Look at the world around us, everyone is fixated with learning milestones, standard achievements, perfect outputs and the likes. Especially our image of associating learning with a certain type of output is in itself a huge limitation. A limitation that sneakily slips out of our consciousness.
Suddenly all we care is about chasing the output that is commonly accepted, to be able to hold oneself worthy of achievements, again prescribed in societal parlance.
For a moment, let’s switch the lens and see it from the perspective of a toddler. Full of energy to be curious, to know, to experience, to connect, to share, to express, to participate and mostly, also to lead. We barely associate any of this learning. Even though, the learning is exponential as they go on this rather adventurous learning expedition where learning in itself is veiled amidst all the explorations. So as such learning is not the focus, doing is the focus. Learning only is a natural outcome of the whole process.
Learning is so holistic, diverse – with them picking a plethora of skills along the way – that it may not be quantifiable in the standard sense of measurement where we associate learning with a certain output.
An assessment that requires everyone to adhere to the same output.
Well, none of this was in my schema of things until I decided to take up the daring feat of quilling and make a greeting card. My entire childhood, I had detested craft as a subject which meant my mom ended up doing all the craft I was required to do. Till date, it feels like a huge task to even a cut a piece of paper.
Well, that’s what happens to be in a space like Aarohi – you are pushed to expand the bounds of your imagination and creativity, irrespective of your age. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to try my hand at quilling. And the sheer joy that followed, I felt like I was once again a child having the full freedom to explore it in the way I want. I was at it for a couple of hours for the next 4-5 days.
I let it flow the way it went without worrying about what i was creating. I could make lots of mistakes. I had no pressure of time. And all of this shifted me very deeply from within. And I asked myself why don’t I create something every now and then with no pressure. It opens one up to myriad possibilities that life has to offer.
After I finished the greeting, I showed it to one of the teens at campus and she exclaimed, ‘Looks like a kindergarten child was at play’! And it dawned upon me that all i need was to do something with complete abandon just like a toddler would do.