A truly life-changing workshop that will change forever the way I interact with children both inside the class and outside of it

A picture says a thousand words and no one else would know it better than Asha, She says same viewpoint while teaching at Kriyasheela, Geleyaru, Dharwad (CEI). Asha narrates her experience and the inspirations drawn from the workshop at Dream a Dream, that changed her outlook.

“The Dream a Dream training took my confidence to a whole new level. I have attended all the four workshops and for me these training helped me get a step closer to understanding people around me, even if not completely. I am currently doing my graduation and simultaneously taking vocational classes for children at Kriyasheela. I have always been hesitant of talking to others, opening myself and sharing my story.

Through the first two workshops, I realized my potential and built my confidence to work with others, especially while interacting with more experienced teachers who were also present at the training. The safe space and the platform that was created however made me feel very comfortable. I remember the theater activities, how during my first workshop I felt like a kid again, forgetting my real age, bringing out the kid in me. My confidence grew with every workshop. For me, the turning point was leading the activity in LSF#4 in January 2015 where instead of the facilitators leading the other group members had to lead. One of the members in the group did a ‘Pick and Speak Activity’, in which everyone was asked to speak a few lines on a given topic. I was not expecting my name, but my name too came up. I spoke with confidence although deep inside I was very nervous. Apart from the activities conducted, the feedback process was equally a big morale booster for me. The positive and candid feedback made me realize how the entire group was supporting each other and encouraging greater learning for each other. Since the training, I have tried to implement a number of things in my classroom. For instance, one thing that I continue to do is the “Rhythm” which the children love and feel more involved in the class because of it. My class comprised students of varied backgrounds.

And getting these kids attention in the class turned to be a big challenge. The training, however, came handy and helped me to innovate and bring in more creative ideas into my work. I clearly recall one of the workshops in which Person A says the story and Person B has to draw the picture according to the story. I implemented this in my classroom. As a social science teacher, earlier, many students didn’t feel engaged; while conducting a topic on history I read out a lesson and asked them to listen to me, visualize it and draw whatever comes to their mind. This actually increased the recall memory and most students remembered the story for a long time. I actually understood how they were more engaged simply by looking at their expressions! These training sessions build confidence in me, which reflected at mine work. A big thanks to Dream a Dream for the training.”