Fan's GMMCS encounter:

On my arrival at the GMMC School, the pictures finally came alive inside my being, having only seen photographs of the premises previously. The size of the grounds and buildings felt smaller than I imagined yet more "whole". There was an immediate sense of cohesion, care and potential for this heart-born initiative. The classrooms are decently laid out and equipped, though this can always be improved, right now it is sufficient to embrace all the basics. The playing fields are a little uneven and definitely prone to ankle sprains but the roller arriving very soon will sort that out. We went past the "Local Rolla Man" several times and respecting the typically slow India fashion, it is surely coming to completion. A football pitch is awaiting its grass to grow properly before being used and it is massive! A lot of fun times ahead for sure. The grounds for the community centre are untouched for now and a lot of work still needs to be done to complete it. The school is surrounded by fields and there's a really airy and spacious feel to the place. My first impressions were all positives and after spending a couple of days there, they grew into a tangible vibrant experience; I was witnessing the growing of young trees of hope, real efforts have been made and are being made, and the benefits are already showing.

The village is remotely situated, several hours away from the main cities and the introduction of the school provides a real chance for the children of now and the future born in this area to flourish for their families, the community and most importantly for their individual selves. School should offer the opportunity to evolve or at least examine and understand the reasons why and the way things are done. From the little I could pick up during my time there, things seem to still be much anchored in tradition to pass on from father to son, mother to daughter, elders to younglings but this - !*without*! - questioning. For now. This is evident in the way most classes seem to unfold. Individual creativity/input or the word "Why" is rarely called upon unless the answer is "textbook". It is just assumed that the elders know best and the young know nothing or nothing that an elder would not know. It is not that this pattern *must* change, it just will - because that is what will naturally happen. It is only a matter of time. What would be good however when this wind of change comes to pass, that the best is kept and the worst is lost. In an ideal world, India can still be the emergent model which takes us beyond where we have already been and beyond where in some areas we seem to be failing.

Digressing…

There were very encouraging signs of communication in English between the children, and George & myself in English. I even attempted to teach 7th Standard class a little French. (Not my idea!) They picked it up with combination of sounds and visual interpretations of the words and laughter also helped. Some of the students are so well behaved it spooked me a little, in two years of teaching I never came across such discipline! It shows the winds of change have not yet reached as far as thought and also reflects the "respect for the elder" stronghold imbued within everyone. The latter is from a personal standpoint - refreshing, from a reflective one - uncanny.

A few games sessions later and I quickly realised the language of fun and play is universal. The deepest connections the students and I could make happened during those games sessions. George and I gave the after school club a football coaching session. The benefits of splitting the group into two to focus on the basics of the game turned into a 10 minutes final kick about that was the most football looking like game George had witnessed so far! The progress was swift and the sense of a new understanding in the students' psyche was priceless. They really just wanted to play cricket but it was clear that it was only because they felt safer in a game which they all knew how to play. And arguably there is more enjoyment in a game you know how to play. How though, did you get to that stage in the first place?

Big words have to go to the Principal of the School. He is truly a real blessing to this initiative. He has extensive experience in education and GMMCS is very lucky to have him on board. His heart is into this school like his spirit is devoted to the "right way" from a source that is divine-led. He shines out such positive energy. The few conversations we had were full of wisdom, gentleness and strength in depth and for as long as he is in charge the school can relax and be excited at its prospects of success.

I would have liked to make more of a connection with the teachers but time was limited and who knows perhaps I will be back and get a chance then. From what I have seen the school is mainly recruiting locally at the moment and the wages are not as attractive as to have the opportunity to attract a greater pool of potential to choose from. One of the challenges I witnessed was the potential downfall hiding behind teachers' worries about their reputation with regards to a student's academic failings. Whilst I understand it on one level I also think it is a great opportunity to breach beyond the old tendency that is, to judge any child who does not have a natural tendency and interest in academic matters as a burden and an individual who has less to contribute to the school. I see it as quite the opposite, these very challenges encourage the teaching ethos and methods to be reviewed and modelled on what the needs of the students are at this moment in time.

Perhaps this is the chance to look at the essence of teaching and learning again. It is true that at times parents do not place enough or in some cases any emphasis on their child's education and therefore leaking their sense of non-importance to school matters to their child. This results in a child not doing their homework for example. It does happen and it is a hard one to deal with. My compassion towards this particular incident is definitely twofold. I guess the danger is to add any more bricks to a foundation that does not have a solid base to start with. Where is the base? My heart says within the student…

A word on George, well it is clear that he's very well liked at the school. The students love him and this somewhat differently cultured teacher to them is a refreshing and energising influence. Not only with regards to the students, the school as a whole and all members of staff as well. George organised a meal amusingly entitled "The Gora Gathering" and all teachers, members of staff, family and partners were invited. We prepared and cooked the food at the school. Despite our attempts to just "do it ourselves", trying to pass on the message that for once the school staff could just sit, relax and enjoy, it just would not happen! Even the principal was peeling and chopping away! Their sense of duty and their willingness to serve is so strong. This is their "Prasad", their blessing.

When I look at their faces, they are blessed by nature, beautiful people, they live on hardly anything at all but the smile and shine on their faces shows so much, a seeming depth of existence that really touched me and inspired me to be in return more serving to my fellow human beings.

What next? Well a lot more is still to come. Starting with the introduction of Broadband internet access at the school! This is very much needed and will be vital. There is a sense that e-business is a booming industry in India as well but not only that, the sheer vastness of information suddenly accessible and available to the school will make massive waves and if structured successfully will reap fast benefits. The development and sourcing of equipment at the school will need to be ongoing. The community centre must take shape sooner rather than later. The salaries must reflect today's standards and more and more input from a wider cultural spectrum will be beneficial so long as respect for what is valued at the heart of India and the local area remains.

Oh and I want my George back so maybe someone else is willing to go out there and give a little of themselves too? :-D (errr …wish granted in somewhat bizarre circumstances, since I first wrote the piece a while ago... George is now back here with me in England and I have no doubt he will be back for another stint at the school, with or without me, sometime in the near futureJ)

I left feeling that if at all possible I will come back because it was an inspiring place to be and because I would love to see it develop and transform into new colours having recycled the old. I will try my best from afar to be involved too. This trip touched my heart and mind very much. I thank everyone involved in making it possible for me and I also send my deepest love and respect for all the people involved with the GMMCS project.

Until next time

Much love

Fan x:-)

The Holiday After School activities sessions – an overview

It is said that there is no time, but the right time. My lessons and learning continue to grow. I had been adamant that the After School Activities should begin before the holidays began, so that their routine might be established in the habits of the students and parents. When this did not transpire, thanks to my limiting belief that the benefits the roller would endow were essential, I resolved to spend a week of my ten day Christmas holiday available from 10am till 4pm to give coaching and activities to any children who were able to make it to and from the school of their own volition. For the record, the benefits a roller will provide are hugely important, but have not proved essential.
(We are still waiting for said roller…it threatens to become a saga far longer than War and Peace…and one far more boring and gratingly tedious…not that I can claim this opinion of War and Peace, having never even picked it up. I was just looking for an apt comparison, so apologies to Mr Tolstoy if I've done his vast tome a disservice)

We began on Christmas day, and my usually optimistic mood was struggling to establish itself thanks to a thick and cloaking fog that was still embalming the ground even as quarter past nine ticked by. Having told the students they could arrive anytime after nine am for a ten o'clock start, I had expected a few eager souls to arrive bright and early. Thus, as the time neared half nine and the fog was still stubbornly enjoying its opacity, I was thinking that my hope of getting anything started at all was doomed to permanent failure. But, just after half nine, I thought I saw a figure making its way up the school drive. I rubbed my eyes to check I was not experiencing some kind of fog-induced mirage, and sure enough it was a definite human form that was nearing step by step. Once it reached about 30 metres from the school steps upon which I was sitting it revealed itself as a boy with a cheery 'good morning sir.'

My mood was instantly lifted by this particular male 'good morning,' since it belonged to Raja. Raja is the oldest boy in the school and probably its most gifted sportsman. He is also a natural leader and a very good speaker of English. My confidence was therefore significantly lifted to have him on board. A few days previous he had shown me his book of quotations, in which he has painstakingly noted down inspirational quotes, many of which are connected to the art of leadership. For someone of his age to be developing an awareness of concepts such as 'leadership' bodes very well. He is boundlessly enthusiastic, possesses a keen intellect and is very competitive. His great challenge will be reining in his personality and presence so that his ebullience does not dazzle others and make them feel more comfortable in the shade. If he can keep open ears and an open heart for others, without allowing his natural physical and mental aptitude develop
into a swollen ego, he will grow to be a very special person. This glowing portrait reflects his potential, however, for there were times when the very things that make him such a diamond in the polishing were the things that annoyed the hell out of me and thoroughly tested my patience. To put a name to the face, Raja is the one eating a lime in the photos.

I bid him good morning and revealed my fears that the fog might see our endeavours fail at the outset. Raja dismissed this possibility summarily, saying that it was only foggy here, and he knew there were other students coming. Sure enough there soon followed a small flood of students, arriving variously in cars, on motorbikes, on scooters and on pedal bikes. Each bid me a happy 'good morning sir,' and most went as far as to wish me 'Merry Christmas' also. Last to arrive were Raveena and Bharti, two girls in 4th Standard (the youngest class participating in the activities). In the end there were fourteen students in total – 12 boys, 2 girls – and after some warm ups and stretches I outlined the first coaching drill. I was particularly glad that we had at least some female presence on the first day, as I intended to make equality of the sexes one of the main lessons I built into my guidance on the importance of teamwork in life.

Before explaining the various coaching drill and activities, I feel it is probably worth mentioning the aims and intentions around which I was building the sessions. Whilst there are aspects of class room educating I love, I intuitively feel more at home when I can 'get my hands dirty' so to speak and use real life examples and real time situations of a practical nature to help highlight to my charges life's essential lessons. I guess my approach is informed by a number of influences. Principal among these are Gandhi's 'be the change you want to see' and Rabindranath Tagore's capturing of the magic in the everyday, his putting into words, perhaps like no one else, that there is magic and divinity in every moment if we can be open enough to let it reveal itself. Onto these foundations I have built an outlook on existence using bricks moulded from the clay of… (1) the nurturing approach of my parents, who always told my siblings and I we
could do whatever we wished in life and they would support us. (2) The guidance of my youth work mentor Steve McGarvey (now lead youth participation worker for Warwickshire CC), who always stressed the importance of generativity in any work related to young people…for those, like me when I first heard it, who are wondering what generativity is, it is the idea that we have no accurate way telling how our work will ultimately impact upon the hearts and minds of the young people we encounter, but if we set as our intention the goal of leaving a lasting inspirational legacy then we won't go far wrong. Sounds obvious I know, but it has proven a great source of comfort when I begin to doubt the worth of what I can achieve in such a relatively short timescale (3) The importance of working collectively – where what benefits one benefits all – for time and again our race proves that when we work together with a strong and loving determination, we are far
greater than the sum of our individual parts. (4) The experiential understanding that life is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we believe 'x', 'y' or 'z', then we will create in our lives the opportunities/situations/perceptions to make 'x', 'y' or 'z' true.
Holding these bricks together is a cement comprised of the idea that everything mirrors everything in every given moment, and change is the only constant.

My ridiculously clumsy and repetitive metaphors aside, the above is what I draw on to flesh out the guidance I offer a student in any given moment. In the sessions I wished to learn how the children, being from a different cultural background, would respond to being set challenges that stretched their comfort zones. I wished particularly to challenge three areas – the rote learning and application methodology the students are suffused with each day in school, the idea that age and sex predetermine a person's suitability and capability for a given task/challenge and the idea that the instructions of the teacher/authority figure should be followed without any independent thought on the part of the student.

From the outset I made it clear that I expected the students to do as I asked, not because I wished to limit their fun, but because if I did ask them to do something it was in the interests of their well being and of my well being. I explained straight away that in these sessions I wished us to work as a team, where the captain (myself) would be offering guidance on the actions and progress of the team, but that ultimately all the team members would be missing out if they did not express their opinions, wishes and ideas when they felt the need. I also made it clear that I considered all ages and sexes as equal and that all students would be treated as such. The students understood that I wished them to have fun, but in a way that would ensure they developed their skills and their characters at the same time. I asked from them in return that they give themselves fully to the moment with 100% effort, and that at all times they gave respect to themselves,
their team mates and to me.

The first coaching drill, which I have just this moment decided to call George's Usain-Ronaldo-Randall drill, since it tests a students sprinting, football and cricket skills all in the space of one exercise, begins with a 30yard sprint from a single stump to a football positioned 20yards in-front of two stumps set about 4ft apart. The student has to kick the ball between the stumps ('goal'), before retrieving it and replacing it on its spot. The student then sprints back toward the starting point/stump and as they approach they are thrown a cricket/tennis ball which they must field/catch, before shying the ball at the stumps. I had this drill set up in two lanes and each morning would begin with the students dividing into two teams and competing in a relay, with added points given for the number of 'goals' and successful shies at the stumps scored by each team. Life clearly blessed me that first morning in my attempt to establish my views on
equality among the students. I was able to draw on the immediate example that the first person out of any team to successfully shy at and hit the stump was Raveena – one of the two girls present, and one of the youngest and smallest students of the group.

We then moved on to practice some basic football skills – controlling and passing the ball – before adjourning for lunch. One of the main focuses in the sessions would be on the students cooking lunch for eachother. There is some cliché along the lines that 'a team which eats together, wins together,' but the act of cooking and eating allows for one to highlight so much more than just the obvious benefits in developing camradery. More of this anon, but on the first day many of the students had not thought to bring lunch from home, and in the busyness of end of term exams, I'd not had the chance to communicate my desire that they should bring something to cook rather bringing food cooked by their mothers. We therefore had to settle for Samosas from the local Dhaba (Indian word for truckstop café), from which I was able to purchase 15 samosas and as many Gulab Jaman (an indian sweet) and still get change from £1. Reading that sentence back I
can hear the words of my father reminiscing…(cue affected Yorkshire accent)…'ee lad, I can remember when I were your age, I could go t' t'ut pictures with a pound, have a fish and chip supper after and still have enough for t' bus ride home.' On a serious note, I hope this example does give anyone considering making a donation on the basis of my experiential evidence an idea of just how far the pound can stretch over here. It is highly unlikey it will always be this way, as India grows as a nation and the edifice of the west continues its inevitable decline…so dig deep while you can!

Enough proselytising…back to Christmas day GMMCS style. Lunch was revealing in itself. It was a struggle to overcome the students natural reluctance to accept my offering, so ingrained is the maxim of 'respect your elders/teachers/superiors.' I have encountered this a number of times. My natural generosity meets with constant rebuffs from the school's caretakers and students, who fear that others will judge them if they accept my kindness, which is normally in the form of something as trivial as a cup of tea. I sometimes get the sense that I have committed some great social faux pas, so taken aback are they that someone in a position they've been told to consider as superior is trying to reach out and include them. On this occasion, however, I had the handy tactic available of saying 'in England at Christmas time we give gifts to each other, so you'll be making me feel at home by having this samosa.'

During lunch I informed the students that from tomorrow onwards we would be cooking for eachother on the premises and they should therefore bring with them some vegetables to cook instead of ready prepared food. As to their questions why, I explained that the process by which food gets from the earth to the mouth represents one of the greatest examples of the all pervasive presence and essentiality of teamwork in life. I began with the most obvious and important – that we had to work in partnership with the earth – since the planet provided and cared for us, we had a duty to care for the planet…and so on, taking in the work of the farmers, of the students' parents, and finally of the work we would have to do together to produce an edible and nutritious meal…of the communication required, of the understanding of different people's needs, of the importance of planning and timing, of multi-tasking, of vigilance, and most importantly of
unconditional sharing…mirroring that primal act of sharing which is the earth's gift of food to us…and of course that most important trait of being a good team member – the discipline and ability to pass to a team mate, if it will mean a greater all round benefit to the whole team.

Lunch over, I introduced the first of the practical activities the sessions would incorporate – the building of a brick oven. When I first muted the idea of an After School Activities club to the students, I made it clear that it would incorporate more than just sport, that there would be sessions of arts and crafts and English conversation. My purpose in building the oven was two fold. I'd seen on Guru Nanak's birthday in November how swiftly a very effective cooking fire could be constructed using just bricks, earth and water. I felt confident that such simple construction materials would allow the children to make something of lasting worth in a relatively short space of time. My secondary motive was that I wished to spend some time with the children baking cakes (the fun aspect of the cooking teamwork theme) and needed a suitable oven in which to cook them. I outlined my vision for the oven and asked the children for their thoughts, knowing
that many of them would have served at functions in Gurudwaras/weddings, where they might have come across such constructions, and thus might be able to flesh out my rough ideas with some practical expertise. After adjusting the size I proposed – all seemed to think 'sir this is very big' – we set about the task. In order to keep as many students engaged as possible, I divided the students up and had one group beginning the oven construction, and a separate group building a fire on which we could cook the chapattis for lunch the next day.

The Chapatti fire proved a fairly simple task, but it became clear that the oven would not be constructed as quickly as I had forseen. Seeing the students interest waning (I guess there is only so long one can be genuinely engaged in lugging bricks, or digging out a pit in rock hard mud before you start enviously eying the footballs nestling in the nearby nets) I realised I was being presented with an opportunity to highlight some of the main themes I wished to address in the sessions – namely that even as their 'teacher' I was not infallible, and that one can learn a lesson in every moment. I told them to stop and admitted quite frankly that I had underestimated the size of the project, but that it would be well worth it in the end if we stuck to it and tried to do a bit at a time over the coming days. The students response was truly heart-warming…a chorus of 'no problem sir' and other such encouragement. I thanked them for their patience,
and said that I had just learnt a lesson, and that they should always keep in mind that life will present opportunities to learn when you least expect it, meaning constant awareness was vital, both on the sports pitch and in their day to day lives.

As it turned out, things progressed very quickly once the student numbers swelled over the next days and we dug through the tough top layer of the mud, but we'd done enough for one day, and I announced it was time for some cricket. I informed them that the roller's absence meant that we would not be able to have net batting practice as I had wished, but that this gave us an opportunity to hone some necessary skills in time for the arrival of the roller and the preparation of the pitches. I informed the students that while I was coaching on the GMMCS ground, there would be no bowling with using a bent arm (ie throwing). This was definitely one of the things that struck me on my first visit to India – the number of students/children throwing the ball when bowling, at an age when it would have been coached out of them in England. I set up 4 stumps against a net and had the children line up behind a stump and take it in turns to bowl at it. There was
some notable talent – namely Raja, Lovepreet and Ravinder – and some notable sources of frustration – namely Rhunpal. The latter was unbelievable. He would present all the appearances of having a perfect bowling action right up until the moment of delivery, whereupon he would inexplicably resort to a throw. Once shown the correct way to bowl, he dutifully copied all the actions and demonstrated a perfect straight arm, but as soon as it came to actually delivering a ball from his hand, it was as if some brain synapse was lacking/over-riding the practice actions he had just performed. It appeared that soon as his brain sensed he was trying to release a ball from his hand, his entire central nervous system shut down and screamed 'THROW' to his brain. I am glad to say though that we managed to exorcise the bent arm curse from all students but Rhunpal.

Time had marched quickly, and by the time most arms were straight at point of delivery, it was 3.30pm and parents and brothers began arriving to collect their wards. I sat the students down for a quick debrief. I began by asking the students for any feedback or comments, and of those forthcoming, none possessed insight that set the world alight, but they did express enjoyment and satisfaction enough. I thanked them for coming, and said I was impressed by their commitment to the drills, to the oven, and especially to improving their bowling. The progress many had made from chuckers to genuine bowlers in the space of about 45mins was truly staggering. I reminded them to bring vegetables the following day and bid them 'Happy Christmas.' So ended the first day. (except for an impromptu game of cricket among those who did not have rides home waiting for them)

The reader will be glad to hear that in depicting sessions of the following days, I will touch on the notable events and developments, rather than apply the fine toothcomb I have above. Day 2 saw the student numbers swell to 22, and the numbers stayed around 20 for the remainder of the sessions. On the girls front, I was sad to lose Raveena and Bharti, but glad to find them replaced with Navreen, Manpreet, Aman and Jaspreet (Kaur).

About 4 days later…

Sorry it has taken so long to get this to you. A combination of self-christmas presents and Guru Gobind Singhji's birthday, plus some necessary healing work have meant it's taken a little longer to get over to you. There are also about 50 photos waiting for you, but at the moment we've some computer/electrical problems that mean the broadband computer won't stay switched on long enough to facilitate their upload. Any way…to continue…

The following is a brief note I updated on my personal blog just before new year:

The holidays will be over on the 1st Jan. Nice and logical that – new year, new term. The AfterSchool club that is actually after school will begin then. In the meantime, I've been running the holiday afterschool club for the past week. It feels as though it's been fairly successful…but it always hardest to judge one's own work. There has certainly been a huge improvement in the 'straight-armed' bowling skills of all the children and in their ability to keep a volley ball airborn for longer than the duration of the serve. Perhaps the most heartening event occurred when one of the village boys came for the day and was ushered on to bowl during the now customary end-of-day cricket match. He spoke good English, so I told him that on the GMMCS ground one had to bowl with a straight arm. He said that this was not possible, as he had been burnt with boiling water as a toddler, and consequently couldn't rotate his arm fully. Having seen,
however, the way he bowled with a bent arm, I had a hunch he had never really tried. I asked him to rotate his straightened arm and asked if there was any pain. He replied that there wasn't. I said he had just done all he needed to do to bowl with a straight arm, the rest was simply a question of practice. I asked him to try bowling one ball with a straight arm, just to see if there was definitely no pain. He did so, and bowled the best ball he'd bowled yet, free of pain and with an enviable natural spin imparted to the ball. At the end of his allotted six balls, I asked him if he now felt confident that he could bowl with a straight arm whenever he wished. He replied 'yes sir, I think it was only my belief that was stopping me before'. Such words apply to so much in life, and yours truly felt pretty humbled to have been a part of this boy's realisation.

Tomorrow we're baking cakes (I hope) in the brick and clay oven the children and I have built together (with a little help from Kapil and Ramkumar, who are the school care-takers).

It's been pretty exhausting, though more from a mental than physical point of view – trying to manage 20 or so kids and make sure they don't hurt themselves or eachother, and are as much as possible engaged in some activity that will develop them as human beings. The 'teacher as pupil' theme of my experiences here has been continuing in fine fashion – I set the children the task to make string bags to keep the footballs in. they set about the task and after about half an hour I couldn't see where they were going with their idea and borrowed a few kids to help me make my design as an exemplary example (as if an example could be anything other than exemplary!) for the others to learn from.
My method would have worked fine – if I'd had a small army of malnourished child labourers and an unlimited supply of string. Of course about half-way through my abortive attempt one of the groups of children I'd written off announced they'd finished, and that their bag held 9 footballs, as opposed to the requested 8. Children 1 George 0.

Hopefully they'll be well impressed with my perfect chocolate sponge cake tomorrow. If it turns into a burnt cocoay mess, my teaching credentials will have taken something of a buffeting I'm sure…but you lives and learns…and I've always the boy who'd never bowled with a straight arm to keep me inspired.

More will follow probably tomorrow or the next day…and all will be revealed about the success of the cakes or otherwise…sleep now.

Massive love to all.