Excellent education for 2500+ students in Chennai

In my 1.5-year journey as a learner, teacher, and leader, I've encountered diverse ideas that challenged and enriched my beliefs. Interactions with various stakeholders connected me to my vision of driving socio-economic justice. My theme for my class, "Living Sustainably," is to enable Students to understand and appreciate the environment, their role in the future, and how we can live responsibly and be conscious of our actions. This theme drives and builds the value of being critical thinkers caring towards themselves, others, and their surroundings. A value in focus is also about how we can live sustainably by doing more with less, de-emphasizing consumerist lifestyles, and focusing on a lifestyle that brings true well-being and personal growth and development. The activities and initiatives taken to drive this theme include

• Journaling on the environment 
• Facilitating environment-based lessons
• Creating a library for Students with books centered around sustainability awareness 
• Trackers to awarding Students for positive behavior and academic achievements

As building literacy was a key area I focussed on, I consistently leveraged the classroom data to conduct literacy lessons that were effective and targeted Student needs. The class average rose from 0.5 to 1.2 reading level through this practice during the mid-year assessment. Many of my Students pushed from the at-risk category to the reading level of 1. 

I aim to continue this practice rigorously to maximize Student outcomes in the classroom and ensure they are prepared for the rigors of secondary school next year. 

In discussions with my Program Manager during my Leadership Development Conversation, we identified strengths, areas for growth, and strategies to develop them through the last leg of the fellowship. We looked at various structures I can adapt for my classroom to maximize outcomes.

My post-fellowship plans include pursuing graduate studies in development and policy studies. Before that, I intend to seize opportunities Teach For India provides, such as summer internships and partnerships for professional and classroom growth.

Jhanavi Sankar

Cohort of 2022