Street School Education

The kids in the street school at Jamalpur are all students at some school or another, but falling behind. Some of them dropped out and rejoined, others work while going to school with their parents etc so they go to school more for the sake of saying they do than actually learning. Most of the street school kids are struggling in school and having trouble with the basics such as reading and writing. Maheshbhai mentioned that in the class there are 4 students who are in 10th grade. For those of you who don't know, 10th grade is a very important year in India. They have board exams in March of this year, and their score on the board exams determine which "line" or subject they study in college - commerce, science etc. It's not like the states where you can major in anything you want - basically your exam scores in 10th grade determine what you will do with your life.

Many kids from the slums fail the 10th grade boards, and then instead of taking them again (have to do it next year) they just drop out of school and start working. He wants to do whatever he can to help these kids out and give them the best possible chance at success.

This new volunteer who is here from the states and I sat down with these 4 kids - just to talk. We introduced ourselves, had everyone share information about their family and what they want to do with their lives. Then we just briefly talked about why 10th grade is so important, and why it is important to go to school and have your own personal desire for knowledge. We kept it basic and conversational. But I recommended to Maheshbhai to pull these 4 kids aside regularly. At home we learn that if students are struggling they need to be given personal attention. Here, that's not possible, and everyone is struggling. But I think pulling these kids aside not only gives them some one on one attention and builds a relationship with them that allows them to open up the lines of communication.

I'm hoping to sit with these kids once a week - even if it's just to discuss how school is going, hardships etc. I think motivating them to study and troubleshooting along with having them talk about their personal situation and circumstances will hopefully help encourage them towards taking their boards seriously and being motivated! It's all wishful thinking and I've been warned to not get too invested, but I'm very hopeful!

I also want to do some type of career survey - you know the ones we took in elementary school which ask a million questions and then it tells you what job you're best suited for? I think it's a good way to get the students thinking about various career choices...if anyone has any suggestions, please tell me!!