Robin Mukherjee, on his teaching
placement in South India
I'm
having a great time here in Madurai and cannot believe I'm almost half way
through the placement already! I'm really enjoying the routine of school
during the day and bakery straight after to stock up on cakes and pringles!
The day at school generally consists of taking lessons and free periods
where I plan lessons. I'm doing kindergarten to 9th standard and the
little ones are certainly a challenge! There is quite a language barrier
between me and the staff (and children!) but the teachers are still very
friendly. The school servant doesn't speak a word of English but she
always greets me with a smile every morning. The children (younger ones
mainly) can be quite badly behaved but that's part of the challenge and
experience. Most are eager to learn and like to run up to me and show
their work!
The
Travellers’ house is great and Sumathy, the cook, is really pleasant and
loves her Bollywood music! Pradeep is always around to make sure
everything is running smoothly so we're being well looked after. It's all
good and I'm already thinking about future placements! Many thanks.
Cosima Crawley
and Laura Llewelyn on their teaching
placements in Madurai.
We arrived
in Madurai just over a week ago and there is lots to tell! our journey was
long but smooth running. Pradeep met
us at the airport and we drove a sleepy journey to Madurai. the house we are
staying in is perfect and we are having the best time.
The school we are teaching in is exactly what
we had hoped for and all the teachers are very kind and thoughtful. It is a
little bit daunting standing in front of a class for the first time but I
think we are getting on okay and the children are very sweet and polite.
What struck us straight away about India was the number of
people! As we drove through Trivandrum we saw so many things that it was
hard to take it all in! And no one seems to be in a hurry- they're often
just hanging out.
The driving is another extraordinary aspect.
There seems to be no road signs and no particular side of the road for
traffic to stick to. Just to add to this chaos, cows wander aimlessly down
the middle of the road while cars and bikes lethally swerve around them!
We are now becoming immune to this and
England will seem ridiculously tame. Thanks for your email and let us know
if you need any more feedback.
Cosima and Laura x
Cosima, above, & Laura, below.
Nicola Scott
on her Teaching placement in Madurai
At the beginning of her placement:
Dear Trevor, India is great so far!
We've been here 2 weeks now. First impressions - all the people are really
friendly! Placement is good so far - the school is really welcoming. Not
doing any teaching yet because it's exams, so I'm having half days and
helping with supervision and chatting with the teachers! There's the school
holidays next week, so me and Kristine are going to Kerala on Friday,
getting back on sun 3rd. Robin is going to Kolkata to visit his aunt during
the holiday.
Midway through her placement: I'm coming towards the end of my placement
in Madurai so thought I would let you know what a fantastic time I've had!
The school has been great, the teachers really made me feel welcome. I was
always being invited to their houses and even went shopping with them!
Yesterday was my last day and I was sad to go. The teachers bought me a
chudidar and bangles to remember them by, and all the kids were giving me
''Happy Journey" cards and asking me to come back one day! I was teaching
ages 8 - 13 and they were great fun. My lessons were quite informal and I
tried to choose topics that interested them, they have their own teachers to
do the boring stuff with! They loved it when we did a lesson on cinema and I
could talk about their favourite Tamil films!
It has been
so nice staying in the volunteer house and feeling like this is my home.
Sumathy, the cook, is so much fun and I am going to miss her a lot. Last
week we were drawing patterns on the doorstep with flour, she's an expert
though and I just made a mess! We are always watching Tamil music channels
together, so now I know all the songs and I've bought some CD's to take back
home! Living here has made me feel part of the community, we are always
recognised especially in the internet place, the phone shop and the bakery!
South India
is a beautiful place and we've had some great weekends in Tamil Nadu and
Kerala. Last weekend we were in Kanyakumari, the southern most point of the
country, and went paddling in the sacred meeting point of the Arabian Sea,
Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal. We were having a lovely time but whilst we
were posing for photos I noticed my shoes floating off to sea and had to go
chasing after them...... Tomorrow, Robin and I are leaving Madurai and
travelling up to Chennai via Pondicherry and Mahabilapuram before our flight
home next week. It will be strange to go and know we are never coming back,
but I've had an amazing experience here which I will always remember! Thank
you!!
I will send
the volunteer feedback form when I return to England next week. Best wishes,
Nicki Scott
At the end of her placement:
Teaching the children was very enjoyable, at times
it was difficult but always manageable and rewarding. I also helped the
teachers in their work with marking books and supervised classes during the
exam periods. Was it varied and interesting?
Yes, because I taught a range of ages and abilities and so was able to do
different lessons with different classes. Living in the volunteer house and
feeling like it was my home for the duration of the placement, particularly
as Sumathy, the house help, was so friendly
Everyone associated with
Travellers in Madurai was very good, not just Pradeep (the country
organiser). Sumathy, the house help, was very friendly and really made us
feel at home in the volunteer house, as well as complying with our requests
at dinner! She was one of the best things about my placement and made it so
much more enjoyable. The drivers - Gorbal for the car and Ramu for the auto
- were both very reliable and friendly. Robin, Pradeep’s assistant, was very
helpful, particularly when Pradeep was in hospital and so was unable to
check we were ok. The placement has given me the experience of living in a
very different country and helped me become more aware and understanding of
other cultures. Teaching conversational English has given me the confidence
to work at a challenge and use my initiative to help overcome any
difficulties I encounter. It has been a valuable and memorable experience.
The best thing was living in the
volunteer house in Madurai, it felt like home and we felt part of the
community. The welcoming atmosphere at my school (Mary Ann) was also one of
the best aspects.The South India placement is particularly suitable for
gregarious people because living in the volunteer house is very sociable.
It’s a great opportunity to get to know the other volunteers. A teaching
placement is suitable for anyone who is looking for a challenge because
although it is very rewarding it is not always easy. A teaching placement is
suitable for people who are eager to learn about another culture because
there is much opportunity for talking to the children and the teachers.
The car would come to take me to school
at half past 8. Every morning there would be an assembly before lessons
began at 9.05. There were 8 lessons a day, of which I would be teaching 2/3.
During the mid-morning break (10.25- 10.35) a man from the canteen would
come round to sell us samosas and chai! The lunch break was half an hour,
most teachers would eat in their classrooms with the children and I ate with
the few who didn’t have their own classes. We all shared our food with each
other! The day would finish at 3.15 unless there was a special function for
the teachers after school, such as my leaving gathering on the last day!
Catherine Williams
– Teaching, Madurai, South India
I am gaining immeasurable
amounts of experience over a whole spectrum of issues and primarily,
excellent experience of teaching which will aid my PGCE application. I feel
that I am gaining experience of another culture first hand, experience of
life and learning a lot about myself too. The placement in India has
challenged me in so many ways. I have a much deeper sense of gratitude for
my life at home now. It is very unique to live in another country for a
protracted period and embrace a different way of life. After all, you don't
learn about a country just through a textbook!
The best thing about the
about the placement is the children, their enthusiasm and energy has been
delightful. I would most definitely recommend this placement. I abhor
clichés but this really is an experience of a lifetime, miss at your
peril! This placement would suit someone who is enthusiastic and enjoys
working with children. This may seem an obvious point to make but I really
do feel it is important (for the volunteer as much as the children) that the
volunteer has had some kind of pervious experience of teaching or working
with children; to gain the most from the placement. The teachers expect you
to plan lessons and teach straight away. Without previous experience and
added culture shock, I can imagine it being quite daunting.
I think it is
slightly misleading to suggest Indians are "embarrassed easily". In my
experience they can be fairly blunt. For the more sensitive, this may be a
little difficult to deal with initially. I would recommend that future
volunteers bring a selection of books, cds and DVDs to keep themselves
entertained. If volunteers are on a tight budget and unable to travel at
weekends this will be important to them.
A typical
day: School begins at
9:10 and finishes at 16:00. There are 7 periods of teaching in the school
day and I teach for 4 of those per day. During my free periods I interact
with other staff and plan lessons. Lessons are a mixture of my own material
and syllabus expected to be studied by the school. Lunch time is
12:25-12:50. I alternate between sitting with the secondary school teachers
and with the primary teachers and their students. I've tried to throw myself
into the whole experience to gain the most enjoyment. I can eat successfully
with my right hand now!
Enna Gahia
on her Teaching placement in Madurai
At the beginning of her
placement: Hi Trevor! The journey was quite tiring, but I was met
by Pradeep who was waiting even though every flight had been delayed. I
don't know how he knew what time to
come at because I didn't know!The
placement is going well. The school is better off than others but does have
very basic resources. The children are very friendly and excited. I feel
like a movie star! The older children are keen to learn about London which
they have heard off. They are not familiar with Britain.
As a teacher I
have found the lack of resources and whole class teachingquite challenging, but I am learning to
improvise e.g using a piece of chalk asa microphone and moving furniture back so we
can sit in a circle.The teachers have
been welcoming and are also interested in the UK and how things are done
there. They are also interested in my background as my family are from
Gujerat, India. Whenever I am asked where I am from, I answer London. The
reply usually is 'but you look Indian'.So far so good!I must also thank you for organising
everything so quickly! It must have
been a record!Regards, Enna.
Towards the end of her
placement: I only have a couple of
days left at school and I do wish I could stay longer as some of the younger
children have just started to feel comfortable with me and one of the older
classes are so interested in finding things out about me and my life in the
UK.I have talked about teaching
methods at home and tried to think of how theycan be applied here given the lack of
resources. I'm not sure if they truly get it though.I am leaving most of my resources that I
brought and have stuck a couple of
alphabet and number posters on the wall, much to the children's delight.
Theteachers are worried that the children will
tear it and want to put it away or place it high on the wall, out of reach.
I insisted on leaving it there
explaining that it needs to be at their eye level. I have also displayedsome of the children in school notice board
and some in the classrooms. Lotsof
excitement there!So as you can see. I
am not ready to leave! I am sure I will keep in touchwith the school as several teachers have
already exchanged addresses and e-mail adresses with me and Standard 4 class
wanted my address too, so Igave my
school in London and they all copied it into their books!
I have also
managed to visit several places in the South, Invited to a wedding and an
engagement which was a good excuse to dress up.
Claire Dascombe
on her Teaching placement in Madurai
Got here safely thanks, no delays or lost
luggage! Met Catherine at Gatwick departure lounge - she was the only other
lone female so guessed it was her!
Settling in ok, still a bit daunted by everything and the prospect of
teaching. The culture shock is huge but I'm sure things will become more
familiar soon, only been here a day!
Found an internet place already which I'm very pleased about as its a couple
of minutes walk away! The house is really nice and everyone seems to be
getting on well, although at the moment there’s no running water but washing
with a jug isn't as bad as I expected. Hopefully I'll adjust soon and get
used to the heat!
Midway through her placement:
Everything's going really well thanks, haven't had any problems yet. Settled
in now - it's strange how quickly things become familiar! The volunteer
house is really nice and certainly exceeded my expectations! The 6 of us are
all getting on well and have had several weekends away which has given us an
opportunity to explore more of south India. Pradeep is really kind and
conscientious and goes out of his way to help us.
I've been teaching LKG - STD
5 at Vishanthi school. The staff there are generally friendly and I haven't
had any real problems. I did find the system a bit disorganized at first and
I had a few problems with knowing where I was supposed to be and when, but I
think this is just a feature of the
school rather than a problem that can be overcome and getting more used to
it now. Found the teaching really hard work at first, especially noise and
discipline, but again I feel as though my management of these factors is
improving.
Overall though I'm very happy
with the placement, I’ll send you more feedback when I can.
Claire
Catherine
Pritchard on her teaching placement in Madurai
At the start of her placement:
Hello, all is well out here in
Madurai and we have allsettled in
very well. It was a bit of a shock driving through the city for the first
time, as it so terribly poor but I can't wait to see it in more depth. I am
really pleased with the apartment and it is very odd having our own cook and cleaner I feel quite
privileged!
Midway through her placement:
Having done a placement where I have become part of acommunity and lived in the same way in which
they do,I feel I have gained a
greater understanding of theIndian
culture and people compared to what I wouldhave learnt as a passing tourist. The best
thing about my placement would be getting toknow both the children and staff at my
school. Theyallow a real insight into
seeing how friendly and openthe
Indian culture really is. Although hard at times,I found the teaching to be both rewarding and
veryenjoyable. The children are very
charismatic anddesperate to get to
know more about you. I would recommend this placement to others, especiallythose with a bit of 'get up and go' as there
is theopportunity to travel quite a
bit at weekends thus the right person could have an amazing time.
What type of person do you think this placementwould suit?As I have said in the latter question; in
order forsomeone to really make the
most of their placement andto see a
bit of India they would have to be
adventurous, patient and have a desire to know moreabout the country and its people.
A Typical Day?
My Auto diver Ramu drops me off at
school where lessons start at 8.30. On average I have
three45 - minute lessons per day but
this does vary. At 2.30pm Ramu is waiting at the school gates to take me
homeas school has finished for the
day. In the afternoons we generally go to the 'Akash Club', which
has alovely swimming pool and a gym
if you are feelingparticularly
energetic. From 5 - 6pm we have our yogalessons on the rooftop of our yoga teacher's
house, which is very enlightening! Then we have
supperaround 8.30pm made for us by
our cook Sumiti, which isalways very
tasty.
Craig Eckersley
on his teaching placement in South India
My Experience in
India: Our main aim was
to teach the pupils English grammar and pronunciation by talking and reading
to them and then giving them opportunities to speak. Additionally, we would
teach them about our British and European cultures. Usually I started a
lesson by asking the pupils to ask me questions. This provided the starting
point for conversations about issues such as our families and friends, our
life stories, our education and profession, our home, our country and its
landscape and climate, and our traditions. If the pupils were reluctant to
volunteer any questions, my alternative course of action was to borrow a
textbook and read from it. Towards the end of our stay, the senior students
asked me to talk in detail about physics and aeronautics, and I gave some
very impressive lectures.
We spent
Christmas in Kanyakumari, the southernmost place in India, where the Arabian
Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal meet. I found it very peculiar
when I became sunburnt on Christmas Eve. The countryside in Tamil Nadu was
different than in Kerala: it was more mountainous and less forested and wild
boars used to run loose in the streets. After Boxing Day, we spent three
days in Thampanoor, in the centre of Trivandrum, where we met the Principal
and his driver. On the first day we attended a sports event at a very large
school in the outside of Trivandrum. The day after, we went on a boat tour
on the backwaters, which became very exciting when the boat's motor stopped.
Fortunately it eventually started again and we got back to dry land, after
which we visited Trivandrum Zoo. We spent the New Year in Kovalam, a popular
beach resort south of Trivandrum. It was again an unusual experience when we
celebrated the Millennium New Year's Eve sitting on the beach in our
shirtsleeves. We went to a beachfront restaurant every night and watched the
sun set over the Arabian Sea. At night, we would see faint lights on the
horizon as people spent the night out at sea in their fishing boats.
We were
always very popular at events such as the Christmas Function and visits from
the Bishop, when we were always asked to give readings, make speeches or
present awards.
At the end of
one day of presentations, we experienced a large thunderstorm. I suddenly
heard the rain approaching, and a few seconds later our school building was
caught in a torrential downpour that lasted for over an hour and flooded the
nearby playing fields. Blue, white, yellow, red and lilac bolts of lightning
flashed over us and preceded claps of thunder that sounded like explosions.
Most of the
state was covered in coconut palm forests, even in the towns and cities.
There were also numerous mango, jack fruit, papaya and pineapple trees, to
name a few. The most common birds were crows, sparrows and mina birds,
although we sometimes saw beautiful blue and brown kingfishers, much larger
than the ones that we would see in Britain. Once, while we were sitting on
the roof of the Girls' Hostel watching distant thunderstorms, I saw a green
parrot flying through the trees. At night, small bats would fly around in
large numbers, although I did occasionally see large ones. One night I saw
something flying towards a treetop that was the size of a crow, so I assumed
it was a crow. However, as it approached one of the top branches and
prepared to land, it grasped the branch and then hung underneath it. It was
actually a bat, much larger than any I had ever seen before. Insects would
vary from microscopic ants to three-quarter-inch ants, quarter-inch to
three-inch beetles, spiders and moths of various sizes and, unfortunately,
mosquitoes. One morning, we were greeted at the breakfast table by a
fast-running four-inch spider, with hairy brown legs as thick as pipe
cleaner and a body about three quarters of an inch wide. Later we were told
that it was not poisonous. Surprisingly, I only saw one snake.
Walking
through the quiet streets near the school at was very spooky. The rough
roads were dimly lit by a few weak streetlights, and often it was not
possible to see far at all. One would hear unlit cyclists ringing their
bells, but one would not see them until they were very close. Loud religious
music would emanate from houses hidden deep in the forests and would
continue play all night, but all that one could see was the large expanse of
coconut trees. The air would fill with smoke as people burned their rubbish
in the evenings, bats and fireflies would fly around, and tropical birds
would sing their songs all night; out of sight but not out of earshot.
During our last few
days, the staff and pupils gave us numerous charming votes of appreciation
and we received many beautiful presents. Anyone planning to visit India
should not expect to have a cosy time or to live in comfort. However, what
one should expect is to see to and live in a completely different world, to
be integrated into welcome into a warm, friendly community and to do
something worthwhile for other people, for which one will be highly
respected.
Me (Paul White) lighting the lamp to
inaugurate the annual 'Kidsfest'. To my left are Meghna Tiku (another
Travellers volunteer) and the primary section headmistress. I am playing carom with some of the boys from the
hostel and one of the hostel teachers 'Cyriac' who became a good friend.
Paul White
on his teaching
placement in South India
I
am alive and well and back at home! Had a wonderful time and am missing
the food and weather already. The principal, the teachers, and indeed
everybody in Kerala, went out of their way to make me feel welcome. I
will be contacting the school again when my photos are developed.
I altered my itinerary at the end and went to Kodaikanal and Periyar
rather than Ooty. It was one of the major highlights of the trip,
trekking through the Periyar forest and seeing wild elephants drinking
by the lake - so it was a good decision. I stayed in some excellent
hotels should you require any recommendations.
I hear you have someone going out for five months, he's a lucky man,
I'll be happy to talk to him should you wish. Thanks again for arranging
such an excellent trip, hopefully it won't be the last (I quite fancy
Sri Lanka)..... I've also given your details to a language teacher
friend.
"I am now back in the UK, after a brilliant trip through India with Tom.
The teaching that we did in Kerala was a real experience and a thoroughly
enjoyable and interesting one. I would like to say a huge thank you to you
and your excellent team for making everything so smooth and easy for us.
India, as I am sure you know, is quite a daunting prospect for a young
traveller, but thanks to you and the teaching programme that you set up
for us, we were given a perfect way into the culture and way of life of
the Indian people, which made the rest of our trip all the more
enjoyable." Nicholas Harland, on his programme in
Kerala in India.
More Feedback about projects in India:
AUGUSTA GROOTE & CARLIJN VAN RAVENSTEIN
(Dutch) on their placement in Southern India
"It was a very sad
goodbye at the school ... the experience we had was amazing. We still think back
on it every day and we know that there are already lots of letters waiting for
us in Holland."
[These two girls cried their eyes out
when they left, and so did the children.]
"From the first day onwards we enjoyed
every day of our stay. The atmosphere at the school is very nice and we really
feel part of the community.
The school is for very poor children and most of
their fathers are fishermen. After school the children have to help their
parents, therefore the motivation to study is not very big. Carlijn is teaching
standards 7 and 8 whereas I am teaching standards 4 and 5, and in the beginning
the children had to get used to our accent.
The first day we arrived we were asked to set up
a Christmas play. We wrote the script, which included singing and dancing. We
practised every day. As a result we know many of the children very well. We seem
to have crossed the barrier of the official 'teacher-student' relationship,
which is very nice. The school is a close community."
Some Schools' Reports on their
Travellers Volunteers:
"We enjoyed having Helen Mills with us and the
students learnt Spoken English as well as Tap Dance from her. She
was an asset to the school ... and proved to be a versatile teacher."
.
"She [their Travellers volunteer] was excellent in
extra-curricular activities and very active in dealing with the small
kids. Helped our children to hear English language from an English
speaking person. Through interaction our children got some idea of England
and English culture ... she rendered good service to the school ... she
was very co-operative and mingled with everyone."
.
+44 01903 502595
