Volunteer Work Makes A Difference

This school year (2009-2010) 12 volunteers joined the Aikiyam staff for 1 to 3 to 6 months to work with our students. They came from Germany , England , South Africa and the USA . Some took on the role of assistant to a teacher. Others who have teaching experience gave ideas and coaching to individual teachers or facilitated workshops for all the teachers. In speaking with them to find out about their experience here they agreed that: Being with these happy children was the highlight of their experience. Learning about the daily lives of village children was an eye-opener. They appreciated the warmth and openness of teachers and support staff. Working here taught them the importance of being flexible. The fact that Volunteers are taken seriously and treated with respect made their work rewarding. Here are the reflections from some of our volunteers:

Michael Frearson

From England I came east to change my life, and the work I'm doing with class 3 is a major part of that. The first thing that struck me was how enthusiastic the children are to engage and participate in class – though not always in the way I want them to. Their level of English is impressive and they almost always understand my instructions, and sometimes they even follow them. The children's energy is boundless; I feel like a juggler on a unicycle pushed to my physical limit just trying to keep up with them. I go home each day with the echoes of “Michael! Michael! Michael!” ringing in my ears.

As for me, it's that kind of sink-or-swim situation that comes from jumping into the deep end, so I'm trying to stay calm and keep my head above water. Whilst working hard to at least accept such an alien culture I'm learning a lot about classroom management, organization of people, creativity in education, and the wonderful capabilities of 9 year olds. I wouldn't swap my class for any other in all of India . We're not perfect, but we're working very hard to get better. Though the children will always pay more attention to their class teacher than to me, I won't let it stop me from trying to get somewhere – I'll just keep juggling and pedaling like our future depends on it.

Dominick Bachstein

I worked in the Aikiyam school for 3 ½ Months. From 17th August 2009 till 30th of November 2009. I spent the whole time in the Kindergarten of the school. For the first 7 weeks I worked in the LKG with Vijaja and Kalai.

I introduced the idea of running Free Play once a week with the whole Kindergarten. Free Play is a method, which offers the children different activities, such as painting, dancing, ball games, playing in the sandpit, cutting and pasting, etc..The task of the teachers in this case is to open a space where the child can choose one of the offered activities by themselves. Because of the openness of the teacher and their interest in new activities the Free Play project was very quickly established and an improvement process could start. The installation of the Free Play technique was a pleasure for me; now the teachers are able to organize and implement Free Play on their own.

Working with the team of teachers was always a pleasure for me and now I feel like I'm part of the team. I hope that the recommendations I gave the teachers will continue to help them in the future. During my time in the Kindergarten I recognized all the positive and negative aspects of education in the context of the Indian culture. I recognized that each nationality has its own advantages and weaknesses. I hope the different nationalities working together at the school will create a surrounding for the children where they can grow to their full potential.

At last I want to thank the Aikiyam School that I could spend time here at the school. The experiences I had here will influence my future direction. During my time at the school I had the opportunity to develop myself a lot.

Meghan Keil

I have been primarily working in the 4 th grade, although I also assist in other classrooms throughout the Aikiyam school. Coming from teaching in NYC which is a completely different culture, I found immediately that the children were so open to me, new ideas, and enthusiastic about learning! The children along with Murugan have made me feel that the classroom is my home. Murugan and Mala also welcomed my ideas and suggestions and together we have created a dynamic curriculum. The children have studied all aspects of food, gone on field trips, are caring for their own plants in the herb garden, graphed data about vehicles on the road, put on the play of Alice in Wonderland, written their own stories and poetry- to name just a few things! As much as the children and staff may learn from me, I am also certainly learning equally from them and being a part of Aikiyam. Being in a new school and a new culture brings a fresh perspective to my view of the world and of teaching.

What I love most about Aikiyam is the children and the community that has been built to create the most warm, welcoming and exciting environment possible for them. In the mornings when I arrive at the school, the children from all classes and ages call out my name, the teachers' wave to me or have some piece of information to share. There are children already at work in the gardens. Other children play outside their classroom doors. I feel that I have truly become a part of the school and I am grateful to each child and staff member who has helped me to feel this.

Lisa Marx

I am 22 years old. At the moment I enjoy my last month of my internship at the Aikiyam School. I study Social Work at the University of Applied Sciences Mannheim. One part of my studies is a practical semester, where I have to gain practical experiences for a job in the future. I feel very happy that it was possible to spend my time at the Aikiyam School. The work with the children is fun, especially because of the openness and the interest of the teachers for new ideas. They welcomed me very warmly and made it easy for me to get into the Indian lifestyle.

Pips Rudo

In hindsight it is clear that I was always going to come to the land of Saris , henna and bright colours.

Born in Zimbabwe , but schooled in South Africa , while travelling during my holidays to visit my parents in East Africa I thrived off the contrast offered by different places. Being African, the sun, bright colour and warm people, have always been an appreciated feature of life.

Impatient to see more of the world, I travelled with one of my closest friends for a year in between school and university, acquiring a TEFL (teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate before our departure. My undergraduate degree in Media Studies and Religious studies was no less fun than our year abroad and it was refreshing to take life a little more seriously when I discovered my love for teaching. My Postgraduate Degree in Education was a rewarding year. After qualifying I toyed with the idea of doing substitute teaching in the UK , where my parents have relocated, but it wasn't long before the sun called me to Spain to practise my English teaching. Clear that it was time to live my Indian dream I spent the next ten months as a classroom teacher covering teachers' leave in schools in Oxford and now here I am.

Aikyam has been a great contrast to my experience in the classrooms in the UK and summer camps in Spain . While I enjoyed teaching in the UK , the contented sounds of happy children in and outside the classroom and on the sports grounds here at Aikiyam cannot compare. What a treat it is to teach such eager and curious little people. It is hard not to be sucked into this school because there's a constant sense of greatness displayed in every area. Each staff member takes their role extremely seriously and everyone seems keen to learn and help each other. With this openness to the exchange of ideas, there is massive potential everywhere you look. I couldn't think of a better teaching environment, when there is lots of teaching going on but equal learning…yes please! Chance circumstances or destiny, it doesn't matter. Here I am and I feel I am exactly where I am meant to be, for now J

Lisa Kutzuer

I am very happy that I worked here. The teachers in the kindergarten were very friendly and open to me from the beginning. If I have problems or a difficult situation they help me. The children have many options to learn in different ways. The project work in the classes is a big motivator for learning.

For me it was a great experience to have worked here !

Here are comments from the Aikiyam staff about their experiences with the volunteers.

Saithya:
Pips brings her interactive methods of teaching English to Saithya's classes. She now uses Pips' method of introducing a new topic by getting the children involved in the topic before teaching new things. For example when introducing the lesson about Stephen Hawking she showed the children pictures of many different people. She asked the children to tell what they say and then moved on to Stephen Hawking who is a disabled scientist. Pips brings many games and motivational activities to the classroom which Saithya appreciates as she sees how the students become more motivated to learn English.

Rhadakrishna

found that having a native English speaker like Michael to teach science was a great way to expose the children to the language.

Murugan has been working with Meghan. He has enjoyed planning lessons with her and developing ideas for project based learning. Their latest project is doing a traffic survey on the Kulipalayam Road to see how dangerous it is for the children who must come to school by walk everyday. Murugan is also starting to change the way he assess students. Rather than rank them by scores for their work he has begun to do observations and note taking to look for areas of progress. He wants to assess students through the narrative method which Meghan has introduced.

Usha, Praveena and Manju

have been working with German
volunteers. Dominick, Lisa M. and Lisa K. This is the first time Usha has had a volunteer in the Kg. She was worried that children would be afraid of the western strangers but Dominick and the Lisas were easily accepted by them. All of the volunteers were kind and friendly with the children. The children listen and learn from them. Dominick inititated the Free Play session which all of the teachers are excited and happy about. They continue to develop the Free Play without Dominick which shows the kind of lasting impact volunteers can have. Usha thinks of Lisa M. as an angel who has brought her many gifts this year in terms of ideas and activities for working with the children.

All of the teachers and volunteers agree that on the whole the interaction among them has been cooperative and enriching for them on the professional as well as a personal basis.

“ You can send your donation via the Auroville International Centre in your country, or send a cheque made payable to
'Auroville Unity Fund', Town Hall, Auroville, 605101 Tamil Nadu, INDIA. Please indicate clearly that the donation is for Aikiyam School .”