By Parvathy Ganesan | Project Leader
“How do we improve their English?” We, the tutors and mentors at ATMA, have asked this question among ourselves so many times.
English is a challenge for all the girls at ATMA Gurukulam. Hailing from difficult backgrounds, the girls have received very little academic support in their early years. With parental neglect and poor physical health, even their brain development is affected, leading to situations like learning difficulties and scholastic backwardness.
At ATMA Gurukulam, we have a comprehensive academic support plan – we start from the beginning, and tutor every child individually, allowing her to learn and grow at her own pace. Our special educator, Ms Sreedevi Haridas, spends time with each child, patiently guiding her through the nuances of the three R’s.
Most of our girls follow Malayalam medium in school till tenth or twelfth standards. But for higher education, English fluency is a must.
This year, when school reopened in June, we decided to give special focus to English. We were blessed with the support of two very good English teachers - Smt Raji P and Smt Sakhi. Both of them now come once a week, and give personal and group training sessions in essential English. It was an added joy when Ms Abhirami, post graduate student of the renowned English & Foreign Languages University Hyderabad, volunteered with us for a month, giving daily lessons to all children.
Then came the books!
Inner Wheel Club of Trichur organised a poster-making event for the Gurukulam children on August 15th, Independence Day. With a piece of white paper and a set of poster colours, creativity bloomed!
At the end of 2 fun hours of painting and slogan making, every child was given a gift – a beautiful book to read and cherish!
The books had been carefully chosen by Ms Vidya Sanjay, with inputs from our team, according to the reading levels and capacities of each child. They were colourful, simple, and came in all shapes and sizes! And of course, they were all in English. The book distribution became a real festival! The children were excited, and suddenly, to their joyful hearts, English seemed a little friendlier. Their cheer has inspired Ms Vidya, a Chartered Accountant by profession, and an avid book lover, to volunteer for a weekly reading session.
And now, slowly, our children are learning to fall in love with reading. True, Gurukulam is a little untidy these days – you can see books scattered on the tables, on the beds – you might even catch one on a kitchen shelf! But we have learnt not to notice. Because we know that, soon, a young mind will return to it, eager to complete the half-read story, ready to take off into a different world - all the while, unknowingly learning.
Learning a language is an uphill task. Magic will not happen in a day. We know. But, slowly, consistently, when our children tread the path into the world of reading, one day, THEY WILL.
By Parvathy Ganesan | Project Leader
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