It was an exciting start with our pilot program! On 7th October 2023, we went to Doddabanahalli Primary Government School, Whitefield, Bengaluru to conduct our first session, our pilot. I was so nervous before the session started. I didn’t know how the kids were going to react, or if I was even ready to begin teaching but there was only one way to figure out–by actually doing it.
Before the session, I had the pleasure to say a few words to the students in the open assembly. It was a unique experience talking to a large gathering of students. They welcomed me with a thunderous applause, which encouraged me a lot.
Next, we went to the 6th grade classroom where I would be conducting the session. I set up the classroom with some help from my parents, and the staff from Netskill Academy who had come to support me. Surprisingly, after seeing those children and learning that they were similar to my age, my apprehensions disappeared.
We started off with introductions. I introduced myself and the students did as well. This was a new experience to me because I have never been the teacher before in a classroom setting. But that was about to change for good.
I started explaining the topics to the students and at first, it was tough as most of them hadn’t touched a computer in their lives. They didn’t know how to type or navigate the computer. All the topics I tried to teach were taking longer than expected. But then I realized, I don’t always have to follow the lesson plan, which I had prepared meticulously. I had to adapt and improvise on the fly, which I did and made the session very interactive. The classroom was buzzing with activity and cheer shortly.
After going through the basics of computers and Microsoft Word, we reached the lesson for Emailing. The students were divided into groups and had to write emails to Kikli Foundation’s email address. The students struggled a lot and I had to be there to help them, but seeing the emails made my heart melt. A lot of them wrote that they’re grateful for the sessions and that just made all this so much more worthwhile.
After 2 hours of exciting classwork, I saw the students still working on their laptops tirelessly. I felt proud because 2 hours before, they had no idea how to operate a computer.
Lastly, I had to sign the Certificates of Participation as a tutor. The students received these certificates from the school headmaster in the assembly after the session ended. This was a great start for Kikli Foundation’s computer literacy program. We learned so much from this session–a lot to improve on but a lot went well!
Stay tuned for further updates on Kikli Foundation and our goal to empower underprivileged children through computer literacy.
Sincerely,
Myra Mudagal
CEO & Founder, Kikli Foundation
