|
turning the
wheel |
||
|
siddhartha school project newsletter |
issue #1 |
october 1996 |
|
Geshe Tsetan Meets with His Holiness Geshe-la had gone to Ladakh in June, shortly after he was invited to become abbot; at that time, it became clear to him that the children and parents of Stok, the staff of the school, and foreign friends of the project were all very proud of his appointment, and yet would be sad to see him go. Concerned that his new position would interfere with his leadership of the school, Geshe-la decided to speak with His Holiness before he formally accepted the position. Trusting in the wisdom and practical judgment of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and wanting above all to serve his wishes, Geshe-la went to Dharamsala to ask whether he should take up the abbotship or continue to focus full-time on the Siddhartha School. Before he left, he told Laura Kogonis (SSP Executive Administrator), "Whatever His Holiness tells me to do, I will do. He will know what is best for me and the school." On the evening of the meeting, the Siddhartha School Board received a phone call from Geshe Tsetan. The excitement and joy in his voice were clear and unmistakable, even though the telephone connection was poor: "Hello Laura?...This is Geshe-la. I met with His Holiness the Dalai Lama today. I don't have to go to Tashi Lhunpo; His Holiness thinks I should keep working hard for Siddhartha School. . . . His Holiness also gave a donation of Rs. 50,000 (approximately U.S. $1,470) and a new thanka for the school, and he will write a letter of support for the Siddhartha School Project in order to recommend the school to everyone!" It was so wonderful to learn of His Holiness's confidence in Geshe-la's work and generous support of the Siddhartha School. We hope to include the Dalai Lama's message in the next issue of Turning the Wheel. Children Enjoy Family Day
(index) In the summer of 1996 the Siddhartha School held its first "Family Day". The children performed traditional songs for their families and teachers, and Geshe Tsetan spoke to the community about the importance of parental involvement, cultural pride, the school curriculum, and the status of the building campaign. As a result, Siddhartha School families responded with the creation of a Parent/Teacher Association. Led by its newly elected officers, the association has assisted in the development of the school calendar and has voted to establish a school uniform of traditional Ladakhi dress. A number of members have pledged to come to the school as volunteer teachers on subjects such as local history, farming, and story-telling. Summer in Ladakh
(index) Members visited local monasteries and historic sites with Geshe Tsetan. While in Geshe-la's village, they visited the Siddhartha School and Stok Palace and had lunch with Geshe-la's family. The schedule was capped off by a breathtaking three-day trek through the mountains above the village. The trip was planned by Dana as a fund-raiser for Siddhartha School, and the generous group donated over $1,000 to the project. Members of the tour group offered their services to Siddhartha School as well. Dr. Priscilla Oby from Maine extended her stay in Ladakh with the intention of examining and creating a file on each Siddhartha School student. She brought medicine for a variety of conditions, as well as toys and books for the school. She saw almost half of the students, but her plans to see the rest of the children were cut short due to altitude sickness. Dr. Oby fully recovered upon arriving in Delhi (at a much lower elevation) and we are most grateful for her important work with the children. Lee Attix also stayed on in Ladakh to work for SSP. With his business background and experience in construction, Lee was a valuable asset to the Siddhartha School Building Campaign. He created the new budgets (operating and construction) for the Siddhartha School Project fiscal year 1997-98. Thanks Lee! We hope our friends enjoyed their stay in Ladakh, and we send our heartfelt thanks for their support. Siddhartha School Friends in Germany
(index) Uschi Erny, a German marketing executive interested in learning more about SSP, went to Ladakh this summer to visit Siddhartha School and see how she could help. Uschi was impressed and gave a donation in German marks equivalent to U.S. $270 (Rs. 9000). She will be starting her own nonprofit organization in Germany to support the Siddhartha School. As her first initiative, Uschi took some of the children's artwork home with her to publish a book for fund-raising purposes. While in Ladakh, Uschi took a few children to the dentist at the Tibetan Children's village in Choglamsar. Unfortunately, while many of the children need dental care, several who needed to see the dentist were unable to do so due to difficulties with transportation. Uschi agreed with Geshe Tsetan to try to raise funds to buy a bus next year for Siddhartha School. The bus will allow groups of students to go for medical visits and field trips, and will also be used to bring children form the upper village to the new kindergarten (about 5 kilometers away), so that the little ones don't come to school exhausted from their trek. A friend of Uschi's, Dr. Heinz-Guenther Koke, came to the school for two days. The school office was turned into a make-shift clinic and all the children of the Siddhartha School and many young people from the Stok public middle school were examined. The doctor's visit was a great success. He was able to pick up where our American friend Dr. Oby left off (see story above), and met with over 30 children. We now have a file for each student, including measurements and medical records. The doctor also left behind a supply of medicines for minor conditions. Dr. Koke said he will return in another year for a follow-up visit, and we are delighted to report that he has a keen interest in training a local Ladakhi medical student in pediatrics and helping to start the Siddhartha School Health Clinic by furnishing medical supplies and equipment. Kindergarten Classrooms Near Completion
(index) The kindergarten class block is composed of three spacious rooms, each with a south wall made of solar windows, overlooking the Stok mountain range and historic royal palace. The kindergarten class block is scheduled for completion in early November. Through the support of our donors, volunteers, and the community of Stok village, the forty-six Siddhartha School children will start their new year (March 1997) in this beautiful new facility. As of October we need only $1,300 to finish the structure. This sum reflects the cost of the roofing, which must be reinforced with metal sheeting to withstand the summer rainy season. In the past, traditional Ladakhi architecture did not require such accommodations for rainfall, but over the past ten years, the climate in Ladakh has changed, and ceilings cave in if they are not protected with a slightly slanted metal layer, hidden by the more traditional layers of earth, sticks, and carved wood facade. Because this type of roofing was not a part of the original plan's technical specifications, it was not a cost included in our budget for the '96 campaign. If you can help Geshe Tsetan meet this crucial expense, your contributions will be most sincerely appreciated. Volunteer Profile
(index) Sara received her BA from NYU, where she studied anthropology and journalism, and she will return to the States to begin her law degree at Columbia University in 1997. When she met Laura Kogonis and Geshe-la at Siddhartha School, we were thrilled with her eagerness and ability to accomplish a variety of tasks. Sarah has started computer training for Siddhartha School's head teacher, Tsewang Dorje, and secretary, Padma Dorje. She is also helping with the lay-out of a school calendar and is helping the children with the artwork that will accompany it. Once Geshe-la returns to the U.S. at the end of September, she will be taking over many of his responsibilities, such as reporting to the States on the progress of construction as well as school board and parents association meetings. To prepare for the work, she has been meeting with the local people involved in the project and has been familiarizing herself with the work involved. Sara will also help to train the new secretary who has been hired for the school and will be visiting existing schools in other villages in Ladakh to network and observe classes. She is a sharp organizer and well-loved by the local villagers. We are glad to have her. Featured Interview
(index) Laura: What was it like with the school just starting? You were the first teacher, and you have a totally new school, new children. That must have been challenging. Tsewang Dorje: As I said, I had already started to teach kindergarten in my [former] school, so it was not so difficult. But the thing was that all of us were strangers to each other; the small children, they were strangers to me, and I was also a stranger to the children. They themselves were even getting used to a new atmosphere -- a school. There were no returning students to help guide them. Now it's good; it's been totally changed, because the incoming students will be gradual. It'll get easier for them to get settled, because there are already the existing senior students. This year the fresh admissions -- we did the fresh admissions of 1996 in March -- they were very easy to handle, because we were already there, the twenty-five kids who were already existing, so we didn't have the same problems. So now it's getting very good, and we have grading and a good environment. [Tsewang Dorje takes the children on a number of field trips to local cultural events and institutions.] Laura: What did they find interesting walking around the museum? I know there is the Princess's dress, and there are photos of dignitaries. . . Tsewang Dorje: I think they get more attracted to those armors and the animals. Laura: The stuffed animals, like the snow leopard? Tsewang Dorje: Yes, the snow leopard. But the boys are more attracted to the armor. They were eagerly asking me about the armor and the weapons; they were more interested in these things. What I find very interesting and good about them is that they ask questions. They are so young, they could get lost in such a place as a museum, but they are so inquisitive that they ask. They keep asking me questions, like "What is this?" and "Why, sir, why?" "What, and how?" That's a good thing about the children. I have seen in most other villages -- I went to a few other primary schools, and I asked [my friend who teaches at one of the village girls' schools] how the children sit in the class and how they react to the teacher. So, I know that compared with them, our children are far better. Laura: Because they are more lively, more interested? Tsewang Dorje: Yes, more interested and more involved. Laura: Well, I'm sure that's a reflection on your teaching. [Laughter] Laura: What are the needs now for the new school building and the school site? Tsewang Dorje: The long-term needs here, you know are for next year, after the school opens up in April and moves to a new building. Because the village here is a very, very big village, a few of the kids, I think seven or eight, live at the top of the village, in the foothills of the big, snowy mountain. It is quite difficult for the children; even at present they are facing quite big problems. They walk all the way, five or six kilometers to the school. So after walking for one hour, sometimes they feel dizzy at school from walking. And after walking all the way back home, maybe in some cases they won't be able to study at home; it is very difficult for them. All the other children were coming and going from the city, and near their homes there is a local bus. Our children have to come a bit early. At eight o'clock they have to start from their home to reach the school at nine. That is quite difficult for them to walk all the way from home to school. So I feel that we are in need of a bus that can pick them up from home. But that's a long term thing. Maybe next year. The other thing we really need especially for the children is to have good story books. I just want them to develop the habit of listening to stories so that they can enjoy reading in the coming years in first grade and second grade. So, it would be very nice if we had good books and children's magazines. It would also be a very helpful thing to create a student exchange. Our children would be very interested to know what the children in the States or other parts of the world are like: what they study and what they do in their schools. We would be very happy to do these things. Like I told one of the visitors to the school, Auntie Sarah of FOTWA (SSP's umbrella organization) -- because she asked me what we could do as a cultural exchange -- I said it would be very nice for us to record everything we do here, how we dance and how we have all of our traditions and our agricultural life. They can see from the fields how we plough, the method of agriculture, the marriage ceremony and all. We can make a tape on a video recorder and send it, and at the same time they can send their video cassettes, and that would be the best method of exchanging ideas. Laura: Looks like we need a TV and a VCR! Tsewang Dorje: Yah, yah, we need these things, a Video and a TV! [laughter] We still have a tape recorder, and we can play peoples' voices, and the children, they would love to hear that. So it would be good to have that kind of thing. Laura: What do you think are the children's favorite activities in the school? Tsewang Dorje: Well they have a routine of periods. We have classified them into six periods. In the morning they have the morning assembly, where they sing the national anthem and patriotic songs. Then [we have] our own Buddhist prayers, and then they sing a lot of their own songs which they enjoyed before. Then after the assembly from 9:15 to 10 o'clock is officially called "Show-and-Tell Period". In that period what I let them do is show something and tell about it. A funny thing happened with one of the children. I told them that if anybody forgets something, they have to tell a story. Most of the children are very interesting; they tell funny stories; they just make them up. So, what happened was, I told Regain Nauru, "Tomorrow is Thursday, so it is your turn to bring something." Unfortunately he forgot. So what he did was -- the thing he brought, it was a horn, a what you call a yak horn [the horn of the animal!]. And I was so surprised that he brought such a thing. I just tell them to bring the homey stuff, you know, what they find in the home. I asked him, "What is this?" "It's a horn for a ritual we do in Ladakh." "What is this for?" I asked, because I didn't understand and didn't expect him to bring such a thing. He said, "Oh this is for the Show-and-Tell Period." "What, for Show and Tell?" "Yes, sir" he said. "I forgot to bring the other thing [from home], and this I just found at the side of the road." "Why?" "Well if I didn't bring anything then I'd have to tell a story, a cocktail story [a made-up story], so I brought this thing." Since the children have to tell something about what they brought, I asked him, "What can you tell about this thing?" So for the first twenty minutes he talked and talked, and then he said, "Sir, we can keep chang in this." I was so surprised. "Where did you see people pouring chang in this horn?" "In one of the ceremonies." In Ladakh we have a ceremony, the Flag-Changing. We have the prayer flags, so when we change them we have to pour the beer, called chang, as an offering to the deity. You might have seen this somewhere. So he just told me, "Sir, we can put chang in this." And everybody was laughing. It develops a good sense of self-confidence in the children. So it's nice. Then we have two periods of contemporary subjects, English and Math. Then after the third period we have a break in which we have lunch and what we call "circle time." We take the children outside in the field on the ground, and let them sit in a circle, and let them play [games] like hopping on one foot, and you know, other games. Then after lunch weave one forty-five-minute period of singing and dancing, which they love. And then after that we have one more class, which is drawing period usually. So they keep themselves busy the whole day. Laura: What is your vision of the school ten years from now? Tsewang Dorje: Ten years? The children from our school will be ruling the whole of Ladakh. It will be universal! [Laughter] I feel and I am hoping, and I am trying my best to make them know something about everything and everything about something. So our children are doing that, and I am trying to give them that sense, you know, to know everything about something and something about everything. The whole idea is that they should each be perfect in one thing, and know a little bit about everything. So I think our children should be good, and in the coming ten years our children will be going around teaching the Ladakhis how they were and how they are now. Laura: How is this school different from the other schools in Ladakh? Tsewang Dorje: The main difference that I and the other teachers and Geshe-la are trying to bring is to have both knowledge of the outside world -- you know, what's happening outside, apart from our own culture -- as well as a very good knowledge of our own culture too. In a sense without [leaving] our own culture, we can go outside and look for other things. That is the main difference for Ladakh that we will see in fifteen years, that our children are both very good in their own contemporary books and learning, and they have a good deal of knowledge about their own land. I think that that will truly happen with our children. (index) The Siddhartha School Project |
||
On
September 4, 1996 Geshe Tsetan, founder and director of the Siddhartha
School Project (SSP) went to Dharamsala to meet with His Holiness the
Dalai Lama, to discuss his recent appointment as abbot of Tashi Lhunpo
Monastery in South India. Geshe-la was honored by the appointment, but
concerned that accepting the position would consume his time and draw
his attention away from Siddhartha School. 
Six
friends of Siddhartha School Project spent two weeks this summer sight-seeing
and trekking in Ladakh. The tour was organized and hosted by Dana Sawyer,
through his trekking company Karuna Loon. Dana is a professor at the
Maine College of Art and an old friend of Geshe Tsetan and SSP. 
Thanks
to the generous contributions of nearly 200 SSP donors, $18,000 has
been raised for the Siddhartha School Project Building Campaign. The
campaign, begun last September, is only $1,300 dollars away from reaching
its goal for the kindergarten class block, and $6,000 away from completing
the health clinic and lunch room. 
Sara
Noetzle, a new volunteer, started working on the project on August 6
and will be working at Siddhartha School until December. She has been
traveling in South and Central Asia for almost two years now, spending
time in Nepal, Tibet, Ladakh, and Thailand. She had heard about the
project while visiting with a friend in Lhasa and wrote Geshe Tsetan
offering her help. 
On
August 21,1996 Laura Kogonis and Sara Noetzle, an SSP volunteer, recorded
an interview with Tsewang Dorje, Siddhartha School's head teacher. The
following is a selection of excerpts from this meeting with the dynamic
teacher, in which he shares some first-hand experiences with the children
and his visions for the future of the school.