Excellent education for 2500+ students in Chennai

We started the year with a classroom of very motivated students, excited to create an offline year of school. Grade 5 has been a massive shift for them as it brings an air of seriousness and important exams. Despite that, we have been able to combine education with the arts. Along with a mandatory art class, we have also started watching one movie weekly, after which we critique the same. This has given the students exposure to different countries, contexts, and cultures. 

Additionally, we have engaged in various projects over the past term. This included a first-aid awareness session, a medical camp, a road safety workshop, and multiple environmental awareness sessions, all conducted by external parties. We were also able to rope in the Rotary Club of Chennai Coastal, who generously donated sports uniforms and bags for all students from grades 1 to 8. 

One of the significant breakdowns we encountered was the rigor of the grade level. In addition to this, we had government-set exam papers for the first time. This led to very stressful revisions and a complete shift in priorities. Instead of making learning practical and student-friendly, we were worried about completing textbook portions and learning keywords to write in the paper. This was detrimental to the learning process and did not allow students to practice creativity and critical thinking. Ultimately, we paused and looked back at how to pace ourselves to have the best of both worlds in the upcoming terms. It was constructive to do so, as we will be better prepared to face the next term. While looking at the data, there has been a steady increase in reading levels from a class average of 1 to 1.5. The math average has increased by 20% since the last term. 

The Be the Change Project that I am conducting is on Financial Literacy for women in the community. The project will begin in the first week of November, consisting of five sessions spread over five weeks. The project aims to provide women with basic financial literacy to educate them on the fundamentals of saving, spending, and borrowing money. The community's women face challenges such as domestic abuse, child marriage, polygamy, and discrimination directly or indirectly resulting from financial dependency. By providing them a chance to learn how to manage their finances, they might gain some financial independence and secure a future for their children. The sessions will also include inspirational female guest speakers, empowering them and showing them multiple possibilities.

Post the Teach for India Fellowship, I plan on pursuing a Master's in Business Administration, preferably in the United States of America. One of the most enabling experiences that led to my decision was the Leadership Development Conversations I have had with my Program Manager at the end of every term. It gave me an insight into the various skill sets I have developed over my Fellowship journey. It has also helped me frame my next steps most effectively. Another extremely helpful support structure was the Looking Beyond Conversation (LBC). It has allowed me to structure the projects and opportunities in the most beneficial way for my post-Fellowship plans. 

Furthermore, I had the chance to attend one event in the pathway exposure series. We were introduced to J-Pal, an organization that conducts randomized evaluations, builds partnerships for evidence-informed policymaking and helps partners scale up effective programs. This was an enriching experience as it allowed me to understand how an enabler pathway looks and what role I can potentially play.

As I transition out of the fellowship, I plan on keeping the spirit of financial literacy alive. I plan on starting a Not for Profit organization focused on providing financial literacy to individuals of all ages from disadvantaged backgrounds. I believe that my MBA degree will give me leverage and opportunities to network and connect with people from all walks of life, giving my future project better reach and recognition. I would also like to venture into public policy and create better educational opportunities for the future generations of India. Having worked on-ground, I now better understand why policy changes play a vital role in education worldwide. The hope is that one day, we will have an India free of poverty and full of love.

Jahnavi

Grade 5

Cohort 2021

Chennai Middle School Begum street

"If a Child cannot learn in a way we teach, We must teach in a way a child can learn." This quote has significantly impacted me as a human being who was thriving to be a part of a tiny change in a student's life. We have set up a structured education format where the students must adapt and bend themselves and score marks to be marked as successful people. My vision for my Students is to be independent, problem-solver, self-reliant, and confident enough to face any challenge in their lives. The Students will start believing in themselves only when we start believing in them. I have created a distinctive structure of peer learning where the group leaders and vice versa monitor the students. This helps the students learn more efficiently by studying with someone their age. It was challenging at the beginning to adapt to the changes since all the students had come from a long break to the classrooms where every Student felt new and strange. There were rewards and consequences for each action like "STUDENT OF THE WEEK," "STUDENT OF THE MONTH," and "GROUP ADVANTAGE," which created more competition among the students. The Student of the Week and Month was awarded if a student excels in academics, behavior, and attendance. The Group Advantage was given if all the students in a single group scored more than 75% of the total marks. 

During the summer break, there was an opportunity to work with the Tamilnadu Education Department in the E.M.I.S. (Educational Management Information System) Cell as an intern. The E.M.I.S. Cell is a thoughtful initiative by the Tamilnadu Government Education Department. It creates more advantages for the schools to manage the students' data easily. It was an incredible experience filled with learning. I worked on the content development of a new application which will be launched very soon. 

A few challenges ran into my mind while entering the Fellowship, like getting along with the students, delivering the planned content, and making the students travel towards sustainable growth and development. But in reality, the challenges were entirely different and rigorous, like drug abuse, violence, and improper parenting, which disturbs the organic mind of the students. The entire world has stopped moving towards sustainable development. We are convincing ourselves with quick and temporary solutions that are no good. As Einstein said," Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school." We have to keep working towards Sustainable Growth and Development.

Teach For India is access to many things for an individual like me who is thriving to create a change in students' lives. The problem prevailing in our society of not all children attaining holistic Education creates a deep pain that doesn't let us sleep at night. Leaders in our past have built a gate to allow all children to access the Right to Education. But the indifference to attaining holistic Education is still in a very pathetic stage, and it has to be given immediate attention. To achieve holistic Education, we need more leaders to roll up their sleeves and get on the ground and work. Teach For India creates leaders who can analyze the problem from the ground reality by entering the classrooms with a determination to make a change. The harsh reality of the community we work in is that they have access to Education but are bound by many factors that stop them from attaining it. The students in our community are more vulnerable to harmful exposures which divert their life into troubled one.

Kameshwaran Sundarababu

Grade 6

Cohort 2021

C.H.S.S. T.H. Road, Chennai