From Cmi Spark
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| GwnQB3 Every time I come back here again and don`t get disappointed..! | | GwnQB3 Every time I come back here again and don`t get disappointed..! |
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- | ==Formal activity begins==
| + | NP4m9E Appreciate you sharing, great post. Want more. |
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- | ===Daily sessions (initial)===
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- | It was decided that a group of 5-6 ''volunteer teachers'' would go and interact with the 4 kids for one hour every working day. This ''session'' was usually held in the afternoon, at the gate of the to-be hostel, because the kids were very comfortable with that location. By default, the volunteers were first-year students, but occasionally, students of other years, if free, would pitch in and relieve the first-years.
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- | Here's a [http://editthis.info/cmi_spark/Image:Spark08.jpg picture of one of the very first sessions].
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- | The general pattern of a daily session:
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- | * The volunteer students (including at least one Telugu speaker) assemble. One of the volunteers picks a packet from the office. The packet comprises slates, chalks, pastels, a few pencils and a pen.
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- | * The volunteers track down the students, and after a few games of hide-and-seek, all the students and volunteers settle down at the steps of the hostel gate.
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- | * One or two of the volunteers teach Satish the alphabet and concepts of basic arithmetic. The medium of instruction is a mix of Telugu and English. Satish has his own notebook and all work done is recorded in that notebook.
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- | * The other volunteers help around with the other kids, play with them, and take care of them in general. Bhawani is encouraged to experiment with using the chalk on the slate. Vasu and Sireesha are a little shy, and the volunteers generally just play around with them.(Bhavani is also extremely shy)
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- | * At the end of the session, the volunteers collect the belongings, mop up the place (not really!) and dump the packet back in the office.
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- | ===A mailing list is created===
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- | There were many debates on how Spark could work more constructively to help the kids. Many of these debates were carried over e-mail.
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- | As more and more CMI students became interested in volunteering their time, money and resources for Spark, it was decided that a mailing list be created for all interested people. Anirbit Mukherjee created the mailing list ''spark'' (''at cmi dot ac dot in''). This mailing list enabled further constructive discussions on important issues. More information about the mailing list is available [http://www.cmi.ac.in/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/spark Here].
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- | Given the help that Mrs. Rajeshwari Nair had offered Spark members, Vipul suggested to Anirbit to invite her to the Spark mailing list. Mrs. Rajeswari Nair promptly joined the mailing list and made suggestions for Spark activities in the coming semester.
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- | ===The end draws near===
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- | According to current plans, CMI hostels will be ready in January, and the construction workers will move out by then. Around the middle of November, Spark members began to feel the need to bring their sessions with the kids to a logical conclusion. At Vipul's suggestion, Bodhayan began considering buying some colouring/drawing/reading/writing books for the kids. It was decided that the books sohuld be taught while there was still a week to go, so that the kids could be familiarized on how to use the books.
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- | Because funds would be needed to invest in the books, a mail was sent to all spark members. Mrs. Rajeshwari Nair forwarded the mail to some faculty members who made significant contributions towards the Spark fund, totalling to Rs. 1300. Students contributed some more money (totalling to around Rs. 400). Out of this money, around Rs. 900 was spent in buying books and drawing/colouring material for the kids.
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| ==Activities draw to a close== | | ==Activities draw to a close== |
Revision as of 11:14, 8 March 2012
GwnQB3 Every time I come back here again and don`t get disappointed..!
NP4m9E Appreciate you sharing, great post. Want more.
Activities draw to a close
The books are handed over
On Tuesday, November 21st, Spark volunteers handed over the books to the kids. The kids enjoyed the idea of having books and also eagerly listened to explanations from volunteers on how to use the books.
Final session
The CMI semester examinations ended on Friday, November 24th. On Monday, November 27th, three Spark members (Jayanth, Nivedita and Vipul) were in CMI. They informed the kids that it was unlikely that Spark would be interacting with the kids again. The kids, particularly Satish (who understood the full import of the message) were disappointed. The final session was spent explaining to the kids how to go through the books. Here's a picture of Bhawani gazing at the textbook and a picture of Satish learning mathematics.
One of the parents also went through the Learn English through Telugu book and requested for another set of colouring books for his daughter, whom he had not got here.
Emotional farewell
At the end of the final session, Satish requested for photographs of himself and the other kids to be taken on Jayanth's mobile phone. He also called up Jayanth from Vipul's mobile phone and talked to him on phone for a minute. He took Jayanth's mobil number for contacting Jayanth from his uncle's phone.
Please click here for a Progress report on the kids.