Magic of 'Magical Math'

“When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny.” 

These are the lines of my best writer Paulo Coehlo, and I do love this statement as well, since I also had a challenge: a challenge to change the  context, to do something better, to move on, and to utilize the maximum of whatever I have got and to receive more than what every one dreams about. 
I remember the day, when me and Seetu knew about our placement school as Jyotidaya, most of the people said that it was a much easy place as the student of this school know better than other schools' students. And even we expected the same but when we started teaching there, we came to know that our grade nine students even didn't know the meaning of some common English words and even were poor in Mathematics. We wanted to do something bigger and better and also inspired our students for the same. And finally after seven months, we became able to do something extra in our school, which was our first effort in our school, first effort by our students and even we are proud to say that among the fellows also. We became able to hold a 'Maths Exhibition' in our school. 

Students preparing their materials

Surbir sir observing our students' performance in our demo exhibition

But the journey was not easy: teaching the students each and every new things not only the terms of Maths but the way of behaving, conversation, mutual behavior during the exhibition was not really easy. And today when three of the schools' students along with their teachers came for the exhibition, our students made us proud. They did it so well. They seemed so confident. Even the teachers of other schools came to us and congratulated us for our success. They were curious about 'Teach For Nepal' and its work. And the most important part was not only us Seetu and me but our whole school supported us. We were helped by all other teachers. Without them we would not become successful. 

Though we had so many problems even in management, in communication, in subject matter but our children learnt a lot today. This day helped them to learn by heart all those things which we were not able to teach even in those six months. So what our children did today made me really very happy. Our 'Magical Math' really showed magic today..................

Reflecting the Tour to Pokhara.............

As it is said, we all are the actors of the director God. 'God', I don't believe him much, but sometimes we are   tend to believe it. It was seven years back, when I was reading in grade nine our school had organized an educational tour to Pokhara and Gorkha, where I was keen to go. But at the last moment due to some inconveniences, I had to cancel it. And it became the dream places of my life where I never got an opportunity to go during these times. But recently, I got the opportunity to go with the very place with my grade nine and ten students. So I just couldn't guess, how it happened. 

I must say as it was a new place to me, my students were new to it and even my co-fellow Seetu was new to the place. That's why we were so eager to go and all were behaving like a kid who was going to visit a new place. Though it was right after our festival 'Tihar', we were more that 30 who were attending the educational  tour. Though it was a short tour we tried to visit most of the places like Sarangkot, Davi's Falls and different religious and historical places, had the experience of  walking on caves and many more. This three days visit gave all the teachers and students an opportunity to mix with each other more well, know more about each other. Staying outside from school and managing the teens is really a difficult task but we didn't have to face much problem because our principal sir was with us. But sometimes it becomes quite difficult to handle them.

The tour is really a memorable visit of my life as we had to climb many ladders and hills to reach our destination. Feeling tired but not being able to take rest as we had few time to visit, sitting inconveniences in the bus and the taps that run out while bathing at the hotels, are some of the things that I can never forget. These would become the funny but good memories in my life.  

The visit was not a dream come true to me but also to my grade nine students as they had been saving money to go to this tour from their grade seven and got this opportunity. So here, I am concluding that I think  God is not directing me but my amazing kids who didn't let their hope down and became persistent to fulfill their dreams lead me to my dream place which I longed to see and yes, it is really a beautiful place of our country. My kids inspire me to move on continuously towards my dream too... 

Sunrise from Sarangkot

Miru and me on Mahendra Cave

Taking rest after walking out of Mahendra Cave

Enjoying parks of Pokhara

Inside the bus, showing our new hats..........hehe

Our students on boat at Phewa Lake

At Gorkha Durbar Square

Dance: a different way of bringing change................

It's sometimes difficult to decide what is right and what is wrong? What to do and what not to do? and it's even much difficult when we have to decide and do right away on no time. The same thing happened today. I may be taking this small issue as a vague or may be I am right to think about this way now, I still can't decide but what I did was what I thought right at that moment. 

 After two days of training I went to school with enthusiasm that I am going to make them learn in a new way and had also planned a game shared us by Christine Stone at the training as I already knew that today they are not going to be in the mood of reading lessons as today we were scheduled  'Tihar Special program' and 'Farewell Program' for the S.L.C. graduates of 2069. But when I reached school the scenario was different. Everybody was busy. Every teacher, every student preparing for the stage, doing dance and singing rehearsals. As there was no any sign of taking class, I started helping students for their speech and anchoring. Then, finally the program began with few student for whom the program was actually designed for I mean the ex-students. Those students who were present also were not really concerned about the program. They were just siting in the stage and gossiping with each other no matter who is doing what and who is speaking about what? But at the mid of the program all of them arrived and again same thing happened. They were sitting infront and gossiping and they were not taking notice of what their juniors had prepared for them. And I was really surprised to see that none of the teachers were responding. The juniors learn from their seniors and if they do that our juniors will also follow that. I didn't know what to do announced from the stage to them not to talk at the program but have a look on what their juniors had prepared for them as I knew that it took couple of weeks for them to rehearse and they had put lot of their effort and time for that. So this was not getting out right on me. 

Grade eight students Lasata and Preeti anchoring the program

Grade eight students Ashish and Kiran (speaking infront for the first time) giving farewell speech

Then, the program formally ended and our student had organized a concert where at the beginning only few of the students were dancing and Seetu and I were also requested to dance. In the beginning I was not in a mood to dance but later I found that some of the students were hesitating to dance, so to boost them up I along with Seetu started dancing. Dancing, is what we can say has no any mistake but in the context, where the students and even teachers think that dancing infront of all and in a remix songs is undisciplined is a problem. And at that moment I felt like stopping because I could see some eyes staring at us in such a disgraceful way, some of the people backbiting about our activity, then again an instant thought popped up on my mind that this is the time to bring some change in the attitude so let's not stop and we kept on dancing. After sometime a group of girls followed us and after sometime there were so many girls dancing with us. And one of the girls of grade nine came to Seetu and said, "miss I think you should be disciplined".

Did we do the right at that moment? or we just went against our culture. I am still not getting the answer. But at that moment I thought it right and even my students enjoyed it. So I am happy that  I brought smile in the face of some of the girls whom I had never seen smiling all these months.

Grade nine and ten students preparing for the concert

Students enjoying the concert

Seetu and Me tired after dancing