Shiksha High School

Being in Shivbari, we are used to the Bikaner heat. Shiksha High School is situated right in the middle of things here. Every morning, the gates open and the kids start trickling in from the nearby streets. Some come on cycles, others walk with their heavy bags. The building itself is straightforward. We have classrooms that get plenty of sunlight, which is good in the winter but a bit much in May. Our teachers are local folks who have been teaching for years. They know the families around here. It’s not a quiet place. There is always someone running in the hallway or a teacher calling out for a missing notebook. We spend our afternoons grading papers and planning what to do for the next day. The walls have some paint peeling here and there, but that’s just how it is with old buildings in this part of Rajasthan. We try to keep the water coolers filled because everyone gets thirsty pretty quick. There isn’t any big corporate office behind us. It’s just a handful of us making sure the school runs. We have a small yard where the students play during their break. It’s a bit cramped when everyone is out at once, but they don't seem to mind. We just keep at it, day after day, trying to get through the syllabus and making sure the kids learn something useful before they head home to their families in the evening.