I just finished my last day teaching at the school. I can't believe how quickly a month has gone by. I think the fact that I had pre-arranged travel planned for every weekend made it go by even quicker... When I first started volunteering at the school, I must admit I was a little disappointed about being a "floater" and not having a specific class I was in charge of. Now I'm glad because it allowed me to get to know all the kids, instead of just a select few.
However, after the first week and a half, I was put in charge of the youngster class. I'm glad I wasn't really given a choice about who I wanted to teach because I probably woud not have ended up with these kids. I always just assumed teaching really young kids was more like babysitting than teaching. Looking back though, I enjoyed every minute I spent at the school. I was in charge of four tiny kids, two girls and two boys. Surprisingly, the two girls were extremely bright. They may be some of the youngest ladies in school, but they will probably be up in the top level group in a year or two. The two boys I had weren't quite so easy, but they sure were cute. One was actually pretty smart, but had the attention span of a puppy. The other one tried really hard, practiced over and over, but at the beginning of each new day it was like starting from scratch. Still though, I do think I was able to make at least a bit of a difference. The girls got further in their math and spelling, and the boys... well if nothing else they got better at saying and writing their abc's and 123's.
I have a new found respect for teachers. It's not an easy job, especially when the children are not all at the same level, but seeing the progress that kids make (and the role you play) is really rewarding.
I have only this weekend left (the first weekend with no plans at all) and then I fly to Bali, Indonesia for a couple weeks of vacation. The original plan was Thailand, but with all the flooding, we (my friend Alex and I) decided to relocate to Bali. Should be fun... After that I may return back to India for a couple more weeks of traveling, or maybe fly on over to Thailand for a couple weeks of volunteering, or fly back to Colorado to spend Thanksgiving with my family. Only time will tell.
This past week has just been full of travel and teaching and shopping and celebrating (hence the lack of blog entries). Last Wednesday everyone celebrated Diwali (the festival of lights). It's the biggest festival in India. It celebrates the return of Rama after 14 yrs of banishment and is also used to worship and invite Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, into homes. Most of the day is spent with family (similar to American holidays I suppose), just hanging out, cleaning, cooking, and making Rangoli (colorful decorations on the floor outside the home made of powder/flour). In the evening we had a big meal, dressed up in our Sarees (the most common attire of native Indian women), and witnessed an at-home song and prayer ceremony performed by the coordinators of Sankalp (the volunteer org) and Punima (the lively 18yr old live-in cook). After that, we lit 30 or so small clay bowls with string and water in the them and placed them on the porch/street/balcony outside the home (so that Lakshmi could find her way). Finally, we went up to the roof and joined in with the rest of India setting off fireworks and firecrackers. The night sky was filled with bright explosions and loud bangs for as far as the eye could see and the ear could hear. It was a night to remember.
The rest of the week was a holiday, so Thursday morning Sam, Marsha, and I headed out on our last big excursion. First we visited Pushkar, the Holy City, next we made our way to Jaisalmer, the Golden City, then we went to Jodhpur, the Blue City, before returning back to Jaipur, the Pink City. It was quite a trip. We trekked up to a temple set on top of mountain overlooking Pushkar. We joined a herd of cows as we watched the sunrise over beautiful Lake Gadisar. We saw one of the famous haveli's (private mansion) and walked/shopped through the narrow streets of the impressive Jaisalmer Fort. We rode on the back of a camel into the desert, watched the sunset over the dunes, and then spent the night under the stars. We shopped at the local markets, each a little different than the last, ate the delicious, or "beautiful" as my Australian travel mate likes to put it, local cuisine, and passed the time on the road talking about whatever political or religious topic struck our fancy. Overall, it was a grand old time.
However, after the first week and a half, I was put in charge of the youngster class. I'm glad I wasn't really given a choice about who I wanted to teach because I probably woud not have ended up with these kids. I always just assumed teaching really young kids was more like babysitting than teaching. Looking back though, I enjoyed every minute I spent at the school. I was in charge of four tiny kids, two girls and two boys. Surprisingly, the two girls were extremely bright. They may be some of the youngest ladies in school, but they will probably be up in the top level group in a year or two. The two boys I had weren't quite so easy, but they sure were cute. One was actually pretty smart, but had the attention span of a puppy. The other one tried really hard, practiced over and over, but at the beginning of each new day it was like starting from scratch. Still though, I do think I was able to make at least a bit of a difference. The girls got further in their math and spelling, and the boys... well if nothing else they got better at saying and writing their abc's and 123's. 
I have a new found respect for teachers. It's not an easy job, especially when the children are not all at the same level, but seeing the progress that kids make (and the role you play) is really rewarding.
I have only this weekend left (the first weekend with no plans at all) and then I fly to Bali, Indonesia for a couple weeks of vacation. The original plan was Thailand, but with all the flooding, we (my friend Alex and I) decided to relocate to Bali. Should be fun... After that I may return back to India for a couple more weeks of traveling, or maybe fly on over to Thailand for a couple weeks of volunteering, or fly back to Colorado to spend Thanksgiving with my family. Only time will tell.
This past week has just been full of travel and teaching and shopping and celebrating (hence the lack of blog entries). Last Wednesday everyone celebrated Diwali (the festival of lights). It's the biggest festival in India. It celebrates the return of Rama after 14 yrs of banishment and is also used to worship and invite Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, into homes. Most of the day is spent with family (similar to American holidays I suppose), just hanging out, cleaning, cooking, and making Rangoli (colorful decorations on the floor outside the home made of powder/flour). In the evening we had a big meal, dressed up in our Sarees (the most common attire of native Indian women), and witnessed an at-home song and prayer ceremony performed by the coordinators of Sankalp (the volunteer org) and Punima (the lively 18yr old live-in cook). After that, we lit 30 or so small clay bowls with string and water in the them and placed them on the porch/street/balcony outside the home (so that Lakshmi could find her way). Finally, we went up to the roof and joined in with the rest of India setting off fireworks and firecrackers. The night sky was filled with bright explosions and loud bangs for as far as the eye could see and the ear could hear. It was a night to remember.
The rest of the week was a holiday, so Thursday morning Sam, Marsha, and I headed out on our last big excursion. First we visited Pushkar, the Holy City, next we made our way to Jaisalmer, the Golden City, then we went to Jodhpur, the Blue City, before returning back to Jaipur, the Pink City. It was quite a trip. We trekked up to a temple set on top of mountain overlooking Pushkar. We joined a herd of cows as we watched the sunrise over beautiful Lake Gadisar. We saw one of the famous haveli's (private mansion) and walked/shopped through the narrow streets of the impressive Jaisalmer Fort. We rode on the back of a camel into the desert, watched the sunset over the dunes, and then spent the night under the stars. We shopped at the local markets, each a little different than the last, ate the delicious, or "beautiful" as my Australian travel mate likes to put it, local cuisine, and passed the time on the road talking about whatever political or religious topic struck our fancy. Overall, it was a grand old time.
When you said the girls were bright, why did you preface it with "suprisingly"? :) It's been my observation that men and women are equally intelligent, but express that intelligence differently from each other and in different ways as they grow up. Some of that is biological and some is socialization. Your description of them (very well written, btw) sounds like they're normal children for that age. In ten years the boys will be more focused.
ReplyDeleteIf you approached teaching like you did your activities when you were in college, I have no doubt you made a positive impact on the kids.
Sounds like you're having a blast. Thanks for the update and the pictures.