Vish's online fundraiser for Education | Milaap
I am fundraising to enrich a teaching experience for my second grade students. Come, join me?
  • Vish

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    Vish
The Northern half of the vast city of Chennai is not talked about as much as the rest of it. A lot of people, (myself included, until a few months ago) are blissfully unaware of the difficulties that are rife in this part of town. There are no malls, no tall buildings and life in general, is very different. But, here is where reside my 22 little bundles of pride and joy, 22 Second Grade students that I teach, full-time, in Chennai Middle School, Sanjeevarayan Koil St. These kids may not be as tech-savvy as your neighbour's 5 year old kid or as worldly wise as you were when you were about 4 feet tall. However, these are kids who believe anything is possible! These are kids for whom, a laptop is as mesmerising as a mermaid to a pirate. These are kids for whom, pencils and erasers are as valuable as a pen to a poet. These are kids who are as determined as Galileo was when disproving the Church. And this is the story of my adventure to make them dream and empower them to realise those dreams, little by little, everyday! My kids are extremely curious at the most inordinate of times but, are still unaware of happenings around them. Young Christopher is curious how a white board works in the middle of class! Literacy wise, they still lack basic skills to communicate effectively in English or Tamil but, they are the sweeter than kaju katli on Diwali. Mani, one annoyingly sweet kid, calls me up every night to make sure I've had a good, healthy dinner. They are still growing and it's my aim to help them grow beyond their textbooks, a little more wholly, just like Swati, who despite being one of the smartest kids her age, never answers out of line and waits for me to recognise her before giving out beautifully detailed answers. 1) Floor tables - Presently, my kids sit on floor mats and while that may be fun sometimes, floor tables provide better focal points while writing and this helps while focusing. 2) Projector - Technology is becoming more and more common place in our everyday lives. Why should a school be any different? A projector would be invaluable in giving kids a new way to learn while at the same time opening them up a little more to the idea of technology as more accessible then they might think. 3) Field trips - A major part of what I wish for these kids to explore the world for what it is, beyond just their houses and school. Field trips to historical, educational and fun places in Chennai will be very welcome for their development as individuals. 4)Hobbies - In addition to scholastic learning, second graders would also benefit greatly from co-scholastic activities like board games, drawing, painting, dancing et al. These might be insignificant to you and me but, to these kids they will mean a lot!! The smallest of contributions go a long way in lighting up a child's life and I could sure use your help! :)

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