SANA CHAUDHRY

About ME

My Profession
I am Sana Chaudhry and I belong to southern Punjab.  I would describe myself as ‘’social worker’’ with trying to improve lives of those who are underprivileged, undeserved and underrepresented.
I am currently working as teacher and administrator. Apart from teaching I am involved with various other activities and administrative issues at school.  I manage certain extracurricular activities which primarily focus on inculcating values like teamwork, cooperation and promoting healthy competition to succeed. I have occasionally taught students communication skills and have organized various sessions to address some common concerns that students face which include but are not limited to self-esteem, personal satisfaction, conflict settlement in day to day life and maintaining healthy relationships with peers, family and society. Therefore I would not describe myself only as a teacher/administrator rather it’s more like educating youth both academically and professionally to make them responsible part of society so that they can learn and give back to society.
Family
I have a closely knit family of total six members. We are four siblings; two brothers and two sisters. My father is businessman and farmer.  And my mother is housewife.
Province
Punjab is the main province of Pakistan and land of Punjab is very fertile. Therefore most of the people are farmers and it is primarily agricultural in nature.  Its weather is mostly hot and it experiences long hot summers but in monsoon seasons temperatures drop with plenty of rains especially in northern Punjab.
Interests
I like to read books. Travelling is my passion. I am really interested in exploring new cultures and trying different foods.
Future Goals  
I intend to become more involved with education sector. I want to be involved in improving education through effective policy making and addressing educational concerns at national level to improve pedagogical skills, curriculum development, school management practices and promotion of extracurricular development at schools.

Education Institute Description

Government High School is located in the city of Bahawalpur, Pakistan. It is in the heart of the city, close to the business centers and government offices. It is a boys’ school with a large campus, and is the only higher secondary public school for boys in Bahawalpur.
The school has around 600-700 students. The age range roughly includes children ages 5-18. But class size is no less than 40 students and no more than 80 students. The building of the school is old but maintained in a fine way. There are around 37 teachers in the school and almost all the teachers have dual graduate degree in their subject area and in education.
The facilities at the school include electricity and gas connection, clean water supply and Internet facility. The school has an IT facility along with computer lab but unfortunately there are only around 16 computers for more than 600 students.  There is also a science lab in the school for doing practical experiments in subjects like biology, chemistry and physics.
One of the positive developments at school is the promotion of extracurricular activities because the school has a very big playground where students play cricket, football and many other sports. Several competitions are also held in this space.
Most of the students come from poor families and cannot afford even minimal fees for the government school. Many of them work in the evening or after school to help their parents earn a living and this also adversely affects their studies.  I am proud to say that most students are very passionate about studying and are keen to learn new concepts and participate in classroom activities. However, many students are forced to school by their parents and do not actually have any interest in their studies and this is reflected in their grades. But it’s also a fact that many students are in school by chance-not by choice. Many students are also shy to speak up and they need encouragement to boost their confidence.
I have been incorporated with this school for quite some time now and I have developed a deep bonding with the institute itself from the many years of connection with the staff and students.  As a result, the school is an important part of my life. I feel strongly about bringing positive changes to my school following my return, namely by implementing the skills and knowledge that I have learned during PELI.

Needs of Educational Institute

Government High School, Bahawalpur is school in small city of Bahawalpur. The school covers large area and is the only public school for boys. It starts from nursery (preschool) till class 10. The building of the school is in fine and a new block was built recently too.  Therefore building is fine.
To give a short description of my school, I would mention that it has around 600 students. And the school has students roughly ranging from age 3 till age 16. There are around 15-25 students in classes from nursery to class 6. And there are 40-50 students in grade 6, 7 and 8. There are two sections of grade 6, 7 and 8. In grade 9 and 10 we have roughly 80 students in each section. There are three sections for grade 9 and 10.
Though the school is quite big and has a big playground. But unfortunately there are some problems which make it hard for smooth functioning of school. The major problem which I consider is the lack of infrastructure particularly furniture.  Most of the furniture is old and is in bad condition. Also, the classroom furniture is in lesser number as compared to number of students in class. This means that many students suffer during classes.  Classrooms are not very comfortable.
Moreover there is just one electric water cooler in whole school to cater to needs of 600-700 students. There should be at least 5 water coolers. There is also shortage of few important equipments in school due to shortage of resources. There are just 16 computers because government only provided funds for 16 computers.  There should be more computers so that students can become more technologically advance and compete well at regional at national level.
Last but not the least, both quantity and quality of furniture is biggest challenge for school. Water coolers, computers and several other equipments are also a challenge.  Availability of low cost school uniform, books and notebooks are also challenge.

NON – SIBI REFLECTION

Many times in life we do things which are not for profit, money or fame and such acts of kindness and philanthropy are no doubt rare but  have a very significant for those who it and also those in their communities.
I have been always very passionate about reaching out and helping those who are underprivileged, undeserved and unheard in society because these are the people who suffer the first in any crisis and are helped the last. So when I graduated from university few years back, I was unsure how to make a difference in society or at least in lives of few people. And then I went back to my native city, a small suburban city, Bahawalpur, to join a government school.
I have been working for more than four years on honorary basis. When I thought of joining a public sector school, many people advised me to join private sector school or any other organization but I wanted to serve those who are deprived of one of the fundamental human right- right to education. These children come from poor uneducated households who have little or no access to education let alone quality education.
Apart from being an educator and administrator at school, I have been involved in various grassroots community based activities to support women and children. More specifically, I have initiated a small community based organization titled ‘’United for Change’’ with like-minded volunteers and supporters whose aim is to support women in agriculture and girls in school.  At a broader level it aims to empower women at the mostly basic level; helping them earn and save money so that they are financially independent to decide what type of life they want and thus have freedom to live their life on their own terms. In past four years, ‘’United for Change’’ has received a lot of support and recognition from community and has increased in its reach to help poor rural women in areas adjoining Bahawalpur.
Since public service is my passion, therefore, I enjoy every single day to help people around me. And in this process I have formed a connection with these people.  I look forward to keep working like this and make furt5her positive changes within my community and increase its reach beyond peripheries of my city.

Max Warburg Courage Institute

July 20, 2012

On 20^th of July, 2012 we went to Max Warburg Courage Institute which is a service initiated in memory of Max Warburg with aim to strengthen the character development and literacy skills of students. The program empowers children to discover, and then recognize, the role of courage in the lives of the characters they read about, in the lives of those around them, and in their own lives – past, present and future.

Also, Max Warburg Courage Curriculum, Inc. has additional aims which include but are not limited to the following. Train and support teachers in their use of the curriculum to improve their own instruction, while meeting state mandated requirements, Create opportunities for interactive and one-on-one dialogue between students and teachers, students and family members, and students and their peers, Improve the reading, writing and critical thinking skills of students and Engage and inspire students, particularly urban children, to make meaningful connections with literature.

I believe that it is one of the best ways to honor someone who had courage to fight in face of so many problems. I want to teach my students same courage to follow max’s example and implement it at every point in life. It is perfect example which we all should follow to get through successfully in every problem we face in life.

I want to share this story with my fellow community men so that they also try to honor people the same way in which max’s parents did. It is ongoing process to improve lives of millions of people through most powerful too which is education. Also training and supporting teachers is of extreme importance, therefore, I would also encourage rest of the teachers back home especially in my community to follow and implement some aspects of max curriculum.

Lastly, I intend to organize same sort of story writing competitions on community level and may be inter regional so that to inculcate reading and writing habits in students to make them more competitive.

I believe Max’s story is source of courage and inspiration for all of us which I would want everyone to follow especially my students and even my own self.

A Trip To Remember…..

Trip to Washington was surely one of the most exciting trips of my life, filled with plenty of pleasant surprises. Before I left for Washington, everyone told me that it would be an awesome trip but when I went there, I realized that it was definitely very interesting both from educational point of view and from shopping/ fun perspective.

First day I went to trolley tour to monuments. Washington, DC is a city of monuments and memorials. And it is considered historically, politically and culturally an important place. Memorials and monuments which I visited are mentioned below.

Second day I went to state department where I had chance to discuss and share our reflection  for PELI and all other pedagogical skills or teaching techniques that I have learnt in US. I also had a chance to share many different aspects of culture, education and commonalities amongst Pakistanis and Americans. Also, I received our PELI certificates for successful completion of the training. It was very informative and exciting to visit state department and to learn about its functioning as well.

I enjoyed a lot when we went to Smithsonian Institute.  The Smithsonian Institution—the world's largest museum and research complex—includes 19 museums and galleries and the National Zoological Park. Unfortunately, I only had limited time so I went to Freer Gallery of Art, Air and Space Museum and Natural History Museum. I took a lot of pictures of museums to show them to my peers, family and of course my students back home. I believe it would be quite informative for my students to look at pictures and videos of museums and to appreciate the importance of historical and cultural preservation.

Also, I went to The Dallas Islamic Center where we were briefed about its working, funding and goals. I offered prayer and opened fast. It was interesting to see that Muslim community in US has freedom to observe and preach their religion and live life freely along with freedom of expression they enjoy.

Third day I had a chance to go to Senate office and we met US Senator Jeanne Shaheen’s staff. I discussed my US trip and the learning experiences. Also, I had a chance to voice my concerns regarding different educational and non-educational issues faced by Pakistan and I gave few recommendations for improvement and/or further enhancement of certain aspects of educational training programs like PELI.
I also went to Pakistan’s Embassy in Washington.  We met director of foreign affairs and our ambassador, Sherry Rehman.  We discussed several issues faced by Pakistan, Pak-US relations and good/bad things for Muslim community in US.

On the last day, I went to ‘’Voice of America’’ office. We were briefed about the history, functioning and all the rest information about working and broadcasting of various programs of VOA. It was quite interesting to see the state-of-the-art technology for reporting facts and news to global listeners and audience. It helped me gain an insider view of journalists and their work which made me feel good about accuracy, timeliness, integrity and truthfulness which many mass communication companies like ‘Voice of America’’ follow.

Later that day I went to ‘’ The Old Post Office Pavilion’’ and its 315 foot Clock Tower gave us opportunity to enjoy sweeping 360 degree view of Washington DC and all the important monuments.

Overall, I would say that Washington trip is and would remain one of the most enjoyable trips I ever had. I already feel nostalgic about it. And how can I forget to mention the famous ‘’Kabob Palace’’ which offers the best halal food with exquisite taste. It was just two minutes’ walk from our hotel in crystal city. Lastly, some experiences ion life enrich us and enhance our knowledge in more than one ways and Washington trip was one of those unique experiences for me.