Shree Dayanand Junior High School

Out on Balua Road in Sarnath, you’ll find Shree Dayanand Junior High School. It’s a sturdy building, though the sun has faded the paint over the years. We get a lot of students from around this part of Varanasi. The walk to school is a bit long for some, but they show up every day. We have desks that have been used by many older brothers and sisters before the current batch of kids got them. There’s a bit of noise from the road, but inside, everyone is usually focused on their lessons. We don't have many fancy gadgets. Most of the teaching happens with chalk and blackboards. It works for us. During the lunch break, the yard is full of energy. We’ve got some trees that provide a bit of shade when it's really bright out. The teachers here are local people who care about how the kids are doing. We don’t make big promises, we just show up and teach. Sometimes the electricity goes out and we just open the windows wider. That’s life here. We’ve been part of the Sarnath area for quite some time now. People know where we are if they need to ask about their child’s progress. It’s a straightforward school with regular people trying to do a good job for the kids in our community. We keep things moving and make sure the kids have what they need for their classes. It is just our way of life.