Hurry Up! Or Your Mother Will Leave You Behind
A Simple House Is the Hardest Thing I Have Drawn in My Life.
*Palms Sweating*
“Hurry!”
Ears Ringing*
“You Have to Get It Right, Do It Fast!”
Head Spinning*
“Hurry Up! Or Your Mother Will Leave You Behind”
*Tears Stream Down My Face*
As I,
*Erase* *Erase* *Erase*
In that moment
It felt like life and death.
Nothing was more important to Me in the entire world.
In my head,
“I just have to get this right and then I can leave.”
…
“FOCUS FARYAL!”
“GET IT RIGHT!”
“I WON’T LET YOU GO UNLESS YOU GET IT RIGHT!!!”
The more kindergartner I listen to my art teacher.
The more I lose my focus.
I can’t help it.
The walls of the classroom are closing in on me.
A thousand thoughts circle my mind.
But I cannot lose my focus.
I must get this right.
Or else?
My mother would leave me behind.
At least this is what my art teacher is telling me.
…
The time is up.
All the other kids have left the classroom.
Every one of them has submitted their art assignment.
Their houses are perfect.
Exactly Like the Teacher Drew on the Blackboard.
Mine is not.
All because I added an extra door, a window, and a dog.
*Frantically Erasing*
In my head,
“I just have to erase the extra door, the window, and the dog.”
“She will be happy.”
“She will let me go.”
…
This is exactly how it happened.
I was in kindergarten.
It was the last class of the day.
Everyone was supposed to draw a house just like the teacher drew on the blackboard.
I did too.
But not exactly.
I added some extra elements.
Something as simple as an extra window, an extra door, and a cute dog.
Everything that I wanted in my dream house.
My Mistake?
My Creativity.
My Bigger Mistake?
I Thought I Could Be Creative in an Art Class.
But that is not how it works.
Our Education System MUST NOT promote this CREATIVITY MONSTER.
Everyone has to FOLLOW THE RULES!
My art teacher believed in rules too.
She believed in conformity.
And she made sure to impose it on every one of us.
Not only that, but on that day, she managed to make me believe that my mum would leave me behind.
Why?
Because her words planted a seed in my mind and I came up with the possibility of how it could happen.
Little me thought that my mum (also a teacher at the school) would think I was already on the bus as it was past the off-time.
And she would leave not knowing that I was actually at school.
My teacher spoke with so much confidence.
So, I took her word for it and believed it.
I was sure about it.
Of course, it could happen.
…
Only as an adult am I able to see everything wrong with it.
For starters,
How Adults are Scared of Something as Innocent as a Child’s Creativity.
How Fear Is Used as a Way to Teach Children.
How Conformity is Taught to us at such a Young Age.
And so much more, the list goes on …
There is so much I want to say but
Most importantly,
I share this story as a reminder for everyone to
Always Remember
That Your Words Carry Meaning.
So, Use Them Wisely.
P.S. Even though I can’t participate in the MPP, I’m not gonna let that bring me down. And you know why? Because I have the support of you guys!
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