21 February 2012

During the second (activities) half of today's class, I wanted to introduce a game that required a ball. Since no one in the class had brought one along, we had to figure out a way to make one of our own. Below, Suresh looks on as Rahul solves our dilemma by wrapping a wad of Santosh's notebook paper with tape.

The game itself went like this: one student would start, and throw the ball to a classmate of her choice. (She would also say the friend's name.) This classmate would throw it to another person of her choice, who had not yet received the ball. After all the students had received the ball, we had to reverse the order of receipt; i.e. if Sunaina threw it to me, I would give it back to her, she would then pass it to whomever threw it to her. Thus, the second half of the game is quite a memory test.

The students definitely found it challenging at first (one reason was because "Ratna Didi" was such a common recipient of the ball that she found it hard to remember who had thrown it to her in what order -- this was the reason for implementation of the rule italicized above). We played a few rounds where no one could remember who had thrown the ball to someone, so we had to start over. A lot of the students wanted to switch games, but I challenged them to put their heads together and persist until we had completed the game successfully once.

When we finally did (on our fifth try, I believe), there ensued the laughter and applause pictured below.

After this game, the students were starting to get a bit distracted and chatty, so I dismissed them to go blow off some steam in the park.

"What is wisdom?"

During class today, I took the third graders outside for a breakout session. Manisha and Sapna had requested yesterday that I teach their class something, and after debating between English and Environmental Science for a while I decided instead to talk to the students about something completely different -- wisdom.

Wisdom, or "gyaan" (ज्ञान), is the first word of our school's name ("Wisdom House"), and I think it's very important for students to understand the different between knowledge and wisdom. So this is what we talked about today. You can see the beginning of our conversation by watching this video.

I then asked them a question to get them thinking -- "If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?" -- knowing fully well that we would soon get off-topic in a way that would allow me to work with them in a counseling capacity. Sure enough, we got from reform to who-beats-up-whom-in-school, and I had two quarreling young citizens do a role play activity to examine how they could better settle their differences.

When it became clear that a little skit probably wouldn't be enough to make a lasting difference for Sunaina and Santosh, I dismissed the rest of the group and had a chat with the two of them and their "mediator" friend Divya. What came out in the talk was that Santosh thinks it's funny to hit Sunaina as a joke, and Sunaina retaliates by cursing him out and saying really hurtful things about him. I believe we made some good progress today (Sunaina apologized and Santosh accepted, though with some hesitation; Santosh promised to find better ways of having fun with his friends and ensuring that they are enjoying his games too, Divya is going to help them both keep track of their goals, etc.) and the three left happy. What is so rewarding about this process is that by the end of it, I may have prevented these two kids from growing up into a physically abusive husband/father and a verbally abusive wife/mother. That's what I love about working with children -- one has a chance to guide them while they are open-minded and pure.

When I tried to take a photo with these three, the rest of the class of course jumped in, and here was the result:

Since the other students had now been let out of class, we played a massive game of Duck, Duck, Goose in the park before some of the children had to go home. I brought the remaining students back inside to play Follow the Leader. But when we came inside, Miss Gurpreet told me that some of the neighbors had been complaining about the noise level during our class periods. I gave the students a grave lecture about how it was of the utmost importance that we play our game quietly today if we want to be allowed to meet for our daily program.

What happened next blew my mind. The students tiptoed up the stairs, snuck into the innermost classroom, and sat down, quiet as mice. I can't believe these were the same students I had had to chide about "talking while others are talking" this morning. The students who usually cause the most ruckus became the arbiters of the peace. The volume threshold was several decibels below what would have been more than decent under the circumstances. If anyone talked above a whisper, he/she was harshly admonished by his/her peers. It was incredible. Kids can be quiet!

It's little things like this that I call progress, and that give me so much joy that I never want to leave here.

17 February 2012

Ah! I looked at the site and noticed that my post for last Friday disappeared! To recap, here is what we did in class:

Since Miss Ritu will be out of town for the next few weeks, I worked with the older students today as Miss Gurpreet taught the younger ones. Vandna had been struggling with English verb tenses yesterday and reviewed them with Miss Gurpreet, so I suggested that she teach them to me today for her review purposes . . . and my grammatical edification.

During the second half of class, I played a number of games with the little ones, focusing on honesty. If a student made a mistake and was "out," she would have to admit this on his own and leave the game voluntarily.

From this play we branched out to a broader discussion about the importance of admitting one's mistakes and asking forgiveness.

Meet Manisha.

"She's a girl," they snickered.

I asked everyone in the class to tell me something that others might not know about them. "She's a girl -- even though she has no hair." There was a bandana tied around her head. I hadn't asked.

After class: "I'd like to talk to Manisha for a minute." She had a painfully beautiful smile, but she'd always been shy. Why would a child open up to a stranger?

"So, your hair." She nodded. "The boys make fun of your hair. How do you feel?" Didi, I feel sad. "Yeah, I felt bad when they did that, too. But you know what? We can't change them. But I think you're sooo pretty. We can't change them, but you can think about how pretty you are. My friends make fun of my short hair too!" Didi, I feel sad but I tell them it doesn't make a difference to me. Didi, when something hurts me, I never tell anyone. Like Didi, when I get a boo-boo or something, I don't even tell my parents, because I don't want them to worry about me. "But Manisha, you can tell me. I won't worry, okay? I'll just try to figure out what we can do to help you."  

You know, I don't tell anyone when something bothers me, but whenever something bothers me, God fixes it. "But Manisha, that's wonderful! How does he fix it?" When there is danger somewhere or there is about to be an accident, he doesn't let me go there. Like one day, my mother's brother was really angry at her. He beat her so much! He picked her up by her neck and threw her across the room. Her entire face was swollen the next day. But my mom had told me just before that to go do the dishes. I did the dishes and went downstairs when the danger was gone! And when I think about how I'm bald, my hair always grows back so fast!

Didi, I really like you. "Manisha, that's so swee--" Didi, you like me a lot too, right? "Of course, Manisha! How did you know?" I can see it on your face, Didi! You always smile and remain so happy. "Not always, Manisha, but I'm happy when I'm with you guys!" You like being with us, don't you, Didi? I like being with my friends, too. If I had it my way, I would always study and spend time with my friends. I like being with my friends instead of alone washing dishes in the kitchen. Even when I study alone, I feel so nervous and unhappy, but studying with friends, Didi . . . ahhh.

Didi, I'm really glad you thought of me. "What do you mean, Manisha?" You didn't ask about my hair! I was so afraid you would. I'm always a little bit afraid when I talk to you. Look, I'm afraid now too. Look, my knees are shaking! I'm always afraid you're going to ask me a question I don't know the answer to, and then what will you think of me? "Manisha! I won't think anything! There are so many questions I don't know the answers to! When my teachers or friends ask me, I just tell them straight away -- I don't know!"

"And look, you taught me the best thing ever today! That even when you don't share your grief with others, God helps you! I'm going to remember that from now on! God will always find a solution for me and you." No, Didi, God will always find a solution for everybody.

15 February 2012

I'm so excited to be back in Ludhiana and back at Gyaan Ghar!

I caught some students as they were leaving class today, and look forward to meeting them all tomorrow.

I headed up to the classrooms and settled in for an informal meeting with our two teachers, Ritu and Gurpreet. The two seem pleased with the children's overall progress in this past year, and we discussed some students who will need more support. We also discussed briefly some ways in which we can combat families' tendency to stress education of their boys more than that of their girl children.

Most notably, we will be introducing a new program called Sisters' Circle. (In fact, Gyaan Ghar was originally designed to be a school exclusively for girls, to address the disparaging attitude toward education of girls prevalent in economically weak Indian households. However, we made the decision in 2010 that girls should learn to operate in a world where women and men study and work side-by-side, and therefore made the learning center co-educational.) From now on, Gyaan Ghar girls will gather once a week to discuss how to be successful in this environment.

As I sign off for today, I'd encourage you to look around our new and improved website!

Landmarks

Gyaan Ghar students just marked the end of their first semester in a party of plentiful performances and prizes.

The classes also celebrated Lohri, and each child received a pair of woolen socks for this wintry season!

They all congratulated their colleague Vandna, who is the first Gyaan Ghar student in the 10th standard (grade), and just cleared her first semester exams. Thank you for being such a great role model, Vandna!

--

It is because of supporters like you that our students are able to enjoy these ceremonies and festivities, which seem so commonplace to students in the US, but are actually very unusual and exciting for students of this background in India. You'd be astounded to know how far a dollar goes. Just $20 can fund the awards and refreshments for an event like this. I did the math today, and one kid's Flint Hill tuition for 2 weeks is roughly equal to 50 kids' Gyaan Ghar tuition for a year -- I think this is incredible, and I thank you all for your constant support.

Gyaan Ghar students bid Papa farewell!

Letter from Papa -- "Best school in the world!"

Dear Ratna,

The kids are on vacation but come every day. The ambiance of the early morning class in the park was heavenly - I got the same feeling as I get when I drop you early mornings at Flint Hill.

You may not have been here for a while, but they are sitting in this park, and enjoying what very few kids in India are able to experience, because of YOU.

Love,
Papa

To Gyaan Ghar's supporters, this message applies equally to you. 54 students from underprivileged backgrounds in a small industrial town across the world are enjoying an enriching extracurricular education with your encouragement and support. Thank you so much.

Letter from Papa -- "Your kids are so precious!"

Good morning! - though it is still 4:30 am your time when I write this.

Just spent 20 minutes talking to about 10 of your kids - a few more than those you see in the picture. They are simply amazing! Tremendous confidence, joie de vivre, enthusiasm to learn, and positive energy. I felt totally rejuvenated after the interaction. They asked a lot about you, and when I showed them a few group photos on my BlackBerry with you in them, they made it a game to see who is first able to find you on the small screen.

Have a blessed, awesome day.

Loves,
Your Poppy

We now have a twitter -- please follow us!

Multi-cultured Masterminds

In the month of November, students were given a research project focused on promoting leadership, honing public speaking skills, and encouraging diversity.

Each child was to select as her topic either Abdul Kalam, Jawaharlal Nehru, or Guru Nanak, and write a piece on the figure, to be presented to the class.

After sharing their first drafts, students explored the process of revising their writing by taking their essays back home, having received suggestions on both content and presentation, to brush them up a bit.


Final drafts will be presented in December.

In selecting the research topics, Gyaan Ghar teachers took care to choose figures each well-known but from very different backgrounds. Allowing the students to take their pick regarding whom they researched fostered an open-minded, diverse environment in the classroom.

I look forward to reading the final products, and maybe even watching some presentations via webcam. Keep up the great work, guys!

Diwali Mubarak!

On October 26, Gyaan Ghar students opened their mouths and minds for our annual Diwali celebration. This year's theme was Multiculturalism and Open-mindedness, along with Creativity . . .  as always!

First, the class painted beautiful rangoli decorations all over the sidewalk around the school.

After this decorative folk art covered every inch of ground to be seen, the class looked on as two students acted out the Lakshmi Puja, a prayer to the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity.

At snacktime, the class enjoyed typical Indian sweets while discussing the story of Diwali according to the Sikh and Jain traditions, in addition to the Hindu tradition enacted before. Learning about these "alternate" stories was a way for students to explore how people of many faiths celebrate the same holiday for different reasons, and everyone has a story to tell.

The day was fun, educational, and yummy for all!

You'd be astounded to know how far a dollar goes.

Since the summer of 2008, Gyaan Ghar Learning Center has been operating due to the generosity of the teachers and students of Flint Hill School. Each year, the school would allow me to host a fundraiser through which, by paying $5 each, students could raise enough money to sponsor the Learning Center for a year -- about $2,500.

Having graduated, I now must find a new means of raising funds to educate the 56 students who are presently enrolled. As I plan fundraising events and look into corporate sponsorship, I also ask you all to consider making a contribution to Gyaan Ghar's mission, to give bright but underprivileged children a head start in life.

You'd be astounded to know how far a dollar goes.

$20 can buy school supplies for all students for an entire year.
$30 can cover the salary of a part-time arts teacher for 1 month.
$40 can sponsor events such as field trips and award ceremonies for 2 months.

Every little bit helps.

 Thank you.

शुक्रीया |

ਧਨਵਾਦ |

Checks payable to: Gyaan

60 New Lajpat Nagar

Pakhowal Road

Ludhiana, India 141002

A Reflection

When Michaelle Wilson, my inspiring supervisor for my Senior Project at EPA, learned about Gyaan Ghar, she was impressed with the initiative and, as many are, with the fact that that I had come up with the idea at such a young age. But for the first time, it occurred to me that perhaps I had come up with the idea because I was so young. Would I take on the same project now? I sure hope so. But for children, logistics do not exist. There are goals, and there is fruition -- with not too many steps in between. And this is one of my aims for the students of Gyaan Ghar: that they be able to imagine, that they be able to dream dreams they consider but a few steps away from becoming reality. In short, that they be able to remain children for as long a time as the rest of us do, regardless of where they come from.

Ruminations and Separations . . .

This morning, students discussed last night's ceremony: what went well and what we would like to change in the future. The energy in the class was very positive, and all had had a great time last night. For next time, students shared that they would like to brainstorm different activities to do during the show in addition to dances, songs, and poetry recitations.

We went on to about etiquette: first, that it is important to afford classmates your full attention while they perform and second, that we all have to remember to pick up after ourselves and our parents after a meal. Because many attendees had left litter on the lawn after the show, the students planned a kid-run "Clean-Up Committee" who would deal with the waste next time.

Lastly, we discussed old and new projects that the class would enjoy either doing again or doing for the first time. Old favorites were painting and making pen holders and decorative lamps, and new suggestions included making face masks, learning photography, and working more with computers. (I have submitted a Technology Proposal to Flint Hill, so we may be receiving some recycled laptops soon!)

We had one last tournament of Rock, Paper, Scissors and a photo session before we said our goodbyes -- and I promised to return soon in winter!

Celebrations!

Tonight was the night of our grand SPRING AWARDS CEREMONY! The children's performances were phenomenal, and I was highly impressed at their level of skill and professionalism throughout the show. While their dances, songs, and poems were, of course, magnificent, it was also especially touching to see older students helping those younger with their hair and make-up, and reminding them when it was their turn to go on.


The night was fun for all, and performances were followed with dinner for students and their family members. Many proud parents approached me and thanked me for knowledge and enjoyment offered to their kids by Gyaan Ghar! I look forward to seeing the students one last time before I leave tomorrow morning.

Preparations . . .

The kids came over around 5 today (they had already attended class as usual in the morning while I was en route from Chandigarh), and we enjoyed an afternoon of laughter and games. When Priya and I arrived, we implored the students to show us the choreographed dances they had been preparing for the upcoming show. Kajal Didi, however, insisted that they surprise us at the Annual Spring Awards Ceremony to be held tomorrow. Shivani and Divya did, though, give us a sneak preview of one combination set to the classic "Piya Piya."

We commenced game time with a rousing tournament of Rock, Paper, Scissors -- the old favorite. Manisha was declared the winner.

Next was another Name Game. Each student had to introduce herself and choose one object she had "bought" from the "market," starting with the same letter as her name. For example, Ratna bought rasmalai, Parveen a pineapple, Savita a cycle, etc. Each student would then have to recall the names and articles bought of each of the students prior to herself (making the activity very challenging indeed for those whose turn came later). What was amazing was that Jyoti, one of the very youngest, was last in the circle, and was the only student to name all her classmates and their purchases without any hesitation or outside help!

Following this exercise were Follow the Leader and Ratna Didi Says -- with students facilitating both. We were then called outside by Gill Auntie for a short dress rehearsal, during which some of the boys showed me their Bhangra moves. Needless to say, I was highly impressed.

Felicitations . . .

Students started today with Bhangra drill: the Dholi (drummer) arrived around 8 to teach the children some typical moves. He was followed, shortly thereafter, by a "Pand" troupe -- a traveling players ensemble of traditional Punjabi entertainers. This group regaled the class with riddles and jokes, and had us all keeled over with laughter.

We retired to the classroom to play a few quick student-led games before we had to say goodbye as I departed for Chandigarh. Students will be working hard over the next few days as they prepare for next week's Awards Ceremony. In this spirit, we had a brief discussion on what constitutes a captivating stage presence ... which I'm sure these kids will have mastered by the time of the show!!

I can't wait to be back!

Salutations . . .

It's so great to be home and back in the classroom! I am very proud that Gyaan Ghar students remain engaged, motivated, and highly excited about learning. They are currently on holiday, and come to class at 10 every morning, brushing up on academia and participating in additional activities for about two hours daily.

Today's class started with the washing and drying of chairs to be used in the lawn at our annual Spring Awards Ceremony on the 31st. Once this had been done, the students welcomed me into the classroom to catch me up on what this exciting year has held, and to introduce me to their new classmates.

We spent most of the lesson playing icebreaker games, including the Name Game; Ratna Didi Says (our version of Simon Says); Follow the Leader; and Rock, Paper, Scissors. I was pleased to see students (some of whom were new to these activities) volunteering to lead the games, rather than simply following along.

Next, students separated into smaller groups to start practicing their individual performances for next Thursday's Awards Ceremony. I sat down to chat with our oldest student, Vandna (grade 9) about how her year was going. Vandna joined Gyaan Ghar last year after attending our Spring Awards Ceremony as an invitee of her friend Kajal. She had approached me after the ceremony to share with me what an inspiration our school had been to her, even though she was not formally enrolled. She joined soon afterward, and I am pleased to see that she seems to be enjoying not only her time here at the Learning Center, but also her experience at her full-time public high school. Her hunger for education was very inspiring and reinvigorating to me, and I was lucky to have had a chance to talk to her for a few minutes about school, work, and life.

Meet Sarita.

She does not know when her birthday is but she thinks she is about eight years old. She is enrolled in Malwa Public School as a Lower Kindergarten student and receives supplementary lessons at a learning center called Gyaan Ghar daily from 1:00 to 3:30 in the afternoon. This is Sarita’s first year of school. Before this year, she would stay home and work all day, helping her mom around the house, until her neighborhood friends came home from school. They would play around for a while, and then Sarita had to return home to help her mom with dinner.


In the meantime, her friends would attend afternoon classes at Gyaan Ghar. When they told her about the fun material they were learning in this relatively informal atmosphere, Sarita decided to go with them to check it out. She liked it, and that encouraged her to start attending Malwa Public School during the day.

Students like Sarita inspired me to start Gyaan Ghar. When I was in eighth grade, I noticed the children of domestic helpers in my grandmother’s neighborhood in Ludhiana (India) hanging around a nearby park in the afternoons. When I asked them if they would like to learn English, they were incredibly enthusiastic about it. So I started holding informal sessions for them every evening, for as long as they wanted. I would help them with their homework and teach them subjects they were not taught in school, such as art. The kids loved it. But I would visit Ludhiana only once or twice a year, and my long absences solicited daily questions such as “Where is Ratna Didi (sister)?” from the students.

Thus, I thought about setting up an organization that would continue to instruct them in these supplementary and creative aspects of education, even when I returned to the States after my summer vacations. In the summer of 2008, I consulted with a lawyer and registered the society under the name Gyaan Ghar, or House of Knowledge. I published an advertisement for teaching positions in The Punjab Tribune. After several candidates had indicated their interest, I interviewed them and selected the two I felt were most qualified and, more importantly, passionate about teaching. I then visited local public schools, discussing with principals which students they thought would benefit most from this instruction, searching for a pool of students both bright and underprivileged. I decided upon Malwa Public School, a school catering to underprivileged families in the vicinity of my grandmother’s home. On August 23^rd, 2008, the day I was leaving India, Gyaan Ghar had its first class.

The learning center has been running successfully ever since, with students branching out from their core school curriculum into extra-curricular subjects such as Health and Government, and activities such as dance and painting. 2010 is its third year of operation, and the school now has 42 regular students -- double the number first enrolled!

I am in the process of collaborating with Mr. Lamont to design a pen pal program between the students of Gyaan Ghar and the students of Flint Hill. My hope is that Gyaan Ghar will not just be “my school in India” but an endeavor in which each and every Flint Hill student can take immense pride.

Thank you so much, Flint Hill, for your incredible support of and involvement in this project. Please be sure to participate in the Husky Dress Fundraiser to take place on February 18th this year!