My Second School

Down here in Mayiladi, things move a bit slower than in the big cities. My Second School is a small place tucked away in this part of Kanyakumari. We call it "My Second School" because we want it to feel like a second home for the kids who come here, though it’s still a place for work and study. It’s a modest building, surrounded by a bit of greenery which is nice when the sun is out. Most of the kids who come here live within walking distance, so we know their parents and even their grandparents quite well. We don’t have a big fancy office or a receptionist; usually, if you walk in, you’ll just find one of us sitting at a wooden desk near the entrance. The classrooms are simple with wooden benches that have been used by many students over the years. We spend our days teaching the kids how to read and write and handle their sums. There’s a lot of laughter during the breaks, and sometimes a bit of shouting when they get too excited during a game. It’s not a perfect place, and sometimes we run out of chalk or the roof leaks a tiny bit when the monsoon hits hard, but we deal with it as it comes. It’s just a local school doing its bit for the children around Mayiladi.