Day 1!

 

7/16/13

So today the program began! This is the program's second summer, and we're looking forward to a warm, inspiring, productive program. We have 14 participants this year, 13 of whom have arrived, and one is arriving on Wednesday (eagerly awaiting your arrival, Brandi!). We're mostly recovered from the jetlag, and had a lovely first day,

The day started bright and early with a delicious 8AM breakfast, and we got to take it easy and relax a bit before our 10AM start time. Our day began with our fearless leader, Dr. Shugan Jain, who introduced the program, its history, and our schedule. We then got to spend a few minutes talking about who we are, where we are from, and what brought us here. Among us we have a professor of education, an education policy advocate, and a variety of teachers, new and experienced, elementary and secondary, from all over the country -- South Dakota, New York, Wisconsin, California, Massachusetts, and Texas. The expertise this group brings with them to India is inspiring, and I (for one) look forward to growing both personally and professionally, as well as making some new friends in the next three weeks.

 

 

Before lunch, one of our participants, Lisa, who in addition to being an experienced teacher is also an art therapist, led us all in a totem-making exercise. Wit Stephanie's help, Lisa gathered stones from India for each participant to transform into their own personal totem -- their center. It was a meditative exercise, and each participant took the next 15-20 minutes to create whatever they wanted on their stone, something either meaningful or playful. The exercise and accompanying silence let us have a few minutes with our own thoughts, a few minutes to reflect on just being here, and to let out some of the energy we had stored up.

 

 

After lunch, we watched the film "Two Eyes Twelve Hands," which is the story of hardened criminals transformed by ahimsa. In the film, murderers are taken in by a prison guard who is convinced that by treating these men with love, by treating them as flawed humans rather than monsters, they could be restored and healed. The criminals in the film make mistakes, but he always believes in the power of redemption, and never punishes the criminals -- they see how they've disappointed the guard, and they punish themselves. This is how they learn and grow -- through the guard's use of nonviolent tactics, the criminals' broken moral compass is restored. After the film, teachers reflected on various connections they saw to their own classes. One teacher recalled a scene where the prisoners chose to sleep in chains, even if they were told they didn't have to, because chains are what they are used to. Stephanie connected this to students who are used to being given worksheets and "filling in the blank," who, when given more freedom, often act out or get frustrated. Like the prisoners, these students have become accustomed to a life of "slavery" -- of being told what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and so when they are given freedom and choice, they sometimes recoil at it. Something we want to do is reverse that education, to bring choice and love and passion back into education.

 

 

Another teacher, Lindsey, reflected on a scene where the audience saw that not only has society and the typical prison guards dehumanized the prisoners, but the prisoners has even dehumanized themselves. They lost their names and became numbers and handprints. This reminded Lindsey of how we teachers can sometimes get lost in the pressure of high-stakes testing and Race-to-the-Top testing for funding, and instead of seeing a room full of artists, writers, poets, mechanics, and scientists, we see a room full of students who need to pass a test. Instead of seeing 20-30 individuals, the group becomes one mass that needs to move to the next level. This is the kind of thinking we're trying to remain aware of, as the environment sometimes makes it hard to remember.

 

 

Another teacher reflected on the way the film showed an alternate definition of family. The guard was often referred to as the criminals' father, and it is this type of relationship that proved to be transformative. It wasn't about authority figures or the guard being feared -- it was about the respect that comes from familial love. Tessa reflected on how this reminded her of the roles teachers and schools could play when schools function as families. When the outside community and the community within the school all work together, that experience, too, can be transformative. Students work hard when they know their teacher cares about them and their growth, selflessly, just as the criminals worked hard for the guard because they knew his motives were pure.

 

 

It was clear the connections could have continued. Teachers talked about what brought them here, and many of them shared stories of students from broken homes, students who need a family, to be seen as human, and to be given the kind of freedom education is meant to provide. It was a beautiful day, and we look forward to more in the coming weeks :)