MISSION MAKE OVER

What stirred them up for teaching spoken English to the students of various Tamil Medium Schools in Chennai was the article on Language Barrier which was followed by the suicide of a girl in Anna University.
Darvika, a first year Bio-Tech student in SRM University and her friend Abbinaya, who is pursuing BA sociology, advertised this idea to more than a few schools in the Mandavali-Mylapore belt. They targeted the right crowd and soon after, registrations flooded in. Many Schools were happy with the idea.
These two girls addressed, gave them good self-assurance and motivated the fervent students. The two strong-headed girls had their own syllabus done entirely from the Anna Library and Mrs. Arthi and Mrs. Revathi also gave assistance. A place had been rented to accommodate the kids and the Director of IGNOU propped up till the very end.
Their main objective was to make sure that it was not a Classroom-Teaching method but to ensure that it was an informal session. Their learning was Activity-Based and made it a point to make them socially and politically plugged-in. On the fun note, they went for occasional outings like the beach and park. But one thing that the learners understood was that English is a medium of Communication ONLY and it’s not a ‘Status Symbol’ to know English.
Their unconventional methods worked because of the students’ gusto. Their zest for life and sanguinity was so noteworthy that one could draw inspiration from these young people.
The children were real fighters and their strength helped them move to the fore and after all, the girls were first-timers with an idea to give back to the society. Their small act has thus made a big difference in the lives’ of many.
Both Darvika and Abbinaya were students of our school who passed the class XII board exam in May 2012.