RightStart, our annual teacher training program was conducted from May 22nd to 26th 2025 at IIT Madras.

RightStart 2025

Rightstart is Asha’s annual teacher training program, bringing together educators from all our locations for a five-day event at IIT Madras. It’s a chance for teachers to learn, grow, and connect while participating in engaging training sessions. For new teachers, it’s an introduction to the larger Asha family and an opportunity to build meaningful bonds. The event concludes with a lively closing-day celebration, making it a memorable experience for everyone.

You may view the photos here.

Organizing

Asha has been holding this event at IIT Madras almost every year since its inception in 2003! IIT Madras granted us the permission to hold it in their campus this year as well. With more than 150 teachers and staff attending the event, many travel from locations outside Chennai. This necessitates the use of hostels for the teachers and staff to stay over. Since the students were vacating the hostels only by 19 May, we planned for the event to be held from 22-26 May, 2025.

We booked for the teachers to stay at the student hostels, men at the Krishna hostel and women at the Swarnamukhi hostel. Breakfast and dinner were organized at the IIT mess and lunch for all was organized at the training hall. This year 127 women and 19 men stayed back at the hostels. Other teachers and staff travelled to and from their respective locations during the period.

Like the last few years, the sessions themselves were conducted at the Vanavani school auditorium inside the IITM campus. Here is the list of sessions that were scheduled for the 5-day event:

Day 1 & 2 – Math Session by Ms. Meena Suresh and Ms. Kalavathi

Ms. Meena Suresh has been training Asha teachers for several years, making a significant impact on their development. She has been an integral part of our Rightstart events since 2014, earning the trust and appreciation of our teachers. Her engaging training sessions have fostered a strong rapport with our teachers, who find her methods both effective and approachable. Due to the success of her training techniques, she remains a valued and regular presence at Asha trainings.

The two-day session by Meena Mam focused on key mathematical concepts and effective teaching methodologies. The training covered fundamental topics such as shapes, numbers, place value, and the four basic operations. Teachers were guided through common mistakes teachers typically make while teaching these topics and strategies to address them effectively.

Additionally, the sessions delved into upper primary-level topics, including fractions, the Pythagorean theorem, LCM and HCF, as well as rational and irrational numbers. Through interactive discussions and problem-solving exercises, participants gained valuable insights into making math more engaging and accessible for students.

The training equipped teachers with practical approaches to enhance their teaching, ensuring a stronger understanding of mathematical concepts among learners.

Day 3 – Science session by Ms. Purva Bhatter

Ms. Purva has been a dedicated trainer with a long-standing association with Asha teachers. She has traveled to our projects in Thoothukudi, actively contributing to the training and development of Asha teachers.

A 1.5-day training session, engaging teachers in hands-on science experiments and interactive learning was conducted by Ms. Purva. The session began with ten experiments, including studies on pendulum mass and length, as well as measuring leaf length using a Vernier caliper with each group consisting of five members. Participants carefully observed each experiment and documented their findings.

In the afternoon, teachers were assigned a task to create a project in Scratch based on the experiments. Group sizes were adjusted, with a maximum of eight members per team. The next morning, teachers presented their projects, and all participants took part in evaluating them. At the end of the session, three outstanding projects were recognized and awarded prizes.

Day 4 – Stress Management by Ms. Manimegalai

Ms. Manimegalai conducted an engaging stress management session, beginning with fun activities to set a positive tone. She introduced the concept of stress, its impact, and effective ways to manage it, ensuring interactive participation from the teachers.

During the session, she explained different types of stress and various techniques for relieving it. To make the learning experience practical, she introduced a newspaper activity designed to help release stress. She also played music and guided participants to follow movements from a video, creating an enjoyable and relaxing environment.

The session provided teachers with valuable tools to manage stress effectively, both in their personal lives and classrooms.

Day 5 – Karadipath by Ms. Preetika Venkatakrishnan

The Karadi Path team, consisting of six members—Mr. Arokiya Selvaraj, Ms. Aswini, Ms. Prithika,Mr. Siddharth, Mr. Poovarasan, and Mr. Dhilipan—conducted an engaging and interactive training session for teachers.

Ms. Preetika Venkatakrishnan ,COO & Head of Innovation at Karadi Path Education Company led the session, beginning with fun tongue twisters to help teachers improve articulation and pronunciation. Mr. Siddharth then introduced an open-ended story through mime, encouraging teachers to explore multiple possible endings. This exercise was aimed at developing creativity and storytelling skills.

The session concluded with a lively Music Path activity, where Ms. Prithika guided all the teachers through an immersive experience. Additionally, the Karadi Path team shared valuable insights on using imagination in storytelling to enhance student engagement.

Day 5 – Closing Ceremony

The valedictory ceremony at the end of Rightstart is a showcase of talent, where teachers take the stage to sing, dance, and act with enthusiasm. Having prepared for weeks, they seize this opportunity to unwind, celebrate, and express their creativity.

Beyond the performances, the closing ceremony holds special significance for Asha, as it honors teachers and staff who have dedicated five or more years to the organization. Long service awards are presented to employees who have reached milestones of 5, 10, 15, and 20 years, recognizing their invaluable contributions.

This year, two staff members marked 20 years with Asha, one celebrated 15 years, three completed 10 years, and 19 reached the five-year milestone. Their dedication fills us with immense pride, and we are grateful to have such committed individuals as part of our team.

Beyond the Training

After a day of engaging training sessions, our teachers took some time in the evenings to explore the local sights. They visited serene beaches and the Velankani church, enjoying moments of relaxation and fun.