Teach for India 2025 – Day 2

My first period was just like the last: 8th grade math. Something about teaching 8th grade does not sit right with me. The kids look a lot older and have had their growth spurts, so it is a little more intimidating.

The lesson of the day was polygons. I had fun with the lessons, making students come up to the board to draw a convex, concave, regular, or irregular polygon. The lesson was interactive and enriching, so overall, it was a good period.

I went on to 7th grade math, which was not as intimidating; the students have not had their growth spurts yet, so I was at ease. My issue with 7th graders is that they are really loud and rowdy. Even though I was using a lot of attention grabbers, nothing was working. Plan B: rearrange the seating chart. I moved the trouble kids all next to each other at the desk right next to me. By doing so, they were not able to talk, and I could keep my eye on them.

The rest of the period went quite smoothly. There were some moments when students talked, but it is expected when teaching middle schoolers. On to science with the same kids—it was calm, with its not-so-calm moments.

By the end of the day, I had lost my voice and sweat through my whole shirt. Nothing sounded better than having some Dahi Puri.

Leave a comment