Anish Nair One Saturday afternoon, two years ago, my colleague Prachur Goel and I discussed the idea of a larger impact on the people around us. We were teachers in a low-income private school in Kamraj Nagar, a slum community adjoining the Eastern Express highway in Mumbai. Given the short duration of our fellowship, we thought about doing something that would have an effective footprint, not only on the kids we taught, but also on the entire community. We had achieved considerable success with our first year of teaching. Students had improved significantly in language and math, in a period of one year. However, when these students resumed studies after a two month vacation, they were found to be lacking in the same skills they had trumped not long ago. One reason why our kids were reading much below their supposed grade level was that their exposure to print after they left school was negligible. Their only print sources were their school textbooks. No newspapers, no comics. Textbooks can be boring and some of the content is too high for independent reading. Some books just did not inspire interest. Also, we wanted to assemble a place where kids could spend their afternoons learning about something productive. We wished to find a place outside the school premises, since this would give us greater autonomy and also access to a wider section of the community. Thus began our ‘Be the Change’ project. We did an extensive survey of about 50 families, carried out adequate research, spoke to parents and searched for places in the slum to open a reading room. Accessibility was a major concern. So was protection from rain (flooding and leakage). After months of deliberation, hunting and talks, we finally decided upon a place. We gathered funds through our collective GiveIndia page. Several people stepped forward and contributed generously. A lot of them contributed with books and stationery. Students of Bombay International school went ahead and even conducted a drive for us. We acquired encyclopedias, story books, puzzles and novels. We had the rented place re-painted. We also bought wooden shelves. One of the sponsors even agreed to pay a part of the annual rent. Every day, there was a long line outside the gate when we went to open the reading room at 2 pm. We had trouble keeping the kids out. Children were allowed access to the reading room conditionally. These were the same students who had no books at home and would

Nikunj Beria The ‘Be The Change Project’ (BTCP) is an additional project that every Teach for India Fellow takes on in the second year of the Fellowship. In this project, the Fellows focus on the problems that affect their school and community and look beyond their classroom based issues. The Fellows then work towards creating a process to solve the most pressing problem according to their preliminary research and understanding of the various challenges. Thus, the BTCP is a tool to engage the Fellow in work that he/she deems important to bring about continuous growth in the school and community. The BTCP continues to help Fellows bring about a higher level of impact while also pushing them to apply their knowledge from the first year of the Fellowship. Here are two narratives from TFI Fellows. I tried changing my style of teaching. I tried the good old method of giving incentives. I tried making the exercises interactive. Yet, there were always incomplete notebooks in my classroom. It had only been six months since I began teaching in a government school in Malvani, Mumbai, and I found myself at a probable dead-end already! For, no matter what or how much was altered, somehow, something was not enough and homework was never done. Why is it that some students do not engage with the learning process? And, what can we do to fulfil this gap? Questions such as these are often the nightmare of many teachers. And seeking solutions only makes matters worse, not because finding the solution is a task but because we often do not know where to look for them. I, for instance, was constantly looking for solutions within the classroom, within myself and within the students. Only when I explored further did I realize that this was a problem that affected my students from outside the classroom, and needed to be solved, thus. I visited a few students’ homes and I was made aware of their daily routine. They would wake up to housework, attend Arabic classes, walk to school and walk back home. By the time they were back home, it grew dark. In the dark, it was impossible to get any reading and writing done. There was no electricity in these homes! It was suddenly so easy to see why the books were incomplete! It had nothing to do with teaching or learning but with something more fundamental. Something that we take for granted and would not even account for while

Sinny Mole I started my career in a school that had conventional classrooms where we had to teach using chalk and blackboard. The blackboards turned green over time. Soon, I witnessed the smart board era – a wonderful transformation. But it was not easy to keep pace with these changes. The rule of the game – survival of the fittest. Our school has implemented computerization at all levels. In the initial days I felt threatened. The young teachers were tech savvy and hence they never felt the difference. I took it as a challenge and joined the ‘CIC’ (Certificate in computing – IGNOU) course and successfully completed the same. I spent several hours on my personal computer and learned from my daughter and my better half. Now things are well under my control. I prepare presentations and handle the smart board (extra marks) in my classroom without any trouble. I am glad to say that our children download the homework sheets posted on our school website. You can imagine the effort that is put in by our team. I worked in various schools having taught from KG to high school level. I followed the conventional teaching methods in the beginning. At various roles I enjoyed working and contributing to the curricular and co-curricular activities for the holistic development of children. It paid good dividends and thus nurtured my career. I was a teacher, an administrator, counselor and guide. From conducting staff meetings to organizing major events such as cultural shows, exhibitions, and competitive examinations, I learnt the art of meticulous planning and time management which helped me to execute the routine activities and special programmes in a flawless manner. As head of the math department I involved my teachers in preparing the syllabus and also collaborated with them and helped them implement their ideas on classroom activities. It may be of interest to mention that my core subject is chemistry. In the early days I was more into teaching science. When I joined the primary level, I was required to take up math class also. I resisted this change. But, out of necessity, I decided to sharpen my teaching skills in math and hence joined the course “CTPM” (Certificate Programme Teaching of Primary School Mathematics – IGNOU). I completed the course successfully. Being a math teacher I got a lot of opportunity to attend math workshops conducted by Mr. S Sundaram, our principal then. He inspired me to take on higher responsibilities and master the

Ambika Parchure Looking back at my 27 years as an educator… much has gone into shaping the person I am today… a life-long learner. My longest tenure of service in education was in two institutions: Rishi Valley School (14 yrs), a residential school in Andhra Pradesh, and in Parikrma (10 yrs), a string of day schools in Bangalore for the underserved. The years in the residential school were the best years of my life. Very early, I realized that I was extremely fond of children and loved working with them. It was also a period of immense learning, both in terms of acquiring skills, and discovering the kind of person I was. The beautiful valley also inculcated in me a deep appreciation and love for nature, bringing alive a sense of continual wonder and enquiry. Rishi Valley’s uniqueness lies in encouraging teachers to multitask in different roles and responsibilities, an exposure I was immensely enriched by. Starting out as a volunteer in the kindergarten for staff children, I also refurbished and upgraded the Junior and Middle School Library. For this, I equipped myself with a degree in Library Sciences. In addition to being the Librarian, I had to take on class-teachership and teach environmental studies to the 4th and 5th graders. I was little aware of the huge challenges that lay in store, for I soon discovered that this school did not follow a mechanical textbook approach to instruction. Instead, it relied heavily on me to visualize, organize, and design a curriculum that was holistic, integrative and child-centric. At my multitasking best, I evolved in the roles of a house-parent, games supervisor, coordinator of school assemblies, movie club showings, and weekend activities; member of several school committees, and organizer/escort to the yearly summer treks into the Himalayas. In many ways, I can now see that my Parikrma tenure greatly benefited from my years at Rishi Valley. Developing and executing the physical education and art program, my most challenging experience was to come in the form of a fast-forward English Program for first generation school-goers of Parikrma. I soon took on the role of Quality Head for all the four Parikrma schools, being responsible for the overall performance of every individual child and teacher. Looking back at these exciting and experientially rewarding years, they have increasingly shaped me into a person I never imagined I could be. They aroused in me an interest in many areas of human endeavor, polished and vetted the many skills and

Shabnam Bhaya It is all about passion! Passion for your work involves you in a series of natural, self-generated efforts and exertion that gradually leads you to a sense of fulfilment. Very often the joy of this fulfilment becomes a divine experience! When I joined Bluebells School in 1992, I was confident that I would accomplish what I had set out to. I had already gained valuable teaching experience in Chandigarh where I was able to impact the young generation with my idealism. I had an unsaturated passion for teaching and for directing the young on a path that would help them become responsible citizens. My career graph has been a blend of challenges, excitement, and passionate perseverance. I started my career as a Hindi teacher for middle and secondary classes and through my rewarding experiences as a subject and a class teacher, I gradually extended my creative and organizational skills to coordinate and head various departments such as Hindi, Art & Music, Computers & Multimedia and Sports. Shouldering the prestigious position of Head, Culture and now handling responsibilities as Head, Academics has been for me a journey of consistent hard work and commitment. The growing importance of technology in the field of education, the changing methodology of classroom interactions threw constant challenges that not only necessitated a change in one’s outlook but also inspired one to learn and grow. As a facilitator, a teacher cannot limit herself to being a ‘philosopher, friend and a guide.’ She has to become an excellent planner and an organizer who is adept at creating collaborative activities that can lead to independent thinking and learning of the learners. Today, learners have all the answers available to them at a click of the mouse. We have to therefore develop questioning skills that can propel and motivate learners to research, discuss, analyze, and assimilate their opinions – thus becoming aware and willing to take responsibility for their actions and decisions. The complex problems of a restive class are being compounded because we are unable to compete with the changing trends in the education system. The interest and respect of the learner can be sustained only when teachers have the required subject knowledge and are able to teach according to the individual needs of the students, and also be a role model for them through our own value system. ‘Open Text Based Assessment’, ‘Problem Solving Assessment’ and ‘Value Based Questions’ introduced by our education system are powerful indications that we do not