Hello!

Well, blogger will not allow me to write another 'about me' post and my first one is all about food - my eternal passion in life. When I am not cooking (or talking about food), I am a teacher. I have always been a teacher at heart, even though life has offered me more opportunities to be a student :)
I created this blog to chronicle my experiences from the various classrooms I teach in (occasionally it could be a post from the past, where I have taught earlier).

I want to start this with an essay I wrote about teaching for my application for the Fullbright scholarships. Well, something must be right in my application docket of which this was a part, for I did get selected for the next round. That I lost out in the finals because my field (communication) was not awarded any fellowships that year is another matter. It did not stop me. With the support of friends and family, I went to Teachers College Columbia University to fulfill my dreams!

Anyways, here goes - the essay may be written a while ago, but reflects my sentiments about teaching. 

If you were given one year to spend in service on behalf of others, what would you choose to do, and why?

‘Those who can’t, teach’ goes the common maxim. And yet, teachers across the world work relentlessly and untiringly to shape young minds. Not surprisingly, we see them making decisions that have an impact on the human beings of tomorrow. It may sometimes be an unenviable job, but more often than not, it’s very satisfying. You just have to hear the little ones look up to you, say, “Thank you teacher,” and your day is made. No amount of money can match that.

A year in service for others will definitely see me as a teacher, especially for underprivileged children. It would not only be grabbing a chance to encourage them to be better citizens, but also to probably tap their hidden potential that even they might not be aware of.

The modern world is such an eye opener, that competition has crept even in the malleable minds of children to the extent of one saying to another: “My school is better than yours.”

In a country like India, where the population is spread across varied economic and social strata, the other end of the spectrum has a different story to tell. A story where children don’t even know what competition literally means, and constantly face a struggle to live in a dignified manner. It would be a challenge to make even one degree of positive difference to their lives. And I want to be a part of that challenge, bringing many positives, in turn, to my own.