During a good breakfast with an omelet and a cup of milk-tea, the group had a discussion about questions the children at school might ask us. Stephen cautioned against conducting conversation with children about dating, sex, or divorce. The point is that Indian parents would not approve of these topics nor want their children emulating the “American” behavior.
Accompanied by Sheeba, Stephen’s truly beautiful and serene wife, Margaret, Ruth, and I set off for our first day’s work at St. Joseph’s school. We rode in an auto rickshaw through wild and heavy traffic.
At St. Joseph’s we were introduced by Sheeba to Sister Imelda the head of the school. She is brisk, direct, and seemed in total command. Margaret went to the upper grades, I was assigned to the lower kindergarten, and Ruth who has already been here three weeks, went off to teach English to young nuns.
I met the kindergarten teacher who had the whole class of 42 three year olds stand, salute, and say “good morning” in unison. The children all wore uniforms of white shirts or pants, white shirts, and black and white striped neckties. The little girls all had very short cropped hair, and some wore gold earrings and crowns of flowers.
In unison, the children recited rhymes and sang memorized songs. They seemed much more disciplined than children of the same age in the U.S. I wrote homework assignments in the children’s diaries and worked with two students who were having trouble with numbers. I learned far more than the students. It was a strenuous experience for me, and I hope I can become more useful to the teacher.
The brief evening hour at SEAMS orphanage was much fun. The children there greeted us so enthusiastically shouting our names, jumping up and down, taking us by the hand and making places for us to sit. We read and played for a while. It was a sweet and rewarding end to the first work day.
Linda S.
Quote for the day: “Things will get better”-----Stephen Raja
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