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!

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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!

A Tribute to the Tribune

This month has been an exciting one for all those involved with Gyaan Ghar, as reporters from the Ludhiana Tribune have been interviewing both teachers and students for a special story covering the school and its objectives. Reporter Charu Chhibber visited our classroom this week to chat with students and board members about their experiences with the school, and also called me as I travelled along the east coast this summer, to discuss my vision for the learning center. Chhibber's article can be seen using the following link:

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20100817/ldh1.htm#8

Having seen the story, a local news station, Day&Night, which caters primarily to Indians living abroad, also decided to do a story:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8AgOQ-9ZvY

We are so thankful for this recognition, and extremely appreciative of your continued support.

December

December was a month of exams and holidays for the students of Gyaan Ghar. With Malwa Public School exams starting on the 7^th, students separated into groups based on age and each group was taught by Radhika and Amanpreet on alternating days. Subjects included the usual English, Hindi, Punjabi, Math, and Science, but older students were also tested in Agriculture, Computer Theory, and Physical Education. Younger students had exams covering a wide range of topics such as oral English and Punjabi, Divinity, Drawing, and Neatness. Gyaan Ghar review sessions helped to reinforce topics covered on the tests. Neha, a second grader, remarked that she feels she “ha[s] done better on exams this year than any year before!” After exams, students began their holidays, focusing on computer classes and receiving instruction in conversational English from Mrs. Nomita Khanna. Mrs. Khanna also distributed new school uniforms, donated by her friend Monisha Oswal, to the delighted students. Students are now segueing into their next unit of extra-curricular study, Creativity, with their assemblage of personal collages.

November

The students of Gyaan Ghar celebrated Children’s Day in a festive show of song and dance. The function started with the singing of the national anthem, a shabad, and a song. Each student dressed in traditional Punjabi garb and, as a preliminary exercise in public speaking, presented a short introductory statement about her or himself. The group performed a Bhangra dance as well as many poems and songs in small groups.

Notable guests included Malwa Public School Headmistress Dhariwal and the parents of most students. Also in attendance were Professor Bedi and Doctor Sharma.

As return gifts, the students received personal cleanliness kits, complete with towels, toothbrushes, and combs. We hope that this token will remind them of the importance of our first extra-curricular subject, Health and Cleanliness. Students left the ceremony with a sense of accomplishment, and feeling refreshed for school the next day.

October

The students of Gyaan Ghar have completed their exams and will return to school on the 5^th of October. During the holidays, they attended lower-intensity morning classes followed by Bollywood dance lessons in the afternoon. Their report cards will soon be issued and we plan to obtain copies of these as well as earlier report cards to track their long-term progress.

Since the 1^st of October, we have instituted our first unit of extra-curricular focus, with the Rose Group (Lower Kindergarten to 2^nd grade) studying the Body and the Lotus Group (3^rd grade to 6^th grade) being taught about Health. Radhika and Amanpreet alternate daily in teaching the two age groups. Students enjoy these subjects and appear to be taking them seriously, although they recognize that these topics will not be covered directly on their school syllabi. This is an important sign of progress, as there was some resistance to this initiative before, because parents were skeptical as to the practicality of these topics. Increased communication seems to have promoted a better understanding of the usefulness of these extra-curricular initiatives.

September

Radhika and Amanpreet have divided the class into a Junior section and a Senior section and alternate daily between teaching the two. Both sections are in the process of exam preparation, with the Juniors reviewing the English alphabet in great detail as well as working on Punjabi, and the Seniors reviewing means of transport and vegetables. Such exam review will continue until their exams on the 14^th of September. Both groups also revise their poems and short stories daily.

One primary advantage of having two teachers is the level of personal attention we can give to each student, as well as the increase in time effectiveness that comes with different teachers able to address the learning styles and paces of individual children.