Are they different?

As i entered the 3rd grade of Pantnagar municipal school there was silence. The curious eyes staring me, the ebullient minds wanted to know 'who's this new didi?'. They all greeted me but before they could ask i took a seat next to Roshni(smart and confident girl 8yrs old, later became my good friend). Break time was over,hurriedly the kids where reaching out to their desks and the class incharge was counting.."5..4...3...2...1" "Knowledge is our power, reach for the stars" babbled the class of 30 students.This is the theme for the academic year.The class resumed for their session and i was to attend it.
My thesis is on schools for underprivileged.The focus is on municipal schools and the various teaching methods being adopted. This will help me come with a design that excites the children to come to school and gain knowledge. Through sources I got to know about an organization doing exceedingly well in creating awareness and educating poor kids.And so i chose one amongst the set of schools where this organisation has a trainee assigned.Since this trainee and i are coeval and share a common friend, it made my job painless.
This blog has actually come out of certain realizations. First being, the thing that is available easily, isnt valued. These kids come from the lower class or the poor sections of the society. The BMC arranges for their food, clothes(uniform), books and these kids can teach us how to show differential regards towards it. The second being, there's a lot of manpower, awareness and tenacity required to improve the pitiable conditions of society. The two trainees had trained the same lot last year and communicating with her unfolded various problems. These include getting down to slums and requesting parents to send their kids to school.Mendicancy is yet another problem to deal with.The admission of kids in municipal schools is uncertain. The same batch has kids of varying age hence the grasping power varies. Some have been transferred from marathi or hindi medium to english medium grade. There are few physically challenged kids and so they need special attention. Gathering funds for the kids is also an extensive task. But this trainee has indeed done a remarkable job. This is her second year of service in the esteemed organization and i believe she has succeeded in bringing a positive change.
Her class undoubtedly stood out from the rest in terms of behavior, discipline, cleanliness and social conduct. Students themselves have made 5 groups named STAR, WORLD, FRIENDS ,DREAMS AND SMART. All had their group in charge helping didi in various tasks. This brought in, a sense of leadership and responsibility. I was pleasantly surprised to see them talking in english(taking efforts atleast), actively participating in the discussions, raising their hands to put up their views, showing their agreement and disagreement with thumbs up and down and obediently following the instructions. The class had charts, pictures, drawings, stickers and a section where the individual conduct of a child was marked. The one who receives a star badge at the end of month will go on a date with didi. Undeniably this exercise elicited the kids to perform and behave so that their wish could come true.
There's no denying the fact that the tremendous growth has come out of a lot of patience and perseverance from the teacher. It's the sense of responsibility which motivates you to put in vigorous efforts. I raise respect to all those who have devoted their time, money and love to this noble cause.