Abhik Bhattacherji

St. Stephens College, & Britannia Industries Limited

Teaching Grade 2 at Juhu Gandhigram & Grade 4 at Supari Tank

The reason why I joined TFI was it was the only chance for me to stop having armchair discussions & actually start to solve the issues that bothered me.

My proudest moment so far is increasing my class’ reading fluency from 23% to 74%!

What horrified me was the complete lack of child rights & a very non-creative approach to education

The children’s faith that I will continue to make them aspire keeps me going!

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Ann Matthews

B.Com from Jyoti Nivas College in Bangalore.

I teach grade 4 & 5 in K.C.Thackeray Vidya Niketan.

I joined TFI because as a child I loved to play “teacher” with inanimate objects. My formative years were spent passionately trying to “teach” everyone and everything around me.

My superstars made me proud when they leapfrogged from a paltry 35% as class average to 85% on the end of year assessments. They then made my heart swell with happiness when they decided to test their “event management “skills by throwing me a surprise birthday party. They told me “we were not superstars in June, but now we are” to which I sighed!

One funny story is when visitors came & asked the class “what is the longest word?” - a question which befuddled them. After a pause all 30 replied in unison“supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”! Once a pupil came running up to me & gasped “Didi, look at my ‘colossal lollypop”. This was the result of telling the kids earlier in the day that the word “colossal” means “very big”!

When my dream for my children to “Stand and Deliver”, stares me in the face and I see that slowly metamorphosizing into reality, that’s what keeps me going

Dhanya Yadav Instructional Writer, Praxis Technologies

2nd grade, Shindewadi Mumbai Public School, Dadar

I decided to join TFI because I felt the need to revolutionize the education system in India. I believe Teach for India will provide me with an opportunity for the same. I believe that Teach for India will make my dream of a developed India where all children will attain an excellent education come true.

My proudest moment has been when Rishika, who struggles the most in my class stood up confidently to spell 3 and said t-h-r-e---e.

One of the most amusing moments in class was when while discussing different occupations in class, the kids insisted that a person who waters the plant is a waterman and someone who cooks is a cooker or a cook man and refused to accept that we call them chef.

The smiles on the faces of my kids keeps me going.

Karan Talreja NIT Bhopal, then a Software Engineer @ Samsung India

I teach class 3 at Lt. Sonba Tupe English Medium School

I joined because TFI provides the youth of our country with an ideal platform to provide an excellent education . In a few years, TFI alumni will be having a significant impact in the educational affairs of our country.

I always feel proud when parents tell me their kids to go to school now! This year they love getting up at 5.30 . They are happier and full of smiles after returning from school.

I met an accident on the morning of a school one day. My students saw me limping during the assembly & when I entered the class I found all the students sitting like angels. They told that they have decided not to create nuisance in the class that day as I was not well. That made me realize how much they care about me!

The children of my class are the best source of motivation for me. Their innocent smiles, small little victories, faith of their parents that I will bring about a change in lives of their children pushes me to work relentlessly without giving up. I believe to really have an impact on their lives I need to put in 110 %.

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Karen D’Souza St. Andrews college, BMS

I teach 3rd grade at Divine Child High School

I joined TFI to see the grass root realities of educational inequity.

My proudest moment of teaching so far is when one of my kids came and told me “I love the way you do not hit me and still make me learn”

A funny story was during an assessment, when a child answered the question “where do elephants live?” with the response “Elephant hill”!

What keeps me going is the potential I see in each of the kids every single day and the hope I have in each of them

Mohit Arora 3 years with Ernst & Young

I teach 4th Grade at Sant Gadge Maharaj School, Pune.

I always wanted to do something for my country & for my society . What better platform than TFI - education to serve the society.

Everyday there are moments which makes me proud of myself and of what I’m doing ! For example, a girl who did not utter a word for the first 3 weeks of school, now cannot stop talking to me! She has realised that she’s good at writing and now we exchange letters/notes, almost everyday!’

I have so many stories from my classroom – from kids trying to imitate how their bhaiya teaches to kids peeing in the class (and me cleaning it up!) to a boy comes running in the morning, hugging me, starting to cry and telling me that his father beats up his mother..

What keep me going? Every morning when I wake up, I look forward to going to school - being with my kids, answering their incessant questions of why, who, what & how! Everyday they show progress on various aspects from academic to behaviour to their thinking.

Neeraj Kuletha

B.Tech, Civil NIT Bhopal, & Construction Site engineer in Dubai

I teach Grade 2 at Mother Theresa School, Pune

I joined from my great desire to work for the development of under privileged and country. I have a real belief in TFI’s theory of change as the way to empower all aspects of children's’ lives in the long term.

One of my proudest moments was when one of my studenrs started eating properly and paying respect to elders following the class theme of health & values. He started speaking basic instructions in English and loves to write on the topics I give him. His father’s eyes were full of tears while he was telling me all this – it made me proud to be a teacher!

The funniest moment is when I told kids that one should not be “greedy” and gave them example of “ice cream”. I told them that if they become greedy & eat lots of ice creams all at once, they will have cold and bad throat. The next day I had a sore throat and I started teaching as usual. One kid noticed it and asked me “Bhaiya, have you been greedy?!” I could not stop smiling!

What keeps me going is the successes of my kids eveyday,their growth along with the happiness of their parents motivate me to give my best constantly!

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Neha Newatia

DES Law College, Pune

I teach grade 2 at Utkarsha English Medium School

I joined TFI to experience the ground-level challenges in the education sector that I can use one day when I’m a a good policy maker.

Each time that my kids show their mastery of the skills is a proud moment. My days are constantly filled with ‘Aha’ moments.

One of my classroom rules is that the kids should try and speak in English while in school. I remind the class about the rule every now and then. One day, during a community visit, I was interacting with the parents of one of my kids . All of a sudden, this boy interrupts and orders his father to speak only in English! I couldn’t help laughing at his serious but innocent demand!

The twinkle in the eyes of my kids every time they learn something new is one thing that keeps me going! Of course, I couldn’t have survived without the support from TFI staff.

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Vishwajeet Patil

SIBM Pune

Teaching 3A at the Modern English Medium School Class

I joined TFI to bring about a small but direct change & lay the foundation of social entrepreneurship in the long term.

When I joined my students hardly spoke English. But now they can sin a complete English song on Independence Day - what a great sense of fulfilment!

At the start of school, some students used to run off home as they could not understand my instructions in English!!!!! I literally ran behind to stop them!!!

I think what keeps me going is accepting the challenges as they come and at the same time having a belief in my own actions.

Sidharth Agarwal

Consultant, Genpact

Grade 4 @ Lt. BJJR EMS, PMC

I have wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember.

My proudest moment so far was when my kids took it upon them to change the world during the Joy of Giving week.

A really funny moment in class was when student wanted to write the answer ‘we should cover our mouth while coughing because it keeps the germs from spreading’. But instead of germs, wrote ‘groins’

What keeps me going are the kids, my fellow Fellows, the never ending explosions of inspiration and the constant challenge that is TFI.

Raisa Romer

Christ University

Umedbhai Patel School, Std 2

I joined TFI to be part of a movement that would help me DO something about the education system not just whine about it.

My proudest moment was when I took puppets of a lion and mouse to class and a boy that NEVER gave a right answer or raised his hand came forward and used them to re-tell the WHOLE story in his own words.

One of the funniest incidents I’ve had was when I realized that the reason one of my student drew pictures of goats being slaughtered was because his neighbour has a mutton shop and occassionally takes him there.

What keeps me going are 43 awesome kids who force their parents to bring them to school even when they have temperatures! I have to convince them too go home and take rest !

Paritosh Kumar Symbiosis Centre for Management Studies

I teach Grade 3 at Powai Municipal School

My reason for joining was to start the process of shaping the world & to make difference

My proudest moment was when a kid got his mother along after I missed school for a day due to poor health. I had to reassure him that I was not leaving the school!

A kid drew Ganeshji and why we worship the god. I couldn’t help but smile at the kid’s creativity!

The thing that keeps me going is the awesomely amazing staff and fellows (I cannot emphasize enough on the quality of people we have here!). I love knowing that I am doing something larger than myself and that I am solely responsible for mentoring 35 future leaders of our country

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Seema Kamble

PR & Marketing Executive, Akanksha Foundation

I teach Grade 3 at Lt.VB Gogate English Med school, Pune

Having myself studied in a municipal school for 3 years I have experienced an examination-driven system a curriculum which doesn’t prepare students for a future, thus leading to a huge drop-out rate. The theory of ‘1 Child & 1 Classroom at a time’ really pushed me to think about the power of what 1 movement can bring in the education system in country, keeping it sustainable and changing the phase of it.

My proudest moment so far is when 7 years old Saachi explained the Class Behaviour tracker to a 6th Std teacher in my school and all in English without making a single mistake, when 2 months back she would hardly open her mouth and say a word of English!

Some horror stories include 1 of my kids getting his head stuck under the window, & when 1 boy threw a compass at someone’s eye!

The belief that each child has the potential to reach high levels and seeing real change in the way my kids act and react really keeps me going.