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"The whole purpose of education Is to turn mirrors into windows."
It has been 3 months into the Teach for India fellowship as a teacher for 39 third graders in a government school at Seegehalli, Bangalore. And my my, it has been nothing like I ever imaged it would be when I first applied for the fellowship; A roller coaster ride with constant ups and downs! starting from dealing with the moods of 39 kids, getting them to listen to me, trying to keep them entertained constantly because 30 seconds of nothing and they’re already bored, figuring out how to even teach, bribing the kids with star stickers and paper cut tokens to get them to follow class rules, the battle with co-teachers to get more teaching time, PTM that had 5 parents show up, successfully forming a Parents teachers association as a school team.
And after making me mad with all the “gallata” in class, they leave the class with a pretty little smile, reaching their hand out for a hi-fi, as if nothing happened, that moment I obviously forget all the chaos that happened and walk back home to re-write some lesson plans and come up with a better classroom management strategy.
It is the dassara break, time for the kids to do some holiday homework and for me to reflect and come up with a game plan to get better as a teacher to bring EXCELLENT education to my kids. Your support can enable me to do so much more for these kids.
Funds are required for:
- Books (Story books, work books, text books and note books) : My kids barely have books to write in, let alone books to read. Sometimes I hesitate to ask them to open a fresh page to write in.
- Sports equipment : As a cycling enthusiast I remember how riding a bike made my childhood so much fun, it’s sad to know that my kids don’t even have a ball to play with and some of them want to become cricketers.
- Field trips : My classroom is themed as “The class of explorers”, because I want my kids to build curiosity to learn and grow, field trips are going to enhance they’re curiosity.
- Projector : Showing kids videos and pictures on a big screen makes they’re learning experience so much interesting and my lesson so much more effective.
- Printing : If you didn’t know, a major part of a teachers time is spent in the xorox shops and it is inevitable.
- Classroom supplies: Currently my kids sit on a soiled mat and get themselves dirty everyday by sitting on it. Along with a new mat we need to buy stationary and other things kids can use to learn
- To fix the flooring: The stone flooring has chipped off quite a lot and needs to be fixed very soon.
The problem of education inequity in India is called a wicked problem for many reasons, some of the reasons I see in my classroom and the community each day. No matter the challenge, this problem needs to be solved and solved soon. It is definitely not something that can be solved by a single person or a single organization. No matter how big or small, your contribution is going to bring my kids one step closer to what is called the Excellent education.
If you want to know more information.
Ph: 9900629559
Email: shruthi.reddy2016@teachforindia.org
