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By Lorraine Kasyan, July 24, 2013 11:33 am

One theme that ran steadily throughout my trip to India was bricks – stones, tiles, bricks, and sand. We saw so much building going on, so much construction debris and piles of supplies that it gave me a constant reminder that India is both on the move and ancient at the same time. That it is re-building the aging infrastructure, brick-by-brick, while also raising up massive new high rises to house the population growth and new business. I took pictures of the stones as they started to permeate my vision. Workers piling bricks up high on their heads to pass to others, all seemingly insignificant in pace yet as the processions never stopped, the progress was steady.

We visited many forts, tombs, temples, and yes, The Taj Mahal. Our guides proudly spoke of the history and use of each building and again, I was mesmerized by the restoration efforts that were ongoing and by the admission that even The Taj was a Brick and Mortar structure covered by a veneer of marble.

Brick and Mortar – the foundation of many civilizations. The metaphor to education cannot be ignored. What is the Brick and Mortar of education policy in the United States? How can it change, be gutted, and then rebuilt without careful selection of construction material? How can my state, North Carolina, survive the current onslaught of legislators dismantling the Brick and Mortar of our schools with policies that reverse positive growth in education, take funding away from schools, and push privatization instead of support for public schools and their teachers? Our best and brightest teachers cannot afford to stay in teaching. Affluent parents have now been given a green light to move their children to schools that do not bear the same burdens.

Thirty-five talented, passionate educators just returned from a life-altering trip to India where we visited schools and businesses, and witnessed first hand the damage done to children when public education does not serve with fidelity. We heard time and time again that no middle class parents would think of sending their children to a public school. Yet the vast majority of Indian children, especially in the villages, have only the public school to hope for. Many of the schools did not have lights or electricity in their classrooms, they are overcrowded, lack supplies, and have teachers who are so overworked that the best they can do is offer rote-learning in shifts. India is sharing her lessons with us – are we ready to listen?

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By Lorraine Kasyan, July 18, 2013 12:30 pm

The Door Step School

Let me explain this program in pictures. There is construction going on all over India. The workers migrate to where the building is taking place.  Their children go with them and would normally be largely unsupervised and definitely out of school. By definition this was astonishing, but I likened it to the migrant workers at home, those that follow the crops and transfer in and out of schools. These Indian students do not register for the public schools. There is no way to get there or to get back and no way to monitor or follow the workers. Door Step School saw the problem and came up with a solution. In situations where there is a camp set up near the construction site , Door Step follows suit, builds a tin shed, and locates the children. Teachers are trained, logs are created to follow the students, and skills and attendance are taken daily. The teachers were very proud of their system – now, if the construction finishes and the family moves on, Door Step can transfer the records to another school that will start up where needed. This was not the most meager set up that we have seen but it is close. Here we go…

The families at work on a luxury high rise.

This is the village that has sprouted up to house the families.

We could not resist sharing a moment with the students. Most were shy, but this little one had an impish grin that lit up the room.

See what I mean?

I have been trying to upload a photo of the families as they collected their little ones for lunch – it is not going to happen tonight. We were overwhelmed by the simplicity and genuine grace in their collection. This is home to many tender families.

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By Lorraine Kasyan, July 11, 2013 11:24 pm

The Door Step School is an NGO (Non Government Organization that consists of three components. There are actual school buildings where children come to attend school. Then there are mobile units that go out to the construction camps where the migrant workers live in temporary settings. Then there are libraries that travel to different municipal schools on a weekly basis. They teach reading, read to children, facilitate a lending library, and they are affectionately called the book fairies. Door Step did research in the larger cities, especially those with many construction projects and they found that of the registered workers there were thousands of children, migrating to construction sites, who had no opportunity to attend school. There are many reasons for this, most of them obvious. The work that is done here is priceless; the folks who have organized this effort are saints. Their humble facilities are elegant to the children who are in attendance. I will write more on this once I have more time and Internet strength.

We leave in half an hour to head to the rural villages. There we will visit a women’s center, help organize a children’s field day at multiple schools, and teach a village classroom. My partners and I were up late putting the last minute touches on a lesson in English Vocabulary for the high school. We will eat at a village home, work some more in classrooms and head back to Pune where our host families will pick us up for the weekend.  You should see the pictures I had from yesterday. I have many favorites. What a story there is to be told here. I do not want to view it all as a spectator and react simply for the moment. I will find a way to keep connected with these NGO’s at least one of them. We educate all children. Their eyes looking up at me remind me of my students at home.

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By Lorraine Kasyan, July 10, 2013 11:25 pm

You know, it is an amazing thing to be treated as a dignitary just because you get to do the work you love in life. I mean today at The Bishop School we arrived at 7:30 am so that we could attend Assembly. Assembly happens every morning and consists of prayers, pledges, the national and school anthems, news and today an introduction of guests. Bill Worley and I have had an inspiring two days visiting the school and the respect and generosity showered on us has been truly humbling. I stood in front of a hall of over a thousand students, not the entire student body as the monsoon rains moved us indoors, and was asked to share a few words. Speaking in front of groups is not my favorite thing and to be honest, I think this might have been the largest group I have ever addressed. When words flow from your heart it makes them easy to find. Looking out at the sea of faces dispelled my normal nerves. I had seen these children in the halls, said hello and observed a lesson or two. It was easy to find the words to share my observations and hopes for their futures. Today was one for the books.

My lesson! Well, the Assistant Headmistress to the upper grades, Mrs. Gura, was going to have me come to her room sometime after 11. I thought I would have time to prepare a bit more, but the plan changed and I was moved to 9:15. Back pack and supplies in tow I marched with my lovely guide, Mayuri, up to the room where the students were already waiting for me. 48 tenth graders stood in unison to say, “Good morning, Ma’am” and well, they stayed standing. Phew, no time to unload, no time to regroup or find my ‘stuff’ all of which has been sorted and repacked in the bags I have been toting around the world. This is it. I started with distributing cards to them, little tickets that were to have their names in English and Hindi printed on them.  Rifling through my bags I got out the bare essentials and began.

The lesson was taped and it also flew by. Their eyes were eager, their hands readily shooting towards the ceiling. The windows were open as they are in the entire building with no air conditioning only breezes. So my instruction harmonized with birdsong and the continuous honking of cars, trucks, and taxis. I told them I was going to talk about poetry as a jumping off point. We spoke of the difficulty in writing and I elicited the term writer’s block before moving forward. There were vocabulary words that I had to put on the board to make sure they would understand the imagery in the poem.  Hmm, one half of the board was covered in foil, the other half a traditional green chalkboard of about 4’ by 4’. No well for the chalk. Another scramble uncovered a small piece of chalk not two inches in length, sitting on the desk. There was no eraser.

You don’t need a play-by-play here. The time flew by. The students were eager and thirsty for each step. They wrote and spilled words from their pens and pencils in rapid succession then shared their words with the group. They were delighted when I asked them to turn the cards over and write a favorite word of their own for the group. These were passed to the front, collected, and a student chose one from the pile to use for the next bit of writing. It was uncanny that the word chosen was ‘friends’. We set out to write again after I revealed the term and were still writing when the bell rang. No one stopped. We continued, the passing minutes elapses, the next teacher arrived and still they wanted to keep going. To share. To continue. I asked them to pick one word that was a favorite to say out loud. I wanted to create a verbal wave and to let them hear the similarities in their responses. It was priceless. They stood while I again repacked the backpack and spoke a chorus of “Thank you mams” I floated out of there.

I have other observations from this day. There are many differences in what these children perceive the expectation to be. They had a bit of difficulty with the idea of no rules. Their cards also contained a bubble chart with India in the middle. I have to look at these more closely before I write about them.

Great things. Thanks for reading.

(more photos coming, again, the bandwith issue)

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By Lorraine Kasyan, April 24, 2013 12:01 pm

There are many updates for the student learning that is taking place. Nadiya followed up on her discovery and has collaborated to validate other sources. She also contacted the author of one of her books and received an email in return. Garrett found out that finding the answers to deeply scientific questions was easier than locating the political loophole that allowed the recent GMO extension to pass through legal avenues. He tried for several hours to find the sections covered by the passing of the bill. This growth was substantial as Garrett began his research fully in favor of GMO’s, desiring only to find evidence that their impact is far more positive than negative. He is now aware of the harm and possible negative impact associated with them and realizes the quagmire created when large corporations involve themselves in legislation. Finding out the facts proved to be a monumental learning experience for him. We have also had the benefit of attending a leadership conference with several captivating speakers. Guy Kawasaki, Terry Bradshaw, and Amanda Gore inspired my students in many ways. You know it was worthwhile when the content is discussed in multiple situations for over a week. Hearing discussions of enchantment, self-improvement, gratitude, joy, and spirit is delightful. These students are applying their experiences in their daily interactions. All in all it has been a valuable few weeks.

Future Leaders: A few of the students waiting for the speakers to begin.

I am leaving for a few days to attend my orientation for an Educator’s trip to India this summer. Sponsored by The Center for International Understanding, I am both honored and humbled by the chance to meet other educators who envision a world where borders dissolve and cultures cooperate. Before I leave, let me share the list of topics for this year’s graduating class. You will be amazed by the diversity here. I am learning so much as I act as mentor, guide, and collaborator for this amazing group of students. Please let me know if you have any questions or contacts for any of them.

List of Topics for 2013
Molecular Gastronomy
River pollution
Foodcycling
The Tradition and Decoration of the Kimono
Sewing – Uniform design
Guitar Crafting (building an electric guitar)
Bass Guitar
Orthotics
Cinematography
Forensic Science and the Steps of Decomposition
Genetically Modified Crops
Photographic Documentation of Rural Appalachia
Occupational Therapy
Art Therapy
Music Therapy
Herbal Remedies
Tattoo – Evolution of Design
Tattoo – History and Culture
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy
Screen-printing
Homelessness – Women and Children
Bacterial Infections – Causes, Treatment, and Prevention
Plant Identification and Natural Remedies on the Appalachian Trail
Welding
Slavery in Western North Carolina – George Avery
Nutrition, Exercise and Health
Music Homogenization
Carbapenem Resistant Enterobacteriaceae
The History of Revivals
Out of School Migrant Youth Workers and Services for Education
HTML and Net Neutrality
Foster Care
Russian Folktales
Diseases of the Eye and Services for the Blind
Creative Writing
Kindness and Self-Esteem in Children

Wow! Look out world, we are setting sail to make a difference.