Kalgi gets six new teachers
Good Samaritans who offered to teach the blind girl after the Mirror story, met at the newspaper’s office on Teacher’s Day to discuss effective teaching methods
By Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Sunday, September 06, 2009 (Ahmedabad Mirror : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=2009090620090906023410156c1c0b3b)
Kalgi Rawal, the 14-year-old blind girl who aspires to clear her class X exams with flying colours but was being shunned by maths, science and english tutors, got not one or two but six new teachers on Saturday, Teacher’s Day.
They met Kalgi and her parents at the Mirror office to discuss strategies to make learning simpler for her. Instead of taking an exam-oriented approach, the focus should be on holistic learning, they all opined.
“No doubt, exams are definitely important, but she should also be able to use the learning for her own good,” said K D Parekh, ex-deputy director of Integrated Education for Disabled Children.
He would be guiding Kalgi’s new teachers — Dr Kalpana Kothari, a surgeon at HCG Medisurge Hospital, S P Singh, an engineer with a corporate firm, Ina Shah, an M Phil holder in Mathematics, Kazumi Modh, a BBA student at N R College and Nehang Parmar, a student of Nirma University — on innovative teaching methods.
Kothari, who has a 17-year-old daughter, has taken on the onus of teaching Kalgi science. When she asked her when should she start teaching, Kalgi replied: “From Monday onwards.
Let me have a blast this Sunday. And then I will just focus on studies.” She’ll be teaching her biology and chemistry chapters while Nehang has taken up the responsibility of teaching her physics and English. In all 12 people from the city had volunteered to teach Kalgi.
Recorded CDs for Kalgi
Kothari will also be recording the sessions with Kalgi on a dictaphone so that she can listen to it after the class and understand the concepts better. Her parents have ensured they’ll make her revise chapters during the night. Ina Shah, who gave up a plum job in the US to take up social service, will be teaching Kalgi mathematics.
To make sure her teaching method is effective, she will be taking help from Parekh, who has spent 33 years teaching children with disabilities.
Singh, a retiree and a resident of Ambawadi, also offered to teach the child mathematics. Kazumi has already begun preparing her for multiple choice questions since “it makes one earn good marks easily”.
Kalgi, who has received formal schooling till only class V, is 100 per cent determined to excel. She says: “I will revise all that I have learnt during the day, from 9 pm till midnight. The next day, I can even attempt test papers.”
Kalgi’s new teachers exchanged their contact details after the two-hour discussion on Saturday so that they could keep a track of her progress and re-schedule the class timings depending on their convenience.
After facing rejection from 20 tuition teachers in the past two months, Kalgi’s parents went home with a smile and a new-found hope. “Now just see, how I do you proud,” Kalgi told them.
By Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Sunday, September 06, 2009 (Ahmedabad Mirror : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=2009090620090906023410156c1c0b3b)
Kalgi Rawal, the 14-year-old blind girl who aspires to clear her class X exams with flying colours but was being shunned by maths, science and english tutors, got not one or two but six new teachers on Saturday, Teacher’s Day.
They met Kalgi and her parents at the Mirror office to discuss strategies to make learning simpler for her. Instead of taking an exam-oriented approach, the focus should be on holistic learning, they all opined.
“No doubt, exams are definitely important, but she should also be able to use the learning for her own good,” said K D Parekh, ex-deputy director of Integrated Education for Disabled Children.
He would be guiding Kalgi’s new teachers — Dr Kalpana Kothari, a surgeon at HCG Medisurge Hospital, S P Singh, an engineer with a corporate firm, Ina Shah, an M Phil holder in Mathematics, Kazumi Modh, a BBA student at N R College and Nehang Parmar, a student of Nirma University — on innovative teaching methods.
Kothari, who has a 17-year-old daughter, has taken on the onus of teaching Kalgi science. When she asked her when should she start teaching, Kalgi replied: “From Monday onwards.
Let me have a blast this Sunday. And then I will just focus on studies.” She’ll be teaching her biology and chemistry chapters while Nehang has taken up the responsibility of teaching her physics and English. In all 12 people from the city had volunteered to teach Kalgi.
Recorded CDs for Kalgi
Kothari will also be recording the sessions with Kalgi on a dictaphone so that she can listen to it after the class and understand the concepts better. Her parents have ensured they’ll make her revise chapters during the night. Ina Shah, who gave up a plum job in the US to take up social service, will be teaching Kalgi mathematics.
To make sure her teaching method is effective, she will be taking help from Parekh, who has spent 33 years teaching children with disabilities.
Singh, a retiree and a resident of Ambawadi, also offered to teach the child mathematics. Kazumi has already begun preparing her for multiple choice questions since “it makes one earn good marks easily”.
Kalgi, who has received formal schooling till only class V, is 100 per cent determined to excel. She says: “I will revise all that I have learnt during the day, from 9 pm till midnight. The next day, I can even attempt test papers.”
Kalgi’s new teachers exchanged their contact details after the two-hour discussion on Saturday so that they could keep a track of her progress and re-schedule the class timings depending on their convenience.
After facing rejection from 20 tuition teachers in the past two months, Kalgi’s parents went home with a smile and a new-found hope. “Now just see, how I do you proud,” Kalgi told them.
