Lesson 1: Things (and NGOs) are not always as they seem

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There is a logistical problem at my new job.

Correction. There are logistical problemsssss with my new job.

Funny how different things look immediately after I've started working with Akanksha. Before I left, they seemed so...together. Now, it's just a big jumbled mess going on here.

The first problem is that the organization doesn't seem to train their teachers. For those of you who think "Those who can't do, teach" and therefore teaching is a simple thing...you're wrong. An untrained teacher is bad. Very very bad. In this case, where the organization runs 30+ seperate centers spread throughout Mumbai and Pune (and let me tell you, Mumbai is a HUGE city), it leads to serious problems due to the board's lack of ability to really see what goes on at each center. Instead of receiving a proper training and orientation, new hires, armed with three (poorly designed) curriculum guides, go to head up their own classrooms.

Logistical nightmare 2: I've heard mixed information regarding my center's social worker. See the way Akanksha works (in theory) is that every center has a social worker to make sure things are going well in the students' "homes" (I put that word in quotes because a lot of the students sleep on the side of the road...). Now Niki, my educational coordinator (EC) who has the job of making sure everything in my center is going well, but who likes to peg my students as smart, not smart, unteachable, etc) says I have a social worker and that said social worker will accompany me on my mandatory weekly home visits to help me out as well as act as my interpreter.

Great!

One problem though. According to Raluca, the American girl whose position I'm taking over (not because she's quitting but because her volunteer term is over), no such social worker exists. Which creates a problem. But never fear, I have a VOLUNTEER in my class!!!! Her name is Rani Didi (Didi meaning big sister and is what we are all called...right now my students call me "Didi...what's your name?") and she comes every day. Niki says that Rani Didi knows the community so she can take me and introduce me and interpret for me.

Awesome!

But wait. Rani Didi doesn't speak English. That's right, in an English program, my assitant. My ONLY assistant as it seems right now, can't speak English.

Logistical nightmare 3: I'm supposed to have another volunteer. How's about that? His name's Nick Bhaiya (Bhaiya meaning big brother) and he also is from the US.

Yay a volunteer!

But no, it just can't work like that. See my center is at an all girls school. And while my class goes from 4-6 pm, which is after the school is out already, boys...no, men, are not allowed...even if they're teachers. So maybe I don't have a volunteer.

Logistical nightmare 4: Forgive me folks, but this one gets me more than the some of the others. Three days a week there are two classrooms at my center. I'm in charge of 30 kids and some unknown Didi is in charge of the other 30. At the end of class, all 60 of these children (give or take) are dismissed for the bus. Sounds pretty normal, right? The problem is I have to stay in the room making sure all of the kids get out and what not and Rani Didi refuses to take the students down to the bus. What does she do instead of this? She cleans the room. In her 3 months here, Raluca has been unable to convince Rani Didi that cleaning the room is not so important as making sure the 60 kids (give or take) are not run over by cars while darting out into the street to get on the bus (because, of course, the street is one way...and three lanes, so the bus door is on the street side, not the curb side).

So there are some of the nightmares I learned on my first day of work. Woo hoo. My kids, however, are adorable. They range from 11-14 and many are Muslims.

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According to my EC, they come from one of the worst neighborhoods in Mumbai. My EC said that many of the kids sleep in the road, or by the side of the road. That there are mothers selling drugs, vans broadcasting pornography, fights, beatings, frequent arrests, all in the families of these children. Indeed, they grow up in a tough atmosphere.

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Raluca has them working on the human body, so we had a good time finding our pulses (only on the wrist, it may have taken all of class to help them find other ones) and talking about the digestive system. When Raluca leaves I'm planning on continuing with the workings of the body before moving on to the solar system. The kids are beautiful, they really want to learn and be good, sometimes the concept of the being good is hard for them, though. But all in all, I think it'll be ok.

In spite of it all, I'm really glad to be working with this group if for no other reason than the day planner. I got a day planner the other day that Akanksha put out. It's beautiful and features the artwork and dreams of Akanksha children. I read one dream and it reminded me just why there's a need for programs like this one. The dream was written out by a 13 year old girl and read:
"I wish that I was a boy,
I'd hit them who darred to touch,
I could then stay out late,
Also, my father would love me very much."

So there it is, folks, my new job: the good, the bad and the....AHHHHH. The job for which I left my comfy home (to be without a home...as of yet...) and loving family. Raluca found it frustrating to be in the office, but loves the kids..I think I'll not be far off that mark.

With love for my students' amazing dreams,
Shaaroni (Didi)

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Comments

[AnandThakkar]

may i help?