Super at 40

My name is Sanjeev Kumarhellip I am taking online mathematics classes for 3500plus students free of costThis message has been circulating on various WhatsApp groups of Indian students in the country and outside through the lockdown Kumar who teaches at Kendriya Vidyalaya in Bhatinda Punjab says the requests to join his sessions have only grown since April and they are pouring in from as far as Kenya Nepal Malaysia and the UAE The teacher is clear that he is doing this for the greater goodAustralia has Eddie Woo we have him Kumar would of course balk at the comparison He says hersquos simply sharing his love for math with the world a world in which kids are struggling outside schools and adjusting to online learning while locked in their homesAfter completing a post graduate degree in mathematics he pursued a BEd and an MPhil in mathematics But teaching was never on the cards ldquoAll I wanted was to land a simple job and earn a livingrdquo But his first job was at a private school in 2002 and as he spent more time in the classroom he realised teaching was his passionKumar 43 whose wife is also a teacher has been with Kendriya Vidyalaya since 2014 Most of his students come from lower middle class families and its them that the lockdown hit the hardest While the betteroff kids could afford private coaching while school was shut Kumar worried for the less fortunate in his classAnd then came a blessing called Zoom When Kumar learned of the app he decided hersquod join the bandwagon ldquoFor the first nine days I invited my family members and friends to join me on Zoom calls I asked for their feedback Were they able to understand all the concepts Was I audible Could they see the whiteboard clearly Once I got a goahead I launched my first online math class on March 29 2020rdquo he says On the first day only 50 students signed up But things would change in a matter of hours Word spread and he had 359 students the next day ldquoNow my worry was how will I cater to them allrdquoKumar decided to divide them into batchesmdashfrom Class VIII to XI each class lasting 45 minutes In six days he crossed the 700students mark ldquoUnlike now back then no government teacher was holding online classes But I subscribed to a Zoom business plan worth R17000 per month so I could accommodate more studentsrdquo he addsHis next investment was an iPad worth Rs 70000 ldquoI started drawing cartoons and showing videos and animation on the device This way learning got easier A lot of people who had heard about my work offered to pay but I politely declined I canrsquot charge my studentsrdquo says Kumar who considers his R70000 monthly government salary a ldquohandsome amountrdquo ldquoMy wife earns about the same amount and we have a house of our own We are comfortable I donrsquot see a point in making money when the world is in crisisrdquo Kumar spends Rs 20000 every month on the venture subscribing to Zoomrsquos business plan and also paying the salaries of two assistants who handle the recording gadgets ldquoI was drawn towards social work since I was in college Here is my chance to do it againrdquo he says ldquoMost teachers enjoy a siesta after school I prefer taking a free classrdquoSign upYou can register for Kumarrsquos classes on 9464387372 free of cost You will receive two video links to take you through the registration process Classes are held from Monday to Saturday