In the Name of Physical Beautification and Development

Sometimes, it is very difficult to work in a small school with small children when it comes to physical beautification and physical works. With most children little taller than the length of spde, shovl and pick axe handles, it is very challenging to materialize most of the physical works as planned. To have an ambience of a child friendly school, physical beautification is must to make a learning environment inviting and congenial. But beautification doesn’t come up naturally without investing our physical works. Although natural beauty is a true beauty that cannot be surpassed by any human-made beauty, wilderness is not a treat to most of the modern eyes. And as result we have to scratch and butcher, chisel and shape, cut and crop, every natural thing around us to suit our eyes. In the name of physical beautification, most trees and plants are denied of their wilderness. Weeds and grass which falls in the vicinity of any human settlement are not lucky. Weeds are either cut or weeded out on regular basis and grass are mowed timely not excluding fates of privets that are pruned or trimmed as and when they penetrates the shape a gardener shaped. 
     Our school too has to commit all the above mentioned sins to suit the moods of all of us. The task of transforming every natural things around us takes tremendous hard physical works in a small school like ours. It is hard to garner support of the community's people with their priority of their scheduled work at home. And the people are not that prosperous enough to sponser some important project in the school. Worse still, our school is surviving on shoestring budget. And government's planned developmental project doesn't cover everything that we dream to have an ambience of child friendly school. As a result, all beautification works and petty developmental works falls in our hands. Inch by inch, we have to share our physical energies to fall everything in the shape that is presentable to others and inviting to us.
     This weekend saw us developing a badminton court suitable for our children to develop basic skill of playing the game.  It is our aim to make all the games facilities available to our children. But in the small playground already in place we cannot divide the ground to play all the games. Yes we can make the ground to play multi games and let the children play the game in turn but most of the children especially the smaller ones land up not getting opportunity to play at least a game in a week. So with every game having its place to play, most children are immersed in a game or two in a day. Those who are not allowed to play football can move to other games. 
     In a torrid heat of August, in our attempt to develop the badminton court, countless drops of sweats dropped off from us and countable blisters appeared on our hands. The children were willing to help us but they were helpless as always in terms of major manual works. It was really pitiful to observe our children seeming exhausted in few minutes not being able to dig with comfort with tools' handles almost their height. As a result they were given lighter work to haul the dug earth taking their own time. I was really proud of my colleagues working hard to shape the bushy garden into a playground. After toiling for more than hour, we were satisfied with the ground falling in a place to develop a badminton court. In a shade we had pineapple juice prepared by our lady colleagues who toiled equally with those children assigned to weed flower gardens and cut grass around. We decided to continue the work inch by inch without taxing our bodies much. The coolness of the shade by the generous trees around dried our sweats and refreshingly cooled us. No matter how much tried we were in the middle in the day, something taking shape out of our own physical contribution, earned us at least a good nights sleep.