Visiting schools and meeting volunteers

It has been long few days since my last post. On wednesday I boarded a public bus and took a hour ride to the town of Batala to visit two primry schools and interview those who work there.

The mercury in the thermometer was well above 100 degrees and I was really struggling with the heat. It was all worth it to meet some amazing volunteers and the children they teach. The emphasis in Prathams Parrho (read) Punjab program is to change the classroom dymanic in order to increase the speed and quality of the childrens learning. This involves the volunteers nd teachers leading the class in a number of learning games designed to make the class room a more interactive place for the student. In the past, the classroom dynamic consisted of a teacher lecturing while the young students quietly listened and took notes. This method was non existent at the schools I visited where I saw first hand children from each class leading their peers in reciting the alphabet. This was all the more impressive when I was told that only days before the majority of these children had no knowledge of the alphabet. Each child took turns leading the class in the recitation while the volunteer stood by to assist if necessary. In another game instituted by Parrho Punjab a hopskotch-like grid was drawn on the floor with individual letters drawn in each square. The kids, one at a time, were told to jump into a square with the correct letter when the teacher or volunteer prompted them. It was clear from the start that the kids loved this game and they were actually pushing and shoving each other in line so tht their turn could come sooner. I was told later that these and other games were designed with the cultural heritage of the Punjabi people in mind so as to make it even more engaging to the children.

On a more personal note, I am enjoying my time here in Amritsar. It is a very pleasant city (despite the at times unbearable heat) and I cannot wait to go and see its most famous monument, the Golden Temple. This temple is known as the spiritual center of the Sikh religion, similar to St. Peters in Rome and Mecca. The roof is made entitrely out of gold I am told and absolutely spectacular when it is lit up in the evening. In fact I mabout to head there right now. In the next post I shall write bout my time in Jalandar, which is a city two hours south ofAmritsar where I met more great volunteers, childrenand one very enthusiastic government official. Stay tuned...

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www.readindia.org
www.pratham.org.uk
www.prathamusa.org
www.pratham.org