Teachers are Teachers Everywhere

After a busy three days of sessions, the teachers are pleased to remind us that we are all teachers and makes us family.  It really is incredible how teachers can get together from anywhere in the world and quickly feel a sense of community and commonality together.  The teachers here, like at home, are excited to learn new instructional strategies and ways to make their classrooms more inviting and enjoyable for their students.  They love to laugh and enjoy themselves as they interact together.  Sometimes the jokes and banter are in their first language and we wonder whether we might be the subject of their laughter!  That wouldn’t be surprising as I’m sure they are amused at some of our strange mannerisms.  None the less this group, as was the last, is wonderfully warm, generous and appreciative of the opportunity to interact together.

Debbie at work...



....and sharing a laugh!



The participants at work!

The daily routine for Debbie and I has us going for breakfast at 8:00, having our driver pick us up at 9:00 a.m. and begin our session in a meeting room at a different hotel.  Tea break occurs promptly at 11:00 and our session continues until lunch which is served at 1:30.  After a 45 minute lunch (which is a significantly sized meal) we continue until 4:00 p.m. at which time another tea break occurs.  After the tea break we dismiss for the day and head back to our hotel.  Generally we then walk to a nearby coffee shop that serves a good cup of coffee, do our planning for the next day, walk back, prepare any materials for the next day and head for supper at about 7:00 p.m..  After supper we check email in the hotel lobby (no wireless) then head to our rooms, finish making any charts or other necessary materials, watch a bit of TV (a couple of channels in English) or read a novel and get ready to repeat the process the next day. 

There is some construction occurring beside the hotel where are sessions are occurring.  Among all the standing water a worker was welding in bare feet and no gloves and the guys in this picture were hauling cement hanging from a pole draped between them.  Talk about manual labor!

Originally the plan had been to travel to the nearby state of Mizoram for next week’s five day training session.  However, do some recommendations to not travel in the state at this time, it was decided that the teacher’s would instead travel to us and thus we would remain here in Assam.  What this means is that we have two free days here in Guwahati instead of a day of travel and another of planning with the Mizoram teachers.  As such we are currently making plans to go on a short elephant safari in a national park several hours from here.  The local teachers have been extremely helpful in assisting with the arrangements, making the reservations, etc.  Everything is so much more challenging when you can’t speak the language.  However, the plans are coming together so hopefully there will be pictures of Deb and I on an elephant and getting a close up view of a rhino (yes there are rhinos in northeast India).  So, stay tuned until next time!!