Curious Tourist

I love to teach little kids and then I like to observe the way they use their learning in real life. It makes me immensely gratified and joyful to see them apply the knowledge that I gave them. Earlier I used to work in a technology company, helping my clients to design new softwares but now I work closely with the school and community, designing lives and creating a lasting impact in direct and indirect ways. Working right on the ground level has humbled me and made me realize the vastness of the challenge of ed-inequity looming over our country. The challenge is hard and surely daunting but not impossible to overcome. My journey so far has been to overcome my own hidden fears, personal difficulties and hardships. It is essential to get sorted out yourself before trying to lift up others. I have managed pretty well to tame the ghosts inside of me and started to take the challenge head on. Despite being all upbeat and enthusiastic about facing the daunting task, my journey has bee

Today was a half day at school as it was a Saturday. Saturdays are always more special as I get to play with my kids and do more creative things with them. Today the class librarian Samiksha distributed a book to each student based on their level which they took to the garden along with them. We all sat on the grass under the cool shade of a large tree and began to read our books. The change of surroundings really boosted the mood of my kids and hence their performance in reading. They were able to understand the text much better and it was easier for me as a teacher to give them one on one feedback. I allowed the students to keep the books with them for the weekend, well that's why we call it the library right! :) Later in the afternoon, I had a debrief with my Program Manager regarding my teaching methodology in class. It went really well as I now feel much better equipped to take my class to the next level. Tomorrow is again going to be a big day for me and my kids as I am tak

As soon as I stepped into my classroom in the morning, I was surrounded by my kiddos. Two of them had a surprise for me which they were hiding behind them. They slowly produced a beautifully handcrafted smiley band and said, "Bhaiya you are so good, we especially made this wrist band for you" I was naturally delighted to see such a beautiful thing in the morning. Then Jinal even tied it around my wrist like a Rakhi and it was the happiest moment of the day for me. Such small moments of joy really keep me going and striving for more in whatever I do for my kids. Today was also my observation when my Program Manager came in my classroom to observe my pedagogy and teaching methodology so that he can help me improve my skills as a teacher by giving me a good feedback. I taught Writing to my kids during the observation hour. I hope my lesson went well and that I will receive a positive feedback from him. :)  

I was really excited today when I woke up in the morning as we were organizing Science Olympiad in the school for the very first time and it was something totally new not only for the children but also for us. The kids had put in lots of effort during their Diwali break and their excitement and nervousness was palpable as they were getting all jumpy and ecstatic for the test. I wished them good luck and off they went to the exam hall where they sincerely did their test for an hour. By the time they got out of the hall, it was lunch time and most of them had mixed views about the test paper but one thing that made me happy was the smile on each face. They had experienced something very different and they totally enjoyed every moment of it. I also promised that we are going to solve each question together and that we will find our mistakes. It's great how kids let go of things so easily. now they have started preparing for their Maths Olympiad which is scheduled for 12th December w

It is always exciting and scary at the same time to go to your place of work after a long streak of holidays. I remember how nervous I felt as a kid going to school after a pretty long summer break. It was no different today except the fact that I am a teacher. As a student in school and college, I could never empathize with my teachers but now I know that teachers are after all humans and they go through the same emotions and feelings too. However, as soon as I entered the classroom and saw the smiling and energetic faces of my students, I lost all my initial apprehensions and just went with the flow. We  carried the momentum of learning so gracefully as if we were just continuing from where we left off a few moments ago. We shared personal stories with each other where each of us talked about how their holidays went and what were some of their special and happy moments during the vacation. We sang and danced to our favourite tunes and also learned many interesting things in Science

Being a teacher is a thing of immense responsibility. I have realized now how important it is for a teacher to be mentally prepared to perform with the best of abilities and to keep on doing it everyday with consistency. Teaching is a very noble profession and I can say with some confidence that it's not very easy and it's not everyone's cup of tea. As a student, I never understood the pains of a teacher and the countless hours of planning that goes into each lecture. Besides planning, teachers are also required to manage the class effectively so that significant learning happens in the classroom. Setting up and consistently following classroom structures and laying down rules and procedures for students to follow are some of the other important responsibilities of an educator. Obviously these rules and structures are more important for teachers teaching elementary kids as little ones are more inclined towards disrupting the class on a regular basis. Well, before I joined

I boarded an evening flight to Ahmedabad as I had to attend school the next morning. I entered the school with a big smile on my face and was brimming with vitality and energy, so eager to transfer that zeal to my kids. I was just about to climb the stairs leading up to my classroom when Raj(name changed) stopped me from going any further and started to tell me with a sad face what had happened in the classroom. At first I was in disbelief, so I continued my ascent and went inside the class. No sooner had I entered than I began to get an extremely obnoxious and foul smell from the room. Manthan was actually right, there was a dead cat covered with flies lying rotting near the blackboard. The putrid smell was burning my nose and it was just getting impossible even to move further inside the classroom. God knows how some of the kids managed to get in to keep their bags inside. I was definitely not expecting anything remotely close to this. It was not a very hopeful and  promising star