My internship as a mathematics teacher took place in a remote village of Nepal called Batase. On my first day, I was given the complete freedom to explore the village. So, I utilized this time to immerse myself in the village and explored the wonderful beauty the village offered. On the second day, my internship as a teacher started on a public school, where I was introduced to mathematics teacher and got my classes assigned. To keep a friendly relation with students, I did not jump to teaching right away. I got to know the name of students, their future goal. Some students wanted to become a teacher whereas some wanted to work for nonprofit. Slowly, I diverted the topic to mathematics and the units they struggled on. Some students didn’t understand area and volume of combined figures, whereas others had a hard time understanding unitary method. Furthermore, I asked them how often they practice math, they told me that they didn’t practice it because they didn’t know where to start. The same feeling that I had on
my first calculus class: confused and not knowing where to start. After assessing the problem, I created an attack plan to teach mathematics. It included teaching them core concepts required for certain topic and giving them problem sets to practice after each unit. Since different students struggled on different topics, I went through every topic making sure they understood the concept and the ways to tackle specific type of problems. Some methodology included creating a separate formula sheet to make it easier to solve problems and giving them similar problem to solve after teaching them how to solve one. Every day I would have my classes assigned and I covered almost every class ranging from 4 to 10

My role as a teacher was not limited to school only. Since I lived with the students at FHCs hostel, I would often teach them extra classes and help them with assignments. Along with that we would play volleyball, badminton or just talk during evening. Though I did not know how to play volleyball, the students were very supportive and willing to teach me. After playing we would gather for dinner and enjoy the locally cooked foods. Following dinner we would gather on a hall for a program-an initiative to encourage students to take part in extracurriculars-where students would give speech, sing, or dance. I would also participate on different activities such as singing and dancing. Along with that, I would join the students who were staying in FHCs hostel on their way to school and return home with them when
the school ends.

Apart from my role as a teacher, I was also introduced to the operations of FHC and the story behind its establishment. FHC was founded by Mr. Som Tamang, who was not able to complete his education due to financial constraints. So, to make sure no other students in his village have to forfeit their education due to financial constraints, he established Friends of Himalayan Children (FHC). FHC have been continuously helping students in every way possible ranging from books and scholarships to housing. He was the person who truly fits the quote “Be the change you want to see in the world”. His resilience inspired me.

This internship has not only helped me become up-close with the problems faced by students in rural Nepal, but also helped me improve my strengths of developer, responsibility and includer. With the help from the Dill Fund and Friends of Himalayan Children (FHC), I had the opportunity to go to Batase village and share my knowledge with the future generations. I am forever grateful for the Dill Fund Committee for funding my internship and FHC for providing me with this wonderful opportunity.

PS: My favorite class?
Teaching students of grade 5 to use a protractor to measure angles and to use a compass to create angles.