When I first began volunteering at the school at APD, I of course expected it to be both a meaningful and heartwarming experience, what I hadn’t expected was how deeply it would change my outlook on life.

Myself and the team of volunteers have been organising English and arts&craft sessions with the students. We came in with paper, paint, brushes, glue sticks, and ideas. What we didn’t realise is that we were walking into a room full of some of the most creative, resilient, and open-hearted teachers we would ever meet. Except not only were these teachers standing in front of the blackboards, they were also sitting as students within classes. These students truly became ‘teachers’ we would learn from.

From the very first session, the enthusiasm and eagerness to learn was immense. Some  of these students were living with very complicated additional needs and some students were members of disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds within the city of Bangalore. However, it appeared to us, that none of these challenges stopped them from showing up to school with open minds and wide smiles. While we may have brought the materials, they truly brought the spirit to the classroom.

From our volunteer work we have met students who had every reason to retreat from the world, that chose instead to dive into it with bright colours and unique ideas.

We can often underestimate what young people, especially those living with additional needs, can teach us. Volunteers can often come in thinking they’re there to help, to guide, maybe even to inspire. But the tables can turn quickly. For me, I found myself learning from them more than I was instructing, learning how to find joy in the little things, and how to make the most of what’s available.

Of course, the team of volunteers I worked alongside were all kindhearted, passionate, and committed individuals. But the ones who truly shifted my thinking, challenged my assumptions, and left me humbled in the best way possible, were the students.

So, who did I learn the most from while volunteering? Not the volunteers. The Students. Every stroke of the paint brush, and every determined effort to complete a project they had put their minds to, taught me something much deeper than anyone else could teach.

They reminded me that ‘ability’ comes in many forms. And that sometimes, the people we think we are teaching, are really the ones that are teaching us.