Transform the lives of 3200 children in Hyderabad

Over the last few months, my Students have started working on their ‘ownership projects’, which entail identifying any issue in their community and using their strengths to solve it or suggest a solution while collaborating with their classmates. There are currently seven projects being run by the Students- five being research projects and two aiming to solve issues in the community. The Students have undergone upskilling to conduct primary and secondary research to start their projects. Fellows and external stakeholders are also supervising them to ensure the successful completion of their project.

To accelerate the growth of Students in Reading Comprehension, various practices were adopted, such as differentiation (which entailed learning-level specific instruction for each Student) and unconventional ways to improve conversational language, such as learning English songs, acting out movie scenes, using art to express understanding, setting up puppet shows, etc. These practices were adopted to make the English language more relevant for the Students and cultivate a love for expression in the English language.

To address the issue of emotional regulation in teenagers, mental health workshops have been started in collaboration with Atmaprakash, which aim to equip the students with the skills to navigate the emotional turmoils of puberty healthily.

After completing my Fellowship, I plan to pursue further studies in psychology, specializing in the effects of socioeconomic intersectionalities on adolescents from SEDGs. My time at the Fellowship has pushed me to reflect deeply on how deep the wicked problem of education ran in our society and has piqued my interest in learning more about the intricacies of social change and achieving lasting impact.

I have also participated in the pathway exposure series to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to work indirectly with the education ecosystem that surrounds the students, which is the area I plan to work in after my studies. My most extensive support system comprises my co- Fellow, peers and Program manager. They have helped me push myself and think beyond to make the most out of my experience. My Learning Circle and Secondary Track team members have been pivotal in adding inputs to drive my instruction more refined and contextualized. The City Conferences have inspired me about what more I can do for my Students.

My vision of leading myself is coming alive in the extensive focus and research I have put into setting up a positive classroom culture, upskilling to take up new content areas and pushing my content instruction to be more effective using differentiated instruction. In terms of leading others, I've been able to bring in concepts from the world in the morning meetings we have in a class by enabling my Students to take up ownership projects, advising Fellows at the city level to improve their skills and taking training sessions for my school's teaching staff to share best practices.

My vision of leading India is coming alive by enabling my Students to be change makers and pushing myself to prioritize knowledge and learning of my community before stepping up to take action regarding post-fellowship plans.

During the Summer School, I went on community visits with my co-Fellows. We visited Summer school Students' homes and met their parents and families. The love, gratitude, and trust they showed us made me feel like I was on the right track in imagining and working for the welfare of the less fortunate. Despite my regional language problem, one of the parents asked me to stay at the Summer school and teach her child for the rest of the school year since the child showed significant enthusiasm and improvement in school after attending my courses. This was one of the proudest moments in my Fellowship journey, as those were the days I was immersed in self-doubt about my capability and career in teaching. This incident was a green flag to my endeavours ahead as a teacher. This was one of the proudest moments of my Fellowship journey because those were the days when I was filled with worry about my competence and career as a teacher. This encounter served as an encouragement for my future aspirations as a teacher. 

Hiral

Cohort of 2022