-Arpita Bhattacharjee (Gubbachi Volunteer)
About
3 months back, in September 2017, I started my volunteering journey with Gubbachi Learning Community (Gubbachi).
I decided to teach Data Entry Operations to a thirteen year old boy who belongs
to a migrant worker's family from Bihar. I was told he had started learning
English about eight months back and initially I was skeptical whether he will
be able to understand the complex terms and concepts of Computer Studies. But looking at the work that Gubbachi has been
doing for the past couple of years, I thought I must give this a shot.
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| Learning together is always fun |
The first day I met this
boy, he greeted me with a wide welcoming smile. His body language told me he
has a lot of positive energy and the passion to learn. That’s all I needed as a
tutor - the will to learn.
Within the first couple of
weeks he amazed me with his ability to learn technical concepts very fast.
Though I have to often work on his retention and memorizing capabilities, but
nonetheless I have to applaud his efforts and learning abilities. Our class
takes places at a corner table in a room which is shared by other younger kids
for their afternoon activities and games. Though the room gets noisy sometimes,
but my student and I are so focused on our work that we rarely get distracted.
In about ten or twelve
classes, he has picked up the basics of Computer and has started working on Word
Processing software. I feel this is quite an achievement. I am happy to make a
small difference in the life of this smart boy who without the intervention of
Gubbachi would perhaps have been lost in oblivion.
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| "Can I Beat my own score" |
On Nov 14th I
participated in the Children’s Day celebration. The day was filled with various
games, activities, music and food and the children of Gubbachi and the Government
School, Kodathi (where the first centre of Gubbachi is located) had a lot fun. I could also meet and connect with other
volunteers who were there to support. What struck me was the care and affection
with which all the kids were handled. The kids hugged their teachers and though
everything was getting done in a very disciplined and orderly manner, there was
no need of any rebuke or harsh words. What prevailed was absolute harmony,
smiles, joy, fun, love and affection. I am sure this is not a school where
there are dropouts or absentees but a school where every student waits to come,
have fun, and learn.
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