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A Field Trip
Like No Other
(return to index)
by Kathleen Kernell
|
Each
year Siddhartha School students take one major field trip, and
this year's destination was Alchi, a group of temples from the
11th century whose statues and frescoes have attracted the attention
of art historians all over the world. It was a wonderful experience
to see these magnificent works in the company of Siddhartha School
students, and to experience their excitement and fresh perspective.
The bus left Stok with classes V, VI, and VII,
several teachers, and school volunteers Eliot and Aiyana Athenia
and myself. Students attached a bright blue banner to the bus
that read 'Siddhartha School Educational Tour'.
|
Alchi |
The first stop was a rock revered by Buddhists
as a place of meditation of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava), the great
Indian adept who brought Buddhism to Tibet. It is also revered by the
Sikhs, who maintain a temple there, as a meditation place of their founder.
We were greeted warmly with blessing food, and the students respectfully
touched their heads to the sacred rock.
On the way to our next stop, we passed the confluence of the Indus and
Zanskar Rivers, one of the most spectacular vistas in Ladakh. The first
time I had travelled this road, I was simply terrified by the precipitous
drop, the narrow roads with no barrier rail, and the hairpin turns.
But I've learned that Ladakhi drivers are comfortable on these roads
and very skillful, so I was able to relax and enjoy the scenery along
with our students, who seem 100% immune to fear of heights.
We had breakfast in Nimu, a lovely little town where all the buses stop
for samosas and tea, then on to Likir, one of the most beautiful monasteries
in Ladakh. The monks gave us a complete tour, and Gen Kunzang, the Bodhi
(classical Tibetan) teacher explained the symbolism of the statues and
paintings.
We saw powerful statues brought from Tibet, old Thankas (Tibetan religious
paintings), long Tibetan books wrapped in silk, and, in one temple,
huge rolls of paper, entirely covered by the mantra 'om mani padme hung'
written so small that it was only barely visible to the naked eye.
We also visited a huge statue of the Buddha Maitreya, recently constructed.
I was struck by the respectful demeanor of the students in all religious
settings. Whenever they approached a sacred statue they brought their
palms together in a gesture of prayer without any prompting from their
teachers.
Around noon we reached our main destination, Alchi Choskhor. It is one
of the great jewels of Himalayan art. Alchi's isolation has permitted
it survive unscathed through the most tumultuous periods of Ladakh's
history.
Soon we were on our way home, but as we left Alchi we passed the local
government school. The students wanted to stop and visit the school.
As they visited classrooms and made friends with students their own
age, the teachers had tea with the principal and two of the teachers.
It was sobering, as it soon became clear what difficulties teachers
and students faced. I began to understand why the government schools
achieve only a 7% pass rate in 10th grade. The principal, a Kashmiri
who spoke no Ladakhi, was posted to the school for three years. All
teachers in government schools change schools every three years. This
ensures that they get equal opportunity to teach in the more desirable
locations, but it also lessens their commitment to any one community
and has an impact on the continuity of the children's education.
After some polite banter of the 'How do you like India?' type, conversation
turned to the challenges facing the government schools. When asked what
languages the children learned, the principal answered that they only
spoke Ladakhi. When I asked how they were able to find teaching materials
in Ladakhi for the sciences, the principal replied that they didn't
teach the sciences or social sciences because they had no teaching materials
beyond a few maps. He said there were so many schools and so little
funding, and that priority was given to schools near the administrative
centers. Yet these children, in order to pursue higher education, would
have to pass the same exams as students throughout India, and would
have to show proficiency in English, Hindi, Math and Science.
I left saddened; these children had the same spark, the same ready smile,
as our Siddhartha School students, but they did not have the same opportunities.
They didn't even have chairs in the classrooms. They sat on the bare
earth in dark rooms with tiny windows. Without the generosity of our
donors, the children of Stok would be facing these difficulties too.
On the way back to Stok, the children were singing and joking, and I
was relaxed and happy. I am a teacher, and I cannot recall another occasion
on which I have spent anything close to twelve hours with a group of
middle school students without encountering a single discipline problem.
It had been a genuinely enjoyable day. Gen Kunzang taught Eliot Wright
a little classical Tibetan: 'thugs je chenpo', and explained that it
meant 'great compassion'.
This, I thought, is the secret of this society; that's where you start.
'Great compassion' is the first lesson taught, the most essential word,
the universally acknowledged highest value.
Ladakh is in the far north of India bordering Pakistan
and Tibet.
Many
Hands Work Together -
(return to index)
to Expand
the School
by Kathleen Kernell
New Construction |
This
year, thanks to generous support from our donors and from the
Weatherspoon and Newman Foundations, and to a family foundation
which prefers to remain anonymous, two major construction projects
were completed. A perimeter wall was built enclosing the school
property, and construction was begun on the second story which
will rise above the newer building and contain most of the additional
facilities which the school requires: four classrooms, a computer
room combined with an upper school library, a new principal's
office, and a meeting room.
The first step was to enclose the walkway behind
the building. This will provide a larger foundation upon which
to build the second story, and will also provide some additional
insulation for the ground floor classrooms. The new hallway, with
windows which are not opposite the classroom doors, will serve
as a windbreak, keeping the classrooms much warmer in winter.
Like all schools in Ladakh, Siddhartha School
lacks a heating system, but unlike many, its construction is solar-savvy,
with large south-facing windows that provide adequate warmth.
The hallway extends the length of both buildings, completing the
foundation for the second story. |
Next, a stairway was constructed between the buildings
for access to the second story. One large room, equal in length to two
of the first-story classrooms, was built upstairs, and will house the
new combined computer lab and upper school library. Since it is built
over the hallway as well as the classrooms, it is quite large indeed.
While the
new second story was rising, another construction crew was at work
on the perimeter wall which will completely enclose the school property.
This year the front segment of the wall was built, extending along
the road to the new canal. This is the most crucial part, because
the irrigation canal, recently completed by the Indian government
but not yet functional, will make that land much more valuable,
creating an incentive for challenges to Siddhartha School's land
claim.
The code under which Siddhartha School holds its claim to that portion
of its territory makes it particularly vulnerable to a squatter’s
challenge if no improvements are made to the land, and the completion
of the wall will make the school's title secure. |
View of the school |
Finally, a long-time friend of the school, Hank Thoma,
a Dutch tour operator who lives in Ladakh, raised funds for new toilets
next to the new buildings. The toilets are in two separate buildings—one
for boys, one for girls—providing the greater privacy required
by older students.
Our next projects will be the two remaining classrooms, a science laboratory,
and an art studio. Before the school can apply for certification for
the upper grades, all of these must be completed and a regulation athletic
field must be prepared. At this critical juncture, your generosity is
more important than ever. Please consider a special gift to
the construction fund to help the school meet this challenge.
Teacher
leads Students (return to index)
to the Waves... The Airwaves!
| At the end of
March, twenty-four Siddhartha School students, accompanied by head
teacher Tsering Dolkar, went to the radio station in Leh to record
a Sunday morning children’s program. Students in Upper Kindergarten
sang songs and recited rhymes. The older children collected traditional
stories like fairy tales, and also told jokes and presented a drama
which they had written themselves. Their efforts were much appreciated,
and the radio station paid each participant 150 rupees per segment.
A total of 4350 rupees (almost $100) was distributed to the students.
This was Siddhartha School’s second radio program, and the
students are now working on a program for TV. Stay tuned! |
Siddhartha School Class |
Computer
Training
(return to index)
by Kathleen Kernel
Siddhartha School's
new principal, Tenzin Namgyal, has been sharing his enthusiasm for computers
with Classes VI and VII since the school acquired its first computer
lab last year. With a training program based on Intel's 'Teach To the
Future', he has introduced students to Microsoft Word and Powerpoint.
Each grade has computer class three periods a week, and the computer
lab is always open at times when the students are free, so that those
who are interested can get some additional practice.
Tenzin Namgyal began by introducing students to the history of the computer
and explaining its parts, including the input and output devices, software
and hardware. Then, after he was sure students knew how to turn on and
shut down the computers, he had them practice drawing so they would
learn how to control the mouse. The next step was keyboard familiarity-
a major hurdle since only two of the students had ever used a typewriter.
Soon everyone was able to use the basic functions of Microsoft Word
to write essays about their life at home and at school. Now the students
are beginning their study of Powerpoint, which will be integrated into
the science curriculum. Students will prepare projects from their science
text as Powerpoint presentations and will then exhibit their projects.
The next step is to acquire more software. This year we are hoping to
add dictionary and encyclopedia software so that the older students
can begin to use the computers for research projects. We would also
like to get some educational software suitable for younger children
so that they can begin to develop familiarity with the keyboard and
mouse at a younger age. Of course we need more computers. The school
now has 6, but we would like to buy more, so that larger classes can
be accommodated. Please consider a gift to help build up the computer
lab, and if you know of lower-school educational software that your
children have particularly enjoyed, please let us know.
Last year BNSL, the recently privatized government telecommunications
company, laid fiber optic cable to Stok. As the newsletter goes to press,
we have just learned that Siddhartha School now has internet access.
Information technology is a very important part of the Indian economy,
and could be particularly useful in Ladakh, where harsh winter conditions
and impassable roads preclude many kinds of development. Our students
are building the skills that will enable them to work in this essential
field.
Faculty
Development (return
to index)
Notes from an English Workshop -
by Rigzin Tsomo
The two-day seminar beginning
on 22nd August 2003, conducted by the Oxford University Press and chaired
by Ms. Jayshri Khanna, a renowned English language teaching expert was
very enriching and a learning experience. I, Rigzin Tsomo, representing
Siddhartha School along with three other teachers attended the workshop
and there were teachers and faculty members from almost all the schools
in Ladakh. It was an honor and a priviledge to attend this workshop,
to know and share the rich experiences about the processes going on
in today’s education scenario. I was able to gain much valuable
information on the current trends in language and teaching skills and
of course different methods. Though the workshop was only for two days,
the knowledge I gained was immense. To give just a few examples: our
teaching method must be sensitized to the needs of the learners, we
must shift from an autocratic teacher-centered model to a student-centered
model, there must be a shift from content teaching to skill teaching,
whatever we teach should be reachable to our learners, a teacher should
not be just a reservoir of knowledge but a classroom manager. So, on
the whole, it was a real learning experience.
*Rigzin Tsomo and four Siddhartha School teachers also participated
in a teacher training program at the Moravian School in Leh. Rigzin
Tsomo was also sponsored by the school for a month in Jamu where she
completed her BEd.
Essay
Contest
(return to index)
by Kathleen Kernell
Ladakhi Valley |
Siddhartha
School students learn three languages: Classical Tibetan, Hindi,
and English; and their proficiency in all three was amply demonstrated
this summer in the school's first essay contest. Classes V, VI,
and VII participated. Students had a choice of three languages and
of three topics. The topics were 'The importance of a modern education',
‘The effect of recent cultural changes on our community',
and 'How to preserve the environment'. Most chose to write about
the environment, and most chose to write in English, perhaps because
their English studies have better prepared them for this kind of
writing. In India all educational materials for the sciences and
social sciences are in English, and students take their exams in
these subjects in English. The approach to English study reflects
this reality, whereas in their Bodhi and Hindi classes they are
mostly studying classical literature. Several students (including
one of the winners) chose to write in Hindi, and a few chose classical
Tibetan. Tsewang Thinles, of Class VII, wrote his essay in Hindi
and then translated it into English for the newsletter. Although
all of the students expressed themselves well, their English is
not yet grammatically perfect, and their areas of difficulty reflect
the structural differences between English and Ladakhi. Ladakhi,
for example, does not distinguish singular nouns from plural. Ladakhi
belongs to the Sino-Tibetan family of languages, and its grammar
bears no resemblance to English grammar. As you read these essays,
try to imagine 12-year-old American students with semi-literate
parents writing an essay in Japanese. Then you will realize the
magnitude of the accomplishment, and the magnitude of the difference
your generosity has made in these children's lives. |
Student Essays
(return
to index)
How to Preserve Our Environment
By Sonam Angmo Class V
Our environment is full of field,
stone, soil, trees. We can preserve our environment by not cutting the
trees. Do not make the water dirty. Do not wash the clothes in the river,
stream, etc. Do not make the air dirty by car, bus, truck, van pollution.
Do not throw the paper, bottle, in our environment. Our environment
has many different house, animals such as cows, goat, sheep, dzo, dog,
cat, donkey. Our environment has many trees, ponds, gardens, and also
mountains. Our environment has many schools, shop, motel, birds. Our
environment has one stream, hand pump. Our environment has hospital,
gonpa1, khar2 and very long tower. Our environment has one hall and
many types of mani3. Our environment has many car, van, truck, bus,
scooter. Our environment should be neat and clean. Do not fight to another
people. Do not kill the animals such as lizard. Our environment has
very high mountains, which are very useful to stop the earthquake. I
love my environment very much.
How to preserve Our Environment
By Tsewang Thinles , Class VII
We have to plant more trees to
preserve our environment. By planting trees we will not have any problems
of Oxygen. And we can also eat fruits from the plants. When we don’t
keep our environment clean, we might get diseases. When we throw garbage
and dirty water on the road, the tiny organism take birth such as germs
and virus. We cannot see these organisms with our naked eyes. And the
water pollution is caused by the factories, For Example; In factories
the raw materials are used for making clothes, mats, televisions,buckets
etc…..And the waste materials which are useless are thrown in
to the rivers. Then many poor peoples used this water for drinking and
making foods. These people may get dangerous diseases. The air is mainly
polluted by factories, bus, van, scooters etc… The smoke go up
near the ozone layer and ozone layer is affected. The Ozone layer filtered
the poisonous ray from the sun. If we have to stop the pollution we
have to plant more trees and also for water pollution we should not
throw garbage and waste materials in the rivers.
Stanzin Yangdol: Essay Contest Winner
Siddhartha
School is especially proud of Stanzin Yangdol, the first-prize winner
of this year’s essay contest, as well as of the English elocution
contest and the solo dance contest. She was one of the school’s
first students, attending nursery school in the rented house which
was used for classes before construction began on the school campus.
Over the years, she has studied hard and has come to embody many
of the qualities the school hopes to cultivate in its students.
Although she has a strong interest in English and in current events,
she has a great love of Ladakhi traditions as well. Of all the entries
in the dance contest, hers was the most
traditional, full of the dignity and quiet grace of Ladakhi dance.
Her interest in English has been encouraged by a good relationship
with her sponsor, Margot Jarrett, a longtime Siddhartha School volunteer
who comes often to Ladakh. Stanzin Yangdol is a young person capable
of bridging two worlds, and we’re sure she’ll be a great
asset to her community in years to come. |
Stanzin Yangdol |
How to Preserve Our Environment
By Stanzin Yangdol, Class VII
Pollution is the biggest problem
of environment. Some people throw garbage on street or footpath. The
mosquito birth insect in this garbage. These insects cause dangerous
diseases like SARS, malaria, etc. These dangerous diseases has no medecine.
Mostly the people cut down forests. Some people killed the animals.
In last year, Gujarat has finished water. The people drink pond dirty
. We clean our surroundings. Some people waste our natural things. In
India, there were 50% of soil covered with forest. Now there are 8 %
of soil covered with forest. The man destroyed many natural things.
We cut down trees then our environment will be dirty. The forest are
very useful to us. We should be planting more trees. We should keep
our environment clean. We should not cut down the forest. We should
not dirty the water. We dirty the water then we have harmful. We should
save our natural resources and wild animals. We dirty the water. We
causes dangerous diseases. We plant more trees then we get fresh air
to breathe. We keep our surroundings clean then our people keep strong
and healthy. We should throw garbage in sokepit, use me or dustbin etc.
The scientist make many method to preserve our environment. The government
advise for the people to keep our surroundings clean. Leh is very dirty
place. The people throw garbage on the street. They sprit dirty water
on the road. In this garbage there are many germs birth. This germs
cause diseases. Please save our environment in this harmful things.
Please keep our surroundings clean.
Competitios
- Public Speaking (return
to index)
Throughout the year, Siddhartha
School holds a number of competitions designed to promote recognition
of students’ special talents. In addition to the competitions
in drawing, singing, dance, chess (senior), carom (junior), poetry recitation
(in Hindi, Bodhi, and English), and quiz, this year the school sponsored
an essay competition and a formal debate. These are suitable vehicles
for the older students’ growing skills. Of course there is the
all-inclusive talent show, as well as sports - cricket, volleyball,
and marathon running.
Each day at morning meeting, students take turns presenting summaries
of news articles of the day, acquiring the poise which public speaking
requires. This year students will begin doing their morning presentations
in all three of the languages they study, in addition to Ladakhi. Teachers
are always seeking ways to bring out and reward individual talents,
talents which grow stronger and more varied as the students mature.
Each performance, each game brings some new surprise, and each prize
brings greater confidence to one of our students.
How Grateful We are
(return to index)
for our Generous Donors - by Kathleen
Kernell
Siddhartha School would like to
thank all of our donors, whose generosity has made this and last truly
banner years. Even relatively small amounts of money go very far in
Ladakh, thanks to a favorable exchange rate. $30 buys 500 mud bricks
or 4 bags of cement, and $100 pays a teacher's salary for a month.
We would like specifically to acknowledge several individuals, groups
and foundations whose support has made possible construction and acquisitions
far beyond our expectations, which will enable us to meet the criteria
for certification for the higher grades. We thank with deepest gratitude*.
The Weatherspoon Foundation, which has supported the school three
years in a row
The family
foundation which prefers to remain anonymous, which has supported
the school three years in a row
Newman’s
Own Organics, and Mary Barr, who nominated Siddhartha School for
their grant
Dr. Koker,
Uschi Erny, Schulprojekt Ladakh, and all our German friends who
continue to generously support us over the years.
Nicolas
Combe, Severine Pont, and Lotty Combe, founders of the Swiss organization
Les Enfants du Sourire, for their very fruitful efforts on behalf
of the school
Mary Willis,
for her generous donation in memory of her mother
The anonymous
donor who made a substantial gift in the name of the Buddha
Martha
Slocum who continues to give generously year after year
Scott
Hoyt, for his efforts in hosting a fundraising event, and for his
own generous donation
The Swiss
organization Freres de Nos Freres for their sponsorship of the new
school bus and science lab
All of
the Maine volunteers and contributors to the art auction, who helped
to raise over $7500
Ray Cooper
and the ambitious students of Cape Elizabeth who have raised several
thousand dollars over the past two years
And all
those individuals who have given, from their hearts, whatever they
could afford, or who have taken the step of sponsoring a child.
*Donors acknowledged
in chronological order
Account Information
(return to index)
to be Posted on the Website
| Siddhartha
School is growing rapidly, and each year we welcome more supporters.
Without this broadening support, the construction needed to meet
the demands of upper school certification would be simply inconceivable.
In the past, almost all of our supporters had some direct connection
to Geshe-la, and of course any donor who knows Geshe-la knows
that his or her money is in the most trustworthy of hands. Some
of our new supporters have a less immediate relationship with
Geshe-la, and are motivated by a desire to support educational
projects or children’s welfare projects in the developing
world. We want to offer these new friends, easy access to information
about the school’s accounts so that they can feel the same
level of trust that Geshe-la’s students and friends have
always felt. For this reason, we have decided to post on the website
the accounting information that the school files with the Indian
government each year. The fiscal year runs from April through
March, and the accounts are audited in July. Look for last year’s
accounts toward the end of May, as soon as our webmeister, Bruce
Nichols, returns from six weeks of walking the El Camino trail
to Santiago de Compostela.
2003
Siddhartha School Financial Report
|
(return to index)
Siddhartha School has come a long way
. . . with its almost completed classrooms, its 150 students learning
and thriving, it’s hard to believe that less than 10 years ago
Siddhartha School was nothing more than bare earth and a dream. It is
only through the generosity of you, our donors, that this miracle has
come to pass. In just a few years our first graduates will be off to
intermediate college. Although the last few years have been extremely
successful, much remains to be done. This year the school must begin
the process of applying for upper school certification (grades nine
and ten) and the demands of certification are rigorous.
|
|
The school
will need, in addition to the two remaining classrooms, a science
lab, art studio, and regulation athletic field. In addition, the
school must hire specialized teachers in athletics, art, and science,
and meet other requirements too numerous to mention. We have received
the wonderful news that the Swiss foundation Freres de Nos Freres
has generously offered to sponsor the construction of the science
lab and all of its equipment, as well as buying a second school
bus. This great generosity makes our burden manageable, but it does
not make it light. Please consider a special gift this year to help
complete this construction and cover the cost of these additional
salaries. |
turning the wheel
is a publication of the Siddhartha School Project.
Geshe Lobzang Tsetan,
Founding Director
Address all correspondence to:
Siddhartha School Project
P0. Box 524
Freeport, ME 04032-0524
Donations should be made payable to FOTWA/SSP and mailed to:
Siddhartha School Project
P0. Box 524
Freeport, ME 04032-0524
Online Subscription/Donation
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P.O. Box 524
Freeport, ME 04032-0524
tel. (207) 523-9388 |
