I picked up a call, though the number being unfamiliar to me. “Is it Priya Naik?” I was stunned and excited and jumping all around while I was on a call and got to hear I am appointed to work for them. The very next day i.e. 29th July, 2013 I joined “BOOKWORM” full of nervousness and a feeling of loneliness.
But this loneliness and nervousness vanished when I sat in the Bookworm van and was off to Mae dos Pobres school in Nuven with Sheena and Krystal on my first day.
For me every school had a library. This notion of mine was abandoned with the programme called Libraries in Schools (LiS), which is meant especially for the schools with no library facility. My hats off to Bookworm for taking such a lovely initiative of providing a library facility to the schools.
“Bookworm” for me is really a new world with different programmes for the benefit of children’s literature. In three months I have learnt a lot from Bookworm right from the library to the interventions in schools.
Can you believe? I learnt to care for books in Bookworm: only my school books or say my subject books were precious for me. No interest in books!!! Though every week I borrowed a library book in school I had no real sense of care for the books or ownership. The book was untouched and returned with no turn of a page. I started to read stories only after I joined.
Noisy classes, out of place students, teaching and a silence during a story, really new experiences of handling the class are all part of my new experiences. I got a new identity with Bookworm, students in ferry boat calling out, “there is the library teacher”. It feels great when somebody recognizes you and identifies you with your work.
Becoming a member of Study Group here is a continuation in my studies. Doing references, reading books and writing reports makes me a student again and of course I see Sujata as being a teacher who gives more insights into the topics.
The awesome Saturday Pre-School Session with different themes each time, with different ideas, I wonder how Elaine gets these ideas of connecting each activity from her “Good Morning” song till the end is another source of great learning for me.
Chetna, the Burrow lady with her Picture Book Workshop for us gave me the idea of what a picture book really means and she always explains things to me whenever I needed.
I appreciate my colleagues for giving me the ideas about Bookworm and how it functions. Niju, the Tech-man for giving me the ideas about the files and data, Krystal and Sheena for sharing their ideas about the lesson plans and how to handle the classes and off course Priya for giving knowledge about the whole library.
OK!!!! Its not my Farewell, its the entry into Bookworm. I have got to learn a lot more and become a real bookworm in Bookworm.
