Hello! This is Katie and Chimi from the UWC-USA. We are staying in Manali right now, working with Mrs. Sudershana’s orphanage. There are around 25 kids at the orphanage, ranging from 3-14 years old, and all are a pleasure to work with. Nine of these kids attend Delhi Public School, the best school in Manali. (The money is fundraised by a previous volunteer, Katherine Foster.) However, there is not enough money to send the others to school, so the government has sent a teacher for the daily lessons at the orphanage. In addition to Mrs. Sudershana’s “kids”, there are about 15-20 more children who come only during the day for school lessons because their parents cannot afford to send them to the government school (where there is still a small fee plus the purchase of uniforms and books).
Of the children who do not go to D.P.S., there are two groups, the younger ones and the older ones. The younger ones are pre-school aged to 2nd grade. They usually work on writing the Hindi and English alphabets, writing and saying the numbers, and singing songs and rhymes.
The older ones are 3rd grade to 8th grade and they have a bit more experience. Most can write both Hindi and English letters with ease, but reading is sometimes a struggle. Before we came, they mostly practiced reading and writing from a Hindi workbook because the teacher was working with the younger children. Now, we spend most of the lesson time teaching them English. All have made tremendous progress, being that no one spoke any English before we came. The five oldest kids are now learning numbers, days of the week, months of the year, saying the date, asking questions, and the very basics of conversational skills.
Sometimes the teaching can be difficult because some of the older kids have only been attending lessons for a year. Therefore, they really have no concepts of so-called classroom etiquette. Much time is spent just getting the children to listen to either the teacher or their peers. Also, the younger ones like to come into the hallway where the older ones are studying and distract them, usually resulting in a small fight.
Typical classroom time is from 10:30am-12:30pm, with lunch at 1pm when everyone finishes lessons to eat. This is an added benefit for the day-students because they are also able to receive a meal. The next hour or so is usually playtime spent in the nearby yard. During this time, we teach English lessons to the teachers sent by the government. It is rather confusing because everyday there is somebody new, but there are two regular teachers. Around 3pm, the teachers have to go home and the D.P.S. students arrive. The next few hours are spent reading storybooks or playing. Also, the D.P.S. students sometimes have homework to finish.
Of the children who do not go to D.P.S., there are two groups, the younger ones and the older ones. The younger ones are pre-school aged to 2nd grade. They usually work on writing the Hindi and English alphabets, writing and saying the numbers, and singing songs and rhymes.
The older ones are 3rd grade to 8th grade and they have a bit more experience. Most can write both Hindi and English letters with ease, but reading is sometimes a struggle. Before we came, they mostly practiced reading and writing from a Hindi workbook because the teacher was working with the younger children. Now, we spend most of the lesson time teaching them English. All have made tremendous progress, being that no one spoke any English before we came. The five oldest kids are now learning numbers, days of the week, months of the year, saying the date, asking questions, and the very basics of conversational skills.
Sometimes the teaching can be difficult because some of the older kids have only been attending lessons for a year. Therefore, they really have no concepts of so-called classroom etiquette. Much time is spent just getting the children to listen to either the teacher or their peers. Also, the younger ones like to come into the hallway where the older ones are studying and distract them, usually resulting in a small fight.
Typical classroom time is from 10:30am-12:30pm, with lunch at 1pm when everyone finishes lessons to eat. This is an added benefit for the day-students because they are also able to receive a meal. The next hour or so is usually playtime spent in the nearby yard. During this time, we teach English lessons to the teachers sent by the government. It is rather confusing because everyday there is somebody new, but there are two regular teachers. Around 3pm, the teachers have to go home and the D.P.S. students arrive. The next few hours are spent reading storybooks or playing. Also, the D.P.S. students sometimes have homework to finish.
Comments