Our hotel seems to only play and own ONE CD. The tune has been so far lodged up into my brain it’ll probably be a “made up” lullaby I sing to my children some day. However it has become our ritual, calling all the feathered friends and waiters to rush to our sides. After another great breakfast off to school we went, for the last day before our long awaited vacation to the long beaches and breathtaking sunsets of Kovalam.
Well, the days of mom and I teaching together have come to end, although it only lasted a day...I was again whisked away to teach on my own to a group of bright eyed 6th grade students. Something was different though; at first I thought of these kids as strangers, I felt I couldn’t relate to them or find any commonalities. The thing is, they just live in another part of the world. They too will become part of the next generation; they all have goals, dreams, and aspirations just as we do. I just felt more comfortable and realized I had found that “rhythm” I had been waiting for. It helped that this class was easily the brightest in the school, but today I learned just as much as they did and maybe more!
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| Shy but silly girls |
We concentrated on conversation; I had each student tell me about themselves, and the next would repeat what their friend had said, and would then go on to tell of their own life. Confidence is key for them, and the more confidence they have in the classroom will help to transform and prepare them for the bigger world. I brought each student up to the front of the class (something I dread myself) and then put all the sentences together to form a story of their life, what they do, about their families, and hobbies. As they finished they cheered each other on and were all so proud of their steps forward. In return, I had to say and spell each word I said in English to Malayalam, I felt like I was a clown at a circus.
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| Lunchtime with the Boys |
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