Ciaran : I joined the team in Thamarai in early September. Since then, I’ve been teaching in the after-school: offering homework support, English and maths classes as well as a special computer typing course. 71 children have come to Thamarai to learn keyboard typing since we started holding typing sessions in October 2022. Of the 71 children who showed interest, 59 children engaged regularly in classes and made progress with computer typing skills.
It’s amazing to work with the children and youths here in Annai Nagar, everyday I’m impressed by how the children share what they’ve learned with each other. Regularly, the children teach their friends a solution to a problem that they themselves struggled with.
The computer typing course has been a massive hit with the children! Thanks to the excellent laptops and computers available in the learning centre we’ve been able to facilitate typing classes multiple days every week, for the past month. The children are really responding to positive feedback and we’ve been using a free website, to help engage learning and consistent practice.
I’ve been learning many different ways to hold the sessions. Questions that keep recurring are: “How do I motivate the children?” “How can these sessions be more engaging?” “What can I do to make this a joyful learning environment?”
Our STEM room turns into a hub of high fives and medals that the children receive for making progress in their skills development. The highly positive energy is something that seems to pour out of the Thamarai building every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sundays during the Typing sessions.
Girls and boys from 7 years to 17 years old have been regularly attending the classes and many have made huge progress. We have students who never typed on a computer before who are now typing without looking at the keyboard!
I have a lot of experience working in office environments back in Ireland and London. I’m very grateful to see this experience is enabling me to share skills and give the children of Thamarai a system that they can grow in. I learn so much from them as I go.
