Monday, October 3, 2011

YOUNG TEACHERS

Education is a key element for change and ongoing self-improvement. After starting to work in the slums of Pune and assessing the needs of adults and their response, we opted to take adult education to Yashodhara Shelter as well, where the beneficiaries are the caretakers, the cook and the driver.

The way to implement this Program involves

• teaching reading and writing in Marathi, the local language
• teaching basic maths
• adjusting study time to the staff’s work hours
• promoting relaxation in learning so that education may flow unimpeded.

A particularly interesting point is that the teachers are the children of the Shelter who are in higher grades.

Thus, this teaching-learning process is a continuous cycle that enriches all of those involved – on the one hand, the children are nourished by the friendly presence of the adults around them, their care and the food prepared for them. On the other hand, the staff acquire practical and useful skills that will contribute to their self-esteem and autonomy, while the children consolidate their knowledge and have a chance to pay back the attention and affection they get.