I had an opportunity to teach a few KG kids at a local school here. It was voluntary and we had to make them aware about our culture. There's enough that kids here know about Mexico and China in a way but nothing very distinctive about India. So my partner and I made a presentation and showed them what an Indian flag looks like, our national bird, the festivals food etc.
My partner started presenting it like it were a bunch of serious professors and it was his thesis he was defending. "So today i will be talking about india. India is a vast country blah blah".I was like dude. They're in KG!
That's when I took over. I thought I'd suck at teaching. I mean, I'm sure all of us as kids would have started off thinking, One day I'll be a teacher! Well, most of the girls think so anyway. But later those dreams turn into something more...lucrative? Here was a chance to live that dream.. I tried to make it more interactive. Making them try to pinpoint India on the map.
Or Asking them to identifythe colors in our flag, count the spokes..
I'm sure you've heard before, "
Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I will remember. Teach me and I will understand.
" You have to involve them for them to learn something. It was very satisfying!
Kids here are very vocal about their thoughts and what they feel. Not that I remember how all of us were in KG but I probably was the quiet shy kid who answered only when asked a question to.
So when I entered the class, this girl comes and hugs me, gives me a kiss as soon as I enter. :)says she loves my outfit- things you'd expect an adult to say or do.:)
Everyone was so enthusiastic!
Who can tell me what each color of the flag signifies?? Me! Me!
Who can tell me what our national bird is!
And some of them are so smart! They catch on to each word of yours and remember all of it.
Made me realize teachers play such an important part in our lives. A teacher can actually mould and shape a students future if he wished to.
I felt good that I made a small difference in the way they see the world that day..
When asked a question, a kid raises her hand before I finish. I was thinking wow, now that's a smart kid. When asked to answer he goes, Can I use the toilet? :)) wasn't expecting that!
And then, remember how when we make too much noise, we were asked to "put a finger on your lips", here they ask you to put a bubble in your mouth. Basically puff up your cheeks like your mouth is full.
:) I really liked their classroom.
It was so colorful. Had maps of the world. Had all kinds of musical instruments. Had a computer. A projector. You name it.
Learning is made very interactive. They had a fireman come over and show them how they douse off fire. To show them what a fireman's job is like. To get a feel of the pressure of the water and things like that.. Here's a picture of them......... ^-^
Every week new people from different walks of life are brought in.. Nice, right? I sometimes wish I'd studied here. Maybe not school but engineering atleast..
Would have learnt so much more...
PS: I'd written out this post 2 days back, even put it on my blog, but now I see that it's gone! :O How can that happen? I know I published it. I know I had it. But it was gone. I though I'd written the other one better. :-?
My partner started presenting it like it were a bunch of serious professors and it was his thesis he was defending. "So today i will be talking about india. India is a vast country blah blah".I was like dude. They're in KG!
That's when I took over. I thought I'd suck at teaching. I mean, I'm sure all of us as kids would have started off thinking, One day I'll be a teacher! Well, most of the girls think so anyway. But later those dreams turn into something more...lucrative? Here was a chance to live that dream.. I tried to make it more interactive. Making them try to pinpoint India on the map.
Or Asking them to identifythe colors in our flag, count the spokes..
I'm sure you've heard before, "
Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I will remember. Teach me and I will understand.
Kids here are very vocal about their thoughts and what they feel. Not that I remember how all of us were in KG but I probably was the quiet shy kid who answered only when asked a question to.
So when I entered the class, this girl comes and hugs me, gives me a kiss as soon as I enter. :)says she loves my outfit- things you'd expect an adult to say or do.:)
Everyone was so enthusiastic!
Who can tell me what each color of the flag signifies?? Me! Me!
Who can tell me what our national bird is!
And some of them are so smart! They catch on to each word of yours and remember all of it.
Made me realize teachers play such an important part in our lives. A teacher can actually mould and shape a students future if he wished to.
I felt good that I made a small difference in the way they see the world that day..
When asked a question, a kid raises her hand before I finish. I was thinking wow, now that's a smart kid. When asked to answer he goes, Can I use the toilet? :)) wasn't expecting that!
And then, remember how when we make too much noise, we were asked to "put a finger on your lips", here they ask you to put a bubble in your mouth. Basically puff up your cheeks like your mouth is full.
:) I really liked their classroom.
Learning is made very interactive. They had a fireman come over and show them how they douse off fire. To show them what a fireman's job is like. To get a feel of the pressure of the water and things like that.. Here's a picture of them......... ^-^
Every week new people from different walks of life are brought in.. Nice, right? I sometimes wish I'd studied here. Maybe not school but engineering atleast..
Would have learnt so much more...
PS: I'd written out this post 2 days back, even put it on my blog, but now I see that it's gone! :O How can that happen? I know I published it. I know I had it. But it was gone. I though I'd written the other one better. :-?
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