Butterfly magic

Hello Students,

What a wonderful day of learning this has been ! When I came to work at 6:30 am this morning, I had not even imagined how my life would change. You made it happen.

When I was 13 years old, I lived in a lovely little cottage in Goa, a beachside province in India. I too had found pupae. 5 of them, hanging from the underside of leaves in a field where I was cycling. I knew what they were as I was a student of science and a keen observer or nature all around me, so I brought them home. I made a home for these pupae in a cardboard box that I got from my grandfather. He used to store his medicines in it. It was like a small shoe box, the kind you had for your kindergarten shoes maybe. 

My school was too far from my home. So taking them to show a teacher was not possible.  I took care of them and watched over them before and after school. Then one day, these pupae turned from a shimmery green to a dark colour and then some days later, to a black and white pattern. And I waited some more. At 13, waiting was a difficult thing to do.

Then one day, I came home from school and opened the box again. And there it was, the magic unfolding before my very eyes. I did not tell my siblings as they were 8 and 10 years younger than I was, and we all know what it means.

I saw the beautiful butterflies emerge one by one from their cramped home of the past weeks. They came out and crawled out of the box, one by one. Just as Ms. W helped Buddy today, I had stood there, many, many years ago and watched them move their wings.

I had watched in wonder as each one crawled on to my hand; one perched on my watch strap, two on my wrist, one crawled up my arm and the fifth stayed on the lid for a while. Then one by one, they flew away.

Today, 33 years later, I witnessed that magic again. And it was more beautiful than the first time.  This time, I was not alone. I was with Ms. W and Ms. M and above all, I was with you. 

Through your oohs and aahs, through the gentleness with which you carried the jar, the way you looked at the sky wishing Buddy a safe flight, through your joy and your sadness, I realised once again, how thankful I am that you are with me this year. 

You teach me to see magic, you teach me to be honest, you teach me to speak my mind. ou teach me to hope. 

And above all, you let me into that special, precious place: the mind of a child. 

Thank you for being my teachers today. Happy Teachers Day to you.