Our Instructors

Sanjyot Tatke, Master Teacher and Lead Instructor

Sanjyot Tatke, an experienced Hindi teacher, has been associated with STARTALK students programs since 2011. After receiving STARTALK Teachers Training at Kean University she served as an instructor at YHS STARTALK since 2011 and SANGAM-FRANKLIN STARTALK programs. Sanjyot is a team player who coordinates professional development workshops for all teachers and collaborate for developing classroom material including activities and worksheets for students in the target language. In the past years Sanjyot attended a number of STARTALK conferences and workshops where she learned new teaching strategies to share with her team. In 2019 she led a team of instructors at the STARTALK regional workshop at College Park, MD. Sanjyot is also serving as the Treasurer, Yuva Hindi Sansthan.

Sandhya Bhagat, Master Teacher

Sandhya Bhagat is a Master Teacher of Hindi who has so far taught at 16 STARTALK students' programs held in Atlanta, Delaware, Lansdale, PA and Franklin Township, NJ. She has been associated with Yuva Hindi Sansthan since 2014 and with SANGAM-FRANKLIN STARTALK programs since 2016. Her forte is theatrical activities for Hindi learners. She uses interactive methods, such as, role play, modeling, remodeling, and enactments in her teaching. She directs her own theater group called, “Dhoop Chhaon" (Sun Shade) in Atlanta, GA and writes poetry and stage plays.

Akila Sekhar, Cultural Instructor

Akila Sekhar serves as YHS Secretary. She has been associated with Yuva Hindi Sansthan and Hindi Sangam Foundation programs as a Cultural Coach and Associate Teacher for the past five years. Akila is a great organizer of events and a team player who helps organize Annual Hindi Diwas and reunion events in addition to STARTALK programs successfully.

Anju Rai, Instructor

Anju Rai joined Sangam-Franklin STARTALK HINDI Program in 2019 as an instructor for heritage learners, grades 5-8. She easily develops close bond with her co-teachers and a productive relationship with her students. She says, “I design activities that engage learners in the class as they produce new language. I take extra care providing differentiated teaching for needy students. My strategies for effective teaching are based on STARTALK sponsored principles. I provide comprehensible input in Hindi and move on to guiding students through varieties of activities in the three modes of communication. While engaging my students in performance activities I keep in mind to provide information in chunks, scaffold language input and move on to Gradual Release of Responsibility.” Anju received her teachers training at Kean University in 2015.

Sangeeta Jain, Instructor

Sangeeta Jain joined SANGAM-FRANKLIN STARTALK HINDI PROGRAM in 2018. After completing her STARTALK NYU teacher training program in 2012 she worked as an assistant teacher at West Windsor STARTALK Hindi Program from 2012 to 2015 and as a Classroom Teacher at Kranti Hindi Kendra STARTALK program in 2015. She did her OPI workshop from Columbia University in 2012 and the Foreign Language Proficiency Testing Service at NYU in 2013. Well versed in STARTALK principles of effective teaching and learning, Sangeeta implements her daily learning plans with comprehensible input and moves on to guiding students through a variety of activities in the three modes of communication. “While engaging my students in performance activities I provide information in chunks, scaffold language input and use the Gradual Release of Responsibility model as my teaching strategies”, she says. “I use 100% target language during instructions and apply total physical response while working with young learners to improve their proficiency. While developing my learning templates, I integrate content with culture and technology.”

Soma Vyas, Instructor

Soma Vyas, an enthusiastic instructor, facilitates a number of activities for learners including daily Yoga and classroom assessments. She joined SANGAM-FRANKLIN STARTALK Hindi Program in 2019, where she helped heritage and non-heritage students perform daily activities and tasks in order to meet program and lesson goals.

Seema Vashisht

Seema Vashisht is an experienced teacher of Hindi. In 2019 she joined YHS STARTALK Hindi Program in North Wales, PA and SANGAM-FRANKLIN STARTALK HINDI PROGRAM, Franklin Township, NJ. " As a teacher I helped young learners engage in varieties of performance activities in the three modes of communication. As I helped improve their proficiency in Hindi I learned to modify my teaching strategies”, she says. She effectively applies the STARTALK principles and ACTFL guidelines in her classroom teaching.

Avani Shah, Technology Instructor

Avani Shah, a NYU trained STARTALK teacher, joined SANGAM-FRANKLIN Summer Program as the Technology Instructor in 2019. Her forte is integrating technology in the learning process to provide a rich environment and varied experience for learners. She manages computer sessions for students and administers computer based tests, such as, AAPPL testings.