School Visit in Kochi

Today we visited Chinmaya Vidyalaya School in Kochi, Kerala. The state of Kerala is remarkable in several respects, but one often quoted statistic is a literacy rate of 91%, well above the national rate of 55%. The obvious question is: how do they do it? Several factors have made this coastal state what is it educationally, including an early missionary presence from the Portuguese, with missionaries who allowed both genders to attend school and provided the schools for them to attend. In addition, a strong state government based on Communist precepts which removed barriers of learning from certain classes of children, and a matriarchal culture which kept the needs of children at the center are given as factors for this success. Families in Kerala spend more on education than on food each year! They have a very impressive live birth rate, low mortality rate, and, at age 72, a life expectancy far beyond the national norm. All of these benefits are the result of a highly educated populace, and our field trip today to Chinmaya Vidyalaya School gave us some insight into how it’s done well. This school is a privately funded school, based on the teachings on a Swami. It was a remarkable morning. We were greeted by student with flower garlands and given a red mark on our foreheads to sharpen our “third eye” and focus our energy. We then attended a faculty meeting, which had both special celebration elements for our behalf, but several regular agenda items, impressive items. The session was opened with a song by some of the teachers in which asked each other to “….let me take to my body assurance of thy comradeship, my friend.” I said it was impressive! Next the local sunshine committee (every school’s got one!) read out some riddles about particular staff members and teachers shouted out answers. Door prizes were given, which made me want to shout out a name, but alas, I knew no one… Next their yoga teacher (yes, they keep a yoga teacher on staff to practice pranayama breathing with the students, chanting, and some simple asanas!) led us in some breathing exercises to relax and focus our minds. They then shared their school banner which stated their school’s mission: We can, will, and should forge ahead with a smile. Although I have great respect for my current principal’s purposeful, focused, productive meetings, I think she would agree we could pick up some sweet pointers from these gals. On top of which these teachers looked like movie stars in their Kerala special occasion saris of cream color with gold accents. BTW, there are pictures of this and many other pics of the school on my newest FLICKR post:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39413808@N05/sets/72157621377292687/
As impressive as the meeting was, seeing the classrooms and speaking with the children proved to be even more remarkable. There was a evident respect for the teachers by all students, and very up to date child-centered pedagogical strategies were evident in several areas, from their hands-on, inquiry based science activity I saw in a 4th grade classroom, to their character education. Their character education consists, in part, of chanting and yogic breathing at the lower levels, and then, in the high school, a several-year study of the Geetha, one of the great epic stories of the Hindus. The teachers were obviously passionate about their work, the students in all classrooms I visited were orderly, engaged, and curious, and it was inspirational to see such a well run school, even though I have the privilege of teaching in one myself. I visited a vocal music choral class, which sang a song of peace with staff instrumental accompaniment. I responded by teaching them a song of peace, Dona Nobis Pacem, and they were quick studies and very good singers. It was very interesting to see how quickly they learned by ear, how suggestible they were to my idiosyncratic directing, and, most remarkable, how quickly they added ornamentation to the original melody. I’m including a very short clip of their singing, so you can get a taste. It was moving to share music back and forth, and the faculty did an impromptu improvisation piece, which they also used as a learning tool when they asked students to provide clapping for the taal (cycle of beats in Indian classical music). I asked the P.E. teacher if I could see a cricket game during our time, and he got together a group very quickly. You can see I got my turn at bat, or whatever it’s called. BTW, our morning snacks included the milk of a tender coconut (apparently the young coconuts with still soft shells are the only ones from which you can drink the milk) delicious samosas, and some delicious chai. It certainly made our vending machines look embarrassing! I left with a great respect for this school’s work, gratitude for my colleagues with whom I attempt to do similar work, and gratitude to the Department of Education for providing such a rich people-to-people experience for all involved.
Today’s Hindu deity must be Sarasvati, the goddess of education and the arts. The photo of her you see was taken just inside the school. Sarasvati was the wife of Lord Brahma, but according to some legends (there are several accounts, of course!) they had a disastrous marriage, and Brahma kicked her out. Sarasvati decided she was ok with being was an independent woman, and consequently developed as a thinker and gifted creator. Musicians, artists, writers, and students are all part of her family and under her care. She is usually depicted with an instrument, the veena, and a book, and a white swan. I really dig this no-apologies, getting-on-with-my-life woman of the arts.