said, I am delighted that in September, I am going back to a school-based assignment as a Special Education Resource Teacher or SERT.
Time Spent with Students
This is the heartbeat of the work that you and I do, isn’t it?
In the May-June period, I was invited to co-teach with a colleague and it was a Grade 7 classroom, the same spot where I started my career over two decades ago. I was excited and curious whether things have changed a lot in the teacher-student relationship since 2015, because that was the year I moved to teach Kindergarten to Grade 3 and then moved on to teach Grades 3-4.
Joining A Conversation
Co-teaching is like joining a conversation. It is not about going in with “here’s what I know” but asking “what are you working on and how can I walk with you?” In collaborating with my colleague at this school, I learned that the students had been engaged in rich learning experiences and were at the stage of their learning where they were working on products such as videos and other presentation forms to showcase their understanding. They were writing biographies. Their guiding question was “Who Deserves a Biography?”
Who Are You?
It is amazing how all students may have questions but whether they ask them directly or not is largely based on their age-grade-comfort level as well as other factors.
In younger grades, there is never any qualm about asking who I am and what my favorite colour or ice cream flavour is.
In Grade 7, there is a distance, smiles and nods but no direct questions yet. So what do I do?
I Invite Questions
I say to students, “I am a visitor in your classroom and while your teacher has introduced me by name, I am sure you have other things you are wondering about. Please ask me one question per table group and we will go around one more time if you want to ask more.” I also let them know that I shall answer the questions the next time I visit the class so as not to take up too much of their class time that day. After some consultation, the students come up with questions.
Neither my colleague nor I had to re-direct any questions because the students in all the classes where I have done this work keep their norms of engagement in mind it appears.
The Questions
These last two questions were greeted by sharp intake of breath by some students. My colleague and I discussed later that in our next co-teaching visit, I would begin there. |
Reading Together
Remember this book I had spoken about in an earlier conversation with you? This copy was available in the classroom although I had brought my own.
I read it to the Grade 7 class and promised to come back when their teacher and I coordinate time to co-teach. I thanked them for welcoming me.
Heartfelt Thanks
I am aware that everyone does not get such opportunities.
I am therefore deeply grateful when colleagues make room, pull up a chair, share their vision for their students’ learning. When we collaborate this way, it lets me see that these realities are very much present and possible in the brick and mortar buildings in which we do our work and if the conditions do not allow for this to happen yet, there are partnership possibilities across work sites.
We do find our people. We just have to show up and tune in.
With You, In Solidarity
Rashmee Karnad-Jani
Pebbles In My Pocket
I grew up by the seaside, in 2 beautiful cities on the West Coast of India.
I am telling you this because I think this spatial-geographical context is important to our conversation today. I am always soothed by the sound of waves, and I like to pick up shells and pebbles.
Although these days one can buy anything with the click of a button, the pebbles I have carried with me from place to place are my constant companions.
I take care of the pebbles. The pebbles take care of me.
I sometimes gift a pebble to a friend or colleague so you may already know this story.
Being Seen and Remembered
At one of the schools I am partnered with, I was outside at recess, and some students came up to me. One of them said “I know you from somewhere a long time ago.” I smiled inwardly as educators tend to do while listening intently: a 12-year-old perhaps does have a long-ago sense of life. I welcomed that sentiment.
Then he asked me, “Did you used to carry pebbles in your pocket?” His friends shifted uncomfortably, some chuckled at the question as it seemed odd to them perhaps.
“Yes, I did.” I said, “I still do.”
And I held out my hand in which were pebbles, some glass ones – bought, and some collected.
“I knew it was you!” the student said, though he didn’t remember my name. I am okay with that.
I remembered then, that when I was at another school supporting Kindergarten to Grade 4, students had heard of the pebbles and when we would be outside at recess, some would come by to explore the contents of my pockets.
The Pebbles Have a Job
I carry the pebbles for two reasons.
- When I am in busy spaces such as grocery stores or in a bustling hallway, I reach into my pocket and the smooth, cold, pebbles ground me.
- When I am with students in unstructured times, on a field trip or at recess supervision, the pebbles are a great conversation starter when accompanied with “look what I found the other day,” even if that other day was decades away.
Benefits of Pebbles in My Pocket
- Students connect with these little pieces of nature’s wonder or coloured glass (which I keep in my hand the whole time –so there is no mouthing of unsafe items).
- Literacy connections with pebbles are many: the describing words flow – smooth, bumpy, big, small, cold etc.
- Some students are adventurous and have more words in their vocabulary – I have been informed that one rock “has capillaries and looks like a kidney shaped eyeball”.
- It is lovely that they wait for my reaction at such times. Imagination is wonderful especially when the adult isn’t squeamish!
Self-Regulation, Co-Regulation and Troublemakers
I delight in reading the work of others who share their thoughts in this space. My ardent wish is that someday we can meet in person. Until then, I would like to share the writing of colleagues in this space whose thoughts enter this conversation.
Brenda MacNaughton’s writing in 2025, invites the reader to think about the circumstances in which our students’ and families’ lives unfold everyday and calls us to consider what you and I need to consciously do when we engage with people in front of us.
This got me thinking: How might I demonstrate and open up space for students when they are in my sphere of influence so that their burdens become lighter for some time? What do I need to do to reach out to social and community based support provided by the school district for the family to receive support while they deal with the ups and downs?
Preeti Deokharan recently wrote and this is exciting because this book is also referenced in the ETFO resource Special Education Needs In The Regular Classroom: Supporting Students with Behaviour Needs. Here, the writer highlights the importance of making small shifts in our approach that will make a difference.
The Pebbles Aren’t Just Pebbles.
- They are a reminder of my humanity and what makes me who I am.
- They are also reminders that I can take care of myself in times when I feel wobbly.
- Above all, they are a time to pause and be grateful for the tiny gifts of our workday. I continue to feel grateful for the wonder that children give me daily. This ability to see life as I did when I was a child is returned to me daily by the young people who use their imagination in miraculous ways to make sense of the world around them.
- This realization gives me hope that the work you and I do is much more than pouring water on sand, especially on days when it feels like just that.
With You, In Solidarity,
Rashmee Karnad-Jani
What did you see today?
Hello Fellow Travellers,
Progress reports have gone home and we are moving through the school year. I hope you are well and are taking care of yourselves.
I’m Here Now
I used to do other jobs before, as a Grade 7-8 science teacher, then SERT in the Grade 6 to 8 years, then K-3 teacher etc. But I am here now. I do not have a classroom of my own is one way of looking at it. Another way, is to think that all classrooms into which I am invited are my teaching-learning spaces too.
I am here now. This is one such recent memory of being in the moment, teaching and learning.
One Monday Morning Recently
As with every stage of life when things change I remind myself that I’m here now so there’s more looking ahead with hope and anticipation than looking back with nostalgia. It was Monday morning and I was in a Grade 2 classroom at the farthest school on my list. I’d not been in this classroom before though I’ve met the students in Grade 1.
What Did You See Today?
On my drive, as I travel up from the southern end of the region, I see the land change and I see horses.
When I’d worked with them then, they’d asked me “where do you live?” And when I’d shown them the general area, some of them had asked, I remember “What did you see on your way up?”
Something Lost, Something Gained
I remember when my younger child learned to read I had felt as if a part of my life changed forever. So also, as I’ve missed this part of a classroom teacher’s job since 2020. In the early days I remember I used to look through picture books and think “oh that’ll be great to read aloud” and then I’d remember that I didn’t have my own classroom anymore. It took time to get used to the idea that it’s possible to belong nowhere yet be a part of everywhere.
The Book
The book I’d chosen was one I have liked as a reader as well as an educator. Friends and colleagues had read and recommended it to one another over the years. That said, I encourage all readers to consult your school board’s Text Selection and Guidelines.
We’ve Read This Book Before
The colleague who’d invited me and I had decided I’d bring a book to read, I’d introduce myself and I’d review her expectations chart… you know how the routine goes.
I did the first few things and as I took out the book the students said, “We’ve read this book before.”
So Let’s Think Differently ( I thought)
I always carry a few copies of copies of picture based prompts for exactly such a moment . I handed out the cards and began to read. I asked the students what they could see in the pictures as I read and what they could tell from their previous reading. They were eager and listened, then responded.
We read together, we noticed some things, we commented on some things, we made connections.
Then a student asked “do you have these cards for our class?” “Yes, I do”, I said and I left a spiral bound mini version with him.
Previous Connections
Although I recognize students from previous years I don’t crowd their space and place when I meet them again. But after giving the student these cards, as I was moving away, I was stopped with a soft tap on my wrist.
“I remember you”, the student said softly. You come from far away and you see horses on your way to our school ”
“Yes, I do”, I replied.
It appears that “All Are Welcome” wasn’t just the title of the book I’d chosen.
It was also my experience in this classroom. For such moments, I am deeply grateful.
I want to invite you to write back directly (if you know me outside this space) or through this space to share what you see that welcomes you into your teaching and learning spaces.
With You, In Solidarity
Rashmee Karnad-Jani
Active Listening: What the Ontario Curriculum Actually Says
In elementary, we spend time during the beginning of the year setting expectations and norms to build a healthy and welcoming classroom community. Best practice tells us to continue to reinforce these norms throughout the year—not just in September.
We often focus on oral communication early on, particularly active listening, as a means to ensure all voices are heard and valued. But did you know that the Ontario Language Curriculum doesn’t actually define “active listening”?
Here’s what it does say:
Effective Listening Skills
B1.1 use effective listening skills, including listening attentively and asking relevant questions, in formal and informal contexts, including conversations and classroom activities
— Grade 1, Ontario Language Curriculum (2023)
It does not define “active listening” as eyes on the speaker, mouth closed, hands in lap, sitting criss-cross with a calm body. Yet, the number of posters, anchor charts, classroom displays, and behaviour expectations across classrooms that frame it this way.
Some Considerations — Thinking Critically About Listening Norms
Let’s consider a few things. Are the ways we define and assess listening in our classrooms actually inclusive? Are they developmentally appropriate? Are they culturally responsive?
Here are a few questions to reflect on:
1. Do students need to look at the speaker to listen?
2. How are students sitting?
3. How are we measuring listening?
4. Are we privileging dominant cultural norms?
Instead of teaching a one-size-fits-all version of active listening, we can:
- Model and co-create with students what listening looks like, sounds like, and feels like—acknowledging that it may vary by person
- Encourage self-awareness: “What helps you listen and focus best?”
- Prioritize authentic communication over performative behaviour.
Final Thoughts
As educators, our role is not just to teach curriculum, but to teach it in a way that honours identity, culture, and individual needs. Let’s move beyond posters and routines, and into a more inclusive, responsive approach to oral communication and classroom participation.
3 Lessons this Year
This school year, I felt a lot.
It was like bowling. I showed up each day and gave it my all. I aimed for that perfect strike each time.
As I reflect on my experiences this year, I know not every bowling ball hit its mark. Some days felt like a solid spare. Others? A complete gutterball.
Still, I kept going – frame by frame, day by day.
As I wrap up this year and reflect on what truly mattered, I’m walking away with three powerful lessons:
- Boundaries Matter … so I can be sustainable.
With each year, I am getting better at setting boundaries between work and personal life. It is a practice I will continue to grow with. Setting boundaries allows me to be present for my students and team each day.
2. Progress Matters … so I can keep being my best for students.
Some mistakes were made. But the beauty of teaching is that there is always another frame, another day, to try again. Each “miss” forced me to learn how to better reach and support students.
3. The Arts Matters … so I can spark creativity in my students and myself.
Whether it was planning a themed literacy day, facilitating student projects, or simply rethinking a lesson through an equity lens—those creative sparks made the hard days brighter.
No, this year was not a perfect game.
But it was real, meaningful, and full of growth.
And for me, that’s more than enough.
What are your three lessons from this year? What matters to you the most?
Why You Need to Celebrate your Work as an Educator
As elementary educators, it can get easy to forget about the amazing things we achieve every year. Our work is cyclical: we finish the year in June and re-start in September, which can sometimes feel as though we are starting from the beginning every time. It doesn’t help that the days can feel like a blur, with the hectic rush of marking, lesson planning, setup, and classroom management.
I went to a meeting recently in which every staff member seemed to be recognized for an achievement except me. It was a difficult experience to endure – I felt embarrassed, as though a whole school year had slipped through my fingers.
When the emotions passed and I finally had a moment to reflect, I started to look back at the previous 7-8 months, and what I had been able to achieve in that time. I realized I had a lot to celebrate – even though it may not have been visible to the team that I work with. And without getting into the specifics, the biggest discovery I made was that I needed to celebrate my wins more.
Why? Let’s take a quick look at why our professional achievements – big and small – are important to celebrate.
1. If you don’t honour yourself, who will?
Being an educator entails a lot of “behind the scenes” work of planning, marking, researching, and connecting with families and colleagues. Few people will know how much of yourself and your own resources you have put into the job but you. You are in fact the best person to remind yourself about the great things you have done and are doing.
Self-love is something I tend to struggle with, but I believe it is the first step towards feeling more confident and empowered personally and professionally. Don’t wait for others to notice your hard work – you may never get the recognition you seek.
2. Celebrating Your Achievements Supports your Mental Wellness.
Simply stated, it feels GREAT to take stock of what you have done throughout the school year. Did you build strong relationships and connections? Did you show up for work on days you were tired or stressed and still manage to provide students with a great day of learning? Have you seen growth in yourself and the students you work with?
Take a moment to think about and write down the amazing things you have done. Chances are, you have done much more than you realize in the time between September and June. And take a good, long moment to soak up that feeling of accomplishment. That “pat on the back” can do wonders for your self-esteem and drive your sense of self-worth through the roof.
3. Build Resilience.
Teaching is demanding work: days can be hectic, and we spend hours listening to others, managing classroom dynamics, and taking on different roles throughout our schools and boards to support its success. Moments of recognition fuel your ability to bounce back and keep going, particularly when we start to feel drained and depleted. Celebrating what’s working reminds you of your strengths, and also helps us to hone in on areas of improvement.
4. Reinforce Your Sense of Purpose as an Educator.
In the rush of routines, expectation-setting, and responsibilities, it’s easy to forget the “why”. Celebrating reminds you of the value you bring and the lives you’re impacting in your day-to-day work.
When you reflect on your work and celebrate your achievements, try to also remember why you became a teacher in the first place, and how your sense of purpose has evolved in your years of service. Through your achievements, you are fulfilling that purpose and affirming your commitment to your “why”.
Where in Mumbai?
The Places
We go from here and there through our day. Sometimes, we go to new places around our usual work location, whose address we enter into our devices so that we arrive promptly with time to spare, even. So one day recently, I thought I was just going to work.
The Context
Since December 2024, two colleagues and I have been collaborating with consultants in another department to work on a key resource that has helped many and will continue to help more students and educators as we move forward. Sometimes in March, just before a series of professional learning sessions, we met again. We had to get through a lot.
The Necklace Started It
I have always loved necklaces and I always wear one when I’m not in classrooms. This was one such piece.
As colleagues from the other department came into the meeting room one of them complimented me on my choice. I thanked her and added, “It’s from Mumbai. Like me”.
A dear friend with whom I’d attended school (Grades 9-10) had gifted it to me from her collection when she visited last summer. But I didn’t have time to share that as we were at work, you know. We had a lot to do.
My colleague smiled warmly and asked, “Where in Mumbai?”
Where in Mumbai?
At the end of that long and busy week, my heart skipped a beat: In 21 years of working in education and 23 years living “here”, no one had ever asked me “Where in Mumbai?”
“Dadar”, I said.
My colleague told me where she grew up and I reminisced that I used to go shopping in that neighbourhood and had fond memories of some beautiful silver jewelry pieces I had bought there. I had also worked nearby to where she’d grown up. We talked about these places we both knew from what seems like another lifetime.
The glow of that conversation stayed with me and now we talk about books and authors and other things when we are in the same place, warming lunch.
Why This Question?
I have many friends in many spaces at work. We have lots of conversations and have many fond memories over the years. We talk about books, family (ours), pets (theirs), dreams and many other things.
Yet, just one question “Where in Mumbai?” has stayed with me differently. It is as if a locked door has sprung open.
Some points that come into view for me that I want to share with you, my fellow traveller.
- I think about how we, as educators, recognize intellectually that the whole child comes to school.
- Yet many of of us aren’t able to bring our whole selves to work.
- I/we don’t talk about everything that makes me/us complete because either there’s too much to do, or more often, I/we don’t think anyone else knows of that place, that food, that fragrance and so on
- I am sure there are many more meanings that will come to the surface for you and me when you read this. Do share.
There’s A Ghazal (Poem) For That
So here are some lines from a ghazal written by Gulzar and sung by Jagjit Singh that explain that feeling of perhaps being The Only One in a space. These lines explains the feeling of a solitude that I couldn’t put into words until that question “Where in Mumbai?
“Aainaa dekh karr tass-allee hui
Humko iss ghar mein jaan-taa hai koi”
The Translation Goes Like This
I was reassured when I looked in the mirror
That someone knows me in this house.
Thank you, dear colleague- friend who has memories of Mumbai. Not identical ones, but just like I do.
I can’t wait to see you again.
Fellow Travellers, I wish you such unexpected and pleasant encounters in your work spaces.
And if you know Mumbai, or Goa, please write back.
With You, In Solidarity
Rashmee Karnad-Jani