Ms. Tanuka
Ms. Tanuka Mukherjee is from Kolkata, known as the city of joy. She is an arts graduate and holds an advanced computer science diploma in systems management. She has extensive teaching and social work experience through renowned NGOs. In August 2021, Tanuka joined Commit-2-Change, Inc. and began teaching girls from Bangladesh. She teaches English and Computer Science and also serves as a counselor.
Tanuka’s mother and many members of her extended family were teachers or professors, so a love of teaching was instilled in her from an early age. When she was studying for her arts degree, she was admitted into a two-year diploma course in computers. Her fascination and aptitude with computers led to the start of her own career teaching computer science at a renowned school near her home.
Tanuka was the only teacher whose background consisted of a combination of arts and technology, and she enjoys dismantling the myth that science students are only good in technical studies. “I am lucky enough that throughout my career, I could prove myself as a good teacher in both humanities and computers,” she says.
After years of teaching in different schools, Tanuka wanted to join an NGO where she could work with underprivileged students. In various NGOs, she worked as a counselor and handled school-related functions like fundraising.
But since teaching is her passion, she was very happy to join C2C and return to teaching English and computers. “This is the place which fulfills all the criteria I love to work for,” she says, “An NGO, teaching, and counseling.”
In her work with C2C students, Tanuka understands that most of the girls are first-generation learners from underprivileged childhoods. As they often lack the confidence and conviction to change their lives, she uses teaching devices like dramatics, recitation, and debate to encourage the students to engage with each other and aspire for their true place in the world.
She recalls the first time she was teaching in Bangladesh, when there was a “pin drop silence” as she started talking to the students in English. “Nobody was participating, and when I started talking in their mother tongue, they were so relieved,” she says. “English was a nightmare for them, and they believed this could not be overcome. My maximum challenge was to remove that fear from their mind.”
Tanuka allays the students’ fear of learning a new language by having them converse with each other in English. She reports that after a year and a half of taking classes, the students are good at reading, practicing “thoughts of the day” in assembly, and even performing dramas in English.
“I am amazed by their performances,” she says. “There are so many girls who are opening up, communicating nicely and breaking the fear of the English language. One of them is Ankhi of class X. She was very quiet, shy and did not respond in the classes. I told her that she has to be the anchor of the drama which they are going to perform. At first, she was skeptical, but afterward, she surprised everybody with her beautiful performance…After the drama, I found her to be the most responsive and confident girl in the class. It was a transformation from a cocoon to a butterfly. Every moment, they are moving forward one step further for a better future.”
At C2C, Tanuka is also responsible for creating the English curriculum along with worksheets for classes 1 to 12. In her computer classes, she focuses on teaching practical applications through games and animation. Additionally, she assists in training new C2C teachers.
Tanuka also serves as a counselor for senior girls, an important part of her job that she also likes the most. Through one-on-one interactions, she learns more about the trauma and hardship the girls have experienced. With patience and compassion, she tries to alleviate their pain and help them discover the strength to move forward. She says that this role is as much a transformative experience for her as for the girls.
Tanuka’s multifaceted job has its own challenges, as creating an impact on her students can be very difficult. She reports they often seem to be indifferent and unresponsive, but as she continues her efforts, she begins to see changes in the girls. Her teaching is like drops of water shaping solid rocks, as the girls gradually open up and become more communicative and confident. Eventually, she knows that they are ready to face the outside world on their own.
“This is like witnessing a flower blooming day by day in front of your eyes,” she says. “I am happy for them that they start believing in themselves, and I am sure they will come up with flying colors.”
Tanuka’s love for teaching and her students is reciprocated. The school’s headmistress told her the girls enjoy her C2C classes so much they never want to be absent, even if they are ill.
Every day, Tanuka tries to be a window to the world for her students. She encourages them to emulate good manners, behaviors and, above all, to find the resilience to stand up again after losing all hope.