Blog – Page 3

“Those were such happy days!”

We walked along the mud roads of the village lined with coconut trees and the green fields. Jayanthi, the tailoring center teacher, fondly recollected her childhood memories of walking to school, carrying books on her heads wading through knee deep water. “Now, neither are there hardly rains nor are there moments where I do things […]

November 13, 2019
By Nirmal Kaarthick
Education
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Learning and Teaching

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity; she shot a cascade of questionsWhat is the meaning of ‘following’? Ma’am, what does ‘agrarian’ mean?Does ‘choose the following’ mean, we choose only 1 answer?Where can I find word meanings for science-related words?She checked if she got the meanings of all difficult words she had underlined, as she walked to […]

November 12, 2019
By Nirmal Kaarthick
Sura
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Happy News!

A long form was filled out- SURA was applying for a national award. After several rounds of applications and a visit, an email arrives, inviting us as winners of this award. An excited Shivarajani calls the SURA ladies and asks, “I have a really big news! A happy one! Guess what it is?” There is […]

“Will it ripen?”

I make my usual stop, enroute from school, to pick up fruits. This old lady, sits by the highway watching buses speed by, making small talk with anyone who is waiting for the bus. She smiles and waves at me, asking me how my daughter is doing. As she packs a big bunch of bananas […]

November 10, 2019
By Nirmal Kaarthick
Education
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Last day of school. Ever.

Last day of school. “Bye! I’ll miss you!” she waved to everyone.She walked back; the goodbyes and happy holidays faded into the silenceShe put away her Grade 9 books.She knew it was her last day of school. Ever.She has failed in Math and English. Here is a story of #schooldropoutsMost of our stakeholders who have dropped […]

Excel with empathy

3 PM.. the school leader moves the chair slightly back.. stretches her hands up.. adjusts her sari pleats and drinks water.. picks up her lunch box and walks slowly to the shed for lunch… As she walks out, she stops to ask me, “Ma’am can you please just help me with adding all the numbers […]

November 7, 2019
By Nirmal Kaarthick
Education
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Parents as Partners

`A warm June afternoon…mats laid out in the big parking area. An anxious-looking School Leader is pacing up and down. making last-minute arrangements. A parent-teacher meeting with a twist – every classroom had prepared for a student showcase, an opportunity to demonstrate what they are learning in class… Just a few days ago, there was […]

November 6, 2019
By Nirmal Kaarthick
Sura
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Ladies Day Out

“Why ma’am?! Everyone seems to be in a hurry always!!”“Hey! Do you remember our ma’am had also mentioned about doing something with scrap clothes? This cloth key chain reminds me of that!”“Look at this, the spacing of the stitching is not the same throughout” (a little joy of finding a similar mistake to theirs, in […]

November 5, 2019
By Nirmal Kaarthick
Education
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Climbing the stairs

It’s the first hour of the day, a poem is read and some words are up. Students are in groups, identifying meaning of some words. I walk around and I see a group trying very hard to work out a clue. I sit down and ask if I can help- there is so much panic […]

November 4, 2019
By Nirmal Kaarthick
Kanavu
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Legacy

Kanavu Camp mornings begin with a morning circle – a space where teachers reflect on their experiences and share their leadership stories. In one such morning meeting, teachers were sharing about striving for excellence.Mehar miss started the circle sharing, “I always think, wherever I go, I have to create an impression of mine. I have […]