Story of a Story-teller: Sneak-peak into SPARSH classrooms

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Sandhya is from a small village in Mahidpur block of Ujjain district of MP. Born into a family where she is the first one to go to school, she expressed her zeal to learn every day. 

Sandhya (a class 4 student) can be spotted sitting at the back, quiet and engaged with the teacher in the class. However, when she is repeatedly disturbed by another student through constant chatting she expressively says, 'Rohan is disturbing me. I need quiet to think and form a story'.


The youth facilitator who teaches in the community classroom shares that the space that is created at the centre where each student is repeatedly asked what they are feeling regarding the things they are doing helps children a lot to be more expressive. 


As Sandhya started coming to the centre, she used to face challenges in addition to carrying, multiplication and division. She used to read simple 3-4 letter words in Hindi but her reading speed was low. The teacher says that her speed of reading has improved in the last 2 months.

 

During a puppet making-and-storytelling session in the classroom, Sandhya volunteers to read up a story that she has created and written by herself, as homework from the previous day. Sandhya confidently holds her notebook and narrates the tale of a farmer who meets the rabbit and the mouse to eventually befriend them and solve their problem. 


In the sharing circle that happens to post the lesson is over, she shares, "Earlier I wondered how I would be able to write a story all by myself and that my story would be selected to be performed the puppet show on in the class."

Sandhya shares that she loves to come to Sparsh classes as she loves to learn through play and other activities. Also, nobody scolds her here, which is another reason that makes her like space. 

Every child, like Sandhya, needs a safe, fostering space to nurture their inner skills.


Support us to create such spaces in every village of Mahidpur Block of Ujjain district by visiting the link. 

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