Events Of April 2009

EVENTS OF APRIL 2009
On 3.4.09- HOC has celebrated SRERAMA NAVAMI. For past 10 days our staff are narrating the history and legends of SreeRama and also making the children to observe the various colorful rituals performed to the icon pieces of Lord Rama. Some times children too wanted to perform and they were allowed. On the festival day special songs were sang and rituals were done by all the children and staff. Sundal and butter milk was offered to God and tasted by all with good sharing moments.
5.4.09- Sunday. We conducted the staff meeting. We have read the narrative reports and academic reports our students. It is amazing to see the evolution of the twins who are just 1.5 years old. They are well settled and very smart in choosing their activity. They have improved their eating and toilet habits also. We thank all our staff members with helpers for the great care and service.
Mean while Saravanan was observed very carefully for few more strong autism symptoms. We tested him when he showed very rare but fearful symptoms. Later he was normal and we gave him the traditional Ayur Vedic Bathing. We feel much for this child. His brother is all most cured and he wanted to attend the school. But we have to prepare other children to handle this child without disturbing his wounds.
We read and discussed few important chapters from Montessori’s EDUCATION FOR A NEW WORLD. We have mainly discussed the physical and mental role of a mother and teacher and how it has helped Saravanan in coming out of his mental conditions. More care must be given to this boy.
Then we ate our lunch and dispersed. The school gets closed from Saturday to Tuesday for the local annual temple festival.
Mean while Sasikala and Priya have opened that they may leave the school after few months for valid reasons. Yes again we are in threat of good staff. Let us start the work.
10.4.09- OBSERVATION MINUTES BY Dr.Madeswaran.M
1. When the school auto reaches the HOC, children got inside with joy and left their slippers and settled them self for the prayer in the prayer room.
2. Surya Raj is 1.5 years old. He came to me and asked me to lift him and cuddle him. He was very open to every one and well settled with the HOC.
3. When we conducted the prayer session there was absolute silence and children were aware about the importance behind the prayer chanting.
4. Basheer silently moved from his place and reached me and sat on my laps. By seeing this Saravanan could not bear his emotions and he was just waiting for my call to come to me. But I took some time for Saravanan to settle.
5. After the chanting, MohanRaj came into the HOC with sweets. He celebrated his birth day in the HOC. We sang the song for him and talked about his good dress. This went into the detailed conversation about dresses, colors and other things. He gave sweets to every child and staff. Every one thanked him. We gave a set of crayon color pencils to him as a gift. Immediately he wanted to try with them on a paper. By seeing that Sudeesh said that he can draw well with colors and pencils in big note books at home. We have asked him to show his creative pieces to us.
6. Then children chose their work and settled down. But I have insisted the staff to practice them self with more EPL and sensorial activities.
7. 1.5 year child was going on distracting others for the material which they have. Slowly we need to change this attitude.
8. Mean while Kalaivani came to see us. Children were so happy to have her.
9. With the Montessori globe I gave the group presentation of land and water, how the Earth looks? , how the Earth rotates, names of Erath in Tamil language and various continents.
10. Mean while we have decided to take the children out of the HOC for a nature walk to explore more with the Earth.
11. Every one wore their slippers and started walking. Mishal walked for a quiet a long distance by holding the hands of our staff. We also made her to participate in the nature walk by making her to sit on a chair.
12. We explored trees, plants, huts, mountains, insects, cows, chickens, human beings , fishes, flowers, rocks, stones and our own homes are resting on this globe.
13. Children were explained how the Earth is holding the rocks and they also tried their best and enjoyed the activity of shaking a medium size rock piece.
14. They saw the cow and got the name lesson in Tamil. There are several other names with adjectives for cow in India. So we gave them and explained why we respect a cow.
The exciting raining clouds:
When we were enjoying the nature walk, slowly there came few dark rainy clouds. It is very rare to have rain in the state in this horrible summer. Immediately we asked them to observe the motion of the clouds and explained how clouds drink water and change their color and how the cool winds from trees make them to shower the rain.
We explained this by drinking water from water bottles. We said that clouds need lot of water and they go to ponds, rivers, lakes, seas to drink water.
Then they sang a song about the rainy day. Slowly we felt that it is drizzling and asked the children to feel the cool breeze and clouds changing into very dark.
Slowly we too got the pinching touch of the rain drops and ran towards the school. Then we sang and danced inside the compound about the rainy day.
The crying big boy:
There came Samydurai 5.5 years old. He is from a local tribal farmer family with many siblings. When he came to our school we have learned much from him in settling. When he has changed slowly and started learning he felt that there is no one in the school equal to his age. His brothers are going to the local Government school and also run away with them. But his father has understood the concept of Montessori education and wanted him to continue one more year. We have explained the boy about the next year plan and settled him. But every day after crying for few minutes he is settling with his own choice of work. His father is very happy with his changes, English learning and attitudes. Hats off to Dr.Montessori and my staff members!!!
Mrs.Kalaivani’s experience:
She was our very first teacher who has enjoyed the Montessori philosophy very much. Now she is doing B.Ed in Ability based teaching which has included most of the Montessori concepts. She said that she was able to do her training well with the experiences which she has gained from our HOC. She gave many examples of various observations and students. She too shared her experiences in handling special children.
The wildness inside the baby boy:
Saravanan is a special child. We are treating him and he has shown gradual good outputs and growing well. But teachers have observed again there are few symptoms within him last week. So this time we have tested him and when we made him to do the difficult body exercises he has turned very badly as a wild boy and shouted , ‘’ uncle! If you don’t leave me I will bite you!’’.
Every body were upset and shocked to see the inner anger and wild behavior of this baby boy of autism. I was very much upset and we then gave him the traditional medications with hot bath.
We are aware that the mother is just wasting her time not taking care of him. She is just behind the younger boy who is badly injured. She too has changed that boys character just by giving unlimited crazy attention and affection.
We came to know that Saravanan was not given bath for 3 days and also his father has hit his mother before him and we called them and spoke and explained his changes and how the father’s wild character the child has imbibed slowly. But the father is very cool and said he is a rowdy who can challenge the whole village. We said that then the children will be called as ‘’rowdy’s children’’.
The shock treatment:
To make Saravanan to realize the love, attention, care given by the staff we have asked his parents to send few days to the local school were children are not cared like us. But the child cried and said that the staff in his brother’s school will beat him and he will never go. When we explained the care given to him the father just said that he has given all comforts to him. What a great lie? Boasting lie? We just saw each other face and laughed among our self!
The child has promised us that he will never be such rude and wild any more. We need to help him to come out of this situation but his parents have to co operate. Let us give our side care and love!
11.4.09 – Today Lord Murugan took his procession in the morning and it was raining. Mr.Balamurugan and his new friend Mr.Chellappan from Pondychery hase visited. Mr.Sakthyvel offered sacred food to many people.
The light for the fresh teacher:
Today we met Philip. He is a fresh +2 candidate from a very poor back ground. His father is a tailor in the village who stitches for reasonable rate. He has done many stitches for our HOC in the early years. He likes to do Engineering graduation but he has no money.
But his poverty has made him frustrated. We spoke to him. He said that he likes to graduate with Mathematics and wanted to be a teacher later. So we said that he can join with us as teacher and do part time studies along with Montessori training. If time and condition permits he can do his regular Montessori training in Madras from July to March 2010.
He can also ask SriSakthi Foundation for financial support for his studies. But he needs to work with us for few years after completing his graduation. He too is interested in this work. He has requested for working conditions in our HOC from next week. His English is good and he can do reading activities and also observe the environment.
I have discussed about this to Mr.Ganesh Marapan and Mr.Jeyaraman and let us see.
Mean while Mr.Muthuraj a special student who has been helped by our foundation has approached us for doing story telling activity in HOC. He is also from a middle class family and he is going to do school finals exams next year. He wants a place also to settle and learn and he has found our school as the best place. So we have asked him to do story telling in the day time and do his personal studies without any distraction to children by noon in a room or in the garden.
We feel very happy that the Montessori House of Children in the village has given space and choice for many such people to perform some thing good in their life.
26.4.09- FOURTH TERM REPORT GIVING DAY
Mr.Balamurugan from Pondychery was the chief guest for today’s function. He belongs to a very ordinary farmer family who lost his father at the age of 10. He was brought up very well in studies and behavior by his mother who also cared 2 little girls after him.
After doing his poly technique diploma he has joined in Pondychery Law College and did his degree in law after taking a part time job. After doing law he practiced for 3 months and now working in ICICI Bank in Thiruvaaroor. He is very responsible and care taking. He made his first sister married in a good position and now involved in SRISAKTHI FOUNDATION’S projects. Along with Mr.Jeyaraman he is involved in all the festivals of our foundation in this village. So we are honoring him as our young chief guest and made him to address the parents.
This time many children have arrived early to our HOC along with their parents. By 10.45 after short prayer we have started the report giving festival.
Dr.Madeswaran gave the welcome speech and introduced the chief guest followed by his calm, simple, realistic speech which made our parents to open their minds to give us the feed back about the schools and children.
Mr.Balamurugan addressed the parents as follows:
‘’ Believe your child. Give him the space to settle and fix his own task. Let you be behind the child. Let us give our best things to our children. Trust the school and Montessori system. We must be the role model for own children and we must perform what we expect from them. Encourage the child’s work.’’
Parents were very happy about the children’s personality and academics. There were good feed back. Andrews’s mother spoke well about her son.
Divyadarshini could not see her father and so she has started crying loudly. This was realized by all of us about the child psychology.
Children them self took the responsibility of serving coffee and biscuits. They volunteered for giving away the greetings card and gift to our chief guest. We have presented a simple but beautiful wooden flower vase to our guest.
Parents were informed about the auto timing and holidays. Teachers are taking 10 days as turn holidays. I feel very proud to say that Miss.Mallika said that she could not be at home in her turn holidays.
Mrs.Usha and her daughter have gone to Coimbatore for holidays and she is planning to check her health position.
We thank our staff for making such neat files for children’s work and narrative reports in our school letter pad sheets. All the reports were written by our staff after thorough edition work by Dr.Madeswaran. We also thank them for arranging a very calm and tensionless function. After the festival every one left and we sat for the lunch and theory work shop.
27.4.09- HOC conducted fresh term prayers and term planning.
From 28th to May 8th Dr.Madeswaran will be under going AMI assistance teacher training in Montessori teaching for the age group 0 to 6 in Madras.