Drawing Inspiration - ''The First Teacher''

 

Naziya, an Edu-leader to engage her mind began reading books regularly and she came across a book called The First Teacher (पहला अध्यापक) which was a story of a soldier who after being injured in the war had to retire and had out of deep compassion for children had begun teaching them. 

The story is set in a time when education wasn’t formalized and compulsory for all as per the regulating laws. The soldier however taught the children by taking classes under a Peepal tree. While some confused villagers assumed that he was downright foolish for spending time with children, other villagers believed he was without a family and all alone in the world and that's why he spent his time with the children. The soldier didn’t resort to monotonous teaching of grammar and math, he used clay and stones to teach them to count and engaging them in a wide array of activities inspiring them and pushing them to look for deeper goals in life. 

The book goes on to explain the life of a little girl who was drowning in household work but went on to achieve greatness. It is a story that inspires one to reach the skies and Naziya can’t help but feel enthused by learning the fruits of a mentor’s efforts that last children a lifetime.

The Creativeness in being an Edu-leader

 Ranju Kumari, Batch-6 edu-leader is fervent to present her journey that has happened not in one single day but the process of learning, sharing, and re-learning. The day went on as usual with morning prayers and greetings, the previous activities and lessons were discussed with the children to keep track of their comprehension. Ranju uses the calendar as an effective tool to bring the children on board into the process of education and make them active receptors of information as they introspect their growth over the week and month. She observed this also helped the other edu-leaders, as well as they too, became inclined to adopt best practices and innovate their ways of reaching out to the children. Ranju was impressed when other edu-leaders volunteered themselves to perform songs and fol plays with the children as a group activity and participate in storytelling where there is a character sketch presented to the students to help them form a relationship with the character traits, then the story is told most animatedly by the edu-leader and questions are asked in the end to sink into the young ones’ mind the moral of the story and even encourage their interpretations to it. Seeing the initiative and creativity of the edu-leaders motivates Ranju further to do better every day!

Reshma's Happy Ending

 

Making Parents' Teachers Meeting Fun!

 Priyanjali Kumari shares with us her experience as an Edu-leader in Hasanpur.

On Thursday, the Parents Teachers Meet for the primary school was scheduled from 11 am to 1 pm. Upon the arrival of the parents, they were welcomed by the principal followed by a motivational song. Students from grades 1 and 2 were made to do simple activities and the parents were informed on the importance of storytelling and reading and how it aids in brain development as well as communication skills. Priyanjali then went on to demonstrate telling a story to the kids which impressed the parents as they got to see their child’s thinking capabilities and vocabulary live.

For students of grade 4 and 5, a presentation of songs was done to express their creativity and knowledge. Parents were encouraged to support the endeavors of their children to safeguard their interests and tap their full potential. The principal of the school then went on to thank the parents for their attendance.

The Joy of Project Work

In the classroom of Edu Leader Seema, the students were tasked with the activity of project presentation in front of the public wherein anyone from the village could check in and look at their work. This excited the students more than ever, When Seema inquired on the enthusiasm one student replied saying that this project goes beyond the normal grading wherein, we just get marks for the project that we submit, instead we can display our work to the public and get their feedback. This felt inspiring as they were looking forward to experiencing the thrill and beauty of their work. This was a catalyst to Seema for incorporating inventiveness in stimulating the brains of the learners- to begin the school day by asking questions instead of rote learning or static answers and presenting challenges for quick thinking which doesn't bore them and enriches learning. 

Projects also gave the children liberty to work on topics of their preference to delve deep and approach anything from different angles and express their opinions. Few of them did struggle with liking projects but upon them discussing topics with their family and friends they were more hyped to do presentations. This also means inter-disciplinary way of taking subjects and making them work together. Edu-leaders can foster learning through cooperation and trust by putting forth engaging content that encourages participation and allows the children to ask questions and give answers all the while motivating them to be better. 

Empowering Training Sessions: by Seema, edu-leader, Batch 6, Gaya

For Seema, an Edu-leader from Batch-6, the three-day training sessions felt empowering more than anything. She says the affirming words of all the mentors who came to mentor them was extremely powerful and motivating. Kalpana Shastri especially left a deep impact on her mind. In the sessions discussing topics of woman's contribution and expectations of the society was meaningful expressing the meaningfulness of a supportive family and community in attaining one's potential. The atmosphere of the sessions was conducive to introspect and instill confidence while removing the self-imposed restraints and fear. A group activity called - ''Frog in the pond'' was conducted and then all the participants were asked to use their computer skills and an emoji making activity was done.

For Babita Kumari, the third day stood out the most as they learnt about Compassion. Up till now she had always thought of compassion as kindness, but the instructor had explained the five aspects of compassion that was more than just helping someone or about being merciful. The activities were extremely mindful supported with additional audio-visual materials.

At the end of every session a meditation was conducted to recollect the events of the day and clarify the doubts and process the information for the day while absorbing the meaningfulness of the session, that inspired greater self-confidence and felt empowering.