Celebrating Differences: Wisdom from Parwaz ECD (Early Childhood Development’s Class)
As my one-year-old son, Shazil Noor, inches closer to completing his Parwaz Early Childhood Development (ECD) classes, a series designed for children from new-borns to 5 years old, I reflect on the rich themes explored in this three-month journey. Conducted once a week, these thirteen classes each unfolded with a distinct theme.
One theme that left a lasting impression on me was the exploration of “Acceptance.”
Throughout these sessions, a wide range of activities unfolded—poems in both Urdu and English, engaging with toys, reciting religious tasbih and duas, and sharing meals with one another.
In a particular session, the English story featured a very hungry caterpillar. While Shazil may be too young to fully grasp the narrative, his joy radiated through the drawings and paintings inspired by the story, a common occurrence during story time.
The Urdu story, titled “Lambi Patli Kitab” (Long Thin Book), initially failed to capture my interest. However, as the book’s pages turned, it revealed a tapestry of diversity.
It started with different types of roads—some broad, some narrow, including motorways. The subsequent pages drew comparisons: animals with long necks like giraffes and short-necked ones like cats, babies varying in size, people differing in height, and houses with distinctions in types and size. The book beautifully conveys the diversity inherent in our surroundings.
What hit me profoundly was the emphasis on the diversity in people’s appearances—skin colors, religions, wealth, and more.
The book’s powerful message resonated: It’s not just acceptable to be different; diversity is something to be embraced and celebrated.
This thoughtful teaching approach aimed to instill in young minds the values of respect, acceptance of differences, and an appreciation for diversity and pluralism. It lays a crucial foundation for fostering understanding and harmony in our diverse world.
Witnessing this, I realized that this was not merely a children’s story but a lesson for everyone. In a world where encounters with those different from us are inevitable, we must learn to coexist peacefully and harmoniously.
Celebrating our diversity becomes imperative, transcending fear or hatred. It’s not just okay to be different; it’s beautiful to have diversity!
