Sunnyside children needed a library for which the book shelves had to be made in an economical way. It was decided to get welded metal frames, paint them, attach wooden planks and create book shelves for the library. The painting got delayed as the costs were very high. The idea to make the children do the painting as a project germinated as it was for their library these shelves were needed.
It was the beginning of September and the children were excited to paint with the high schooler being in charge of implementing the project. The frames had to be sandblasted, primed and painted. Keeping safety in mind, the work started with the children in masks, gloves and suitable work clothes.
Sanding, which was tiring and time consuming, was done by hand and using a power grinder after learning to use it. Priming was the next task taken. They took turns working as they discovered that the number of brushes was not enough. The next day, with more brushes, the work progressed at a faster pace. The book shelves were then left to dry.
The painting started after the bookcases were dry and ready for painting. Every drop of paint was carefully used until more paint was available. Work continued and with a heritage walk coming up, it was time to assess the progress. The quantity of work finished and the time required to finish the remaining work were roughly estimated. If all went as planned, the work should be finished by the end of the day.
The painting was completed and the bookshelves were left outside for the paint to completely dry. The shelves were then moved in after a couple of days. The carpenter cost of attaching the wooden planks was exorbitant so the project got delayed. The bookshelves were moved to the main hall and used to form the backdrop for the performance artists who visited us.
When our high schooler discovered a place where wooden planks were sold that could be cut to individual measurements, the planks were purchased and set on the bookshelves. Though the planks would have splinters, it was decided to use them carefully, as it took time to sand, prime and paint them. With the boards fixed, the kids enthusiastically set up their library nook with all their books and decor in place. They recorded a welcome reel of the opening of Sunnyside library as well, all on their own.
This sounds so easy on the blog but was it actually easy? Was the project such a tough one? We asked ourselves this question repeatedly during its execution as we saw children’s motivation and interest wax and wane during the entire process.
Although the painting was completed over a week, in reality, not all put in equal amounts of work as their initial excitement declined with the monotonous and tiring work. They had jumped onto the task without proper planning and when they struggled to complete the task, assessments were done and a plan made to complete the rest of the work. They motivated, coaxed and dragged each other to complete the task taken.
They had to be reminded to move the shelves inside the premises as they gathered dust outside. The bookcases and the project went into hibernation for 3 months until the procurement of the wooden boards. The shelves were used only as a backdrop when visitors came. The enthusiasm returned once the boards were in place and the bookcases were ready and in no time, a snug library nook sprung up.
Self-directed learning is not only learning concepts and content but building important life skills which would be used to problem solve real life challenges. It involves organising a gazillion tasks whether motivated or disinterested. It wasn’t easy facilitating this project with so many ups and downs but that is real life and it’s this rollercoaster of a ride that establishes the learning habits over time to make the students persevere even through the not-so-exciting parts of a project.
For successful learning to happen from any activity, children should be patiently provided opportunities for identifying their potential, behaviour, perseverance, diligence and integrity along with critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and self-regulation. No curriculum, syllabus or lesson plan accommodates these but in reality this is how children learn. If all educational institutions provided such an environment, then every child would become a self directed learner.
Authored by,
Naqeeb Sultana
Facilitator, Sunnyside