How to build a yatch while swimming through your TeachForIndia fellowship
You know why Ragini is so tall? Because she has gotten so many hugs over her life from so many people and that obviously stretched her out. The latest barrage of hugs is from TFIers (fellows, staff and supporters) who want are all determined to giver her some sweets (i.e. increase her height by 5mm) after reading her 10 tips piece for incoming TFI fellows.
Like Ragini, I am a happy person and a 2014 TFI fellow.
But I am also an engineer and I love building and improving stuff. I look at fellowship as being thrown into the ocean with minimal swimming lessons. You are expected to learn to swim and build a beautiful yatch around yourself from the shambles of stuff that isn't working anymore. And while you are at it, you may as well build yourself a better you as well.
There are two kind of people who enter the fellowship - those that are fresh out of college, and those like me who have worked in the IT/Corporate/XYZ sectors and years of professional experience behind them. Ragini's advice is universal for all fellows that enter the fellowship. As an older person (half a decade older than miss tall beauty), I became aware of deeper nuances that play out when humans interact. And India has a lot of them humans. So it is only apt that you also look at the 2 years to un-Sheldon yourself and make yourself comfortable around people who are going to be your best applies in this fight against education inequity.
So here are 10 additional tips appended to Ragini's list by a 30 year old senile fellow:
Like Ragini, I am a happy person and a 2014 TFI fellow.
But I am also an engineer and I love building and improving stuff. I look at fellowship as being thrown into the ocean with minimal swimming lessons. You are expected to learn to swim and build a beautiful yatch around yourself from the shambles of stuff that isn't working anymore. And while you are at it, you may as well build yourself a better you as well.
There are two kind of people who enter the fellowship - those that are fresh out of college, and those like me who have worked in the IT/Corporate/XYZ sectors and years of professional experience behind them. Ragini's advice is universal for all fellows that enter the fellowship. As an older person (half a decade older than miss tall beauty), I became aware of deeper nuances that play out when humans interact. And India has a lot of them humans. So it is only apt that you also look at the 2 years to un-Sheldon yourself and make yourself comfortable around people who are going to be your best applies in this fight against education inequity.
So here are 10 additional tips appended to Ragini's list by a 30 year old senile fellow:
- Kill the ego, suspend judgement.
You came here to transform the education system and you see the school staff as being ineffective at their work? Think again, they could be (should be) your comrades in the fight for excellence in education. You are entering a school run by those very existing teachers some of who have decades of teaching experience. And some one with that much life experience will definitely have a lot to teach some one like you who is probably less that half their age. Remember, 1 month ago before the institute you knew zilch about teaching. So deflate your ego, and be receptive to learning even from the maushis and peons who even though they don't teach would know how to control the class better than you.
A very new fellow getting tips from her headmistress - Don't be smug!
You are at a dinner with your chuddy buddies. You go on and on about how you made the right decision to improve the lives of children and talk about all the cool ideas you came up with and are carrying out in your class. To your friends you may be coming across as a condescending narcissist. Its easy to fall into the trap of judging people for seeming to not care enough about the society because they are "seemingly stuck" in a 9-to-5 job. Do not downplay the professions of others. They have their own role to play in the society and possibly its improvement. Also they will volunteer in your class (help you check answer papers) and give you money if you be nice to them. Be nice to them. - Manipulate people - give them what they want to get what you want!
You need to get people on your side. All kinds of people. So you think you have a principal who care a bit too much about his status and laurels? Tell him that as the "leader" of the school, it would be nice if the whole school could hear his voice in the morning everyday. Prepare the news and thought for the day for him everyday and other nuggets of advice which otherwise you would have delivered only to your own classroom. This way, you are not only empowering your school's leader, but also turning him into a a symbol of consistency and wisdom for the staff and students. Transform the leaders, transform the school. - Relationships may only work in burst mode
Teaching is new to you and its difficult work. It consumes your weekends leaving nothing left for your girlfriend. Maybe you could spend your time with her during diwali/summer/winter vacations when she gets an overdose of you and want to kick you in the teeth. When the school is in session, you are constantly in a dilemma - "Should I make a plan for this new idea to try in my class?" or "Should I go cycling with bae?". The lesson planning idea is always going to win (no matter what you do, you will always be swayed by the peer pressure of wanting to be an awesome teacher). Get your crush to your classroom and get her to meet your kids and perhaps she will understand you and stick around long enough till the end of your fellowship. - Work before you join the fellowship
Gain experience at a professional organization. This will help in many ways. Firstly you would have outgrown your naivety about how the world works - this will help you earn respect of non-TFI staff at school. Secondly, you would have de-sensitized yourselves to standard operating procedures within an organization. This would enable you to do administrative work assigned to you by the school and TFI (submit reimbursements, income tax etc) without cribbing. You would also have developed a mindset to document and improve processes at your previous organization and that mindset may help you (if you chose) to help your school become a more productive place - (think printing out student list on green ledger paper and sticking it in your attendance register every month to save the trouble of writing student's name). And lastly, you will end up making friends with working earning people who wouldn't mind parting with some cash and their time for their ex-colleague who is working to make an impact.
Your Excel ninja could help you better the process of analysing marks
The jugaad attitude that you developed at your ex-workplace would do wonders for you.
Using a cellophane paper to grade objective answers? Oh! I am so getting a CI/Six Sigma green belt for this! - Its time for self improvement. Heal yourself.
You teach your kid all this stuff on how to be better organized and lead a healthy lifestyle. But are you following your own advice?
Go cycling/running with your kids on weekends.
Quit Smoking.
Get off any addiction that your have.
Tone down your OCDs.
Become emotionally independent.
Get better.
If bettering yourself because the kids are observing you doesn't motivate you enough to bring about that positive change, what else do you think will? - Learn and study
Read HBR article. Read Teacher Plus. Read about Steve Jobs. Read about Elon Musk. Read Read Read. Read what your PM sends you. Read what that "oh-such-an-enthu-cutlet" fellow sends you. Watch TED-Talks and Ted-Ed videos. Leaders need to learn how to be leaders.
Also study math and English. Rekindle the critical thinker in you
You were never good at math?
You are scared of English grammar?
Stop being an abla nar/naari.
English/Math give you maximum facetime with your kids.
Come hell or high water, you need to step up and become good at these subject. DO IT NOW!
Scour the net (or ask existing and past fellows) for advice on how to deliver value-ed sessions in your class.
Value ed lesson plans - Get chummy again with your family - close and extended
So you aren't an estranged daughter/son/brother/sister/cousin. You have pushed yourself to build strong relationships with the parents of kids who were strangers a few days ago. If you could do that with them, why won't you do that with your own family? So what if you are not a hugging family, your brother could do with some bhai time. Listen to his ideas as intently as you would listen to your PM and you shall find a new friend in him. Cousins - what do we have in common that can kick start our friendship with them? oh yes genes!
Chal bhai ice skating karein!
And if your cousin joins the fellowship at the same time as you, its even more fun
(Its easy to convince your parents as well - "But mom Vimal bhi to TFI kar raha hai!"
and Vimal to his mom: "Anurag bhi kar raha hai fellowship, tenson mat lo!") - Be vulnerable. Be genuine.
You find yourself evading a conversation with a person? Think deep, it might because of some inherent bias you have against him/her because of their religion/profession/financial status. Become aware of your biases and kill them one by one. This will help you feel genuinely for people regardless of their background rather then just put up a facade of "seeming nice". People can tell when you aren't being genuine with them. Push yourself out of your comfort zone and stay their until your comfort zone expands and your comfort zone get enlarged.
Be vulnerable to a select few too. There are people who will genuinely begin caring for you. If you are lucky like me, might find godmothers and godfathers in your HMs. You know you now have and extra set of parents when they offer to look for a bride for you and invite you for mutton biryani ever so often. Who could say no to more caring and nurturing. And Biryani. Biryani is serious. - Have fun and Let go off your hang-ups. NOW!Ale ale beta ko shalam aati hai?
Learn to dance - energizers are the way to go.
Learn to ride a cycle
Learn to swing
Paint your face
Learn to be a kid again and do the stuff that you never ended up doing.
You are surround by kids - a chance at a second childhood.
No regrets man!
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| Climb a tree |
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| Wear Kurtas |
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| Paint your face |
They say you become older as you become wiser - fellowship is your time to become wiser QUICKLY and it comes at a cost of just 2 years of your life. Welcome to the journey. May the your hair stay with you!
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