Events Of January 2009

IMPORTANT EVENTS OF JANUARY 2009.
After The 4 days holidays for the new year we have started the fresh year with lot of learning through the drama which has made a vast difference within the children of the HOC. The drama was based on the oldest mythology SREEMATH BAHAVATHAM. This talks about the legends of SreeKrishna. The state festival ‘’PONGAL’’ which is going to be celebrated on January 14th was considered as the main topic. This is the local harvest festival. Especially the villages will celebrate this festival with grand colors and fun.
The legend links the cosmic responsibility. The legend has given the space for presenting the importance of all natural elements, heavenly bodies and morality. When our adults have started making probes, children were keenly observing and they had many interesting questions also. Later when every day when the drama was acted suddenly many of the children liked to take part in the drama and they were also given the dialogues and especially the probes.
When the focus table was lifted as a mountain by the staff that did the role of Krishna, children were very much excited to get under its shade as the people, cows, plants and birds. One of our students Balamithran who is the eldest among all have went and told his mother that every thing on this Earth is inside the God who protects every one. This is the message he has observed from the great legend.
Another child has told that if we surrender to God after accepting our sins he will excuse us. We thank Dr.Montessori for giving the space to teach all such ethics to the modern children through this education.
We have several interesting things happened when they went out for the nature walk to the near by hillock.
During the nature walk many of them were able to relate the names of animals, birds and many other things.
OUR MISTAKE:
Our staffs have left Mishal who is a special child when they set out for the nature walk. She can’t walk on her own. But we were not aware that we can also take her with a cycle or auto. So this time when she was left out, she has expressed her feelings by a big cry and emotional upset. When I came to know this I have condemned my staff for excluding her and explained the inclusive education. I too have strongly asked them to apologize with her and assure her for next trips. So we are waiting for the reopening day after Pongal holidays to see her soon to correct our self. This is going to teach all of us and children a great value. This will make the mixed age group to come more close to each other. As Dr.Montessori says every day, every incident is a learning program for us.
We have celebrated this year PONGAL festival on 11.1.09. The festival was celebrated with simply but without leaving any traditions. Children have enjoyed the feast and left for a week holiday.

On 12.1.09- Saturday, we have celebrated the festival through the school to honor a great spiritual leader and traditional doctor SreeMath Pambhan Swamigal, who lived before 100 years. He has recited many scared verses which talks more about health, hygiene and mental care. So we have asked pregnant women, mothers with young infants and children to gather before the common temple. Then we spoke about the spiritual leader and his teachings which mainly talks about social harmony and purification of mind and body. We too gave the people his songs and verses which are very important to observe in life. By 7 P.M we all came back to the school and honored every one. This time we have appointed the local village drum set. We are very happy to support them because they are very poor. The team included 3 boys who performed extremely well.
On Saturday, we had the staff meeting regarding language teaching and math.
On Sunday we conducted the staff meeting in which we have discussed various experiences and observations. We too gave the new materials. Saravanan’s health was very bad and the child was suffering from fever and pox infection. I felt very bad for the child who got spoiled by the parents’ carefree habits. I left the village with heavy heart.
PONGAL HOLIDAYS- 11.1.09 TO 18.1.09
19.1.09- Children have arrived without any cry or tantrum after a week holiday. Our staffs are very happy. They are going to present 2 important dramas.
1. Gandhiji and his tiny pencil.
2. Swamynathan.
These 2 are getting presented for January 26th which is our Republic day and Feb 8th which is the great temple car festival in the local culture.
On 24th and 25th of this month, Mr.Floris from Holland is visiting our HOC for observation and learning. He is a well trained AMI Montessori trained staff working in ABACUS MONTESSORI SCHOOL. He is very much impressed about the school after listening many things and he too enjoyed the photos and appreciated our team work.
OUR FIRST VISITOR FROM EUROPE:
On 25th morning I came to Sendurai with Mr.Floris from Madras. We slept very well in the bus so that we missed to get down in Thuvarangkurichi stop. We were left out in Madurai bus stand. So we took a taxi and travelled back for 60 Km.
He is a very simple person who has arrived here to learn Montessori, education and simple way of living. He is very much interested in Indian spirituality. He was just enjoying the whole trip without any hesitation and show off. He has adapted to any situation like food, toilet and bed.
Mani’s mother gave a very warm welcome. Immediately we had bath, tasted very soft iddlies with sambar and coconut chutney. Then we left for the school. Our staff gave a very simple but warm traditional welcome to him. Slowly the day started and he too enjoyed each moment in the HOC. We asked him to present the fresh tertiary color tablets material and he tried his best to talk to the children in the native language.
We had very good morning session. Then after lunch they started sleeping. We all had the lunch together and began our staff meeting with him. First our staff had the following questions:
1. What is the major difference between the Montessori HOC in Sendurai and Europe?
2. What are the qualities of a good staff?
3. What he think about the materials in our HOC?
4. Why he wish to work in India when all prefer western nations?
He too answered them and here I am writing the collected talk which he gave before Dr.Pradheepkumar and his wife that night. Also Mr.Mani and Mr.Nagaraj listened to him the same.

THE TALK WHICH HAS EVALUATED OUR WORK:
Mr.Floris say, ‘’ THE MOST ATTRACTIVE POINT IN SENDURAI HOC IS THE HAPPINESS AMONG THE STAFF AND CHILDREN WHICH SHOWS THE GOOD ATMOSPHERE OF THE SYSTEM. IN OTHER SCHOOLS TEACHERS JUST PROVIDE KNOWLEDGE TO CHILDREN. IN SENDURAI, THE STAFF ARE MAKING THE CHILDREN TO LEARN AND ALSO SHAPING THEIR MORALITY WITH GOOD PERSONALITY.
THE NUMBER OF MATERIALS, BIG BUILDING IS NOT AT ALL THE MATTER. IT IS HOW WE ARE IMPLEMENTINMG DR.MONTESSORI’S PHILOSOPHY WITHIN THE HOC.
THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPCET OF THE SCHOOL IS THAT THE CHILDREN ARE EXPOSED VERY WELL TO THE NATIVE CULTURE AND ETICS. THEY ARE GUIDED VERY WELL TO RESPECT ALL CULTURES AND ESPECIALLY ALL OTHER RELIGIONS. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORATNT NEED FOR THE MAN IN PRESENT WORLD’’

So I am very happy that the aim in starting the school is getting fulfilled and we thank all our staff who is just behind this great project to uplift the village children.
We honored him with cotton garland and greetings made by us. Then we also gave him many picture cards of great monuments of the state. Mani’s parents blessed him traditionally and applied the saffron on his forehead. He too received a wall hanger from them which is from north India.

25.1.09- I went to the school soon. Mr.Floris got up late in the morning. Then he was accompanied by Mr.Jeyaraman. They went inside the village and saw many different setups. They too have visited other natural settings around the village and came around 11 in the fore noon. We asked him to evaluate the answers written by our staff members regarding various Montessori concepts. I was translating in English and he gave the feed back. It is very nice to hear that they have understood the main philosophy of the system and doing good work. I told that the future increment will be totally based on the degree courses in which they join. We want the staff to improve the quality of education through their studies also. By this we are also making them to equip them self for their personal life. Miss.Sasikala brought the porridge made out of millets and he tasted and drank many cups. He very much liked to have more vadas and pappads. But he took very less rice. But he brushed his teeth only after taking food.

When he was explaining about his nation, social setup, he said that they don’t believe in religion because the local religion has not taught them to respect others. Again he has appreciated the respecting culture in our HOC. He said that many of the holy shrines in his nation are getting demolished naturally without human care because people are ignoring them. At this time we had Mishal’s father who came to meet us to give the details for the walker for his daughter. I explained the religious condition of Holland to him and asked him to talk to his fanatic friends about it also.
By evening 5.30 PM we left to Trichy and took the bus to Madras. By early we reached our home where he has relaxed for few hours and left to his home. We have invited him to participate in February 8th festival. He too is very much interested in seeing the village culture and our part in uniting the people to celebrate the festival with spiritual backup. So we are trying for his tickets. Let us see…
His visit is the graduation day for us. His observations are making me especially to know about my guidance to the staff.
We too have Miss.Panchavarnam for observation from this week. WE have asked her to observe till next week end and then to study few important Montessori lessons. Then after that I will interview her.
In the mean time we believe that Mrs.Shanthi will join with us after her studies.

31.1.09
Today we had school with few children. There are 2 sets of parents. Some wanted the school to function on all 7 days. Few want the schools to function only for 5 days. But most of them wanted the children to be in school always, so that they can enjoy the home life. We too are happy that the village has believed us.
Parent’s ego:
We feel sorry for Balamithran’s absence in the HOC. The parents have made strong decision to shift the home to the far by town because of their own ego problem with the village neighbors.
The boy has to stay just inside the home till June. The mother is very adamant about her decision.

Mohanapriya is also missing the school life because of her parents’ conflict in the family. The mother has left to her village with the child. We have adviced the father to bring back the child soon.
Swamydurai has also left the HOC. We have never seen his parents in the past 5 months. There are many parents who never care for any thing. It is our role to keep calm and serve.

Light for a new good staff:
Today we have met Mrs.Saranya and her husband who acme for teacher interview. She is a secondary grade teacher trained candidate. She is little aware about Montessori system. We have asked her to observe the school for a month with many studies parallely.
Then I have presented our staff with English phonetics. They need to train them self with that for a month. Then they have to implement that with children.
We too are expecting few more children to join with us soon. We planned for February 8th festival.

Mallika's review about her Montessori experience-2009

WHERE AM I?- after 1 year.
This article is the translated part of the important review points of our present teachers. They have experienced the Montessori system, attended week end discussions, workshops, and implemented the aspects in daily school life. More than that they have studied many important articles of Dr.Montessori which got translated by Dr.Madeswaran.M.
Miss.Mallika. She has been working for one year. She says,’’ It is natural style of education which is more child centered. The most special aspect of this system is freedom. But the adults need to direct and prepare the child to handle the freedom with more limitations. The school is just another home for the children. Children are like the sheeps which can graze any where but they will be watched by the manger.
The adult allows the child to explore on his own. The school does not value the age marks. It values the age and knowledge. The adult’s role is very important to observe and care the child. Individual plans will help in developing the child. The materials are the initiating tools of education. Practice with materials makes the child perfect and evolve. The education triggers the imagination of the child. The school makes the child very independent, self controlled, self learning, self directed, responsible, service minded and spiritually uplifted.
The child is well exposed to social setup. The child gets the values of all culture, religions, arts, language, mathematics and real life. The education prepares the child to face the world with no stress. The child attains perfection and also awareness through daily work and practice.
The system links the body, mind and intellect of the child. The education also supports the physically and mentally challenged children.
Finally the system makes any abnormal, adamant child to settle and evolve as a peaceful man.’’