What went well?

The progress I made; what was achieved and done

This week, we were able to tackle an important topic on grammar: sentence and question structure. Upon having one-on-one sessions with the students, I learned that they don’t have a proper perception of what a subject/noun is, what it means for a verb to be the action, etc. These were very important insights as the transition from Hindi to English can be especially challenging due to the structure of the sentences (where to put the subject, verb, etc..). Through extensive online resources, I found very helpful pdfs and structured pedagogy that can help better retain the structures of questions and sentences. Merely at the end of the week, the students were able to speak in a more concise and structured way. The feedback from the students proved that this was incredibly helpful. This, in return, made them more comfortable in their speech.

What could have been done differently?

Things that did not get done and/or could be changed

I had some concerns about the approach I was taking. Since English is my third language and not a class I was prepared to teach, I have been taking charge of the pedagogy depending on the student’s immediate weaknesses. However, now the pedagogy needs to involve more difficult and concrete practices. As I mentioned in the past two weeks, I have been aiming to create more in-class practices and take-home assignments to help ensure retention. The concern has now shifted to how these practices build upon each other and how they progress in difficulty. I should not underestimate these students, especially since they are so willing to learn and grow! I also need to be more punctual with my responsibilities now that they have increased. As the weeks are short to have a permanent impact on these students, consistency and repetition will be most important in order to solidify their knowledge.

What did I learn about myself when working with others?

Contributions, behaviors, and values I exhibited

I learned this week that the relationship I built with my co-workers was essential to my project’s success. Not only have they been great colleagues, but they have been my best friends. We have embarked on weekend adventures to Dharamkot and Bhir, two very exciting bucket list items. I have had the most fun and essential conversations with them. This has also made me focus on exhibiting the proper behaviors in the workplace and outside the workplace.

What did I learn about leadership?

Leadership attributes and insights I developed

I had never had a moment in the past weeks to have an introspective understanding of my own speech and thinking. Feelings of incompetency began to grow especially as I began to question my pedagogy. The way I tackled this feeling was by understanding that the driving force of the whole organization is curiosity, inquisition, and transparency. Being in a position of doubting myself and the way I do things is an essential part of growing as a facilitator. Helping 35 girls from marginalized communities to become successful, powerful, and independent women is not an easy task that can be perfected. As long as I abide by those principles of love, care, and growth, then the purpose will be met.

What do I want to develop or focus on next?

What I still need to develop

What I need to develop for next time is a more consistent pedagogical approach (choice of in-class exercises) in order to emphasize repetition and solidify their new knowledge. In addition, the girls have expressed an inability to ‘think’ in English, so I need to develop an exercise that addresses their conversational proficiency and their ability to think in English.