Teaching a Generation

It was at Sunday school where I learned the language of my heritage,
Punjabi. After I graduated, I decided to give back to the community
and volunteer as a teacher.
Teaching Punjabi, my mother tongue, is important because it allows Sikh
children to connect to their past. Many elderly only speak Punjabi,
and learning the language gives children a way to communicate with
them. It also allows kids to read holy scriptures, keeping them in
tune with their culture. Learning Punjabi allows us to stay in touch
with our roots and spread the tenets of Sikhism throughout the
generation. Teaching Punjabi also allows the Sikh religion as a whole
to stay strong in the hearts of the younger generation. In the
absence of spoken Punjabi, generations would lose sight of their
heritage and the core values it entails. I believe that by teaching
Punjabi and the Sikh religion to these children, the language and
religion can remain intact.
This program is extremely important in the US, especially in today’s
times. The younger generation is delving away from societal norms of
the past, such as a devout religious upbringing and peaceful state of
mind. It is with programs like these that we can maintain the
structure and serenity that religion provides. Through this program,
my goal is to continue the Sikh religion through the next generation,
so these tenets can remain in our society.
By teaching Punjabi and the Sikh language, I influence the kids to
become better human beings. I taught them that Sikhism preaches
equality and living an honest life, and I showed them how they can
apply that in their own lives, through community service and helping
others. 
After the students graduate from my class, it is apparent that they still
are applying what they learned in my class in their own lives and
that it not only has made them better people, but has made them
happier as well, and when I see that in a young kid, I know I have
done my job as a teacher to continue the Sikh religion to the next
generation.