I have always been blessed with a chance of teaching and learning new skills. This has filled me with positive thoughts and inspiration. I was always grateful for everything that I have received in my life. From a very young age, I have had my battles with receiving an education with many obstacles with hard work and perseverance. But all of those feelings were worth nothing once I began my Fellowship at Teach For Nepal. I came to realize that my challenges seemed insignificant to what my students have to go through every single day. 

Even after months of being deployed at the school here in Bhotenamlang Secondary School, Panchpokhari, students referred to me as 'Sir', perhaps they were never accustomed to call anyone 'Miss'. When I came to this school, I was told that I was the first and the only female teacher in service. I was constantly  hit with statements like, “Science is a subject taught by male teachers, Science teachers are tactful and can solve all problems.” Prior to joining this school as a Fellow, all students seemed to have similar prevailing ideas.

After a few months of taking the regular classes everyone, especially girls seemed immensely excited about being able to learn Science from a female teacher. Girls found someone who can be their go-to person, their new friend to share their stories. ‘I want to be you someday Miss,’ Some of them had dreamed of becoming an educator and I was their ‘role models’ already. For me, working in this misogynistic community was a challenge in itself. The treatment received by a 'Sir' and a 'Miss' was very different here. I would be dumbfounded to see a male teacher being heartily greeted when I would be ignored. I wasn’t too fond of that. It was because of reasons like these, I felt the need to establish myself first in the community, the need to work hard and to prove myself to this new community. 

"I started with building an uplifting community, especially among girl students and women.” With the advent of the year and a half mark, I can now feel that a lot of students have changed their perception. The volume of questions that they present assures me of their enthusiasm to learn. Students’ commitment to completing their assignments despite their day to day chores is something I adore about them. They come up with clarification applications if they fail to submit their assignments. 

Besides their books, they show enthusiasm in honing their skills outside the classroom, in subjects such as arts, drama, sports, and music. This enthusiasm in my students keeps me inside classrooms for an extra few hours beyond regular classes.  My Co-Fellow, Mingma Tenzing KC, has been another motivating and supportive hand in this journey. Along with him, I was able to establish clubs for music, drama, science and creative arts. Students now speak their minds without hesitation in public and they have developed the quality of accepting their mistakes and trying to improve. This is one of the biggest achievements of my Fellowship journey.  The changes that I have seen among students has been a push factor to strongly believe that teachers are the real builders of the nation. 

Alina Shrestha completed her Bachelor's of Science in Chemistry from Amrit Science Campus (ASCOL). She is currently serving as a Teach For Nepal Science Fellow in Bhotenamlang Secondary School, Panchpokhari, Thangpal. You can join her along with 137 other Fellows who seek to end education inequity in Nepal through direct service in classrooms by applying for the Teach For Nepal Fellowship for the year 2020.