I From Being Invisible To Visible still remember the day I walked into a new school, wearing a new uniform and stepping through unfamiliar corridors. We had shifted homes, but no one really prepares you for how unsettling that can feel as a teenager. I had once been a confident student, known and recognised. Suddenly, I was just another name on the register.
I answered questions correctly and did everything expected of me, yet I carried a quiet emptiness within. I was not struggling with studies. I was struggling with belonging. Days passed in silence until Sports Day arrived. I stepped onto the field without any great expectation. But the track did not care who knew me. It simply asked me to run. With quiet perseverance, I gave my best. One race, I won. Then another. Hurdles, sprints, long jump, shot put. I kept winning. Slowly, things began to change, not just on the scoreboard but in the way people looked at me. House captains came rushing, asking who I was and wanting me on their team. We ran the relay, and we won. Then came the moment I will never forget.
I was declared Champion. For a brief second, everything stood still. The applause, the cheers, all of it washed over me. I looked at my PT teacher. His pride was unmistakable. And in his eyes, I felt something I had missed for days: recognition. Not just for winning, but for being seen. That day, I did not just win races. I found my place again. What stayed with me was a deeper realisation. A child’s sense of belonging is fragile, yet it can be restored so easily. I had not changed. My abilities were the same. The only difference was that I was seen. Today, as a teacher, that memory guides me. I notice the child who answers well but sits alone. I look out for the new student who is still searching for a place to belong.
Sometimes it is a small opportunity. Sometimes it is a word of encouragement. Sometimes it is simply saying a name with warmth. Because sometimes, all it takes is one moment, one opportunity, one recognition to turn an invisible child into someone who feels that they truly belong.
– Kavita Kapoor,
Teacher, PTVEMS (Secondary)