9th December 2016
Friday – the last day of my first week of internship at TIF Labs, Robocraze. I reached office in the morning, settled down and started working on the Arduino project that I had started after a two day training session on it.
I was busy researching and googling, when ma’am walked in. She told me that TIF Labs, in association with Teach For India (TFI), conducts Robotics classes every Friday at a government school – Grace Model School. She asked me to assist her for one day.
I packed my bag, the LEDs, batteries and other stuff, and we left. I was excited, and nervous. I had never been a ‘teacher’ before. I was not sure if I would be a good one, if I’d be able to explain the concepts to them, if the kids at the school would like me. But somewhere, I was confident that I’d be able to manage it well- if not ace it.
As we reached there, the curious eyes followed me. They were happy to see a new face, but also concerned as to why their usual ‘Sir’, the one who had been coming for the past 7 weeks, was absent. They asked us if he was fine and welcomed me with a big smile. My fears evaporated as they called me ‘Bharti Didi’, I felt like I was their friend.
Most of the students were from the 5th and 6th grade, a few from the 10th. But irrespective of their age, each one of them wanted to learn. They were excited to make full use of the opportunity that they had received. It was new to them, playing with components and circuits, but they were keen on trying their hands on it.
The course for the day included bread boards, circuits and gates, conductivity and resistance. As Ma’am was teaching them, I couldn’t help but observe how smart and intelligent they were. I need to admit, I hadn’t expected that they would be able to grasp the concepts so soon. I, at their age, probably didn’t even know that such terms existed, and they even knew the applications. I was appalled, and also motivated to do my bit in helping them to learn.
Honestly, it was not a session only for them – even I learnt a lot from them. They were brilliant kids and amazing students. It was fun interacting with them, listening to their doubts (they did have a mind-blowing imagination). 😛
At the end of the two hour session, their eyes had a glow and their faces a smile. They asked me to come back again the next week for their class. I was happy and convinced. It was a certificate that meant a lot to me. I was excited. And luckily, I remembered to capture those bright smiles, a memory that shall be very close to my heart, forever.
Even as I am writing this, I feel so proud to have been a part of this wonderful initiative, and I thank my stars for making my ‘first experience as a teacher’ so beautiful.
Bharti Agarwal,
Intern, TIF Labs.
