With much apprehension, I dialed into the Zoom meeting and instantly fell in love with the curious faces peeping through the camera and saying “Good Morning Ma’m. It was September 2020, COVID was all around us, and our first computer class for BudsPlus began. Together we learnt the computer parts, touched the laptop and desktop …
This was a quiet month on most counts. The children have been attending classes regularly and the teachers too have settled into a routine. It is heartening to see the kids make progress, and at the same time heart-breaking to realise how much more could have been achieved if the classes had been offline. One …
August-September is the start of the festive season. It is the time when we have a lot of special events in our school calendar. What would you say if I told you that we did not compromise on the special celebration for even a single one of those events? Be it Independence Day, Ganesh Chaturthi, …
With a heavy heart, we shut down the school in the second week of March as per the Government directive, with no clue as to when we could open up again. Though the school was physically shut, we never really lost touch with the children at all. We were constantly calling the parents, reassuring them, …
The entire nation is on the defensive in response to the COVID 19 outbreak. We too had to close our center and keep everyone home. It seems particularly hard on our students as Swapaksh is the hub of their social and creative life. They do not have access to the many means of entertainment, information …
One of the things we have been eager to implement is a Midday Meal program for the children. With the new year, our efforts have come to fruition and we are very happy to announce that all students at Swapaksh now get a healthy afternoon meal prepared by #AkshayaPatra. Another new development is the start …
Somehow, Christmas always brings out the best in creativity. This year was no exception. Volunteers, teachers and students all enjoyed creating various Christmas artefacts to the background score of jingling bells and snowmen and reindeer. A time of good cheer and new hopes. Here’s hoping for many more!
Another occasion to celebrate, another excuse to have fun. A smiling, happy Children’s Day at Swapaksh:
The festivities this Diwali surpassed even our optimistic expectations! Thanks to lavish contributions from a handful of generous sponsors, we were able to procure brand new festive clothes for all eighty children studying with us. As they trickled in one by one, all dressed up, big smiles on their bright faces, the already decked up …
“Don’t just learn. Think!” Our students dread hearing these words. They are all smart, intelligent children quite capable of deep thought. But they have been so conditioned to “do as you are told” that they just want to do that. So, we threw them in the deep end of the pool. We registered four of …
It has been an eventful and creative September. First off with Ganesh Chaturthi. The tiny tots were so thrilled to make play dough Ganesha. And then, Teachers Day. The children literally showered us with their love! Take a peek at what some of our students came up with after being inspired by Chris Van Dusen’s …
We celebrated Independence Day with gusto this year. Kids gave speeches, performed dances, sang their hearts out. It was a wonderful celebration.
It’s been a month of stellar achievements this July. Fifty years of the moon landing, ISRO’s successful launch of Chandrayan 2 are both milestones in the history of humanity. Our students have been studying the Solar System in their science class and as such primed for an exploration of these events. Being the opportunistic teachers …
It’s July and classes are in full swing. Along with studies, practising hygiene is an ongoing activity. The heat and dust of urban living makes it imperative. So, a 15-minute Hygiene Capsule every month serves as a timely reminder! First session started from the top, er, Head – a quick ‘how to’ keep hair and …
It’s June! June is monsoon time. As also back to school time. Looking back at our posts from last June, the rain really played havoc with our schedules. So blessed that we are now able to house our school in much better quarters and lessons continue uninterrupted, come rain or shine. Support has poured in …
Over the last month we have been running summer camp for the kids rather than regular school to give the children a well deserved break and expose them to various other fields and activities. Children have engaged in theatre, puppetry, craft, art, magic, singing, dancing and the like. It has been a good time for …
One of these days I played Chinese Whispers with the kids. They learnt some new words and sentences and as the game moved on, they started forming their own sentences. Moving forward, I thought I would give it a twist. I just asked them some simple questions: While every kid was trying his best to …
It has been a full year! Swapaksh launched on 25th March 2018 in a tiny shack with a handful of kids and we have come a long way in the last one year. We now have two fully stocked classrooms running three sessions in a day catering to about sixty kids in all age and …
‘Good morning ma’am…’ It was a melodious chorus of around 25 joyful kids who were sitting on mats in a small one room school that I was visiting – Swapaksh. Most of them were wearing uniforms, had neatly combed hair and had an overall well groomed appearance. The other few, it became clear, were new. …
People’s generosity is boundless. Over the month of December, we have had two sponsors distribute colourful clogs to all the kids. We have had another lady come in and celebrate her birthday with the kids of our school. And its not just cake and good times that she shared. Yet another brought us all – …
‘Swapaksh’ loosely translates as ‘by the power of your own wings’. We chose the name because that is exactly what we believe our students need. They move forward in this world, soar to the skies by dint of their own hard work and determination. Our school is simply the wind beneath their wings. So its …
Its been a festive November at school – could you expect any less from a month that starts off with Diwali? Kids and grownups alike listened enthralled as one of our volunteers presented an animated narration of the Ramayana. The magic, emotions and bravado came alive for us right in our little classroom. You could …
It takes all kinds to make an endeavour like Swapaksh tick. Volunteers who generously donate the time required. Sponsors who generously donate the means required. Community leaders who provide on-the-ground support. And a whole lot of luck. How fortunate are we that we have been blessed with all of the above! With the efforts of …
Student attrition is one of our biggest problems. Kids float in and out of the school almost on a weekly basis. Many of the kids we originally started with are no longer attending. Some have moved, some have been sent ‘home’ against their wishes, some have been put to work, some would just rather play. …
Sometimes, these kids do come up with such funny things – their sense of humour and powers of observation are amazing. So while explaining few and many, distributing worksheets, doing exercises like circle the few or the many, one of the kids suddenly comes up with – “Oh, I understand it’s like few ma’am, many …
So we asked the kids at Swapaksh School “Why do we celebrate Independence Day on August 15th?” “Because of India flag.” “To sing Vande Mataram!” “No no – not Vande Mataram – Jana Gana Mana.” In these times of global influences it is difficult to define “patriotism” and “nationalism” even to ourselves – so how …
If there is one word to describe our approach to teaching it would be “opportunistic”. The floor is all wet with rain – we stand and play games. Someone sponsors lettering books – we sit down and practice lettering. Kids are in a great mood today grasping everything super quick – we grab at the …
Mid July implies Mid Monsoon and the rains in Bangalore are tireless by now. Bangaloreans have a love-hate relationship with the rain. Rains bring infinite woes but also bring the temperature down and hey, its rain! Who could resist curling up with a cup of steaming coffee watching the rain paint the world green outside …
A very productive week this, at Swapaksh School. The kids are thrilled with their desks, and as expected, this has had a very positive impact on the school routine. What was unexpected is the level of ownership displayed by the kids. Their desks, their stationery, their work, their school – from helping us set up …
The kids of Swapaksh School are in a festive mood! Eid Mubarak! The occasion was celebrated with yummy laddoos and a school holiday. We announce the holiday and then, believe it or not, the kids announce they would rather come to school! This was soon forgotten though when we started the clothes distribution. Here are …
Learning agility and attention spans are acutely affected by hunger. While there are many recent studies and statistics to this effect, you only need ask a Mom to know this is in fact true. With this in mind, we started the nutrition program at Swapaksh this June. Though we are not equipped to provide a …
Kids enjoyed a free art day with a volunteer family on 2nd June 2018. Creativity flowed as freely as the kids’ laughter and the day ended with some snacks for all.
A job well begun is a job half done! Swapaksh School was inaugurated on March 25th 2018. Most of the volunteers were meeting the local community and the kids they would teach for the first time. It was a learning experience! Ever since that day, one of the volunteers visit the school every week day …
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