“Redesigning the classroom culture”
I have a dream that one day every classroom will provide a safe environment for a child to grow by celebrating his mistakes. In my childhood, I struggled a lot with the education system in my school, we were conditioned to mug up the syllabus for the exams and grades were the only way to judge a student’s capabilities and potential. Asking questions were discouraged in my class and whenever I used to ask a question, I used to be laughed at by the teachers and students.
This fear just got worse over the years and there was nobody to tell me that it’s okay to make mistakes, there is no right or wrong answer and we all can feel safe in a classroom. Contrary to this, I grappled a lot to battle my fear and always thought that when I grow up I’m going to become a teacher who will hear each voice, celebrate mistakes and teach holistically instead of rote learning.
In 2017, I got an opportunity to work with an NGO that works with government kids, teaching them English and Math and that’s when I began teaching Speaking skills to the kids. Spending time with those kids and teaching them how it is important to voice their opinion, I realized that I was actually telling this to my old self. In those 6 months, I realized a lot of things about myself, my students, and the whole education system and how much it has become the need an hour to change and revamp it.
There was just not me but many students who were struggling with this system and it was affecting their socio-emotional development. Hereafter, I made up my mind to work towards this and help as many students as I can. This year in July, I joined “Teach for India” as a fellow and now I’m teaching underprivileged kids by taking online classes because of the pandemic. In my classroom, they ask questions, self-assess themselves, share their feelings, and play games to learn math.
Just how I’m trying to make a change, I want others to be a part of this change. Through this book, I’m just taking the next step towards my dream where I can give the message of how important this issue is and our kids really need this change.