Growing up in Kerala, I used to spend my time teaching in multiple organisations that focused on student outreach. My journey as a VITeacher began not only because it fuelled my passion for teaching but to also break free from the conventional, textbook-oriented method of educating students. I focused on guiding students on how to apply their learning to their day-to-day activities. After understanding the agendas and responsibilities of the club during my 1st year in college, I started working for VITeach in 2021 as an FFCS member, during my 2nd year. Deciding to be a part of VITeach among the dozens of other clubs in my college might have been one of the best decisions I ever made, that almost felt like finding a “soulmate” that was perfectly compatible with me in every way possible.
I started off my journey as a club member who loved working on study materials such as PPTs and worksheets for the students. In my second semester, I actively took part in outreach programs- one such was teaching Python in online sessions conducted by the club, aimed at providing quality education to the underprivileged students of Mumbai. This program would go on to be one of the most insightful and humbling experiences I have ever had. During one of these sessions, I observed that the students taking part in these sessions used Android phones to code and attend classes- which did not surprise me, as I was already aware of the fact. What surprised me, however, was learning HOW they were able to afford one.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had a strong grip over every corner of our world. Our students came from the underdeveloped sections of our country that were arguably the most affected. After education had been shifted to online mode, a lack of monetary support from their families forced them to take matters into their own hands- they scoured for any jobs that they could find, toiled all day and night until they could scrape together just enough money to purchase a mobile phone to attend online classes. Could you imagine a 12 year old willingly taking up difficult, physically demanding labour? They were not only determined to improve their circumstances, but also showcased courage in the face of adversity. It was truly enlightening and inspiring for me to hear their story.
Shortly after the python sessions ended, I took part in similar online activities that propelled me to becoming a member of the Junior Core Committee (JCC). I was mainly tasked with reviewing the study materials prepared by the club members. Shortly after that, our first offline meet commenced, where, amongst a midst of awkwardness, I was finally able to assign faces to the names I had so often come across during the online sessions. After getting to know more about each other, we all agreed upon one thing- that we need to make VITeach and our club-oriented goals well-known among our circles. We started with conducting small events like Family Feud and debates to familiarise VITians with our club. Later on, I took on the mantle of a department head of VITeach. I was one among the 13 office bearers; 4 of them who, including me, were posted as the School Heads. I finally saw an opportunity to make my dream come true- to teach in a school and interact with the students offline. The wheels were turning as the four of us were making progress, working towards transforming this dream into a reality. By the time we paid a school visit, we were equipped with the study materials and well-prepped with the skill of teaching.
However, our initial excitement came to an abrupt halt when we realised that the school that we visited did not have projectors in the classrooms. This was bad news. Furthermore, we failed to realise the obvious knowledge gap between our VITeachers and the students we were going to teach. Our materials, which were created by our members, catered to the understanding levels of a college student. We did not consider the fact that over 75% of the Grade 1 students were still struggling with their alphabets- while our study materials contained words that would’ve been highly complex for their understanding. At that moment, we somehow felt that… despite us trying to relate to, and be a part of their world, we were suddenly and inexplicably out of touch. Weeks and weeks of hard work that were put into building the PPTs and worksheets designed to help with teaching them, suddenly felt wasted and unproductive. “How did we not think of these constraints? Why didn’t we consider the alternatives?” – are questions that we repeatedly asked ourselves over and over again. After much contemplation, we finally decided to teach the content of the PPTs using a blackboard. It was a challenging task, but we did not give up on our vision of what we wanted our students to take away from us by the end of the day.
I was assigned to class 5, so I had a relatively easier group of kids to handle. I gave my students a fun bunch of activities related to grammar and prepositions. Later during the day, when I asked the children what they wanted to become in life, I was expecting answers like “engineer” , “doctor” but what I heard left me startled. “I want to speak English like you,” a child said. “I want to wear clothes like you wear,” said another. “I want to own a pair of earrings just like yours,” one cried out. No big dreams, not a hint of ambition, just simple and honest dreams that they would like to see come true one day. Their answers spoke a lot about the simplicity of a child’s way of thinking and their modest upbringing.
Teaching can be an unbelievably humbling experience- it keeps you grounded, it changes your perspectives and ideologies of people around you when you realise how simple or how complex the depth of their character is. And perhaps most importantly, it gives you the most unforgettable memories with your peers and unshakable relationships with your audience. It was an insightful experience that taught me the importance of humility every step of the way.
Writer: Akshaya Poorna R
Editor: Lavanya Darshni
Growing up in Kerala, I used to spend my time teaching in multiple organisations that focused on student outreach. My journey as a VITeacher began not only because it fuelled my passion for teaching but to also break free from the conventional, textbook-oriented method of educating students. I focused on guiding students on how to apply their learning to their day-to-day activities. After understanding the agendas and responsibilities of the club during my 1st year in college, I started working for VITeach in 2021 as an FFCS member, during my 2nd year. Deciding to be a part of VITeach among the dozens of other clubs in my college might have been one of the best decisions I ever made, that almost felt like finding a “soulmate” that was perfectly compatible with me in every way possible.
I started off my journey as a club member who loved working on study materials such as PPTs and worksheets for the students. In my second semester, I actively took part in outreach programs- one such was teaching Python in online sessions conducted by the club, aimed at providing quality education to the underprivileged students of Mumbai. This program would go on to be one of the most insightful and humbling experiences I have ever had. During one of these sessions, I observed that the students taking part in these sessions used Android phones to code and attend classes- which did not surprise me, as I was already aware of the fact. What surprised me, however, was learning HOW they were able to afford one.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had a strong grip over every corner of our world. Our students came from the underdeveloped sections of our country that were arguably the most affected. After education had been shifted to online mode, a lack of monetary support from their families forced them to take matters into their own hands- they scoured for any jobs that they could find, toiled all day and night until they could scrape together just enough money to purchase a mobile phone to attend online classes. Could you imagine a 12 year old willingly taking up difficult, physically demanding labour? They were not only determined to improve their circumstances, but also showcased courage in the face of adversity. It was truly enlightening and inspiring for me to hear their story.
Shortly after the python sessions ended, I took part in similar online activities that propelled me to becoming a member of the Junior Core Committee (JCC). I was mainly tasked with reviewing the study materials prepared by the club members. Shortly after that, our first offline meet commenced, where, amongst a midst of awkwardness, I was finally able to assign faces to the names I had so often come across during the online sessions. After getting to know more about each other, we all agreed upon one thing- that we need to make VITeach and our club-oriented goals well-known among our circles. We started with conducting small events like Family Feud and debates to familiarise VITians with our club. Later on, I took on the mantle of a department head of VITeach. I was one among the 13 office bearers; 4 of them who, including me, were posted as the School Heads. I finally saw an opportunity to make my dream come true- to teach in a school and interact with the students offline. The wheels were turning as the four of us were making progress, working towards transforming this dream into a reality. By the time we paid a school visit, we were equipped with the study materials and well-prepped with the skill of teaching.
However, our initial excitement came to an abrupt halt when we realised that the school that we visited did not have projectors in the classrooms. This was bad news. Furthermore, we failed to realise the obvious knowledge gap between our VITeachers and the students we were going to teach. Our materials, which were created by our members, catered to the understanding levels of a college student. We did not consider the fact that over 75% of the Grade 1 students were still struggling with their alphabets- while our study materials contained words that would’ve been highly complex for their understanding. At that moment, we somehow felt that… despite us trying to relate to, and be a part of their world, we were suddenly and inexplicably out of touch. Weeks and weeks of hard work that were put into building the PPTs and worksheets designed to help with teaching them, suddenly felt wasted and unproductive. “How did we not think of these constraints? Why didn’t we consider the alternatives?” – are questions that we repeatedly asked ourselves over and over again. After much contemplation, we finally decided to teach the content of the PPTs using a blackboard. It was a challenging task, but we did not give up on our vision of what we wanted our students to take away from us by the end of the day.
I was assigned to class 5, so I had a relatively easier group of kids to handle. I gave my students a fun bunch of activities related to grammar and prepositions. Later during the day, when I asked the children what they wanted to become in life, I was expecting answers like “engineer” , “doctor” but what I heard left me startled. “I want to speak English like you,” a child said. “I want to wear clothes like you wear,” said another. “I want to own a pair of earrings just like yours,” one cried out. No big dreams, not a hint of ambition, just simple and honest dreams that they would like to see come true one day. Their answers spoke a lot about the simplicity of a child’s way of thinking and their modest upbringing.
Teaching can be an unbelievably humbling experience- it keeps you grounded, it changes your perspectives and ideologies of people around you when you realise how simple or how complex the depth of their character is. And perhaps most importantly, it gives you the most unforgettable memories with your peers and unshakable relationships with your audience. It was an insightful experience that taught me the importance of humility every step of the way.
Writer: Akshaya Poorna R
Editor: Lavanya Darshni