Impact Stories
- Reema Chaudhary
Mom of Ramesh Chaudhary
“I'm starting to have big dreams for my son”
“I thought my younger son Ramesh would drop out of school. He always found ways to bunk classes. I used to counsel him to attend school regularly and not skip classes, but he never showed interest. I do not prefer to hit my kids for not going to school, so I let him be. I used to visit his classes whenever he attended school. I always saw him sitting in the corner of the last bench – always silent, almost hiding. His classmates would be writing or doing classwork, but he used to stay idle the whole time. I could help him at home, so I tried to help him with his homework. But he was not interested in doing any homework as well. I started to accept that my son would not be well-educated. My son could not grab knowledge from an early age, so it will be the same for him in higher grades too.
When the remedial classes of CSNepal started, I was surprised to see him get ready for school before I even asked him to. He would rather skip regular classes but has never missed a single class of the remedial course. He is ever ready to attend RECs. He never cares if it’s as early as 7 am or even on a Saturday. He informs me beforehand about the time of his extra class and is so excited to study.
These days when I ask him if he has completed his homework, he says he has already finished it. Sometimes, I double-check if he is telling the truth. He does all the work again in a different notebook to show me what he did. My son struggled to do a simple addition before. Now, he can quickly solve multiplication problems. I did not know he would be able to catch up so fast.
I was curious to know how my son had changed. So, one day once I finished my daily chore, I walked to his school to observe his remedial class. His teacher Anjali was teaching her students with so much love, care, and patience. The students were playing, singing, and interacting with each other. She was trying to give enough attention to all the students, treat everyone equally, and help them during class. I was in awe to see my son asking questions to his teacher. He was actively doing all the classwork that she gave him. After that, I also visited his regular class and saw him sitting on the second bench! This is huge progress for my son. I am very proud of how far he has come in such a short time.
I am delighted that my son got guidance at the right time. His studies will start to improve. Whatever he has learned from this remedial class has built a sound base for him for higher grades. I’m starting to have big dreams for him.”
“I dream of becoming a big person”
“I come from a family where we don’t have that much. If I don’t study well I will have to plow in the field like my parents. And I don’t want that life. I dream of becoming a big person. I need to study well so that when I grow up I can find a good job and support my family. That is why I love going to school and learning new things every day. I try not to miss any classes. I pay attention when I’m in class and I don’t move from my seat without completing my tasks, even if it means staying late to complete it. In the past I used to find math really difficult. I had problems understanding numbers and couldn’t do addition or subtraction either. Since Laxmi madam joined our school, I have learned a lot. She teaches us very nicely and makes us play games to understand math in a simple way. Now, I can easily do addition and subtraction. I can even tell the difference between odd and even numbers. Last time we had an exam and I did really well in it. I solved almost all the problems correctly. My teachers were happy with the results. Later that day I went home and told my parents about it. They were so happy that they went and bought 3 or 4 kilos of mutton and made my favourite curry. We don’t normally eat meat at home but that day was a big deal for my parents!”
- Anup Chaudhary
Changing Stories Nepal Student, Round 4
- Megh Raj Bishwokarma
Basanta’s Dad, Round 7
“I get excited to see what my son has learned daily and what he will share with me”
“It has been almost ten years since I left Nepal to work and earn abroad. I studied till class 8, after which I left school to help my family with work. Before, we could only call back home using international call services. It has become effortless for me to stay in touch with my family in Nepal. I call my family twice a day- once in the morning, then in the evening, and sometimes before sleeping. I always talk with my kids, Basanta, and his elder sister.
Even though I am far away and cannot see how my kids are doing in their education, I used to ask them questions about simple addition and subtraction while doing homework on video calls. It was pretty disheartening to see my son Basanta not able to answer even simple addition questions. I learned that Basanta was enrolled in a remedial class some months ago. Within a few weeks, I saw a change in my son. During our daily video calls, Basanta started to show me his homework copy and show how many math problems he had solved and what he wrote that day. I get excited to see what my son has learned daily and what he will share with me.
This time, when I came to Nepal for Dashain, I visited a learning exhibition that my son Basanta is a part of. I am so happy to see my son sharing his learning with many people. I know my kid as a shy boy who barely talks to strangers. His studies have also significantly improved. I am happy for my son and thankful he was a part of this tuition class. It is something big for me to see him progressing not just in his studies but being confident to talk to new people.”
“Even during the planting season, when farmers prioritize working as much as possible in the fields, his parents make sure to drop Anil and his sister at school on time in the cycle.”
My student Anil is in Grade 5. During the baseline test, he could neither recognize the Nepali alphabet nor numbers. When the remedial classes began, within the first few weeks, many of my students had started progressing from where they were initially. But Anil understood the lessons slowly and struggled to grasp what I was teaching him. He specifically worked more when he had to learn subtraction. I thought he needed help understanding my teaching method, so I took him for a few days in my co-fellow’s class, but I had no luck. I asked for help from our program assistant, but he still needed help understanding.
This may happen because he could only practice the subtraction problems a few times. Even though there are only 15 students in our remedial class, and the kids get more individual attention than in their regular classes, Anil needed more guidance than I had expected. So, I sought help from his older sister, Srijana, who was also in my class. Srijana had reached the multiplication level. One day, when she was about to leave after classes, I guided her to help her brother solve the problems I gave him as homework every evening. I made several practice questions for Anil to practice. Within a week, I was able to see improvement in him.
After some days, their father visited our classroom. He stayed and watched how the classes went. I requested him to stay back after classes and shared how Anil struggled. I added their father on Facebook and guided Anil’s father and his sister on some techniques to help Anil with subtraction problems. This went on for some days. In one class, I asked one student to help Anil in subtraction while I was giving revision classwork. To my surprise, Anil had already finished all the subtraction problems, and all of them were correct!
From the beginning of my fellowship, I knew I should give more attention to Anil. I always gave him extra attention. When I see him finally surpassing the challenge of learning subtraction, I feel immense joy, which I cannot put into words. I am also inspired by his parents. Even during the planting season, when farmers prioritize working as much as possible in the fields, his parents make sure to drop Anil and his sister at school on time in the cycle. They have been cooperative and supportive. Even when I cannot pick up my phone, they cycle around my home to ask if class timings have changed during holidays or when school’s regular classes are paused. More than twelve times, Anil’s father has stayed in our class to observe how his kids are learning.
My experience with Anil and seeing his family support him endlessly has made my fellowship even more special.
- Ramesh Jaisi
CSNepal Fellow Round 7, Project Awasar
- Garima Khanal
CSNepal Fellow Round 7, Project Awasar
“I found it tough to navigate my way towards her as well. But with time, I figured out how to help her learn”
I have a student named Danabi in my class. We start our class by sharing a short story of what we saw every day when we are coming to class. All of my students share their daily short stories, but Danabi never said a word. I tried to persuade her to share her story by letting her know that it would be her turn the next day. She did not even show up in my class the next day. I thought she was not feeling comfortable with me insisting. So, I decided to take help from her friend Junu. I asked Junu to help Danabi tell a daily short story. I told her to help Danabi by making her practice telling stories of any small thing or incidents they see when they go back home from school. After a few days, I was surprised to see Danabi’s hands raised up high when she herself volunteered to share daily story! To my surprise, she shared how she saw a funeral rite happening on her way to school. It was unique to hear that story from her during her first time sharing anything. After that day, she shared what she saw while coming to school every day. Well, it took her 30 days to reach here, but I am proud that she can confidently share her daily story with her friend Junu’s help.
Danabi was pretty tough to handle in class during the first few weeks. She hardly obeyed my instructions. I came to know that she acted the same way in her regular school classes and even in her home. Her elder sisters, who are my age, shared that she never listens to them, and they don’t even try to help her with her studies anymore. Honestly, I found it tough to navigate my way towards her as well. But with time, I figured out how to help her learn. Danabi is the kind of student who performs best when given individual attention. She is motivated when someone praises her for her progress. So I did just that. I gave her individual attention during classes and even for extra time when class was over, and I praised her for her small wins. I eventually was able to help her in a way she liked to be helped.
I’m happy for her. She was not able to read or write the simple Nepali alphabet before and also couldn’t write numbers properly. Now she is able to read simple Nepali words and solve simple multiplication problems.
“I accepted them for how they are and started a different approach to maintaining discipline inside the classroom”
“I understand that not every person has the abilities when it comes to learning. Even before I joined Changing Stories Nepal, I was aware of the learning disparity that existed inside the classroom. I was assigned 15 students to work with. Most of my students could already recognize Nepali letters and numbers. They were slightly above the basic level. But my major challenge with the fellowship has not just been helping my students build further learning capabilities. The challenge that I faced and struggled with the most was managing students’ behavior inside the classroom. You see, the school where my students study is near the Bus Park area which is prone to distractions. There are several kids, the same age as my students, who are out of school. They play around the school area and are even involved in a number of destructive habits. Being in that environment, my students would not agree to stay inside the classroom at all. Some used to run away from the class while I was teaching. Some used to run away from school when they saw me enter the school premise. Some used to make so much noise and jump around the class which made the entire class chaotic and hard to manage.
The first few weeks were difficult and it really brought my confidence down. I used to wonder why they are doing so or if I was not capable enough to teach them and even wondered if they did not like me at all. But I did not give up. During our bi-monthly support session, I raised my concern in front of my mentor Suraksha didi, and my co-fellows. They listened to me and suggested ideas and shared examples of how they have been managing their classes.
After that every time I entered my class, I started to mentally prepare myself. I reminded myself that my students are just kids. It’s not even their fault that they behave this certain way. How they are behaving is not due to any personal reasons towards me. The way they have been brought up and their external environment is the reason for their behavior. Every individual is different and my students’ attitude and behavior varies too. I accepted them for how they are and started a different approach to maintaining discipline inside the classroom. At the end of the day, I just wanted to help them get better.
I started to engage each student differently and gain their trust. I tried to understand my student’s backgrounds and behavior by communicating with their school teachers, friends, and parents as well. Some students needed more individual attention, some needed to feel challenged with difficult questions and tasks, some needed words of affirmation to feel motivated to study, and some had to be given an opportunity to lead and feel ownership towards their class and studies.
One of my students Sudip did not want to sit in my class at all, he used to run away from the class every time. At first, I tried to talk to him and convince him to study for his own good, but when that did not work, I visited his home and met his parents. I talked to them and instead of complaining, I requested his parents to send him to class regularly. Maybe because I put effort to build connections with his family, from the very next day Sudip agreed to stay in class. I gave him individual attention and appreciated his small progress. Within a few weeks, he progressed from struggling to solve addition problems to being able to solve multiplication problems. Once he began to progress, he started enjoying the classes and nowadays he even calls me on my phone when he faces any issues doing his homework. Seeing his progress and interest in learning, I started assigning tasks to help his peers and he did that wonderfully! One day he even stood in front of the door and blocked the way for his peers to run away from class. He brought them back to their seats and helped them finish the classwork. The student who used to run away all the time now started to help me manage the class.
I am glad that I did not give up on my students. Yes, my fellowship journey was a bit rocky in the initial weeks, but I was able to support my students and help them get better at not just their learning but also their classroom behavior.”
- Nisha Malla Thakuri
CSNepal Fellow Round 6
- Samiksha B.K.
CSNepal Fellow Round 5
“I will learn this time. I will be good.”
“One perception that we mostly have is if we show much love to kids, they won’t obey us. If kids are problematic, they need to be scolded to get them back on track. On top of that, for the kids who are behind in studies, not just parents, their friends, their teachers, even their relatives think they need to be scolded. It must be so frustrating for these kids. Wherever they go, nobody respects them. Maybe that is the reason why kids have so much anger in them. Maybe this is the reason why they are not able to do well in their studies. What we need to understand is that kids need love. They want someone to understand them. They want someone who would praise them for however little progress they are making. I learned while working with students that whatever we give them, they reflect it back to us. If we give them respect, they respect us. We give them love, they love us back. As teachers, we must start by showing them what respecting each other actually looks like. Admiring our students as an individual is the first step towards making a great collaborative learning environment in the classroom.
My students come from a background, where they are habituated by the bad influence of people around them. Their parents have to work all day and they do not have anyone to guide them. There was one kid in my class, Gaurav. He was also in our ALC of the previous phase. He dropped out last time because of his uncontrollable behavior in the classroom. I knew he gets around with older guys around the bus park and was affected by their bad influence. Gaurav was making a lot of noise during the first week of my classes. The class used to get so much disturbed. One day I asked him to not make noise and do his classwork. I guess someone telling him what to do was a new thing for him. When I stepped in to change his habit, he could not accept it. He got so furious. He threatened me he would get me beaten up. I was taken aback by such a response from an 8-year-old kid.
At that moment, I didn’t scold him. I said, “That’s okay. You can bring whoever you want. I am ready to deal with them. But right now, you are inside the classroom. Here, please obey me. It’s for your own good. I will also obey you outside the classroom.”
Then he suddenly calmed down. He said, “No miss. I will obey you. I come to school every day. I will come to your class too and learn.”
After this conversation when Kritika our Program Officer came to observe my class, Gaurav talked with her and said. “Miss last time I had some work so I had to leave this tuition class. I want to come every day to Samiksha Miss’s class. I will learn this time. I will be good.”
“I greeted a teacher!”
“Growing up, I never got a chance to go to school. But I always wondered what it would be like to go to one and to have a teacher. I remember once I had requested my father to send me to school and he just ignored me. My siblings and I were responsible for household chores and we had to tend to crops every day. You see, education was hardly prioritized in those days. In our village, only a handful of families could afford to send their kids to school. We were not one of them.
Some of my friends went to school. They would always greet Namaskar to their teachers whenever their paths crossed. One day I was tending crops in the field with my friend. We saw her teacher walking towards us. She was waiting for him to pass from our field to greet him. As he was approaching us, I don’t know why but I started getting nervous. I did not know how to greet a teacher. When my friend greeted Namaskar, I copied her tone and gesture. He looked at us, smiled, and greeted us back. I was so happy. I greeted a teacher!
The time has changed now. My children go to school every day. I enjoy seeing them do their homework sitting on the mattress. My daughter Swastika and son Subhash are enrolled in CSNepal classes. Their teacher calls us regularly to share about how they are doing in school. It feels really good to know that my children are making improvements in their studies. She has even visited our home to meet me and my husband. I am happy their teacher is helping them get better.
I am grateful that my children are learning. They are getting better opportunities than I ever did.”
- Anita Chaudhary
Subhash Chaudhary’s mother
- Ramba Shahi
CSNepal Fellow Round 5
“Swastika has taken the responsibility to wake Subhash, get him ready for school, and drop him off”
“Subhash is in grade 3, the youngest one in my class. He used to come regularly when the classes were in the evening. The class had to be shifted to 7 AM in the morning. That was when I noticed Subhash had stopped coming. I was so disheartened to take classes when Subhash was not there. I knew the kind of student I took the responsibility for when I made the decision to join the fellowship. The ones who really need help to catch up in studies, so that they can continue their further schooling. In my class, Subhash is at the beginner level. Who despite being in grade 3, does not recognize letters and numbers. He is so small and naughty. Yet he was trying to learn and was showing progress in the first two weeks. I made sure to give him more attention. When he stopped coming to class, I was so demotivated. I felt as if I failed to support a kid who really needs help. I failed the main motive of joining the fellowship.
I had met his mom in the parent’s meeting. His mom was really positive to send Subhash to school. His elder sister Swastika was also enrolled in the ALCs last year and was one of the most progressing students. Despite all of these, Subhash did not show up in class. I once met Swastika in school and asked what had happened. So, ever since the classes had shifted to morning, Subhash was scared to walk alone to school early in the morning. It was winter, it used to be dark and foggy. Subhash being just 7 years old, his parents also did not want to send him alone. I understood the reasons were valid. But he really needs to attend class to get better in his studies. So, I requested Swastika if she could help Subhash get to school. She seemed mature and listened to me. She was the one who knew how the extra classes are she had got much better in studies after that. She understood its importance and agreed to help.
One day when I was going to school from Auto, I saw Swastika walking back from school. I felt so happy and felt the rush to reach my class. When I entered the class, I saw Subhash! That day onwards, the entire demotivation that pushed me back was gone.
When I went to home visit again, I met Subhash’s whole family. His mom said Swastika has taken the responsibility to wake Subhash, get him ready for school, and drop him off. They both wake up at 5 and walk for more than an hour to school. Swastika even helped Subhash to do the homework from our ALCs with her own prior knowledge. His dad shared his concerns about his kids not learning to read and write despite their day and nights of hard work to make it possible for their kids to go to school. He said, ‘It is our responsibility to send our kids to school. Don’t worry, he won’t be absent again. Here he is our kid. After he goes to school, he is your kid too. I trust you to look after him and make him learn.’ It felt really good to see the entire family supporting a kid to get better in learning.
I see Swastika every time I am on my way to school. She waves whenever she sees me. I get relieved Subhash has reached school when I see her. Subhash still struggles to learn, his progress is slow. But he definitely is progressing from his level. I believe in him that he will improve by the end of the 90 days course.”
“I am much responsible than I ever was before”
“I am the youngest one in my family. I have 6 siblings older than me. I never went out of the house without a guardian, even if it was to the nearest shop to the house. I had never taken any kind of responsibility, and I never knew what independence is. I always used to think that one day, I would have to be on my own. I can’t depend on my Didi and Dada all the time. They were also growing up and having more and more responsibilities. I knew I had to face the struggle on my part too. When I came to Dang with my Dada and Bhauju after completing my 10th grade, things changed. The house was not filled with many elders. I had to go to the shop to buy groceries and take care of house chores. I was not used to this. Whenever anyone gave me any responsibility, I used to doubt myself if I could do the work properly or not.
When I asked for permission to join fellowship, my parents were positive about it. They permitted me saying it would be a good opportunity for me to learn. I was really looking forward to it even before the training began. The fellowship was the first opportunity for me to get out of my shell. I was going to do something on my own. During the fellowship training, I gave my best. I worked hard every day to learn how to make students learn in a fun way, and how to understand their behaviours. Now in the fellowship, even though I am their teacher, my students call me Didi. I feel like I am a guardian to my students. My students are very different from each other. Some are really obedient, some are naughty, some can grab what I teach very quickly, some need time. I counsel my students to help each other in class. I give extra attention to the ones who take time to learn. Sometimes when students do not behave in class, I talk to them personally to change their behaviour. After my class in the evening, I take a few of my students in the auto with me and drop them home. Some of my students live very far away from school. So, I call their parents to make sure they have reached home safely.
From the fellowship, I have learned to understand my student’s psychology on what needs to be said to make them feel they need to be disciplined. My skills to talk to new people has developed. More than anything else, I feel that I am much responsible than I ever was before. I am starting to feel confident that I am capable of fulfilling bigger responsibilities.”
- The name of the student has been kept anonymous
1st Fellowship
- Yanu Roka
CSNepal Fellow Round 5 & 6 and Program Assistant Round 7
“ I wanted to know more than I already did and help more kids that needed a loving teacher. “
“During my second time joining CSNepal as a fellow, I was placed at Kalakhola Secondary School. The memories of my students’ love towards me, the respect I gained from their parents, the joy of watching them progress with every small step, and the courage I felt to be better for my students remained fresh, even after my fellowship ended. I took Education as my major during high school, too. I have always wanted to be a good teacher for my students. My first fellowship was a considerable learning experience for me. But I knew there was still much more to learn and improve upon. When the fellowship for Round 6 opened up, I did not think twice about becoming a fellow again. I wanted to know more than I already did and help more kids that needed a loving teacher.
My major highlight for my Round 6 fellowship was the exhibition we organized at the end of 90 days of REC. All of us fellows had visited the learning exhibition at the Sunakhari Mela organized by Tulsipur municipality. Students from only 2 schools participated in this exhibition. Seeing those students sharing their knowledge at the exhibition motivated us to organize a similar arrangement in our placement schools. All of us fellows were encouraged to prepare our students for the exhibition. We searched for educational resources and videos on YouTube and Google to make our exhibition fun and engage the visitors. We made so many engaging and creative learning materials for the classroom. We used them to engage our students inside the classroom first, then oriented our students to use them and explain about them.
My students were nervous at first and doubted themselves. Many were shy in class and had learned to open up only after joining REC. It was a big challenge for them to share their learning in an exhibition in front of so many other students, teachers, and school authorities. But Suraksha Didi helped each of us fellows to get our students ready and confident. We took almost a week to make students feel comfortable with the learning materials and interact with others. I divided my students into a pair 2, where I paired kids of different learning levels so that each could learn from the other and get their turn to interact during the exhibition. I made my students perform several demo exhibitions within class time too. This week-long preparation was a breath of fresh air for my students and me, which we immensely enjoyed. During that time, I saw my students coming out of their comfort zone, helping each other as a team, and encouraging one another to speak up if one was hesitant.
On the primary day of the exhibition, I was so proud to see our week-long effort coming to life. My students could explain Maths and Nepali lessons to other students and even clarify their doubts. They could engage people to have a conversation and have fun at their respective tables. Many of my students were surprised that even others needed help understanding simple lessons. They were assured that they were not the only ones who struggled with their studies, and they were so overjoyed to share their learnings with those who wanted to learn. That day, I knew my motive to learn something new from this second fellowship was fulfilled. I learned the joy of teamwork with my students.
Now, I am joining CSNepal as a Program Assistant. I am nervous as well as excited about my new role. I understand that my new role will require me to interact and work with even more people than I did during my fellowship. To be honest, I am nervous that I would make any mistake while communicating with people senior to me in age and experience. But, I am also assured that Suraksha Didi, our Program Officer will support me in this new role just the way she supported me during my fellowships.”
“ I had never thought someone like me who hated going to school would end up enjoying it”
“I used to be afraid of raising my hand in class. I thought that if my answer was wrong, my teacher and friends would laugh at me. So I always just sat in the back and listened to the teacher without saying a word. When the teacher who taught us stopped coming one day, and no one came as a substitute, I completely lost interest in school. I started skipping school and ended up falling behind the others.
One day, my parents were told that there was going to be extra classes running every day after school. The classes were for students who were struggling to keep up in class. My parents were worried about my studies so they wanted me to go to the classes. I wasn’t very excited about going but in the end I decided to go just to make my parents happy.
After I started going to the classes I ended up really enjoying them. The teacher who taught the classes, Barsha ma’am, would come up with interesting games and teach us in fun ways. My favourite game was adding two numbers together using a deck of cards. It is my favourite game because it helped me understand addition and subtraction, and made me realise that learning could be fun. I never knew it could be so easy to understand Math. It’s all because of Barsha ma’am that I can now do addition, subtraction, and division all on my own. I even started reading Nepali storybooks with my classmates at school and every night at home before going to sleep. I had never thought someone like me who hated going to school would end up actually enjoying going to school, studying, and getting good marks in exams. I know I’ve improved a lot and that I couldn’t have done it without Barsha ma’am!”
- Abhiska Chaudhary
CS Nepal student 2019
- Januka Dangi
Changing Stories Nepal Fellow Round 4
"I think I have come a long way both as a teacher and as a friend to my students. I will always cherish the relationship I have with them."
“I was nervous the first day I went to the classroom as a CS Nepal Fellow. Everything was new to me. In the beginning, I didn’t have a good relationship with my students. I used to get frustrated whenever they didn’t understand what I taught. I remember calling Suraksha didi every now and then to complain. She advised me to stay calm and gave me feedback on how to do better. She asked me to spend more time trying to connect with my students. That feedback stuck with me. I realized that if I wanted my students to learn, I was the one who had to change. So I changed my teaching strategies and spent more time getting to know my students. I worked hard on my lesson plans and incorporated fun activities to engage everybody in the class. I figured out that my students really enjoyed reading stories and poems, so I started hanging chart papers on the walls with rhymes and poems written on them. These small changes helped me build a better relationship with my students. The fellowship journey hasn’t been easy for me. It took some time to find my place as a teacher. But the support sessions from CS Nepal have helped me come out of my comfort zone and try different ways of teaching. During support sessions, all of us fellows share ideas that the others can implement in their classrooms. In one of the sessions, I remember how Dipendra sir said that students can never learn under pressure or by force. You can’t force someone to learn. If they don’t feel like studying we should give them space to breathe. So I never force my students. I allow them to stay to the side, and let them join the group when they want to. The best thing about this fellowship is how well I have been able to bond with my students. My students share everything with me. From their personal issues to their dreams of the future. I think I have come a long way both as a teacher and as a friend to my students. I will always cherish the relationship I have with them.”
“I never thought I’d be a teacher”
“I never thought I’d be a teacher. During my own school days, I was always a shy and obedient student. I sat in the middle of the classroom so I wouldn’t attract attention from my teachers. I was good at math and science, but not English. But luckily I had a teacher who believed in me. She understood that kids learn in different ways. Looking back, I am grateful for having a teacher who inspired me and helped me do better. I distinctly remember the first class I ever taught myself after I became a CS Nepal fellow. I asked my students if they knew the Nepali alphabet. With the exception of 2-3 students, everyone raised their hands. That night, I tried to come up with a lesson plan to help the students who didn’t raise their hands. I decided to teach those students separately, and in doing so, I came to realize that they each learned differently. While one student was able to pick it up quickly, the other two were only able to remember when they were asked to write everything down. One thing I learned from this experience like my old teacher always understood, is that every student has their own way of learning. I have been trying my best to give my own students an environment where they can do just that.”
- Shudarshan Khatri
Changing Stories Nepal Fellow
“I never thought I’d be a teacher. During my own school days, I was always a shy and obedient student. I sat in the middle of the classroom so I wouldn’t attract attention from my teachers. I was good at math and science, but not English. But luckily I had a teacher who believed in me. She understood that kids learn in different ways. Looking back, I am grateful for having a teacher who inspired me and helped me do better. I distinctly remember the first class I ever taught myself after I became a CS Nepal fellow. I asked my students if they knew the Nepali alphabet. With the exception of 2-3 students, everyone raised their hands. That night, I tried to come up with a lesson plan to help the students who didn’t raise their hands. I decided to teach those students separately, and in doing so, I came to realize that they each learned differently. While one student was able to pick it up quickly, the other two were only able to remember when they were asked to write everything down. One thing I learned from this experience like my old teacher always understood, is that every student has their own way of learning. I have been trying my best to give my own students an environment where they can do just that.”
- Binay Chaudhary
Student of Round 4
"Which is why I have never missed a single one of his classes!”
“Reading is the best thing about school. I enjoy going through long texts that have pictures, too. Playing football with my friends comes close to my passion for reading. I used to spend a lot of time playing with my friends from the neighborhood. But nowadays I am most devoted to studying. I try to complete my school work before playing. There is a teacher in our school who has helped me become a better student. I love going to school because of him. Sudarshan sir appreciates hardworking students and teaches us well. The students who study nicely receive a ring made of colorful papers prepared by sir himself. And the student who gets multiple rings earns a gift hamper from the teacher. I have already received 4 rings for being obedient, honest, having good manners, and completing my homework on time. I have all 4 rings at home that I keep in a very safe place. Other than the gift the class itself is very fun, which is why I have never missed a single one of his classes!”
"I’ll do everything in my power to pay for my boys’ education; even if it means selling our house, our farm, and our animals!".
“I was born and raised by farmers. My family’s daily routine involved getting up early in the morning to go to the fields and spend hours tending to crops. Even though I always wanted to study, going to school was never an option for me given my family’s economic circumstances. I often talk with my husband about the lack of choices we had growing up. My husband had his own struggles as a kid. He would walk for hours to get to his school only to find out that the teachers weren’t there. In the end, he stopped going. We both agree that things would have been different had we been educated. In all these years I haven’t changed very much myself. I still work in the fields to raise crops and livestock. I am happy with my family. I have two sons who are enrolled in a school nearby. I know an educated person gets more opportunities in life compared to those who don’t receive any formal education. So now we are trying to make sure our kids have more choices in life than we did. Because I don’t want my sons to share this life. I want them to dream bigger and have all the opportunities in life they need to live a better life. I believe that education is extremely important and plays a crucial role in one’s life, which is why I’ll do everything in my power to pay for my boys’ education; even if it means selling our house, our farm, and our animals!”.
- Somati Chaudhary
Mother of Binay Chaudhary, our student of Round 4
“I was born and raised by farmers. My family’s daily routine involved getting up early in the morning to go to the fields and spend hours tending to crops. Even though I always wanted to study, going to school was never an option for me given my family’s economic circumstances. I often talk with my husband about the lack of choices we had growing up. My husband had his own struggles as a kid. He would walk for hours to get to his school only to find out that the teachers weren’t there. In the end, he stopped going. We both agree that things would have been different had we been educated. In all these years I haven’t changed very much myself. I still work in the fields to raise crops and livestock. I am happy with my family. I have two sons who are enrolled in a school nearby. I know an educated person gets more opportunities in life compared to those who don’t receive any formal education. So now we are trying to make sure our kids have more choices in life than we did. Because I don’t want my sons to share this life. I want them to dream bigger and have all the opportunities in life they need to live a better life. I believe that education is extremely important and plays a crucial role in one’s life, which is why I’ll do everything in my power to pay for my boys’ education; even if it means selling our house, our farm, and our animals!”.
- Radhika Chand
Changing Stories Nepal Fellow
"I saw him grow from a shy kid who hesitated to talk to a determined and confident learner"
“The happiest moment during my fellowship was when Bishan, one of my students, asked me for more math problems to solve, so he could get better. When I first joined the fellowship, Bishan was a shy student. He would never answer when I asked him questions. He was also very weak in Nepali and Math. He had trouble reading and writing Nepali words, and didn’t know how to add or subtract. As I started teaching my classes, I was amazed to see him show interest in his studies. He is one of those students who caught up really fast. In the classroom, I often found him writing notes to help him remember later. At home, he practiced math on his own. He would get excited to recite Nepali poems in class. Even though he struggled to read that never stopped him from trying and giving his best. His determination motivated me and I gave him Nepali books so he could practice at home. He would read a book at home and come to school the next day and ask me questions about it. He would ask the same question again and again and again until he fully understood it. As a teacher, I was proud of his untiring effort. He improved a lot and was considered one of the best students in his class. He did very well on his exams, too; getting good marks. I saw him grow from a shy kid who hesitated to talk to a determined and confident learner. He has come a long way, and it was his determination and positive attitude that helped him get there.”
"I need to study well so that when I grow up I can find a good job and support my family"
“I come from a family where we don’t have that much. If I don’t study well I will have to plow in the field like my parents. And I don’t want that life. I dream of becoming a big person. I need to study well so that when I grow up I can find a good job and support my family. That is why I love going to school and learning new things every day. I try not to miss any classes. I pay attention when I’m in class and I don’t move from my seat without completing my tasks, even if it means staying late to complete it. In the past I used to find math really difficult. I had problems understanding numbers and couldn’t do addition or subtraction either. Since Laxmi madam joined our school, I have learned a lot. She teaches us very nicely and makes us play games to understand math in a simple way. Now, I can easily do addition and subtraction. I can even tell the difference between odd and even numbers. Last time we had an exam and I did really well in it. I solved almost all the problems correctly. My teachers were happy with the results. Later that day I went home and told my parents about it. They were so happy that they went and bought 3 or 4 kilos of mutton and made my favourite curry. We don’t normally eat meat at home but that day was a big deal for my parents!”
- Anup Chaudhary
Enrolled in our accelerated learning course at Shree Laxmipur School
“I come from a family where we don’t have that much. If I don’t study well I will have to plow in the field like my parents. And I don’t want that life. I dream of becoming a big person. I need to study well so that when I grow up I can find a good job and support my family. That is why I love going to school and learning new things every day. I try not to miss any classes. I pay attention when I’m in class and I don’t move from my seat without completing my tasks, even if it means staying late to complete it. In the past I used to find math really difficult. I had problems understanding numbers and couldn’t do addition or subtraction either. Since Laxmi madam joined our school, I have learned a lot. She teaches us very nicely and makes us play games to understand math in a simple way. Now, I can easily do addition and subtraction. I can even tell the difference between odd and even numbers. Last time we had an exam and I did really well in it. I solved almost all the problems correctly. My teachers were happy with the results. Later that day I went home and told my parents about it. They were so happy that they went and bought 3 or 4 kilos of mutton and made my favourite curry. We don’t normally eat meat at home but that day was a big deal for my parents!”
- Sauni Chaudhary
Mother to Basanta, one of the students enrolled in our learning courses
"My children will never have to go through any embarrassment in life just because they came from a poor family and couldn’t afford a good education”
“Every day after sending our kids to school we leave for our farm nearby. We mostly grow maize, mustard and green leafy vegetables. We depend on the produce for our daily meals and take the rest of it to the market to sell. I have been living in this village for as long as I can remember. Nothing much has changed. It is still a small village and the people here don’t have much. The saddest thing is the lack of schools. The nearest school is 50 minutes walk from here. It is difficult for us parents to send our children to school when the school is that far away. Especially if they are young. My husband and I have to go to the field early in the morning, and we can’t afford to miss work to drop our children to school. But that doesn’t stop them from going. They wake up every day at 4 in the morning, get dressed, and go to school all on their own. The sad part about life in this village is that children rarely pursue further education. They don’t have big dreams. Children from wealthier families go to Kathmandu or other big cities inside or outside of Nepal to study. But we are not people of money or power, which is why our children don’t get that many opportunities and often face troubles in life. One day, on our visit to the market, we saw an educated man make fun of a person for not being able to read the letters written on a signboard. You see people make fun of uneducated people like that. My hope is that my children will never have to go through any embarrassment in life just because they came from a poor family and couldn’t afford a good education.”
"She congratulated me and told me that she was proud of me"
“I have two older sisters and a younger brother. We are a big family. For a long time, my father didn’t have a job and used to come home drunk and fight with my mother for no reason. He would get violent and beat my mother. When we tried to stop him, he would beat us as well. My mother couldn’t stop him. But she thought of a trick to save us from our father’s beating. She would send us to school early in the morning and have us come home late at night. That way we didn’t have to deal with our father. That routine continued for a long time. In the first few days, I got really bored spending so much time at school. But then I slowly started enjoying it. I would read books and poems that we learned about in the extra classes. I asked my mother to buy me copies to write down Nepali poems and stories my teacher shared in class. Whenever I had a problem with spelling a word I asked for my sister’s help. When she couldn’t help me, I would wait until I could ask my teacher to help me. My parent’s fighting used to disturb me a lot, but now I have started to focus on my school work instead.
Once my father found a new job things started getting better at home. He doesn’t come home drunk anymore. Now, I go to school and get back home on my own time. But I still love spending time at school reading Nepali books. I wake up at 4 in the morning, get dressed, and rush to school. I still go to the extra classes and do my homework. One day, there was a competition to read the poem “Na Tipnu Hera Kopila” in front of the entire school. The teacher asked if anyone would like to read it out loud. There was silence. No one raised their hand. Without thinking I went up on the stage and read the whole poem as ma’am had taught us during our extra classes. After the poem ended I heard people clapping for me. The teacher congratulated me and gave me 50 rupees as a prize. I had never won anything, and it felt really good. As I stood there in my school I thought about my mother. I went home and told her. She congratulated me and told me that she was proud of me. I tried to give her the prize money but she gave it back to me. A few weeks ago I bought two copies and a pencil with that money!”
- The name of the student has been kept anonymous
“I have two older sisters and a younger brother. We are a big family. For a long time, my father didn’t have a job and used to come home drunk and fight with my mother for no reason. He would get violent and beat my mother. When we tried to stop him, he would beat us as well. My mother couldn’t stop him. But she thought of a trick to save us from our father’s beating. She would send us to school early in the morning and have us come home late at night. That way we didn’t have to deal with our father. That routine continued for a long time. In the first few days, I got really bored spending so much time at school. But then I slowly started enjoying it. I would read books and poems that we learned about in the extra classes. I asked my mother to buy me copies to write down Nepali poems and stories my teacher shared in class. Whenever I had a problem with spelling a word I asked for my sister’s help. When she couldn’t help me, I would wait until I could ask my teacher to help me. My parent’s fighting used to disturb me a lot, but now I have started to focus on my school work instead.
Once my father found a new job things started getting better at home. He doesn’t come home drunk anymore. Now, I go to school and get back home on my own time. But I still love spending time at school reading Nepali books. I wake up at 4 in the morning, get dressed, and rush to school. I still go to the extra classes and do my homework. One day, there was a competition to read the poem “Na Tipnu Hera Kopila” in front of the entire school. The teacher asked if anyone would like to read it out loud. There was silence. No one raised their hand. Without thinking I went up on the stage and read the whole poem as ma’am had taught us during our extra classes. After the poem ended I heard people clapping for me. The teacher congratulated me and gave me 50 rupees as a prize. I had never won anything, and it felt really good. As I stood there in my school I thought about my mother. I went home and told her. She congratulated me and told me that she was proud of me. I tried to give her the prize money but she gave it back to me. A few weeks ago I bought two copies and a pencil with that money!”