Date: 05th May, 2021

Community Work, which is an integral part of the B.Ed curriculum, was organized for the 50 students of F.Y.B.Ed of St. Teresa’s Institute of Education from 27th March, 2021 to 4th May, 2021. During the first meet held on 24th April, several suggestions were taken from the students out of which Sarva Seva Sangh was finalized. After having a meeting on 26th April with Ms. Shoba D’souza, who is the co-ordinator at Sarva Seva Sangh, the training sessions were conducted for the student teachers on 27th and 28th of April. Following this, the community work began on 29th April and went on till 4th May.

On the days of training, the student teachers were taught several activities which were to be taught to the students of Sarva Seva Sangh comprising of pre-school and kindergarten students. Phonics, sight words, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, acupressure exercises and yogasanas were a few of the activities conducted during the training. On the actual days of community work, the student teachers were divided and assigned students to whom these activities were taught. A schedule was provided in advance to the student teachers to prepare and plan the class. Along with the above-mentioned activities, several other activities such as drawing, dancing, story-telling, etc. were also taken for the students. Also, at the end of the day, daily reports with details of the community work had to be submitted by the student to their respective assigned teachers.

The community work was a worthwhile experience since we are on the verge of becoming teachers. It was not only a teaching experience, but also a learning experience. We dealt with several students which helped us gain practical teaching experience. With each day, we got to learn something new from the students. Also, teaching on an online platform was a completely new experience. From being friendly and understanding towards the students, to being able to teach them the assigned material within the stipulated time, we learnt a lot about how to be patient and handle the students with ease. We are really thankful for having given this opportunity to explore, teach and learn. The community work has definitely benefitted us in our journey of becoming teachers.