Jamalpur update

At Jamalpur they started a new class that is being led by a teacher named Sam. Her real name is something crazy so Dilipbhai, the computer teacher, renamed her! Anyways, she got her teaching certificate and has been taking computer classes with Manav Sadhna. Since she is Muslim Barotbhai thought she would be ideal to start a new tuition class as a way to try to get some of the Muslim kids in the class to start attending class and getting involved with Manav Sadhna.

She has a class of like 40 students. On top of that they all speak different languages - some speak Gujarati, some Hindi, some Urdu! And they don't all understand each other, though she speaks them all. So when she teaches class she writes everything in 2-3 languages even if she's teaching just one language so they can all learn what she's trying to teach! It's nuts - I have lots of respect for her having the patience and ability to make sure she constantly caters to all of the kid's needs.

I sat in on one of her classes - the kids are out of control! They don't sit in a straight line, they don't raise their hand, they don't listen when someone else talks...nothing! I talked to Sam and will continue to attend class and work on the discipline of the kids. Educating them is obviously important, but Manav Sadhna prides its teaching as value based, and wants to make sure the kids are well-behaved and equipped to learn first. Sam runs the classes out of her own house, so Virenbhai suggested I keep an eye on things there, since the family would be more comfortable with a girl spending time there than Barotbhai. I'm looking forward to this challenge!

We also hosted a 2 day shibir (like an orientation or get together) for the moms of kids who attend the tuition classes there. They had all sorts of lecturers come - talk about Manav Sadhna, education, family values etc etc. Barotbhai had me speak about health and hygiene. I didn't know how to attack this, since they're all women with kids and obviously much older than me. But I went in just like I did with the kids and said I'm going to teach you what I taught them. You're the moms, the cornerstone of any Indian family, and if you don't know this stuff and practice it yourself, you can't except your kids to either. I told them that you might not be educated or have had a chance to work or anything else, all things you hope for your kids, so in that area all you can do is encourage them, but when it comes to health, you can do everything they do. The talk was really general and basic, showering, keeping the house clean, brushing your teeth, handwashing (really pushed this with them). It was very light and simple, but the women had lots of fun. They were very grateful and understanding of what I was saying and appreciative that I took the time to talk to them.

The guy who ran the shibir was a bit irritating. After I finished my talk he was telling the women how insulting it was that I was telling them how to stay clean - "as if you don't already know this running a family and all" - immediately one of the Moms said no, we may know this but it doesn't mean we practice it, and we aren't educated enough to understand why we should do these things. The guy continued "but still I mean she's half your age and telling you how to take care of your family, if someone did that to me I'd be insulted. If you're not insulted you should be." I'm just sitting here with my jaw dropping since he was dead serious. But the women started all talking at once - how grateful they were to hear what I said, that if someone tells them something with this much love it's not an insult, that they realize I took time out of my day to teach them something that will only help them and how selfless that is etc etc etc. I was amazed that these women were arguing with this guy for me, who they had known for a total of 1 hour. I got up and left because I felt awkward being there, and later found out that this guy really was that big of an airhead and meant everything he said, but I walked away with a lesson: that it really is true that when someone tells you something with good intentions it is conveyed that way to the other person. I didn't mean to be insulting or to tell these women that I know better than them, just to share what I knew and reinforce what they knew - and they realized that emotion even after only hearing me talk for 30 minutes. It was really touching and made me realize that maybe I don't understand or appreciate how much of an impact I really have on their lives. I'm glad I got a chance to interact with them and I hope that in the future I can visit some of them and try to get to them on a bit more of a personal level.