Teah For India

Finally,
After so much of thinking and consideration I landed up in Pune to join the Movement that works to end education inequality in India. Lot of concerns raised by the friends, family regarding the career, money etc etc. But as I am, I decided to join so I had my justification or logic ready to convince them. So I came to Pune to be a part of the initial training that prepares us for the coming two years of intensive teaching in low income schools. The training started with comparatively lighter but thoughtful sessions like visiting a community and connecting with a child, then yellow hat was about exploring the opportunities and hidden potential in ourselves. The best thing about the TFI is reflection. There is a learning in everything you do and you should reflect and share your learning with others and you are really amazed sometimes about how many perspectives are there for a so so called simple activity. On the lighter side I sometimes feel that TFI makes you reflect so much that you start feeling like a mirror. Then there are sessions like life map which gives you the courage to share your deepest secrets with complete strangers and give you the courage to own your mistakes and correct them. After 2-3 days of somewhat fun and gelling up activities there came the hardest part, the CS sessions that talks about management of the classroom and then a much more tougher part that is 'Lesson Plans' and trust me making a presentation in a B school is quite easier than preparing a lesson plan. From the second week, we started going to the school to use the learning of Cs sessions in practical classroom. A lot of anxiety and nervousness was there but once I entered the class I gained a lot of confidence that yes I can teach. The worst part is to wake up at 5 in the morning to get ready for the school. Honestly speaking, there are times when I feel that whether I was right about joining TFI or not but then I find much more reasons and activities that makes me feel proud about my decision. Seriously, I never reflected so much in my life but I seriously feel that this exercise brings you much more closer to your real self and helps you in believing yourself. I am yet to find a place with such an enormous energy level where irrespective of the hierarchies everybody enjoys together and share their happiness and achievements in the best possible manners. I am really mesmerized by the liveliness of this place. Yes, there are challenges to encounter but then there is trust that yes we can. People are here that makes you feel special and making you confident that you are here because you have what it takes to face the challenge and you can create a change. This is just a beginning, a lot more is yet to come. Hope to stand tall amidst all the challenges. In the end:

Woods are lovely dark and deep
and I have promises to keep
and miles to go before I sleep
and miles to before I sleep