Morning Assemblies: Building Community & Confidence

The deep sound of drums signals the call to assemble.

The young ladies of Shri Shikshayatan School in Kolkata have a morning assembly every day of the week. On Mondays, the entire school lines up according to class, facing the stage and ready to start the day. On other days, specific classes gather in the outdoor assembly space while others have simpler morning meetings in their respective classrooms. Student must check the outdoor chalk board to see when and where their morning meetings take place.

Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning, education, dance, music and other talents, watches over the proceedings from her shrine on the outdoor stage as music students, accompanied by their teacher on harmonium, sing an inspirational song which can come from many traditions and languages. (The video clip features “We Shall Overcome” in Hindi.)

The students are greeted by their Principal Ma’am, the inspirational Sangeeta Tandon, who is always at morning assembly. She considers it a high priority, and during our week with her, she insisted we attend each and every assembly.

After announcements by Principal Ma’am, which can include celebration of awards or announcements on the importance of keeping backpack’s lightly loaded so as not to overtax one’s back, a group of students comes forth to give a presentation on the theme of the day.

The themes were wide and varied during our week at Shri Shikshayatan School: personal safety, current events and magic. Groups of grade specific students presented in front the assembly students every morning, introducing the topic, explaining its value, then presenting information or giving a performance before concluding with a song and a summary of the presentation. Each girl in the assembly listened closely and carefully, mindful that not only was the topic important, but they would also have to be in the position of presenting one day and were watching for details, ideas and tips for success.

Every girl at Shri Shikshayatan School will be up on that stage at least one time during each school year, and when they are, their Principal Ma’am is up there with them to support and celebrate. You can see the empowerment in each girl’s face after she has presented and glance at their principal and teachers My favorite moment was when a young lady performing a magic act had a mishap and part of her trick was accidentally revealed. Nervously, she immediately looked at Principal Ma’am, who had a beautiful smile on her face and eyes that told the student all was well. Then the student smiled herself, recognizing that she had tried her best and had now learned something new.

Then Principal Ma’am gives a small speech on the theme of the day. For the Magic theme, she told the girls how magical it was that they were all gathered there that day, and how each one of them was capable of creating magic by helping other people in their lives. Magic is when one person needs helps and someone else gives that help. We are all, she observed, capable of being magical.

After reminders for the day, students are dismissed to their classes.

I’m not certain the young ladies of Shri Shikshayatan School realize the incredible value of these morning assemblies, though their Principal Ma’am and teachers obviously do.

Not only are they building community by celebrating each other’s accomplishments, singing beautiful songs together and being a good audience for each other. They are strengthening each other and gaining confidence in their fellow students and themselves. They are learning the importance of being responsible and supporting each other. They are feeling the love from educators and fellow students who are always there for them.

It’s a beautiful way to start any day.

An Aside: The Rhythm of India

Sitting up high in our tour bus, we could see the tangle of small trucks, cars, motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles, tuk-tuks, bicycle rickshaws, horse- and burro-drawn carts and pedestrians ignoring the lines on the road and jockeying for position.

At first, it was alarming. Surely someone was going to get run over or a motorcyclist would be clipped by a car. There were lines on the roads, but they seemed to be just suggestions. And there was so much honk, honk, honking!

It got to the point where I couldn’t look down at the traffic as we traveled; I chose instead to look at the landscapes farther away. That way, I wouldn’t be fretting over vehicles and people that disappeared from sight too quickly.

When I got the opportunity to ride in a car, it felt even more uncomfortable. Driving on the left side of the road and riding in the seat I usually drive in probably discombobulated my perception. But I still couldn’t understand how anyone could safely drive through such traffic.

Then I went to beautiful Kolkata for my teaching assignment at Shri Shikshayatan School and discovered my hotel was only four-and-a-half blocks from the school.

I could walk that, right?

With trepidation, I took my first steps on the streets of India without any guides or vehicles to ride in. How would I cross the first street with no crosswalks and no lights?

But then, as I started walking, I began to sense a rhythm.

Though from high in my bus, traffic seemed crazy, walking in it made me realize that everyone was actually working together to keep the flow smooth. The horns which had before seemed so shrill, now were simply little reminders that “I’m over here.” The speed of traffic was actually much slower than I had originally thought; people were keeping the flow by taking their time and watching out for each other. There was no ego in traffic – whoever’s turn was most logical was given berth.

And when I went to cross the street, I was reminded of double-Dutch jump rope. I waited until I saw a logical opening, and when I started crossing, traffic gave me time to cross. One motorcycle gave me a quick honk to let me know he was going to cut in front of me, and I hesitated one second so he could.

The important element was being aware of and respectful to everyone and everything on the road.

And I learned that you can never judge anything from a lofty position, far away from the issue. You need to get up-close and personal to really see things as they are and discover the rhythm of how things work.

The Primary Joy of Education

Focused eyes and big smiles.

Every class I visited in Grades One to Five at the Shri Shikshayatan School in Kolkata, India, was full of excitement, enthusiasm and engaged students.

As a fifth grade teacher, I know the thought and work that goes in to crafting a day of learning. Primary teachers here teach English in addition to the mother tongue (Hindi), and Grade One students loved pulling out wooden animals out of a mysterious felt bag, naming the creature and whether it is domestic or wild, and then racing from table to table, showing off the new animal and calling out its name so each table of students could repeat it it in unison.

Grade Four students were in the computer lab, creating multi-slide PowerPoints with transitions which they celebrated as each shared her creation on internet safety.

Grade Five students acted out “The Selfish Giant” by Oscar Wilde, with students excitedly holding up one of four colored answer stocks when prompted with a comprehension question.

As I chatted with each primary teacher, I got more and more excited to collaborate on projects and lessons that would open up new worlds to our students.

I found myself missing my students back in California. I started thinking about new ideas from these amazing classrooms I would be using in my own classroom in the coming school year.

And I remembered that the primary joy of education is sparking that love of learning and seeing our students’ eyes light up with each new lesson.

The Best Food in Kolkata

As my mother-in-law always told me, the most important ingredient in any dish is love.

Love is exactly what you could see and taste in the home economics classes at Shri Shikshayatan School In Kolkata. While cooking under their watchful teacher’s eyes, students told stories of their favorite memories of food and family celebrations. It was obvious that they understood the value of good food at a family gathering.

What was also obvious was their care for their cooking and each other. Students helped each other when ingredients could not be remembered – no recipes here! Their teaching inspired one young lady to remember the flavors of her mother’s dish, which made her eyes flash as she realized what was missing. Students tasted each other’s Chaat and made either suggestions or “mmmmm” sounds!

What was mesmerizing was watching them work in teams. One rolled out each circle of savory Puri dough feeling it after every roll, picking it up, flipping it over, working it again, testing the edges, glancing at each other’s work to remind or suggest.

Another team fried the Puri in three ways: deep fried in basket shapes with carefully carved slits, deep fried flat (and they puffed up beautifully) and shallow deep fried flat.

The flavors of India are intricate and skillfully combined – but the tastes I will remember as the best are from the loving hands of Shri Shikshayatan School’s Home Arts students and their teacher.

An Aside: Realia

Realia is one of those eduspeak words. It means when you are teaching something, you bring the real thing into your classroom to connect the lesson to life.

I have never before been realia.

Most of the girls of Shri Shikshayatan School had not met nor even seen people from the USA. They watched us walk past and giggled or waved. They jumped up and greeted us with, “Good morning, ma’am!” They shyly asked for us to take a picture with them.

And they asked questions. A lot of questions.

What are the struggles faced by American women? Are they the same as ours? Do you believe in climate change? What innovations has the USA created to conserve water resources? Do women have equal pay in the United States? How do you keep your hair like that?

The purpose of the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Fellowship is to develop mutual understanding and lasting relationships.

Senator J. William Fulbright observed, “The essence of intercultural education is the acquisition of empathy – the ability to see the world as others see it, and to allow for the possibility that others may see something we have failed to see, or may see it more accurately.”

By coming halfway around the world to build friendships and a global community of learning, I am honored to have built new friendships in Kolkata, India.

And I am happy to be the realia that helps to build bridges of empathy and understanding.

In Kolkata, Young Women are Serious About their Education

When girls learn together, they often learn how powerful they can become.

That was the lesson I learned at Shri Shikshayatan School, a private, all-Girls school in Kolkata, India, to which I was assigned for my Fulbright Teachers for Global Project Fellowship.

“I prefer an all-girls school,” one Grade 9 student said confidently. “I am with my friends and teachers who help me focus on what is important.”

“We are very focused on our studies,” a Grade 11 student proudly told me before a morning assembly. “And here we have educators who are experts in their fields of study, and we have opportunities like you coming here for us to interact with and learn from.”

Every morning, different combinations of grade levels line up in the outdoor gathering area to the sound of beating drums and beautiful, haunting music. The purpose of the assemblies is not only to start the day building community through meditation and reflection, but also to disseminate announcements, celebrate student victories and to give the girls an opportunity to give presentations on the topic of the day which both inform the assembly while giving those presenting vital practice in public speaking.

The Tuesday morning assembly for Grade 6 girls featured a presentation on safety, reminding the young ladies to report any incidents of inappropriate touching or behavior immediately to a trusted resource. The young ladies were also reminded that Kolkata has a special emergency number for women to call if there is no one nearby to help.

The girls also trust each other to talk to and share their ideas and dreams.

“Here everyone understands my issues.” said another girl with a smile.

During a lengthy library conversation that involved black holes, artificial intelligence and opportunities available to young ladies in astrophysics in the United States, a brilliant Grade 12 student told me:

“In India, the examinations we must take are quite difficult. If you don’t study on your subjects properly, if you don’t get focused on those particular subjects, you are missing a lot of things around you. We are responsible to take the opportunities given to us.

“If you get too attached to a person during your studies, you become unfocused. You are a losing the chance to discover yourself and become the person you a meant to become.”

What I discovered was this incredible all-girls school was engaging, elevating and empowering these amazing young ladies to be fearless and pursue their passion and their purpose.

 

Cleanliness is next to …

Shoes. Walls and walls of dusty, well-worn shoes.

Cleanliness is a demonstration of respect. Before we Fulbright TGC teachers entered the Sikh Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in New Delhi, we were asked to take off our shoes before washing our hands in a sink, then walking through a shallow bath for our feet. This shows respect for both the gurudwara and the holy scripture, Guru Granth while allowing nerve endings in the feet to receive as much energy as possible.

What we didn’t know was what was going to happen to our shoes.

When we were ready to leave, we discovered that there was an entire ministry of cleaning the shoes of everyone who comes to the gurudwara.

Cleanliness apparently really is close to godliness.

Hindus believe that taking a bath (“snanam”) is the most important ritual of the day because water nourishes and sustains the spirit as well as the body. Water is one of the highest elements because it purifies and uplifts. The Akshardham Hindu Temple celebrates water through the incredible Sahaj Anand Water Show, which celebrates a story from the Kena Upanishad.

We heard the beautiful call to prayer as we walked through the alleyway of Khan Market in Delhi. Muslims believe that The Quran contains the literal word of God. The Quran itself says that only those who are clean and pure may touch the sacred text, so no one is allowed to open it until they have made their ablutions by washing their hands and, if they have not done so in the last 24 hours, taking a bath. When we were ready to leave and retrieve our shoes, we discovered that there was an entire ministry devoted to cleaning the dusty shoes of all who come to the gurudwara.

It was the rows and rows of shoes that got me. Foot-cleaning is a powerful symbol in my own faith (Catholicism) as well, and it brought me pure joy to see some of the threads that tie the people and faiths of the world together. We believe in showing respect. We believe in being humble. We believe in serving others.

 

An Aside: Connecting Through Disconnecting

The message from Verizon came just two days after arriving in India: “You’ve gone over your allotted data allowance.”

I’d purchased an International Calling Plan for the month of July, and a quick call brought me some great advice: stop using data when not connected to WiFi.

That meant while on the bus traveling to and from our destinations, I wouldn’t be posting pictures to Instagram of me doing a silly dance for an auditorium full of students and I couldn’t check WhatsApp to see what my group had been sharing.

But by not keeping my face in my phone, sharing my trip with the world, I was experiencing at an even deeper level the very things I wanted to learn and share about India.

I saw a cow prevent a car from backing up on a narrow city street. I noticed a billboard with the smiling face of the Deputy Chief Minister of Education in Delhi, whom I had just met the day before. I enjoyed the pure smiles of the women on balconies hanging their clothes out to dry.

It’s a start on the road to mindfulness: being fully present and aware of where we are and what we’re doing. It’s a concept that Delhi just introduced their students to last year, and one that is getting some traction back in the States. We need to focus on the things that matter; we need to stop emphasizing the negative and overlooking the positive.

I’m going to start disconnecting more often.

 

A Beautiful Day in Pachayara

“Let your life be your message.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Thirteen chairs covered with vibrant pink material caught my eye first.

Our first full day in New Delhi started very early because the forecast was for a high of 100 degrees (which would “feel like” 112 degrees). We left the hotel at 4:30am to visit the peaceful village of Pachayara, about a 45-minute drive from our hotel in Delhi. 

The welcoming smiles on the faces of the Rajesh family and the incredible preparations they had made for our visit immediately made us feel like we were in the home of old friends. The pink chairs, which stood out so starkly in the dry setting, sent a message that thought had been put in to our arrival and care had been given to details of our stay.

The Hindus say, “Athithi devo bhava.” – “The guest is god.”

Many of us were taking mental notes of how to improve our own hospitality at home as we shared the morning with our hosts. We were offered homemade treats and special snacks everywhere, we discovered we weren’t the only ones who liked taking selfies, and we drank fresh boiled cow’s milk.

We sat at the home of the village elder, who shared his hookah with several of the fellows and even gave one of us a motorcycle ride around the compound! Another home offered us the chance to pat out the roti into a circle before placing it on a metal pan sitting above the fire of cow patties. We cranked the sorghum machine to chop it up for cattle feed. We laughed in the joy of each other’s company. We savored our time with each other. We exchanged cell numbers and Facebook pages.

The love we felt from the village of Pachayara was the message they lived every day. You could see it in the eyes of the children, because you knew they had learned to be kind and compassionate from their families. You could feel it in the eyes of the older women who laughed when my roti folded over on itself to look more like a turnover.

Today’s lesson was simple: How much more could we do if, instead of holding our hands up to block or avoid encounters, we embraced each other? What more could we accomplish if, like our new friends in the village of Pachayara, we allowed our lives to be a consistent message of empathy and love for all?

Welcome to Incredible India!

After more than 19 hours in the air and a seven-hour layover in London where we met up, the 2018-2019 Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Fellows arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, India.

After taking long-awaited showers, brushing our teeth and getting acclimated to being in a much different time zone (twelve-and-a-half hours ahead of my own), we gathered for an enormous, delicious Indian buffet meal with my favorite – naan!

What we didn’t expect was a beautiful welcoming ceremony from our amazing hosts, Rajesh, Pooman, Mamta and Sonia!

They welcomed us by using red turmeric paste to dot our foreheads and then gently tossing small flower petals onto our heads as a blessing. They gave us gifts of brightly colored bags and promised to guide us well as we make this incredible educational journey in India. We learned that pressing the palms together when you meet someone and saying, “Namaste,” not only shows respect, but is also joining your hands at very specific pressure points: those for the eyes, ears and mind. When pressed together, those point activate parts of our brain that help us remember the person we are greeting for a long time.

And “Namaste” is from the Sanskrit meaning “I bow to you.” Namaste recognizes the importance and value of each soul, and it strikes me as a wonderful start to this journey.

We need to value each and every person we meet – whether inside our classrooms or beyond our borders. We need to show appreciation and gratitude for each and every experience – for those who have worked hard to make this possible. We need to recognize that, as Mahatma Gandhi said, “Relationships are based on four principles: respect, understanding, acceptance and appreciation.” By showing consideration and respect to others, we help make our world a much better place for everyone.

Namaste! Let the adventures begin!