Public speaking is not a skill that comes naturally to me. Therefore, as a teacher I put a lot of work into lesson planning and feeling prepared to explain concepts and instructions. Plans always change, though (especially in India!) and it’s exciting when I’m able to navigate the unexpected to achieve a productive, engaging class.

When Ilana and I began teaching at APRS in August we had a roster of 15 boys. That number dropped to around 9 after Ramzan, so we admitted a few more students and, over the course of three overnight stays in Nalgonda, we proceeded rapidly with the new crew. Two weeks ago all of the post-Ramzan absentees re-appeared at school, and the size of our class began to swell toward 25. A very rowdy 25. After one rough class with regard to attention spans and technical difficulties, Ilana and I decided to switch tacks. We planned to pause on tech skills the next day by introducing our photo writing exercises and possibly some interviewing skills.

When we arrived and the usual pre-class crowd of boys began to cluster around Ilana at the computer, I watched Kaisar saunter coolly into the room sporting movie-star sunglasses. A light bulb flashed on in my mind. Kaisar’s apparel presented a perfect access point for introducing interviewing: a mock press conference with a Tollywood celebrity!

After a few successful rounds of photo writing (we’ll share examples another day!) we asked the boys what they knew about interviews. I wrote the words, “who, what, where, when, why, how” on the board and asked for examples of questions beginning with those words. Then we explained the way press conferences work, set the stage for Kaisar’s appearance, and took action. Kaisar maneuvered the spotlight like a pro, puffing his chest up and adopting the persona of his favorite actor, “Prabhas.”

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/16998958]

Seeing all of the boys focused on the same activity and jumping up to participate made me feel successful not only at charting unplanned classroom waters, but also in my overall purpose for teaching. I work with youth with the goal of stimulating critical thinking. Breaking that down into less adult-ish language: I want to help kids ask questions—about themselves, about others, and about the world. The press conference with Prabhas felt like our students’ first recognition of the excitement and power of asking questions. To double the excitement, we’ve also broken ground on asking questions with the Railway girls, which Ilana will tell you about in another post very shortly!

Can you see a resemblance?