TFI Fellowship : As a teacher : Month 1

June 2009 - Month one after Training

Started teaching at Govt English Medium Primary School -run by PMC in a seemingly small town called Pune . Punya Shlok English medium School -Located at Baner Road in Aundh

The School

8 rooms , No electricity , No proper water ,Stinking Bathrooms ,No Latches , Playground filled with stone , No boundary wall , located in the Police training institute. Makeshift Staff room No library , No sports facility .....

This available infrastructure is being shared by Marathi Medium running parallely in afternoon shift .

Students

Grade 3 , Average age 7 years .

Skills : Data collected from students" last year with Miss N- previous teacher " stories .. 34 cases of Fights leading to "Physical harm " , Heavy Corporal punishment .

Academic Endowments : English medium school : out of 26 students Only one is able to converse in "his english - he is chalu - the kids say " Our Diagonistic tests says , an average of tc 0.18% Proficeincy in English reading , comprehension and fluency . Maths data is somewhat less saddening which is 34 % . National average for the same test taken is 59 and 65 % repectively .

Number of Students : 25 .One is the Perenial Absent. Number of Working days 15 .

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What was achieved in Month OF June :

1. Kids Could understand that teacher is not a mOnster ..
    They could call their sir "Bhaiya " instead of Sir!!!

2. Brain is like a Iron -Concept of Malleable Intelligence   .
    More you work Smarter you get ."
    Work hard Get Smart " is the months mantra .

3. Rules are very important .
    Why !! kids knew this by the end of the month (15 days ) ...
    Why was : We need more and more learning time !! 
    HENCE if we follow rules we learn more and more ....so Rule Number

         1. Listen to Bhaiya
         2. Ask Questions 3. Answer Questions 4.Help Others 5. Talk in English .

  4. It is important that kids have Confidence on the teacher .
       He is someone whom you could relate to .
       You could share your stories ,have fun , sing and dance around .
       That was what the academic content focussed around.

 5. Learning is so fun .


     The kids realised that they could actually read a a story and could find the meaning of the story and answer a few questions if they wished to .!! 


    They were in habbit of copying down anything and everything from the black board , with out  any thinking on their part ... This habbit was one which bugged me a lot -how to stop it ....


     However it was simple Persuasion ... and Few Fundas which did the trick .....Now they refuse to write unless thye have a signal to do so ;)

6.     How to ask Question -Raise Your hand ! 
         How to answer Question - Wave Your hand ! 
       What if  , if  you have Finished -Show finish sign (Middle three fingers of right hand closedand last two opening up and hands raised up ) , 


Can I got to bathroom ?? NO NOT AT all ..unless you have understood a concept which is being taught ...


.Can I sit next to My Friend : Dont dare that :D ..This is my class , you have to sit as you are made to sit . 


Can I jump around in the recess asuming that the teacher's role is limted to the class room , not in the Corridors ..NO You cannot ..You have to eat your Tiffin Quietly and there has to be absolute camaredarie with all sitting and discussing things of interest . No commotion will be tolerated !

7. Kids :" What will happen if , I do not follow the rules or I do not behave in a manner expected of me ! " ....


          WILL i be Hit ?? 
          Will I be sent to the principle ? 
          Will I be allowed to be as We are ? .....NOOOOOOO, you will not be Hit .                       Will not be sent to the principle s...


.Your place will be changed , You will be made to sit around with different Partners .You will be given more homework than others (of course i WILL not tell you about your homework being more )

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How did the School recieve us !!!

Comments :

Week 1

---> Fellow teacher " Recession -na , they might have lost Jobs , hence doing this Natak stuff ....

---> One Parent "Sir Do you take tutions ?"

----> School Peon " Array Sir leave them Early - Rickshaw Kaka GETS late ."

----.> Kids " Tution teacher Kehti hai ke -Notebook may Kuch likhtay kyo nahi aap ?? "

----> TFI " Hope the Week was Exciting "!!! ;-)

Week 2

-----> Headmistress : " Array how come kids are sitting so quietly and doing their work? "

-----> School PEON : "Sir , Your kids do not come from tiffin ,when do they eat ? "

------> Fellow teacher " Ritesh Sir , You have Got Chalk all over your Pant - you play in class !

-------> Kids :" Bhiaya --Bohut maza aa reha hai ....;->>

-----> TFI -- please do some Good Lesson Planning , UNIT Planning and Long term Planning !

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Feelings at the end of Month of June :

To- Gawd ,Help me !

TFI - thank you , it is such a simple task ;--))))

To Myself : Why did I leave my Job ..... It was so simple back than !

Hope !!! Hope !!

Did I forget CHaRAG(Chirag back then ) KRISHNAN ...TFI fellow for grade 2 -thank God , Good things were still around !

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Please wait for July updates - from my Manual dairy .........;->>>

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