Sri Saraswathi Vidyamandir High School

Sri Saraswathi Vidyamandir High School is located in Magadi, which is part of Ramanagara. If you know the area, you know it’s famous for silk and hills, but for us, it’s just where we work every day. The school is a high school, so we deal with teenagers who are mostly thinking about their next cricket match or their exams. The building is tucked away a bit and has a courtyard in the middle. We have a few trees that give some shade during the afternoon break. Our classrooms are plain, with desks that have been scribbled on by generations of students. We spend a lot of time on the basics, making sure everyone can do their sums and write their Kannada and English properly. The staff room is always a bit messy with piles of notebooks waiting to be corrected. We don't have a big budget for fancy things, so we make do with what we have. Sometimes the parents come in to talk about their kids, and we sit on the old wooden chairs and have a serious chat. It’s an honest sort of place. We don't try to pretend we are something we are not. We just want to make sure the students pass their tenth standard and have a chance at a good life. It’s a lot of routine, but it’s important work for the town. We've been part of this community for quite a few years now and it feels right.