Education as the Way

There have been several strong messages this past week from some very powerful people in the world. Anyone who comes to India is awestruck by the dire poverty and disease contrasted with the emerging modernization. When toddlers weave in and out of rush-hour traffic, barefooted with matted lice-covered hair begging, and old men sleeping in near freezing conditions wrapped only in a blanket on concrete, you have to wonder...what is the answer?

Oprah made a visit to Jaipur, India this past week for a literary conference. I watched several interviews with her on television. As she so simply put it, "The only thing that will make a difference is education for all."

Last night I had the pleasure to hear Dr. Robert Thurman speak at the Indian Cultural Center.

Dr. Thurman (father of actress Uma Thurman, who went to AES) is an American scholar of Buddhism at Columbia University. He is author of several books about Buddhism and one of the founders (with Richard Gere) of Tibet House in NY, which promotes the preservation of the Tibetan culture.

Education was also one of Dr. Thurman's main points last night. In the past decade researchers have discovered that our brain continually regenerates new brain neurons. So learning something new everyday, all throughout life, is the key to keeping our brain cells from dying. He went on to explain that Buddha (and I believe Christ) were not about "religions" but about teaching how to live one's life. Meditation, he explained, is NOT about emptying one's mind, but digging deeper into our souls to touch the commonality between all human beings.

One of my students, Janya, recently wrote an eloquent essay about the importance of education for girls in India.

Janya getting ready to sing the Indian National Anthem at the Republic Day assembly.

In her essay, Janya explained how in India if there is a choice to send a boy or a girl to school, most traditional families will send the boy for monetary reasons. She then documented the lives of a handful of successful India women. The difference...education. Nicely done, Janya!

 

And finally this week, a great friend who I haven't seen in 20 years, found me recently on Facebook. Linda passed along this quote:

"My continuing passion is to part a curtain, that invisible veil of indifference that fills between us and that blinds us to each others presence, each others wonder, each others human plight." by Eudora Welty

I am a teacher and I am proud to be one!

Art at AES

 by Maya/ Third Grade

One of the many attributes of AES that keeps me smiling is the artwork that adorns every hallway. All students, K-12, receive specialized art classes (and music and drama). Sadly, I don't get to do as much art in my own classroom because there just isn't enough time in their busy schedules. So, I enjoy cruising the hallways each week in search of new work.

This series of oil pastels is based on traditional Indian artwork called the Gond Style. Gond artists create images that are stylized and highly decorated with patterns and designs.

by Kevin/Third Grader

Just around the corner was a small exhibit of animal sculptures by middle schoolers.

More to come!

A Village School

On our way to Dharmasala over Thanksgiving weekend, our curiosity was peaked when we viewed a handful of small village schools. The students were all outdoors, in neat rows, performing some possible rituals or praying or? As we approached a school, we asked our driver to please stop. I jumped out of the van (in clear need of a break from the winding mountain roads) and peeked inside the walled school. I decided that I would enter the school and hope that I could gain entry.

I waited a few moments before walking toward the school. Certainly I did not want to be disruptive nor break a safety/security rule. A woman approached so I walked forward. I immediately introduced myself as a teacher from the American Embassy school in Delhi. Instantly I was treated like royalty again. My friends Shannon and Karen then came around the fence to join me (chickens!). 

The head mistress was more than willing to give us a tour of the school. Those neat rows of students outside were actually students  doing schoolwork. They sat cross-legged in dirt or concrete, eyes locked on their teacher, not daring to smile or giggle at us. When we approached, they stood in respect. All the children were impeccably dressed in spotless uniforms.The girls' hair was braided with ribbons and bows. Not a speck of dirt.I imagine that most of these students live in dwellings with no plumbing and running water.

This class was using a protractor and a pencil to draw finely angled geometric shapes. I assumed they were doing math but the head mistress explained that they were in an art class.

Then she told this beautiful girl to go get her notebook. Ah, yes!

We then were taken "inside" where we discovered barren rooms with no desks, chairs,or books. Just a wood stove in the corner for winter time. In the kitchen was a huge pot sitting on a hotplate for making lunch of rice and curried lentils. We were immediately given water, which we pretended to sip, as most water systems are hardly filtered. The head mistress insisted we sit for tea, but four of our friends were waiting outside the gate for us anxious to complete our journey to Dharmasala.

So we said our goodbyes (several times) after signing their guest book. Back at AES a controversy is in place about whether every student should have their own iPad and/or laptop. Here a new pointed pencil is a gift. Sadly, I did not get the name of the school to send a thank you. So, I'm sending it through all of you!