Vidya Valley School (July 9-10)

Yesterday and today (Tuesday and Wednesday) I went to Vidya Valley School in Sus Valley, Pune.  I visited the school with Melinda and Lori.  Today, when we finally left at 5:00pm after being there since 7:30am, we were all holding back tears.  The principal and her employees were all so nice to us.  They made us home cooked Indian food and gave us lots of Chai tea. (Which, by the way, I have learned that I LOVE real Chai tea.) When we arrived, the principal even gave us all a handmade purse from a local blind school from another Indian state that they are partner schools with.  

This school had been making me feel very emotional for the past two days but I wasn't quite sure.  I thought maybe I getting homesick or that I was just tired.  Now that I've had time to reflect on my experiences at Vidya Valley School, I've realized that I've been so emotional because this school is what I thought teaching was going to be like.  It's what school is supposed to be.  It truly is a dream school.

Vidya Valley School was founded in 2000 by Nalini Sengupta.  She is the current principal and an amazingly inspirational woman.  This school developed out of her vision for students to have an education that allows them to discover themselves and their personal interests in a happy environment.

For the first 3 years of the school, the school was held in apartment flats that were not yet finished or purchased. They started with only 30 students, but by the third year had 600 students.  Mrs. Sengupta was able to purchase 15 acres for 50,000lakh.  (1 lakh is equal to 100,000 rupees) Apparently this was a very good price from the seller.

Vidya Valley sits in the lush green hills of the Sus Valley.  There are approximately 1200 students in grades K-10.  Mrs. Sengupta provides lots of activities for active learning and a chance to explore oneself.  There is a great emphasis on reading and social skills in the school.

They teach math, reading, social studies/history, computer applications (including Java and C++), drama, Tabla (drums), chorus, art, gymnastics, yoga, guitar, French, Hindi, dance, games (PE) and grammar (to just name a few). Sports that are offered are football (soccer), basketball, handball, cross country/track and field, volleyball, and gymnastics. Cricket is not played at this school.  One of the high school boys told me it was considered "the lazy man's game" at the school. I thought that was funny. 

Grades 6-10th are broken up into houses (just like Harry Potter!).  The houses are named Cheetah, Jaguar, Puma and Sher (lion).  All year long, students from the houses compete in speeches, debates, arts performances, sports, etc. to earn points for their house.  In the spring, a Sports Day is held to decide the winner of the "Top Cat" award for the year.  The students are all very competitive and want to do their best. 

Both yesterday and today, I was given tours and led into classrooms by the Head Preceptors.  These students are from 10th grade and were voted as leaders of their school.  I talked to them for a long time about behavior expectations and respect in the classroom.  I had noticed that everyone was extremely respectful and well-behaved.  I asked the students what happens or what punishment is given to them if they disrespect their teachers or refuse to do their work. They looked at me like I had four heads. They couldn't even comprehend what that must look like in the classroom.  They told me that they are taught and expected to show the up most respect for their teachers.  If a teacher has been teaching for many years or holds high credentials, students may even bow down and kiss their feet. They said they would never dare disrespect a teacher, administrator or classmate.

Walking around, I did not see any "clip charts" or "card charts", often times there were not even rules posted in the classrooms.  There were no students in the hallway for "time out", there is ISS room, and there weren't any students ever in the office for discipline issues. The students just behave because they want to learn and they love their school.  Today, the Preceptor named Chinmay told me that he loves his school because his teachers love his school and care deeply for their students.  He also said that the principal cares a lot for all of the students and wants to make the school the best years of their life.  Mrs. Sengupta's passion for education, learning, and happiness for her students is brought out through her pupils.  This school is such a happy, welcoming environment. Some students stay until 6pm participating in extracurricular activities and clubs and still don't want to leave.  They truly love their school and take pride in their learning.

After leaving today, I realized that this was the kind of school we all want to work in. I think I would even move to India to work at this school; that's how wonderful it is. We all want to teach in a school where sports and arts are valued.  We all want to work with administration that cares deeply for their students.  We all want to work in a school where students want to come to school everyday to learn and take pride in their work.  Most of all, we all want to be part of a school that encourages students to be happy and enjoy life. I understand that Vidya Valley can do things a little differently than other schools in India and in the U.S.  Privates schools have more freedom to control their curriculum and schedules.  However, I did take back a lot of great ideas that will motivate me to help make North Carolina schools happier (and less stressful) for students these days.  I learned that happiness is the key to a successful learning environment for children...and that is has to include the happiness of all stakeholders of the school. Children should want to learn, strive to do their best and love their school.  At Vidya Valley, this is true for all of the students.

The principal of the school: Mrs. Sengupta. 

 Singing Hindi songs. 

 A third grade classroom!

Lunch break. 

Tomorrow I am visiting the Women's Blind school.  I'm pretty sure what I saw at Vidya Valley School was a dream school for India.  I don't even know what to expect for the blind school tomorrow.