I am Rekha Hadapad, and I have been teaching mathematics and English to students in grades 3, 4, and 5 at Shri Sharada Public School in Annigeri, Karnataka, for the past two years. My academic journey includes completing a Bachelor of Science degree in 2023 and subsequently earning my Bachelor of Education.

In my classroom, I find that being among the children helps me forget outside stresses, and I keep my students engaged by asking frequent questions or having distracted students sit at the front to improve their focus.

Interestingly, I entered the teaching profession unwillingly at first. I always wanted to be independent and thought a degree alone would be enough, but after finding myself unhappy in various office and computer-related jobs, I followed my mother's advice to pursue teaching. My true inspiration arrived while I was working part-time at a government school as part of an English-learning program during my B.Ed studies. The care and respect I received from the children and their parents and the innocence I observed in the children during that time truly inspired me to embrace teaching as my career.

I have two primary role models who have shaped my path:

• My Mother: She guided me toward this profession, advising me that it was the best and safest career path.

• My Primary School Teacher: She was a significant inspiration who treated her students like her own children, even inviting us to her home. I try to emulate her nurturing approach in my own teaching.

My experience with the Aikyam program is still quite new, and I am currently learning right along with the children. While we are generally aware that societal problems exist, Aikyam has taught us how to actually observe and think about them critically. It has been rewarding to see the growth and development in the children who have participated in the program in previous years.