When we went to schools and talked with them about admitting RTE students, we reassured them, "we will also be looking after these students to ensure they don't fall behind." And thus, the idea of an English tutoring center was born. Establishing the center required a few things: first, finding a venue. Second, a teacher. And third, inventory.
Finding the perfect venue was a huge lesson in patience and local politics. The venue had to be big enough to host at least 11 kids, within walking distance of the parents, and reasonably hygienic. We actually came across the perfect classroom on the first try--it was a full-fledged, beautiful Montessori preschool. Unfortunately... the owner wasn't keen on having the liability of more children on the premises (even after hours), and no amount of rent money seemed to change their minds.
The second venue was a 7x7 room belonging to a newly-deceased relative of someone in the area, and because we were desperate to get started, it was the makeshift classroom. We called all of the parents to come to a quick orientation session, and not all of the parents and kids could fit into the space! It was stuffy, hot, claustrophobic... and all the kids immediately started crying. I laugh now, but at the time I remember being mortified at the disastrous evening. The space was problematic because of the politics: the woman just died, so people were coming in and out to perform poojas and other rituals. The posters of politicians on the walls weren't exactly conducive to teaching, either.
Next was finding the teacher. With the space being so close to the Madras School of Social Work, this was our first choice for recruitment. The teacher we initially hired didn't have teaching experience, but always wanted to teach kids. We decided to try her out, but she unfortunately realized that teaching a room full of 3 1/2-year-olds in a tiny, hot room wasn't her ideal job. Her replacement was a young Masters student who took the role as his internship, and I still wish him all the best. It's at this point that I'm able to step in and fill the teacher shoes until I can find another person. In the interim, I'm devising lesson plans and methodologies: This will make it easier to train someone as to my requirements. The "teacher" component is still in the works, but I honestly don't mind filling the post in the interim--if we plan to scale our tutoring program, it's really important to streamline the curriculum. I can't do that unless I actually engage in teaching.
In the time from teacher #1 to teacher #2, we found a new (amazing!) venue. CMCT (Christian Mission Charitable Trust) has a soup kitchen for the elderly within the neighborhood. They only use it during the lunch, so we asked if it was possible to use the space for an hour in the evening. Very graciously, they agreed to our request. I can't begin to express my gratitude: it truly is a great space based on the size and location.
As to the inventory, shopping was easily the most fun. The classroom is filled with plush toys, cars, yoga mats for comfortable sitting, notebooks, markers (which I use more for color sticks than anything else), crayons, paper, letter cut-outs, slates, and so forth. I bought several things in the US but I realize it was silly of me to do so--the item I use most is easily my laptop, as this enables me to show videos and create presentations. Images are crucial to conveying new English words.
Well, the tutoring program was off to a bit of a rough start, but it's still going strong!
