Daily Schedule

The long silence is due to internet connection issues. First the internet itself has been rather sporadic. Adding electricity interruption, you get a much frustrated person! Lots to tell today.

This post I am hoping my colleagues at CRHS are not reading! I would like to talk about the daily schedule at Daly College, aka "DC" by everyone in Indore. The school day starts at 8 AM with breakfast. Then at 8:30 the "Houses" (Very Harry Potterish, Sam and Paolo! I will talk about them again later) line up and in neat rows they move to the auditorium - 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th graders; to the gym - 11th and 12th graders. I am not sure where the smaller grades go to. This is Assembly time. Starts off with a prayer, meditation time, then a student presentation. I spoke of my awe at their behavior during assembly last week. It hasn't changed. A friend commented that this might be a better use of time than our 1 minute of silence in our American schools. I am not sure that it would be better but what is important is to have this common desire and common respect for the work that is about to start. The Master Teacher then says "May God be with us in work and in play." And the whole student body repeats. So far the student presentation has been a report about a service that a student or group of students have performed in the past month or two. This could have taken them as far as California, South Africa or the Himalayas. They participate in building of schools, hospitals, teaching young children, learning about themselves through workshops, games. You name it, those kids have done it. I am very impressed. Mrs. Badhwar, who has exchanged teaching post with me is mostly responsible for these opportunities the students are given. They always show much appreciation for her and the DC principal, Mr. Singh for having given them such an opportunity.
At the conclusion of the Assembly, the school day starts. 9:10AM. Three classes of 40 minutes each. No time in between. The students stay in their rooms and the teachers go to them. It's difficult for me to give up MY room concept! You also move with your chalk and "duster" (aka "eraser"!) form class to class!! Today first time I actually remembered to take mine. That's progress! Then after those 3 classes is tea time. Their are two staff rooms, one for the women one for the men. We meet there for the most delicious chai (or coffee sometimes) and snacks. (Remember I promised a post on food in India?... still not ready!) The students also take their tea by class level on the school ground. Again boys separate from girls! After tea there are 4 more classes but now 35 minutes long. This takes us to 1:40 PM when we break for lunch. There is one more class after lunch for the upper classes (10 and up). Then they have games until about 4:10 PM.
Now, my schedule! Monday I teach 5 classes, Tuesday and Wednesday ONE class (imagine teaching 35 minutes for the whole day!), Thursday and Friday 2 classes and Saturday 4 classes. ...died and went to heaven? that's what I'd say! It gets better! In the Chemistry lab there are 3 or 4 assistants, which means if you are doing a lab, you give them a copy of the lab, and they have everything, solutions, chemicals, all materials, neatly ready for you and your class! And after the lab, everything gets cleaned and put away by them! I wouldn't be a teacher if I didn't complain! Though school is technically over after lunch at about 2:10, we have to stay on campus until about 4:15. To supervise the kids in their games, tutoring or just the presence of a teacher. None of that "out the door before the students" behavior!!!

Today's post was very facts oriented. I wanted to give a view of our day at DC. I have all 3 meals in the mess hall. Breakfast at 8, lunch at 1:40 and Kahlil and I walk back to school at 8PM for dinner.