A report from Glyn R. who just completed a program in a rural school in Kerala:

With it being my final week in Marygiri Public School, I’m finding it hard to say goodbye. For the past 6 weeks I have been working at Marygiri teaching spoken and communicative English. Before becoming a teacher, I worked for the British government as a civil servant and as a statistician. After volunteering in Sri Lanka as a teacher for my annual leave I quickly realized my passion and love for teaching and it wasn’t long before I had left my career behind and was studying teacher training in Kolkata, West Bengal.

To begin with, I was nervous and a little apprehensive about how my experience in Kerala would turn out. Previously, I had worked in schools in both Kolkata and Tamil Nadu but with teachers also from the U.K. working along side me and this was to be my first solo experience within an Indian school.

I need not have worried, from my first day until the last day, I enjoyed every minute of my time in here and would happily do it all again. From the very first day, I was welcomed so warmly that I quickly realized that Marygiri is not just a local educational institution but that it is more importantly, a happy and caring family that welcomed me with open arms and that I feel privileged to have been a part of and something I will never forget.

Everyday at Marygiri brought new experiences and new challenges that I really enjoyed. I was able to take up to 6 classes a day, 5 days a week in spoken and communicative English. This allowed the students to have the opportunity to practice their English and have the confidence to use language in a natural way while at the same time, getting used to a British accent.  During the weekends, I was able to travel to other parts of Kerala and experience everything this state has to offer, from the climate, to the food and the beautiful scenery, all of which I really enjoyed.

During my visit I had the opportunity to meet so many fantastic people and make some great friends. I am thankful to the teachers for all their help and assistance in the school, to the pupils for being so energetic and enthusiastic about my teaching style and classes, and to the Principle, Father Jose for giving me such a wonderful opportunity. I would also like to thank all the other countless people that made my stay in Kerala so memorable; from the parents of my students that invited me visit their homes, right through to the admin and office staff who helped me day to day in my lesson planning and class preparation.

Although I leave Marygiri soon, I will always remember this place and the people and hope that some day I will be able to return and re-live this wonderful experience.