DIET and Akshara Foundation collaborated to provide GKA Maths Kits, simplifying maths concepts and making the subject more engaging. Teachers are encouraged to innovate their teaching methods to foster a love for maths in young learners.

GP Contests have successfully introduced healthy competition among students, offering a refreshing break from the routine of regular classes. Education Volunteers educate school Headmasters about the significance of these contests and identify dedicated educational volunteers who facilitate the contests and create a comfortable environment for students.

The overarching goal of GP Contests is to make maths accessible and enjoyable, dispelling fears that students may have about the subject. These contests also empower parents to gauge their child's comprehension levels. By tracking monthly progress, we can plan targeted support for each child.

 Mr. Shankar believes that by involving more individuals and reaching out to more schools, we can have a profound and lasting impact on these children's futures, instilling a lasting love for maths that will serve them well throughout their lives. Together, we can make a real difference in the lives of these young learners.

Hope you enjoyed listening to this recording by Akshara Foundation. This podcast tries to bring out such unique stories that are motivating, inspiring, and interesting.  If you have an interesting story, please share it with 98450 79590.

Hope you enjoyed listening to this recording by Akshara Foundation. This podcast tries to bring out such unique stories that are motivating, inspiring, and interesting.  If you have an interesting story, please share it with 98450 79590.

Ms. Prabhavati was deputed, for various reasons to Nali-Kali from the higher classes. She took it as a challenge and an opportunity even though she was not trained for this. She was helped and guided by various experienced resource persons, including the Azim Premji Institute. She gradually understood the requirements of the Nali-Kali section and adopted it. 

She opines that she has also learned a lot from her students. She has understood from her training that the brains of children below the age of 8 are fertile for learning various things – ranging from morals to maths and from writing to communication. She thinks that Nali-Kali is the best opportunity to develop and nurture healthy minds in children. Nali-Kali is also an opportunity for teachers to be more creative.

In Ms. Prabhavati’s view, teachers of higher grades should consider teaching Nali-Kali pupils. Because it is a great opportunity on learning how to teach some students who directly join higher grades such as 4th or 5th. They have challenges in coping with numbers and writing. "The experience or the methodology that we acquire from teaching the Nali-Kali pupils will come in handy while tutoring the higher graders as well."

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Ms. Thanujakshi works as a  teacher at Shidlaghatta, Chikballapur. She has been a teacher of ‘Nali kali’ classes, which is for children in grades 1-3. Her school has won the State award for ‘Nali kali’. She has been the winner of ‘Anupama Seva Award’ for the year 2020. 

She follows the guidelines of the NEP to the tee. They have specific corners for maths, toys, science, reading etc. Children get ‘me time’ where they can go to their favourite corner and learn on their own. She has seen many children participating happily in these activities. As part of ‘Vidyapravesh’ she is able to engage the students in a positive way. 

Thanujakshi uses flashcards for narrating and re-creating stories. She notices that children enjoy introducing one another in the morning. It builds a bond among them. Children talk about their families and about their surroundings. She encourages them to converse in English in real-life situations such as ‘In the shop’ etc. 

She feels it is possible to use the materials and objects around us and develop number skills among the children. She has used the leaves of plants to show ‘big’ and ‘small’ and also to show increasing and decreasing order. Language sessions are helpful in developing writing skills. She uses this session to build word power. 

Handicraft sessions enhance learning in the students, as they are physically involved in creating things. She particularly mentions some of the artwork by some of her students. Thanujakshi has noticed a remarkable improvement in the confidence of her students with ‘Nali Kali’ activities. 

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Ms. Sudha Bhandari works as a  teacher at Gundabala, Uttara Kannada. She has been a teacher for 25 years. She has written 5 books and over 500 articles. She has won many prizes in several literary contests. She has also won five State-level awards. She has been a resource person for the cluster schools. 

Sudha was a bright student and looks up to her teachers as her role models. She had a very good education in English, at the high school level. She remembers her teacher I.S. Naik who encouraged her to speak in English. When she joined her own school as a teacher and started teaching English to class 5 students, her seniors recognised her talent and allowed her to teach class 6 and 7 students as well. Most of her students say English is their favourite subject. 

Though she did not get a convent education, she has been able to engage the children in meaningful, effective teaching of English through games, rhymes, etc. The Education department has given her an opportunity to be a resource person in her cluster schools. It was then she had to challenge herself to be able to train the teachers. 

She conducts a special class on weekends for students of classes 5, 6 and 7 on spoken English. She lays emphasis on learning grammar well. Her list of learning items is famous among her students. When she was transferred, some of the parents even tried to reverse it. That's how popular she and her classes are. 

Sudha has undergone training in 'English Empowerment' at DIET. And she has gone ahead and implemented the suggestion given there: celebrate one day of the week as English Day. On that day, all students and teachers must speak in English. All activities including the prayer are done in English. One day in December is dedicated to English activities by the students, to be displayed to the guardians. The whole day is dedicated to entertainment and learning - in English. 

Sudha recalls a group of tribal students she engaged with during the lunch break and how she helped build their English competence from scratch. They had to be literally taught from A, B, C. But by the time they finished 7th grade, they were able to read English fluently. One girl was even able to recite tongue twisters on the Annual Day celebrations! And that girl was given a cash reward of Rs.100 by one of the onlookers.

Sudha is convinced that if the teachers are dedicated, they can build the confidence of students, thereby building their skills. 

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Suneel started working as a Maths teacher in 2010. He currently works at Arjunavadi, Hukkeri. He has been a resource person at the Taluk, District, and State levels. He has participated in the ‘Jnana Taranga’ programme of AIR for Grade 10 students. In 2015, Suneel participated in the National-level Maths exhibition. 

Suneel trains students for NMMS (National Means, Merit Scholarship). Passing this test makes a student eligible for a scholarship. This test successfully identifies talented students in the Aided and Local schools of the State. The test is conducted by DSERT and the KSEB. If a student clears this test in Grade 8, he/she will get a sum of Rs.12000/- per year, all the way to Grade 12. In addition, the State government awards him/her a one-time cash prize worth Rs. 2000/-

Suneel, who himself is a product of competitive exams, has dedicated himself to helping children with these exams. This has helped many underprivileged students in getting a scholarship of up to Rs. 50,000/- in four years. 

Since students need about 4 months of intensive training, he first screens the students and identifies potential candidates. He then takes their parents/guardians into confidence. If one clears the test, there is financial help. Otherwise, what you learn during training will remain with you for the rest of your life! He engages the students for 2 extra hours every day. 

He even has a WhatsApp group with the students and involves them in an online quiz. He has also used technology to take online classes whenever needed. He has his own YouTube channel where he shares videos with his students. He draws a special timetable for candidates writing this test since this is an intensive course. He feels it is very important for one member of the family to dedicate 4 months to the care of their wards.

Successful students in higher classes help their juniors during weekends. It helps both the seniors to revise, and the young ones to gather insights. It also builds a strong bond between students.

In the past 12 years, 51 students have cleared the test from his school and have earned a whopping Rs.24,50,000/- in scholarships. 

Suneel is inspired by the story of a village in North India which accounts for 45 IAS officers. He wants to see his school and his village earn a similar reputation. He thanks his school colleagues for their co-operation. He has a dream of his students clearing competitive exams such as NEET. 

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Mr. Lokesh works as a  teacher in Tiptur Taluk. He has been a teacher for 26 years. 

He is intensely aware of different styles of ‘learning’. Some are ‘visual’ learners, and some others learn by ‘touch’ etc. Visual learners take ‘visual’ cues such as words on the board, underlined words etc. Such students usually do not need an explanation of a visual cue. They would learn better if we ask them to draw a sketch or a diagram. 

‘Auditory’ students take cues from sounds. They learn by listening and by watching the lip movements of the reader. Such students need Q&A method, group discussion etc. to learn effectively. Interactive sessions are important for such students. They are less motivated by ‘visual’ cues. ‘Brainstorming’ works effectively with such students.

Mr. Lokesh has found ‘kinaesthetic’ learners as well. Such students show a clear interest in physical activities. Such students respond less to ‘visual’ cues or ‘auditory’ cues. But they are better when they ‘do’ something and learn. They learn better with ‘role play’ and such activities. 

Another style of learning is ‘tactile’. Such students love working in the labs. Their approach is to ‘touch and do something'. They can handle or even build models and work with them. Such students need to be given an object or taken out on a field trip for better learning. Lokesh feels teachers need to mentally identify such students. Their learning becomes more meaningful and effective if they are given the appropriate learning ‘cues’. He has also understood that it is only by observation that a teacher can identify the learning style of a student.

Mr. Lokesh has observed that it is possible to have a ‘universal’ teaching plan, keeping all styles of learning in mind. He gives examples of lessons that he has taught using different methods. His methods have seen increased participation from his students in class. 

He remembers a particular student who was hesitant to enter the class. But eventually, with the right teaching cues, the same student was able to read from the English textbook rather well. And he was so immersed that he was not ready to let Mr. Lokesh go home when it was time to leave! 

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Ms. Pooja Devi is a  teacher at N. R. Pura, Chikkamagalur District. She has been teaching Science for the past two and half years. She has a total of 17 years of experience in teaching. She has been the winner of many State and National Awards for her excellence in teaching. She even has her own YouTube channel and blog spot for teachers. 

Pooja Devi is also inspired by her primary school teachers. She feels Science is as interesting as it can be difficult. She is convinced that, in order to make science learning effective, teachers have to make the students curious and ask 'Why? and How?' 

She advocates learning by observation of natural phenomena. She emphasizes the importance of science in our daily life. Her teachers were helpful in getting rid of her superstitions through science. Hence she draws the attention of students toward everything that affects life on earth. 

She then goes on to quote a very interesting incident. Students had to use a toilet located next to a crematorium adjacent to the school. They were found falling or getting injured particularly on a new moon day or on a full moon day. Superstition drove the children away from the school. After a bit of digging around, Pooja Devi found out that students would run back to school after using the toilet on those days. It was all due to the fear they had already built up in their minds, after hearing random stories. And that fear, coupled with haste, led to them tripping and falling, and injuring themselves. She then helped them get over their superstition by explaining her observations to them. 

Poojadevi narrates another story of a boy who would dance like a snake and declare that the snake god had possessed him. He would light a piece of camphor in his mouth and close his mouth and show the flame going out. On closer observation, Pooja revealed that he was doing all this to command the respect of his classmates, who would otherwise make fun of his poverty. 

She has arranged many mock sessions to demonstrate that many people fool others for a reason and give it the colour of religious belief. This has also led her to teach ‘knowledge is wealth’. 

Pooja Devi has had to take the parents into confidence to achieve a few desired results. The monthly magazine ‘Ayush’ is one such result. Students are thrilled to see themselves on her YouTube channel – talking about what they did to get rid of their superstition. She created a ‘Science Room’ in some students’ homes. All households tend to have many chemicals – unknowingly. She used this fact to encourage students to conduct their own experiments at home so that they understood the concept of an acid and base by taking extracts of different flowers. 

Pooja aims to build a scientific outlook among children. That would be the biggest reward to her from her students.  

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Mr. Manohar teaches at Shantapura of Surpur Taluk, Yadgir district. He likes to be identified as a teacher first. He feels teaching as a profession has given him freedom of thought and expression. He believes just as ‘play and learn’, ‘do and learn’ concepts, ‘Sing and learn’ is also an effective teaching method. 

When Mr. Manohar goes into the class, the children request him for a song. He goes to the class with a song that he has prepared for that day’s lesson. He uses the tune of a popular song to attract the attention of the students. When the subject is taught with the tune of a popular song, children actually sing their response back!

He has taught ‘Indus valley civilisation’, and ‘The Life of Basavanna’ entirely through very popular songs. When he received feedback that he could use folk songs and tunes as well and not just tunes used in movies, he took it seriously and went on to compose a song on the life of ‘Budha’ and set it to a popular folk lullaby. 

He is convinced that children are entertained and engaged in the process of learning. This approach makes teaching more effective. 

Students have started humming his songs on the streets instead of the original songs! Some children were found singing his school song in a ‘cradle ceremony’ of a newborn child :) Incidences such as these motivate Manohar to use this method even more. 

He has a collection of about 45 songs that he has written. He has written poems about the life of Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi, and others. He has even sung some of these songs with his students and uploaded them on his YouTube channel. He has demonstrated his method of teaching while working as a resource person. He even has a song about the writers who have won the Jnanapeetha Award, in Kannada. 

When Manohar asks a question in a sing-song tune, children respond with answers in a tune! He has used this method to teach language and also basic maths concepts. 

Many of his students keep in touch with him since they remember the lessons they learned through his songs.

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Link to Mr. Manohar's YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/channel/UCYlX8iX2sSb-8-QTTrqaBtQ

Mr. Sharanappa Pujar has been working as an assistant teacher from 2007. He is happy working at a lower primary school in rural area. He has taught ‘Kamsaale’ folk dance to his students who won prizes for 5 consecutive years at the Taluk level and went up to the district level! They have also participated in the ‘Kolata’ event. 

He showed a video on YouTube to one of his students about learning tables and the boy has learned up to 5,000 !!! The school has been identified as the best ‘Nali Kali’ school in 2019. It was the second school in the state to arrange furniture and execute this multi grades concept. He remembers the co-operation of his HM in getting the funds for the furniture. It made the school an attractive spot and increased the number of students.

He has worked extensively on ‘Kamsale’ folk dance. He knows it is done in the worship of Malemahadeshwara of Chamarajanagar. He is inspired by a film song. 

The Annual School Day is celebrated at the town fair. People contribute money which is used for many developmental activities in the school. Unfortunately the school had to be shifted because of the floods last year. However, old students and the public came together and rebuilt it. With the help of the Panchayat members, proper arrangement has been made for the outflow of water. 

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Shanthavva has been an Asst. Teacher for 24 years, now at Yaraguppi. She has concentrated on following the ten-point programme of the government in improving the school. She has published 10 volumes of the magazine ‘Prerana’ in 2016-17 and they were released by the Regional Educational Officer and the MLA of Kundagola. This was on social sciences. In 2018 she brought out 11 volumes of another magazine, this time on science, called  ‘Parivartane’. 

She noticed that children had to gather information from 10 different books. That is what pushed her into compiling the necessary material in one book. That was ‘Prerana’. It starts from pre-independence days and traces back to how society changed from those days. ‘Parivartane’ traces the human evolution along with the scientific  development over a very long period. 

She has given these books to 10 different schools in her cluster, and the DDPI and the BEO insisted that the books be available in the library for reference. Now any child can look into these books for any topic included in the curriculum. 

She has spent countless nights over making these books and spent a thousands of rupees from her pocket to bring out the books. She recalls one particular incident where they students had to write about Savitri Bai Phule and her book was extremely useful. 

She has planted aver 120 saplings with her personal money and the school has got the award for  being ‘Environment friendly’. She was given a State level award and she bought a laptop and a projector for the school with that money. 

She believes that if children are treated with love, they are more likely to learn and work. Currently she is ready with a copy on the 150-year history of the school, which is soon to be released.

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Mr. Buttanavar has been working as a teacher in Rhona taluk since 2002. He teaches English. He has also been a resource person at DIET and at the RIES, Bangalore. 

He adopted the direct method of teaching English – went into the class speaking in English, correcting his own spoken English in the process. Singing rhymes and making children dance to it proved effective. He lays emphasis on correct pronunciation since that would remain with children through their entire course of education. He listens to BBC and refers to Oxford and Longman dictionaries. He reads out a lesson which is heard through a speaker. 

He has made some Teaching Learning Materials (TLMs) on his own and even got them laminated. He has received the ‘Guru’ award by a private organisation of Hubli in 2015. He has trained teachers across the state – at Gadag, Dharwad, Kushtagi, and Bangalore.

He has always requested tourists from other countries to address his children in English! While he has some repeated visitors, he also keeps in touch with some others. 

He understands the importance of ‘how to teach English’ rather than ‘how not to teach’. He believes in making the children smile when he enters the class. He would make extra rhyming words related to the lesson and put them up on the board. 

Every year in March, he conducts a ‘Dialogue Day’ where children get to exhibit their spoken English skills. This helps them converse in English with the foreign visitors. He draws reference audio clips from YouTube which he says is very effective. He also draws reference material from RIE, Bangalore. 

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He has been working as the HM at the Higher Primary School of Jakli, Rhona Taluk, Gadag. He has a total of 27 years of experience. When he joined service at Mannangi, to demonstrate how ‘Gulliver’ looked, his team made a 20-feet tall structure with dry hay! It made the learning very effective. When he joined, there were only 32 students and the school had classes only till grade 4. He built it up till grade 7 and for 110 students by the time he moved on. 

At his next school at Abbigeri, the school had 400 children! It was a bigger and better educated place than Mannangi. Mr. Gavi was able to gather contribution from the public and improve the infrastructure. The school stood first at the Taluk level Kabaddi contest for 5 years! 

He was trained at Dharwad DIET for 45 days. He was able to train children with special needs. He was able to distribute a grant-in-aid of Rs. 600/- per child in the Abbigeri cluster. 

When he went to the school at Kurahatti, he realised his teaching was based more on lectures and not on activities. When he made the change, the school achieved 100% result at SSLC. When ‘Nali kali’ was introduced, he was able to train 600 teachers on the new approach. He started a unique programme of teaching through movies! He has been a resource person for various teacher training programmes across the state. 

When Mr. Gavi came to the school in Rhona, he noticed there was no toilet for the children. So he went around collecting contribtuions from the community, and built a toilet for the kids with that money. He was also able to get the Edu-Sat programme to the school, a first in the district. 

His current assignment started during the time of the pandemic. He has utilised it to plant saplings in the school. He used his free time to spread awareness among the villagers about various health issues. 

He praises the help of the locals and of the SDMC in painting the school. 

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Chandrika has been working as a teacher at the Government Lower Primary School, Hirehatkuni for 11 years now. She has a total of 15 years of teaching experience. She is a graduate. When she came to the present school, there were only 63 students and only 2 teachers. The school had many problems regarding infrastructure. 

The school is located in a labour class area and the attractiveness of the campus plays a major role. The better it looks, more students come to our school. But they hardly had any place to sit. With the cooperation of her husband, she bought sheets for the children to sit on. With the help of the School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC), she got plates and cups for the children for a hot lunch. 

She started organising annual programmes where she could meet the parents and involve the children in various activities. Slowly, donations started pouring in. One association gave a few chairs. Most schools have a set of drums for the National Day Parade. Chandrika’s husband donated a set of drums for her school. Since LP schools have no PE teachers, students lose out on many activities. 

She was given the charge of head teacher and she refurbished the office room. And a pantry was also built to help the hot lunch team. She lays a lot of importance on cleanliness. Slowly the admissions grew in number. When she had an excess amount of Rs.15,000/-, she arranged for sketches to be drawn on the classroom walls. The student strength has gone up to 115 now. 

She got new rooms built by the help of the Block Education Officer (BEO) and other officials. The school is generally affected by rains. To counter this, they first planted saplings in the school campus. Chandrika then convinced the ZP member to make necessary arrangements to stop the rain water from creating a mess within the campus. 

She is grateful to the co-operation of all the BRP’s, CRP’s and DEO’s who have helped the school. She is proud of the students who secured admission into Morarji schools and are doing well at the State level. 

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Smt. B. B. Harthi has been teaching Maths for the past 19 years. She believes strongly that Maths is not a difficult subject and it increases the logical thought process among students. She has made her own Teaching Learning Materials (TLMs) to teach Maths effectively! She even involved her students while making the TLMs. In addition, the symposia at +2 level have also improved the willingness to learn maths among children. Students had fun buying things at a mock store and selling it to their parents at home! 

The school has existed for more than a century now! This year the old students have come together to organise a function. The alumni association which is 300 in number, is making every effort needed, to improve the school in every way. With the help of philanthropists and the general public, the school has bought some furniture, and also made a garden in front of the school. Some alumni, who have become panchayat members now, have helped the school in getting a fresh coat of paint. 

The school boasts of having the maximum number of students in Gadag region. It has been the trend for the past 25 years! She appreciates the quality of teachers in the school who believe in involving the students while teaching. With the cooperation of old students and the government officials, she visits the houses of absent students and tries to bring them back to the main stream. The school arranged for scientific viewing of complete solar eclipse for the students as well as the public. 

The school has various clubs such as Science club, Music club etc. Every week one club takes up an activity and engages the students. A unique program of the school is the ‘Quiz’. First 3 Mondays of the month the students are given 30 bits of information and on the last Monday of the month, they are tested on their general knowledge based on the information given earlier. This has been a successful way of engaging students of class 4 to class 7. 

The school also uses technology to teach the students – they project relevant content from the Internet and educate the students. Some teachers make slides and show them on the projector. All these activities have held the school in good stead despite a private school in the neighbourhood. The encouragement by the department officials has also inspired the teachers. 

Smt. B. B. Harthi is thankful to her Head Teacher for supporting the teachers at every level. She is proud to be associated with the school.

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Mr. Ambore was first appointed in 1994 and teaches Social Sciences. He keeps the textbook away and teaches them in the form of stories. Children pay more attention to stories. And they are ready to answer objective questions. 

He has a lab called ‘Jagruthi’ in which he uses maps and globes to show how to understand the landscape and directions. Children show more interest towards visual aids. 

Mr. Ambore believes awareness leads to Science. He treats History also as a science as it also provides proof for its statements. Instead of teaching them boring details of dead kings, he tells them stories about their achievements. Mr. Ambore is often invited as a resource person on ‘Jagruthi’. He was trained for a couple of days on teaching Geography. That is what inspired him to start a lab that can make its teaching effective. He started with maps, went to the globe and then on to YouTube. One class room converted as a Geography library! Children started spending more time in there. 

During the times of Covid, he created a WhatsApp group with the parents of students and taught them online. 

He is actively involved in Scouts, which he believes brings discipline among children. He describes the salute with three fingers. Children understand the importance of wearing the uniform at an early age. Successful completion of scout exam can get an admission to NCC later. Children can go up to the National level and they may get easier admission into professional colleges. 

In the annual cultural competitions, where he plays on the tabla with this group of singers, his team has crossed the district level and is now on the verge of competing at the State level. On a different platform, he secured the second prize for playing the tabla. 

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Mr. Suleiman has been working as a teacher for the past 17 years at Kundagola of Dharawad district. 

When he joined the school, it had only about 15-20 students form classes 1 to 5. Students had no idea about a school. Though he was a little discouraged initially, he decided to take it as a challenge. He wanted to give a clear idea about what is a school, why should they come to the school and how it would help them in life. The school had little furniture,  no drinking water and no proper approach road!

He decided to take the help of the community in restoring it. He started by visiting each house in the village. Slowly contributions started pouring in and he could use the fund to buy some furniture for the school. There was an initial resistance to his environment protection plans. But he convinced the public and made a garden in the school ground. For 2 years he bought saplings from his own salary and planted them. Majority of the plants were uprooted by the villagers! After his continued efforts, the villagers relented. Now the school has over 350 plants and the school has bagged the ‘Green School’ award at the district level for 3 years now. In 2019, the school got a cash award of Rupees 2.5 lacs, with a recognition as the best school in the State! 

He stresses the importance of determination and courage to build something of value. Today the school has 120 students. Students are joining from the surrounding villages. He acknowledges the contribution by his wife, who is an assistant teacher in the same school, in achieving all this. 

Mr. Suleiman is an epitome of courage and confidence. He stresses the need to recognise the support beyond the resistance. He faced resistance in almost everything that he ventured into, but he overcame it with his determination and with the help of education department officials.

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Mr. Raghavan is an M. Phil degree holder in Physical Education and also has done NIS programme in Kabaddi. He has represented the Mysore University Kabaddi team at the National level, five times! He has also represented Karnataka State twice. However, he had to scale down when he joined a school in 1994. But it has opened his eyes to the challenges of sports activities at the school level.

He thinks there is no sports culture in India. But he has been working towards creating one ever since, right from the grassroots level. Earlier he was in a co-ed school and the students or the general public had no idea about hand ball game. He introduced the game to them and built a team that went to the district level. 

Raghavan is currently working in a girls primary school and he sees it as a totally different challenge. He included some thoughts about sports in their prayer session itself! He inspired them with stories of PT Usha, and Sania Mirza. He started inviting local sports persons, got some activities done by them and shared their sports journey with the children. But it is impossible to build a school team with just school time. He had to put in extra time – before school and after school.

Slowly more girls started taking to sports. He had to overcome the challenge of training them on many areas of sports and games such as athletics, Volleyball, Football etc. Also he distinguishes between Physical Education and sports training. But he was bogged down by the demands on a PE teacher. He did not hesitate to take help from his old students. Some of his students have gone to the national level competitions for five successive years! One of his students is in the training camp of Commonwealth Games in weight lifting!

He acknowledges the recognition by the education department in making him a resource person in many seminars. He is fully aware that it is a collective effort and not an individual’s effort alone. What gives him satisfaction is the recognition from his students that Raghavan Sir made a difference!

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She started her career as a Head Teacher and, after taking many other offices, now works as the Block Educational Officer. 

Smt. Indira is convinced that if you take up teaching just as a profession, nothing much can be achieved. Being positive while contributing to the future of a child is an absolute necessity. Just teaching from 9 to 4 does not help at all. If a child is absent, just marking them absent is a routine job. Finding out the reason for her absence and solving that problem, if any, is responsibility. 

This is where counselling the child comes into play. A child may be late to school for many reasons. Teachers have to identify them and address them. It affects them all alike. A teacher might have scared a student about home work. Or they may not have their Aadhar card. If the school wants it for scholarship, some parents don’t send the child to school itself! Many teachers have helped such parents in getting their Aadhar card or voting card. When that happens, teachers get a lot of respect from the village.

Some teachers judge the child because she is not good at maths or can’t write properly. But such students have a different skill set. It may be music or dance or sports or knowledge about plants. Teachers have to recognise that skill and encourage it. 

Smt. Indira believes in teachers being an example or a model. Instead of repeating many instructions, teachers have to do it in practice because children observe them. When that happens, children reach the school before the teachers do. So walking the talk is very important for a teacher. Children tend to be around those teachers who give love and behave well. All this is not seen on an appointment order. But when a teacher takes all these responsibilities, parents tend to treat them as members of their family. Dropping out of school reduces drastically. Teachers need not run around for admissions. Nor will the parents complain about education. 

Smt. Indira talks about the confidence that the parents should have in teachers. It may be for an event somewhere or a competition. They should send their ward along with the teacher, based on trust. She has observed some parents saying, “Teach my child how to read and write. We have no money for other skills” But this would kill the interest in the child. She knows some parents look only for an employment opportunity for their  ward. Smt. Indira says it is impossible to keep such thinking. School is for knowledge and skill. 

She also talks about the gap between teachers and parents. She feels such a gap might occur because both parties might have lost track of their responsibility. Even if there is 5% rot, the rest can get affected. If both parents and teachers understand this, the child becomes a winner. She has many such success stories. 

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Ms. Leelavathi has been a teacher for 27 years. She is interested in showcasing the talents of students not just in studies but also in co-curricular activities. With the help of some NGO’s she was sent to Gujarat where she came across the ‘thod, phod, jod’ programme for students. She has implemented the same in her school and that has brought out all the hidden talents among her students.

Ms. Leelavathi has been honoured with the ‘Best Teacher’ award by the Department of Public Education in 2017. She is a trained ‘Manipuri’ dancer and secured the third prize at a National level dance competition. She says her inspiration is the cultural programmes conducted by the State government. A private TV channel recognised her school and herself as a ‘Bharavaseya Belaku’ in 2016.

Her interest in folk literature was kindled when she was in PUC. Coupled with an interest in Kannada folk literature, she had a desire to take the ‘Karaga’ celebration of Bengaluru to the National level. She has performed a ‘One Woman Show’ on many occasions and the role of ‘Kaali’ enchants her the most. 

She has her own YouTube channel to showcase all her works, which are focused on co-curricular activities. She has a video on ‘Bag-less day’ and also one showing a boy making a model of a JCB using the Lego material given by Akshara Foundation.

Ms. Leelavathi has used innovative methods of teaching. She made a mound of earth and lit it with a wick to show how a volcano erupts! She recognises the fact that there are some students from who the teachers will have to learn. She totally believes in learning through joy.

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Kumarappa has been teaching at the Government Primary School, Birur. He comes from a rural background and has successfully realised his dream of becoming a teacher in his life. 

Kumarappa firmly believes that to be successful in life, a student has to achieve proficiency in Mathematics. In his school, contrary to most other schools, students find Maths an easy subject! He thinks the only way to achieve it is by making it interesting. He firmly believes that each child has an area of interest, and curiosity in Maths has to be inculcated using the child’s area of interest. He believes in creating situations that get the child’s attention. 

He also points out that Maths should not be taught as just another subject. It has to be related to their life. When asked to give examples, Kumarappa says he uses things available around him as teaching material. To teach ‘place value’ as a concept, he uses a chart first, and then a few small stones or sticks followed by tamarind seeds! He believes in using multiple Teaching Learning Materials and in giving copious number of examples. He involves the students in many activities, that add to his students learning effectively.

Kumamrappa stresses on the need to teach maths as a part of life. He is proud of the fact that most of the students want him to go to their class whenever possible! 

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Mr. Giriyappa has been serving as a teacher at the Government Primary School, Kakkera zone of Yadgir district for the past 13 years. He started a ‘Children’s Development Fund’ run by students themselves. Let us learn more about it from him.

Mr. Giriyappa observed that most parents give their children one, two or five rupees for buying a pencil or other such stationery. His aim was to prepare the children for competitive exams that get them into schools such as ‘Navodaya’ or ‘Adarsha’. They need to buy expensive books to prepare for the exam, which many parents can ill afford. There is a weekly market on Wednesday, and students normally plead with their elders for some money to buy stuff they like! He taught them to save some money and entrust it with their student friend, to handle their saved money.

This is how he started a fund, so that the children could have a lump sum ready, when they eventually need to buy an expensive book. Not everyone can contribute to the fund, but whatever little is collected, is precious. 

Giriyappa feels the school is the centre of energy for the community. He used some money from government funds and some from the ‘Children’s Development Fund’ to make extra furniture needed for certain activities under the ‘Nali Kali’ scheme. When the child leaves the school for higher classes, he/she gets the money he has put in so far or a book of his/her choice.

He is proud of the local community, which has supported the school in many ways. They contributed money and levelled the school premises. One big support for him is the head master of the school, who involves himself in these activities. 

With his efforts, as many as 14 students have secured admissions in schools such as Navodaya in one year itself! Now the fund has risen to about Rs. 4,000/- ! Some schools in the surrounding areas have emulated his efforts and have started a similar fund for their students as well. 

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Meenakshi works at Government Higher Primary School, Halagur, Nanjangud. She has very high regard for Kannada as a language. She believes that when a language is used properly, that in itself qualifies as a realisation of God. To make the children develop an interest towards learning Kannada, she thinks a language laboratory is needed.  

Most of the time when the word ‘laboratory’ is mentioned, we picture a Science lab. But a language lab evokes a different interest. She remembers the cooperation of Sri. C. N. Raju, the Regional Educational Officer. Because of his efforts, there is a Kannada lab in almost every school of the taluk. It includes the skills of teachers in imparting their knowledge. She feels, if the leadership is good, all activities can be pursued pro-actively. 

Meenakshi opines that if we delve into the details of the language laboratory, it gets deeper and deeper. Right from the alphabet and vowels to consonants, complex structures can take a student to a different world of learning. Language laboratory develops all skills of language learning viz. listening, speaking, reading and writing. It also complements learning of other subjects such as Mathematics, Science, Social Science etc. Students get involved in activity and fun based learning. Teachers also express happiness in contributing to the overall development of the students. 

Since the content is based on luminaries in Kannada, it helps children in learning about the arts, culture, religion and values that are encouraged. Folk songs and other lyrical songs help children to learn through dance steps. 

Meenakshi thinks, with the help of the Kannada Laboratory, teachers also can get a sense of achievement. She is thankful to all her colleagues and officers from the education department for making the laboratory possible. 

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Ms. Fatima works at the Government Primary School, Muguralli, Moodigere. She has been working for 36 years as a teacher. Out of this, she has taught mathematics to children for 34 years. She takes special interest in students who are afraid of mathematics. She feels her students have made a progress of 80% in learning the subject. 

She sees to it that first, children are not afraid of the teacher. As a result, her students even call her on the phone and ask questions. Some of her students have reached high positions in society. When a child in grade 3 is not clear about grade 1 lessons, she revises the basics and only then moves forward. She believes in individual attention, so she engages with each of them for a few minutes after school hours. 

Fatima creates her own Teaching Learning Materials (TLMs). She asks the students to write odd numbers, even numbers, make 2-digit numbers and find the biggest or smallest number etc. from 1 to 100. Similar activities have proved to be effective in her class. 

The biggest challenge for her is teaching those children who are first generation learners, which is more than 90% of her class. She also thinks learning a language is important to solve simple problems. Her approach is to make a list of simple questions and give them to the students. She has been reusing the ‘Sadhana’ cards given by the education department, by binding them. 

Fatima also believes in making the older students teach younger ones. Some student leaders, who are better learners, are asked to teach the grade 1 or 2 students. The leaders are trained in group learning and they make groups of younger children. She firmly believes an approach with love and affection is much better than punishment. 

Fatima’s advice for new teachers is never to give up hope on a child. Given an opportunity, every child is capable of learning. 

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She has been teaching since 2005. She took part in a month-long English Language Empowerment Programme in November 2019. In consultation with Sri Raju, the Block Education Officer (BEO), it was decided to take some measures to improve the English skills of children in the Taluk. An entry level test (Pre-test) was conducted to assess the current learning level of the children and then sections for training were listed out. Training was mainly via activities. It was observed that if one child took part, others followed! 

The success of the training programme prompted them to start an English language lab. Letters and sentences alike were stuck on the walls of the lab. They observed that children were very creative in the lab and learnt at least one new thing (word or expression or a sentence) every session. They started looking for activities on YouTube, which could further enhance their language skills. 

BEO Mr. Raju started a programme called ‘Kalikaa khaatri’ (learning ensured) and Sudha is proud to share that even during the times of the pandemic, 10 of her students scored 100% marks and 69% of her students passed the exams! She gives full credit to this activity-based method of learning. 

Sudha recalls the progress of one particular student who had speech difficulty and therefore, would be hesitant to participate. With the activities in the English lab, he was able to score 80% and grew incredibly confident over the year. 

Sudha feels, with such efforts, teachers can dispel the myth that English is taught only in convent schools. Government schools also teach English efficiently by combining the available resources and by involving the students in activities.

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Sri Vinay Kumar has been teaching at the Government Higher Primary School, Edadaalu, near Shrungeri for the past 14 years.

The ‘Prerana’ scheme was introduced in 2017-18 by the Dept. of Education. Vinay Kumar decided to continue it in his school since he saw better performance among students. The goal of ‘Prerana’ is to inspire the students and teachers alike. 

Normally, competition is encouraged in a traditional set up. Although here, the importance is given to group learning or cooperative learning. Vinay has found this approach useful in developing leadership skills among children. 

The school has a specific plan outlined for different stages of learning in a year. Any student can look at the progress he/she has made and have a clear picture about the target skill and time frame for achieving the same. Most of the participation is by students and the role of the teachers gains importance during evaluation. 

The school has a ‘Star’ system in place. If a student is very good at personal cleanliness, he/she will be given a green star. If a student is academically good, a rose star is given. If a child is more active in sports or cultural activities a silver star is given to inspire them. At the end of every week, the children count the stars and see which is the leading team. Vinay feels this approach has made a great difference to the students. 

Vinay particularly remembers the case of a 7th grade student who was not very good at academics. He used to skip school as well. However, when he realised that he could win stars by participating in sports (as he was a good runner) and for keeping himself & the school clean, he was a completely different boy. Once he started getting the stars, he was so motivated that he started taking an initiative towards various activities as well! Now that's the kind of change we love to hear about, in students. More power to teachers like Sri. Vinay Kumar. 

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There was talk doing the rounds in high schools that students are not taught well up to Grade 7. He and his team took it up as a challenge to dispel it. The aim was to make children competent in spoken Kannada, some English and simple Maths. They specifically targeted classes 4, 5 and 6. The Head teachers of a few schools at the Taluk level met and decided to start a Kannada lab, English lab and a Maths lab. Suggestions poured in from all interested officers. As of today, about 138 schools in his area have started various labs! 

If a student enters the Kannada lab, he/she is introduced to the rich heritage of Kannada literature, grammar and language. In English, phonetics, letters and sentences are given importance. For maths, ‘Ganitha Kalika Aandolana’ of Akshara Foundation is used as a model to help them learn better. 

Teachers who were instrumental in the success of the labs were felicitated. 

In the academic year 2020-21, Head Teachers of higher primary schools were trained on administrative procedures. They learnt all about drawing up a time table. At the end of March, a Science seminar was held for about 66 schools. 

A team of resource persons now goes from village to village, to check if students are following the study time table. And for Grade 7, there was a survey about Kalika Khaatri (learning ensured). This is a programme designed to take away the fear of exams and ensure that learning goes on, no matter what. Officials meet the teachers every month to discuss plans regarding innovative learning. 

Mahesh is extremely thankful to the initiative taken by the Block Education Officer (BEO), Mr. Raju. His projects have inspired many teachers across the Taluk. Mahesh watches international school programmes on the Internet, and he takes up ideas that can be implemented here.

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Soubhagya believes children will be attracted to school if the school looks good. It should have at least the basic facilities. In this regard, she has approached a private company to donate toilets. Some furniture and water filters have also been donated by the community. 

She would like to thank all the senior officers from the education department who encourage her to do what is good for the school. Looking at other schools, she got a teacher’s room sanctioned by the department for ‘Nali Kali' classes, meant for grades 1-3 and has done it up very well. She has also been able to get donations from the community for many other facilities for the school. 

Earlier, students had a habit of skipping school. Ms. Soubhagya personally went to their houses and convinced their parents not to encourage this habit. These children are now very regular in coming to school/classes. She engages parents very well in meetings, which has resulted in them having fruitful discussions about their children’s progress. 

Ms. Soubhagya believes that punctuality, courtesy, and patience play a major role in running a successful school. It is important to give parents the confidence that the school and its teachers care. If a child is absent, she goes to the child’s house to enquire. That make a huge difference. This relationship is reflected well in the local sports event as well. Old students train the current students in competitive sports. Kiragunda is famous for Kabaddi and her old students are famous players in the community!

More power to teachers and Head Masters like Ms. Soubhagya who are ever so dedicated in ensuring their children get well-rounded and quality education.

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Mr. Shantakumar is the Head Master and Social Sciences teacher at the Government School in Angadi, Moodigere. He has worked as a Regional Resource Person as well. 

He has always taught with extreme passion and he wanted children to learn by liking and understanding what was taught. He is largely influenced by his school and his teachers. This train of thought inspired him to start a social sciences laboratory. 

Most of the students in his school are from the families of labourers. Poverty is prevalent. He wanted all his students to be happy to want to come into the lab to learn. This concept of a social sciences lab has yielded amazing results too. 

The SSLC result has been 100% for the school overall and also in 2019-20, the highest marks for the Taluk was scored by a girl of his school. Most students pass with ‘A’ or ‘A+’ grade in Social Science. 

In the social sciences lab, they have a smart TV, radio, music system, map of the globe in flex, maps of India, maps of Karnataka, a separate library for social sciences, video and audio CD’s. Students are able to locate countries on the map and touch it! They watch an earthquake or an erupting volcano on the TV and actually feel it. 

When they get to hear the audio of the 1857 Indian Rebellion, or speeches by Mahatma Gandhi, they absorb every word keenly and enjoy themselves. Shanthakumar has seen effective learning with these gadgets. Since they have cable TV, children can watch ‘Samveda’ classes on Chandana channel. They listen to radio lessons as well. 

He is thankful to the officials of the education department for their cooperation and encouragement. His colleagues all come together to help conduct regular workshops for teachers. He is thankful to his friends who contribute to his efforts. He is also assisted by the forum of social science teachers in the district. 

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Ms. Nagaratna works as the Head Teacher at Government School, Bidarahalli, Moodigere. She has been teaching for about 39 years and is on the verge of retirement. She feels, like health care service, teaching is more of a service than a profession. She also feels children are like God, and they should not be considered as a 10-5 job. One cannot succeed if it is taken as salaried employment. 

Believe it or not, her very first student was her own mother. Ms. Nagaratna began by teaching her how to write her name for official purposes. After becoming a trained teacher, she taught at the school where she studied – free of cost for one year!

When Ms. Nagaratna was 19, she joined a Government Primary school which had just 18 students. She had to walk 3 kms to her next school through a forest area.  

She conducted a survey of children between the ages 5 and 14 in the surrounding village to understand the reason for low enrollment.  She had to go around the village convincing many families about overcoming social stigma surrounding certain children, which she managed successfully. She groomed the children for school and ended up admitting 52 students! The school went on to get 220 students up to grade 7. This one-room school building underwent expansion too.

She remembers and thanks her head teacher and other colleagues for their cooperation. She learnt Yoga for the sake of her students and taught them. 

Even after 39 years of 'service' behind her, she is not ready to hang up her shoes. Ms. Nagaratna would like to continue to serve the children even after her retirement. Now if someone like her is not the ultimate role model of a teacher, who is?

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Mr. Raveendra has been teaching here since 2013. He thought, since it was a school located in the border area, it would a challenge to inculcate an interest in literature and arts. Also, he wanted to ignite their curiosity and pride about Kannada language and culture. 

Every Saturday they have seminars  - either reading poetry written by students or reading stories written by them or talking about a book they read during the week. This is an opportunity for them to express their feelings and thoughts and get an appreciation from peers and teachers. They borrow a book from the library, read it during the week and talk about their learning from the book on Saturdays! If they have not completed reading the book yet, they talk about a part of the book which they have read. There are four seminars – one each on poetry, stories, book reviews and drawing. They have to talk about the book in such a way that other students get inspired to read that book or other books.

Saturday sees an exhibition of their drawings as well. Some might have drawn just one picture, some two or more. Students learn from one another and encourage one another! This helps them correct their drawing skills and also makes them have fun. 

The school conducts an annual lit-fest on the lines of Kannada Saahitya Sammelana. Apart form reading the works of the students in public, there are workshops and symposia on how to write. There is a book fare during this fest, and for the students of this school, books are available at half price! The book fare is a huge success. 

Though it may come across as a normal course of activity, we understand the impact when we learn that the school is located on the State border and no one speaks Kannada at home!

Children have written 600 poems, 40 short stories and also a few folk songs. They publish a magazine called ‘Ankura’. As a result of Raveendra’s efforts, the students of this school are now able to speak, read, write and interact in Kannada. 

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Smt. Nethravathi started a monthly magazine which has developed into a huge instrument in encouraging the community to promote talents among students. 

She has been teaching at the Government Higher Primary School at Shrungeri, Chikmagalur Dist. for the past 13 years. When she started teaching in 2008, she wanted to do something different to develop the 110 students in her school. She noticed that the private schools in the area used to print an annual magazine which would cost Rs. 150/-. That made her think about starting a school magazine, but without the cost of printing it! 

She called a meeting of the students and asked them to put their thoughts on paper in handwriting. Students participated with great enthusiasm. Some wrote a poem, some wrote a story, while some others drew pictures. At the end of the year, it was made into a volume and displayed to the parents and public. It was named 'Kanasu' (Dream) with a tag line that translates to ‘This is our area’. 

It received a very good response from the students. What encouraged her to do more was the positive response by the parents and public. Parents had no idea that their wards had such talents! 

Nethravathi attended a Teachers’ training program where she was made the in-charge of a ‘wall paper’ activity. She received very good feedback for it. She thought of implementing a similar concept in her school and the result came to be called 'Vismaya' (Wonderment). Students write poetry and stories. One page is reserved for Maths and another for English. All articles are handwritten and every month there is a volume. It reaches all the parents. It also contains a photo report of the activities in the school. Now it even has a page on the schemes of the government, for information.  

Initially Nethravathi bore the expenses from her pocket. Now it is sponsored by the students who celebrate their birthday in that month! Every now and then however, she still spends some of her money on it. Her husband, who is also a teacher, greatly supports her and contributes to the content. 

Students wait for the monthly edition like they wait for a popular monthly magazine! All parents have a word or two of appreciation for 'Vismaya', always. Copies are sent to various government offices also. During the pandemic, 'Vismaya' was used to educate the students all about it. 

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Ms. Gayatri Kiran stresses on the importance of parents speaking to their children at home. Understanding and accepting their mental state and talking to them in a simple and loving way can make a huge difference. Parents should accept their fears and talk. She advises that the children must have a routine. It may not be followed very strictly, but it should ideally be a routine which has exercises, games, reading and entertainment. If possible, some activities towards spiritual development should be included as well. This routine can make them feel that ‘everything is ok’.

Developing contacts through video calls or even through letters can reduce loneliness among children. Art and craft work, making posters – it could be related to Covid – will keep them positively engaged. This can also lead to right information and that can build courage in them. Playing games such as Ludo, carrom, cowrie shells etc. will help. 

Ms. Gayatri Kiran makes it clear that parents have to pay attention to online classes, including ‘Samveda’ classes on the radio. Learning does not happen only when they are in a class. Involving children in the house hold work can teach them a lot. Children should be given work that is within their ability. 

She feels life skills are learnt through experience. When there is a situation, facing it and coming out of it successfully teaches important lessons. Hence we should allow the children to experience life situations. Children take their parents as role models. 

She feels it is important to talk about people whom they know, who have recovered from Covid and also about close relatives or friends who passed away due to the illness. Only the right information can lead to building courage. Talk to them about the efforts of doctors and nurses and scientists in creating and administering the vaccine. If they have questions, we have to address them. Importance to preventive care is the need of the hour. 

The don’ts – Don’t hide information from children. Don’t spread false information or help such activities. Don’t scare them. 

Please contact here for information – 

1. National help line #1075. 

2. Makkala Sahaaya vaani # 1098. 

3. UNICEF website.(Type UNICEF Covid 19 and children on Google)

4. Type UNICEF Covid 19 childline – on Google

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Ms. Gayatri Kiran observes that all known ways of life have changed. There are some situations 
1 – Some children have moved to a new place, may be to a smaller town. 
2 – Since the schools are closed, they do not have sufficient mental stimulus. Learning happens when children interact with friends.
3 – There is also a situation where someone in the family is affected by the pandemic or even dead because of it. And wearing a mask, washing the hands regularly and maintaining distance from everyone is all new behaviour for them. 

They can lead to anxiety - ‘What if I am affected’ – causes anxiety. There can be stress - ‘What if my parents get it’. And there could be the sorrow of losing someone close. And the confusion about whom should we listen to…who can give us the right information. All this leads to insecurity in them. 

If development of a child is affected in one area, it has an effect on all areas. If something new is taught when the child is scared, the child cannot understand. Speech is also affected when he/she has fear. If there is danger, one can face it and fight it. But stress is a far more dangerous situation. 

Ms. Gayatri advises the teachers to strike a good relationship with the parents/guardians of the children. She thinks teachers can support the parents by giving them the right information. Right information about the infection, its treatment and support during treatment, how to get vaccinated – all this is support. 

She moots community support for families. If the neighbourhood comes together in maintaining the norms and in supporting the affected families, it would be of great help. Physical distancing is advised but not mental separation. 

Ms. Gayatri suggests 3 important steps. 
First, talking to children is important for both teachers and parents. Listen to them and understand their thoughts. 
Second, console them. Using simple language, using stories and songs, we can explain to them.
Third is to give them courage. Again, that is achieved with right information. We have to give them the feeling that there is someone to take care of them. 

Another area of concern is domestic violence. If they get the feeling of helplessness, they can never get over it. Ms.Gayatri advises to take the help of different government agencies to help curb this menace. Sleeplessness, change in food habits, regular bad dreams/nightmares, afraid of being alone, new found fears, and being sad all the time are indications of stress. If they see any of these symptoms, the parents need to talk…either to the teachers or to anyone who can guide them properly. 

More information about this topic next week. Please tune in then. Thank you!

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She has been a group resource person for three years and has seen many schools from close quarters. She became well informed about the programs that can be practiced in any school. She started dreaming about carrying out maximum curricular activities in the school she teaches. She thanks the headmistress of her school Smt. Sesu for giving her hope about realising her dreams. 

Their team wanted to lay stress on learning through experience and logical thinking. They wanted the students to ask ‘what’ why’ and ‘how’ questions leading to meaningful answers.The ‘Eco club’ members in the school were given a project about waste management, especially concentrating on waste segregation. Students were taken to the SLRM unit which segregates waste and disposes it. They became so involved in the project that they went to the depth of the problem and found that first waste disposal has to happen well at home and in the school.

The project became so popular that a student of the school won the ‘Emerging scientist’ award at the district level competition. 7th grade students made a sensor which measures the humidity required for a crop. They went on to take part in the national competition at Pune and brought laurels to the school. They celebrate the ‘National Science Day’ in a unique way. They organise a model-making competition and the best model get s a prize. They felicitate a known achiever in science on that day. 

She is thankful to the education department for guiding them towards establishing a good science- maths laboratory in the school for primary students. They have also been successful in making the students carry out projects relating to day-to-day use of mathematics. They used the maths kit given through Ganita Kalika Aandolana effectively in the ‘Vidyaagama’ scheme. They also conduct English language skills training since that is also an important aspect of learning for the future. 

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He thinks comprehensive learning is unlikely to happen by just studying 5-6 books. He quotes from NTF that the text has to be richer than the syllabus. He believes the child has to touch and experience his/her learning. Hence he worked on numismatics and museums. He conducted a workshop on the prerequisites for a child to visit a museum. Every Monday students would bring old objects from their house. They did with curiosity and brought unexpected items such as an old sword and a 'charaka'. He divided those objects according to their material, length, height, shape etc. He remembers a child bringing a mobile charaka, which was unheard of.

He then conducted a workshop with an expert Historian. Children started recording the measurements of the items that they brought. It was possible for the children to learn naturally. Once the children visited the museum in Kitturu, they were able to relate that knowledge. He puts emphasis on the thought that History happens by everyone, now. He recalls how, with the old charaka, they were able to trace the history of women freedom fighters in their area. Children understood the value of History.

He introduced the children to coin collection. His idea was to see the children think in different ways. Normally maths learning is easy with coins as they think about the value of the coin, numbers etc. They could also get some sense of science about the coins. Coins made them think about the socio cultural context of the society. They can also throw light on astronomy! He thinks coins can be an integral part of learning for children.

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From the day she became a teacher, she wanted the children to be independent thinkers, with a scientific outlook, with special care towards the environment. She also wanted them to be creative and logical in their approach. She hit upon the idea of a Science laboratory in the school. 

With the help and support of her senior colleagues, she was able to start a laboratory. This inspired the students to understand the lessons better. She started taking the students out to fields and farms where she could show them the relevance of what they learnt in the classroom. She asked them to make seed balls and showed them the process of germination and other stages of plant life. These seed balls were sown in actual farms during rains. This activity encouraged the students to think about their environment as well. They organised an essay competition on rainwater harvesting, preservation of natural diversity. 

Children were taken to agriculture development centres where they learnt about improving soil fertility by making vermicompost. The teachers could see a visible change in the children’s willingness to learn. They started sowing seeds and planting saplings in their courtyards. Some have done rainwater harvesting in their fields voluntarily. Some have educated their parents too!Soubhagya feels it is important to instil values in children. She thinks education with no values would lead to the downfall of humans in the future. Hence she takes up value education sessions before teaching from the books. 

She insists on children understanding the value of discipline, peace, empathy, and sacrifice.In addition, she stresses the importance of Mathematics based on common sense.  A student from her school took part in the ‘Inspire Award’ competition. He made an environment-friendly pesticide sprayer to help his father. He went on to participate in the district and State level competition as well. She acknowledges the contributions of her headmaster and other colleagues and the encouragement by the Dept. of Education.

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She always makes it a point to recap her previous class before introducing new concepts. She thinks there is a healthy urge among students in rural areas to learn something new and achieve something.

Devaki has seen old students of the school coming forward to help with resources such as notebooks and textbooks. Some of them have donated furniture and some others have joined their hands in repairing the building.

She feels various competitions organised by Akshara Foundation have brought out new energy in the students. Parents are now proud and willing to accompany their wards for such events. Siblings are now competing with one another!

In this podcast, Devaki recalls the case of a student’s honesty in returning Rs.500. He was hard of hearing and his speech was affected too. He is now 25 and still is in touch with Ms. Devaki. 

Another student used to exceed the expectations of the teachers! Devaki and her colleagues have helped her in various ways that she has secured admission into Adarsha school.

She is thankful to her colleagues and to the government officials who inspire her to positively impact the lives of rural students. 

The school was given a maths kit under ‘Ganitha Kalika Andolana’ by Akshara Foundation. She found the kit to be very helpful in teaching Place Value and Fractions. It has reduced the burden of preparing the teaching aids herself to a great extent. She has divided the students into groups named after great mathematicians. Some of the brighter students in a group help their peers learn mathematical concepts. 

Though the kit is meant for grades 1-5, they are using it all the way up till grade 7 as well. Currency games become more useful in higher classes just as advanced concepts such as Fractions and Division. 

It was observed that in her maths class, students were totally involved in some activity, on their own. She says that culture has been ingrained in them from grade 1 itself. They are informed about a concept, where the learning aids are, and about the groups. They do the rest on their own!

They are given reward points for following the process and being disciplined. Group leaders, who change every week, award the points. She was found to be an excellent manager of time. On further interaction, we found that she delegates some supervision work to quick learners. She uses flashcards effectively for this purpose. 

When the GKA Maths kit was introduced in school, he was curious about how to use it. After the 5-day workshop by Akshara Foundation, he was glad to have received the kit. He framed a method for using the kit during the workshop itself. 

He and his team drew geometric shapes such as square, circle, etc on the walls of each classroom. This visual representation is followed by most schools in the district. All educational officers of the district were called to the school and a workshop was conducted. 

Manjunath, the son of a daily wage worker, made an Abacus with his friends and started teaching the youngsters. They had a carpenter’s son in the group, and they made an Abacus themselves! The children had an opportunity to showcase their skills in a public function. Three of the students from that school have gone to Navodaya School for higher education.

 He introduced the GKA learning system to ‘Nali-kali’ students also and it was well-received. The school received a lion's share of the prizes for Maths, in the competitions held at Panchayat levels. The school has a healthy strength of 186 students. 

Keshavamurthy has put up a board in the school that Maths is not a tough nut to crack but a soft, juicy sweet dish that dissolves in the mouth, giving a wonderful feeling. He has given measuring tapes to students. They measure the doors, windows, and other objects for the area, volume, etc. These are ongoing activities. He does not believe in forceful teaching. He believes if we create the curiosity to learn, children will. He makes them play currency games for practical knowledge. 

 He also feels, for effective implementation of the programme, it has to be given to teams that are interested in achieving something. Otherwise, it becomes another activity on the books for the record.

She realised that if a student has not understood addition, he/she is unlikely to understand multiplication. And she also realised there are students who understand a given problem but do not have the sense to conduct business with a vegetable vendor or with a shopkeeper. She was not happy with the results of her teaching and then she got help from the Ganitha Kalika Andolana (GKA) Math kit. 

The teachers were given a five-day training on how to use the kit. The kit is useful in teaching the students 17 concepts such as division, fractions decimals, etc. Since the kit is not fragile, children can touch and drop them without causing any harm to the equipment. Slowly, the students started enjoying mathematics classes. In 2019 her students of 5th grade showed great interest in learning the concept of addition through the abacus. Using the money blocks given with the kit, she was able to inculcate the business sense which the students lacked earlier. 

Within two years of introducing the kit, the students have displayed improvement in understanding basic concepts and in the development of common business knowledge.

For the students of Grades 4, 5 and 6, there is a panchayat level competition which shows the efficiency of using the kit. Her students have been winning prizes regularly in the contest. It also helps them in taking tests such as Adarsha and Morarjee tests under the Navodaya scheme.

Preethi has been felicitated at The Taluk level for using the GKA kit efficiently. She is grateful to the 'Sarvashikshana' scheme and 'Ganitha Kalika Aandolana' for introducing the kit to her.

When she joined the school, it was being run in a dilapidated old building. Since most of her seniors were promoted, she was put in-charge of the school. She shared her ideas with her colleagues and, with the help of the public and public servants, got a new building sanctioned for the school.

Once that was done, the team concentrated on the beautification of the campus. They cleaned it up, arranged for potable water, worked on waste disposal, etc. They got modern teaching aids with help of donations from the community. The school now has a digital classroom.

Together, the school authorities and children had planted saplings with the help of the local panchayat. Vegetables needed for the mid-day meal are actually grown on their campus. As a result, the school is recognized as a ‘Yellow school’ by the environment department. Hers is the first school in the state, to implement a water bell and has bagged the first place in a survey done by the ‘Nali Kali’ stream of learning.

She goes on to talk about how Akshara Foundation has given Ganitha Kalika Andolana maths kits to the school. Though they are meant for primary schools, they are found to be useful for higher primary schools as well. AIFT (American Indian Foundation) has donated kits to enhance English teaching and learning.

School excursions, celebration of important days are a regular feature of the school now. They celebrate the birthday of the school building too! The government, donors, the public, and enthusiastic students have made it all happen. The best part of all this is that schools in the neighbourhood are trying to imitate/compete with this school, which in itself is an honour.

We hope to inspire many such yellow schools and many more stories from teachers all around. Hope you enjoyed her podcast.