Two batches up and running, now for a trainer

Two batches of classes are now up and running. As expected, the second batch of the computer class finally filled up this week. There were quite a few people who 'tried' the class last week, but now I have 12 students in this class who are committed to learning. A majority of people in the second class seem to have some prior experience with computers, but there are also complete novices; thus, there is a complete mismatch in the pace at which the two groups understand concepts and complete exercises. To account for this, I've allocated two optional hours outside of class where students can come and complete exercises from class. As recommended by fellow GDLers, I will be working on formally providing extra opportunities for the students to a) gain confidence, for example, through teaching a concept to the class and b) understand the "why" behind things, rather than simply "how".

Another change is the formal appointment of one of my students from the evening batch (the first batch) as a Teaching Assistant for the morning batch. This should hopefully be a beneficial relationship to both: 1) the student gets his fees waived, which he actually needed in order to take the class and 2) there are now two people in the room to address the queries of all 12 students

The other major effort for this week is to find a permanent trainer to take over the class. Before the class had started, I had advertised in the newspaper for one, but to no avail. This time around, I spread it through word of mouth, and already had two candidates come to interview. After speaking to a couple of principals from different schools, the most effective way still seems to be a newspaper ad. This time around, the qualification requirements are more realistic, and I’m asking for applications to be mailed in, so that we can make an offer according to the candidate’s profile.