Teach For Nepal

By Jalan Maharjan, Teach For Nepal Fellow 2013

I had dreams of working in rural areas full of natural beauties. Luckily, my work and my vision come together when I was selected as a Teach For Nepal Fellow last year. I am currently serving the children at Shree Ganesh Secondary School at Dukuchhap VDC, Lalitpur District teaching . My job isn’t only to teach English but to learn from them and support each other.

Ganesh Secondary School, Dukuchhap, Lalitpur

When I first entered the classroom, I was totally shocked at the very poor academic achievement of children. Neither could the students speak nor could they write a single well-structured sentence in English. Previously, I had taught in different schools, mostly in private schools, and I had never seen children who were struggling with basics in grade 8 or 9.

I realized that most children were scared of English. They were afraid even to try. Realizing the situation, I made a promise to myself that no matter what, I will definitely make sure that my children in the classrooms develop confidence in self. I set a goal that they would be able to believe and trust themselves and begin to dream big.

Their condition wasn’t destined by faith nor confined by their birth. But it’s the educational system in Nepal that is hindering their path.

I had to start from the very beginning. At first they were not willing to speak a single word in English. Many of them thought it’s impossible to speak and write fluent English in any form. They were scared. But on continuous motivation and push, they started to write few lines.

I started to integrate role plays, drama birthday chart, smiley and grumpy record, and sharing of wishes with each other to make the
children more familiar with the English as a language and not a subject that they have to pass a test on.

I wasn’t sure how this would all have impact on.

The results of first-terminal (first trimester) examinations weren’t very satisfying. I took this as an indicator that the road ahead is going to be really challenging. With the students, I discussed about the difficulty that we are facing and set a next goal.

The results of second-terminal examinations came out recently and I can now see that children are finally making some progress.

Children have developed the habit of expressing their feelings through journals & poems. I give them different projects and assignments.
I introduced a new form of writing called “My Lucid Dream”, in which they have to scribble down every thing that they can recall from their dreams. Through this exercise, they can retain information, develop concentration, self-reliance, and improve upon on their writing skill as well.

My own dream is that one day all of my students will not only secure good marks in their examinations but also will definitely develop into successful leaders of Nepal. For this there is a lot that I need to do. This isn’t the end, it’s just the beginning of the journey of My Dream.

(Jalan Maharjan is a 2013 Teach For Nepal Fellow. He is currently teaching English at Ganesh Secondary School in Dukuchhap, Lalitpur. All photos in the post are taken by Jalan).