A day in the life of a volunteer teacher in India...
A day in the life of a teacher? Well, here
in India there really is no typical day. The place is always ‘buzzing’ with the
relentless beeping of horns and the chitter-chatter of the locals (millions of
them!) The noise never ceases. The sweating never stops and the big stupid smile
that the children put on my face never seems to dwindle even after a tough day.
Just thinking about them makes me beam from ear to ear.
Teaching 50 kids is no mean feat! I leave
the house at 6:15 raring to go! I make the most of potential power naps on the
1 hour journey, not because I’m tired but because I know that there is no way
at the age of 21 I can sustain enough
energy to ‘peel banana’ hundreds of times without them. The chat on the journey
is little and often and the butterflies still decide to drop by every morning
and accompany me on my way (regardless of what I’ve had for breakfast or for
dinner the night before!) There inside me is the motivation to be a good
teacher, the motivation to help the children to learn, regardless of what’s
happening around us, the fast traffic, the cows on the roads, the monsoon rain
or the literally sweltering heat. These all change but the smiles that meet you
at the classroom door never do. They are flawless, unchangeable.
The children truly are amazing and to me, an
inspiration. I really can’t put into words how much joy working with them
brings. These children have so little but give so much. I have never received
as many hugs or handshakes as I have in the last 5 weeks. They have taught me
so much about myself, my values and the world that surrounds me. They have
opened my eyes to what real poverty is. On the surface these children are
educated at the same level as the ones at home. They have uniforms and they
attend school. They have schoolbags and copy books. When you delve deeper into
their lives you begin to see that the school they attend has no electricity, no
fans, no books, no resources.
At this point, 5 weeks in, we as volunteers
have almost become complacent with it. It has become ‘normal’. We have left our
’first world views’ behind. Is this right? Should we become used to it or take
action to change it? I think that’s something that challenges a teaching
volunteer: seeing the struggles that students face every day. These include the
struggle to eat and drink fresh food and water, the struggle to stay awake in
class because they have to work too, and most of all the struggle to compete in
a world where, for so many, a high level of education is standard and readily
available.
A day in the life of a teacher is one
filled with mixed emotions. Happiness, a day filled with smiling, your own and
the children’s. Dismay, worry that there is so far to go. Joy, knowing that even
for 10 weeks you have the opportunity to have a positive influence on their
experience of education. Joy in knowing that you have the potential to help
them but also in knowing that spending time with them brings you so much joy.
Most of all, out of these emotions, there
is hope. In these children there is so much hope. Hope for a brighter future
where children are more empowered. Hope for a world where the resourcefulness
of these students can be used to full capacity and hope that we as volunteers
can bring home with us that joy and positivity that these children express so
well.
The power for change is in our hands and as
educators we are in an ideal position to bring about that change.
Post written by my wonderful girlfriend, who is currently volunteering in India. I love you so much! <3 xxx
Post written by my wonderful girlfriend, who is currently volunteering in India. I love you so much! <3 xxx
