Journey with My Students: Celebrating Growth and Dreams

Over the last week, I have been talking to some of the students I taught during my Fellowship, and yesterday, I got to meet a few of them. As we closed out the year, we sat down in the same government school premises where we first met each other, and our conversations revolved around the courses they wanted to/should take up after their 12th Grade, a decision they must make in the next three months. The conversation was a reminder that all of them, whom I fondly refer to as "my kids," will turn 18 next year and will officially be adults who can make crucial decisions like who, according to them, should run the country, for instance. It was a moment for me to pause and reflect on our journey as a classroom (we called ourselves the 'Hogwarts Class of Magic' in the first year and 'The Council of Problem Solvers' in the second year of the Fellowship).?

Most of them no longer live in the same community they lived in 2016, and most of them are not even in the city anymore. While I lost touch with a few of them who moved to their villages during the pandemic, most of us, despite the distance, stay in touch in different ways. Even if all of them are unique individuals today, with new relationships they have formed, new preferences, opinions, and new experiences, what matters is that they continue to be a community that shares mutual respect and supports each other in small ways.??

In the last six years, a lot has changed. Few of them have chosen to discontinue their education. Every time I heard about it, the teacher in me immediately jumped to try everything possible to stop that from happening by talking to them, leveraging their friends, or talking to their parents (with little success). Some of me felt guilty, and I felt responsible for not doing enough (my mind always managed to find different things I could have done better). However, yesterday, as I took a moment to think about where they are today and what they are doing, I felt nothing but pride. I see values like courage, hard work, and leadership in their choices. Though all of them might not be graduates, which I wanted them to be, they have grown up as individuals who deeply care for their people and, most importantly, for themselves despite the harsh circumstances. They continue to fight with a lot of courage; deep down, they are very kind.?

There were so many moments in yesterday's conversation that, to me, was a reminder that every lesson and minute matters in education. It matters what content you bring to your classroom and how you choose to respond when there is a behavior breakdown. One of them reminded me yesterday that reflection is never complete without me asking them, "What did you do well, and what can you do better?". (Those closing circles worked, after all!)?

The conversation yesterday started with them being not confident about what they should do after their 12th Grade, and we explored questions like "What are they interested in?" "What are they good at?" and "What does the world need?" By the end of the conversation, their choices of the courses they needed to take did not see a considerable change. Still, they had a lot more clarity of the rationale behind their choices and felt more confident making a choice, and their responses to these questions made me believe in our work. Here are a few of their responses:

What are they interested in?

• Gaming and Maths, because it is fun to solve problems
• Interested in Business and how finance works?
• Learning from and about different people
• Economics because it is interesting to know how the money comes and goes and what we need to do as a country to pay back our loans
• Reading books because of different genres, cultures, storytelling, and character development. It gives a slice of life.?

What are they good at? (It was interesting how one of them also thought of getting feedback from their friends to arrive at an answer to this question).?

• Creativity, Kindness, and being straightforward
• Observation and analyzing problems, convincing people, organizing, researching, and leading others?
• Quick learner and motivating people
• Knowledge about how agriculture works?
• Good in communication and drawing
• Facing any challenges that come up

What does the world need? (My favorite question).

• Equality in how resources like food, money, and opportunities are distributed?
• Ability to innovate new solutions for challenges people face
• Exposure to different options through which one can lead oneself to one's goals
• Care for the environment
• Awareness that money should not be the only thing to chase, but instead chase interests and hobbies
• Financial independence for everyone?

What are they proud of for this year?

• Making new friends
• Taking up Science, even if it is hard
• Building clarity of becoming a CA

What do they want to do in the coming year?

• Manage time better so that she can focus on preparing for CA exams
• Scores above 80% in 12th Board Exam
• Read books written by Robert Frost
• Focus more on studies
• Take up a part-time job (like selling her artwork) to support her mother

And, finally, here is a gist of a short conversation with one of my students who dropped out of college this year and now works in a Cyber Cafe:

Me: Tell me, you are going to college?

Student: No sir

Me: Hmmm, why?

Student: Because we are having some problems. I completed my 1st pu and left. I am going to a cyber center to work in our village only.?

<Before I could reply>

Student: Sorry I did not inform you before, sir. I am happy with this work, sir ?.

Me: That is great! You need to know that I am always proud of you! But are you entirely sure about being happy with the work?

Student: Yes, sir! And I am also interested in Youtube.

Me: And that makes me happy ? You have a YouTube channel?

Student: Yes, sir, but I am yet to monetize. I haven't started posting much. I will do it soon.?

Each of their responses told me more about what they value as individuals and how unique each of them is. It also showed me how much they have grown as people in the last six years. Now, here is a glimpse into what visions we had set as a classroom for the four years when Teach For India Fellows taught:

Grade 4 - Citizens of Tomorrow: "We are the leaders, quick to question, brave to change; We are the readers, of everything, of any range; We are believers of honesty and empathy; Hard work and Equality; To build a new India of strong integrity."

Grade 5 - Hogwarts Class of Magic: "All wizards will be able to express their opinions on problems around them respectfully."

Grade 6 - Council of Problem Solvers: "Students are passionate and joyful learners who can evaluate, synthesize, and create opportunities while they independently demonstrate their classroom values in and out of class to use their strengths and goals to solve problems they face."

Grade 7 - "Individuals who can differentiate between right and wrong, who have a strong sense of self and are driven towards achieving their own goals and dreams. They become self-sufficient, responsible, and kind adults ready to take on any challenge that comes their way."

When I look back at those four years, I can share many things we could have done better, which is very accurate! In those two years of the Fellowship and one year working in that classroom as a Program Manager, I often asked myself, "Am I doing enough? Am I doing the right thing? Am I able to create any impact at all?" Yes, I did not do enough, and maybe there were other things to do, but today, I believe that what we did in those four years mattered and will continue to matter in the lives of these children and their families. Like one of them told me yesterday, "Sir, we still have those worksheets you gave, and we know our reading levels!"