Madhura Rajvanshi grew up in Phalton, a small town in Maharashtra. After completing her BSc in Botany in Pune, she returned to her hometown to find her calling in life. Like many, he had little interest in what he studied. Back home, she joined the school she attended, Kamala Nimbkar Bal Bhavan, as she loved working with children.
In 2008, an opportunity presented itself that would change the trajectory of the 38-year-old’s life forever. After the English teacher left, the school’s founder, Dr. Maxine Berntsen, asked Madhura if she wanted to teach. The latter agreed, and the rest, they say, is history.
While enjoying work, she equipped herself with a formal degree in Elementary Education from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. For the past 15 years, she has been working to make English education accessible and enjoyable for Marathi medium school students.
Now, Madhura has been selected for the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship for 2023-24, and received the Fulbright Distinguished Award (Fulbright DAI) in the Teaching Program for International Teachers from the United States Government. She is the only teacher from rural India to be selected for the scholarship this year.
“I want to create a program for teachers on how to make English classrooms interesting in rural Marathi medium schools in Maharashtra. I also want to learn how to organize learning spaces for students in their classrooms,” she says.
Focusing on self-expression
When Madhura started teaching at Kamala Nimbkar Bal Bhavan, a Marathi medium private school, she realized that the textbooks and materials available there did not interest the students. She found textbooks to be complicated and began working on ways to make them lively and interesting.
One of the biggest challenges when it comes to English, even for teachers who aren’t very good at it, she says, is the fear of language.
“One of the things we do in our school is to accept the child’s mother tongue. We encourage them to write in whatever language they feel comfortable with as expression is important. Once they are comfortable expressing themselves, even learning English, there is no problem anymore. I work with children to face their fears,” says Madhura Uttam India.
Using art, storytelling and music in class, she makes learning English fun. She sings and raps with the students, taking fear out of the equation and encouraging them to write.
Madhura says students get a lot of space to express themselves in a stress-free environment.
“We ensure that students have strength. Education should not be a burden or a chore for children. We have students from all walks of life and we work together to teach the lessons of humanity,” adds the teacher.
The school is part of the Pragat Shikshak Sanstha (educational institution), where Madhura is a trustee. The organization runs schools as well as conducts outreach programs Anganwadis and the government Zilla Parishad Schools focused on early childhood education.
While working with other teachers in rural Maharashtra, Madhura discovered that English teachers were finding it difficult to teach and were not comfortable with government-issued textbooks. Looking for ways to help these teachers, she heard about the Fulbright Scholarship.
According to the Fulbright India website, every year, 60 to 70 teachers from 17 countries, including India, are selected for the Fulbright DAI. Madhura will have the opportunity to study at an American university from August to December 2024, where she will be able to co-teach, audit some courses there, and observe teaching methods.
She wants to increase the educational quality in schools like hers on par with English medium schools.
Programs like Fulbright scholarships, she says, help broaden your horizons and contribute meaningfully to your schools.
If you want to know more about the scholarship, check here.
Edited by Padmashri Pandey