Day two at Nav Jeevan! Katie and I spent a lot of time "class hopping" today. Since there are many teachers with absences, there are always classes who need teachers for various subjects. Between us, we taught 9th grade, 3rd grade, 7th grade, and kindergarten at some point throughout the day. When we teach, the students' English proficiency really determines what we do with the class. Some classes at Nav Jeevan are designated "English Medium" and some are "Hindi Medium," meaning they are taught either primarily in English or Hindi respectively. As you can guess, it is easier for us when we jump into "English Medium" classes!! But, in either format, the children are very enthusiastic and understand the language of games and smiles. And, many of the children speak English very well. For example, in 7th grade today, I taught a science lesson about the central nervous system. We concluded by holding mock visits to the "doctor." Each of the students pretended to be either doctor or patient and determined the ailments based on our discussion and those they previously had.  |
| Three young girls enjoy part of their lunch during the short break the children have around 10am. |
For some students, the decision of whether they would fit best in "English Medium" or "Hindi Medium" is also a challenge. Since over 300 languages are spoken in India, some students' first language is neither English or Hindi, but perhaps Marathi, the language native to the state we are in, Maharashtra. Marathi is also taught at Nav Jeevan as it is mandated by the state, but it is not a primary language of the school.
Though we moved around a lot today, Katie and I enjoyed Kindergarten very much and spent several periods with them. Below, you can see Katie teaching the class colors using the shapes on the wall. Most of the Kindergarteners are minimal English speakers, but are sponges and remember whatever we say to them! The time we spend with them is critical because the Kindergarten class only meets for half of the day. Some students go home, but the 7 you see below in Katie's class are either waiting for the bus which is at 2pm, or are children who live at the school's hostel. Without this structure, the children are left to their own devices for nearly 4 hours. Since English is a marketable skill for anyone in India, we are so thankful that we are of use teaching the Kindergarten after their classes and with the older classes as well. We have been learning from the Kindergarten too. When we teach them the words for things, usually they laugh and say it back to us in English and Hindi so that we then can learn the Hindi words!
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| Katie and Monica, one of the cutest Kindergarteners! Monica is from Uttar Pradesh, where her parents live in a small village. She was brought to school by her uncle with her brother who is in first grade, even though her parents are worried that no one from their village will marry her if she is educated. |
Katie and I spent the last few minutes of the day with the Kindergarteners outside on the playground!
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| Airplane running in front of Nav Jeevan! |
After school Katie and I went with Roger, Kiran, and two teachers into Nagpur proper to the slum areas to see if there were any children that would be good candidates for the school's hostel. There is always room for one of the 31 million children in India that are living on the street. The problem with offering to put street children in school is that there is a fear among slum dwellers that since the school is Christian, the object is to convert the children to Christianity. But, Nav Jeevan prides itself on having no strings attached. There is daily prayer, but the children focus on "God," in a non-denominational way, with the object of learning how to be thankful for what they have and generous towards others, a practice which all major religious traditions in India keep.
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| As you can see, to the left of the slum there are many apartment buildings that loom. They are much nicer than the makeshift shacks in the slum and remind all of the income disparity throughout India. |
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| While driving by one of the slum dwellings, we happened upon this beautiful young girl. She is the sister of one of the 9th graders, Vishal. It was touching to see that Vishal, a hostel student now, previously lived in and returns to the slum on holidays. Vishal's sister does not attend school due to her mental disabilities. Unfortunately, India does not have many options for those with mental or physical disabilities which makes these children a liability to the family. Often families abandon children with disabilities, making this girl fortunate that she is still able to work and live with her family. |
On our way home, we stopped at an art and music festival! Filled with color and music, the festival was a great way to get a different taste of Indian culture. We tried some Naan, a traditional Indian bread that was cooked for us on the inside of a piping hot barrel.
Thank you for reading! We look forward
to what tomorrow brings, be it in English or Hindi, or something else!
