Shristi Higher Secondary School

Our school is over in Gogaon, which is part of the Raipur area in Chhattisgarh. It is a higher secondary school, so we have students of all different ages running around. The building is a solid structure that has seen a lot of students pass through its doors over the seasons. Raipur can get incredibly hot, so we have plenty of windows to let the breeze through, though sometimes it just lets the dust in too. The playground is a big open space where the kids spend their energy during recess. We have a staff room where the teachers gather to grade papers and share snacks. It’s not a place with shiny new gadgets in every corner. We use blackboards and chalk mostly. The administrative office is always full of stacks of paper and old registers that we have to keep track of. People from the Gogaon neighborhood know us well. We don't go around putting up big billboards to get attention. We just open the gates every morning and stay until the last student goes home. The road outside can get a bit congested during drop-off and pick-up times, but that is just part of the daily routine here. We have some trees planted around the boundary wall, and they provide a bit of shade for the parents waiting outside. It’s a straightforward school where we just stick to the basics of teaching and looking after the kids.