Jean has just finished four weeks as a volunteer on the Book Bus India Project. Read what she says about her experience at school.
“Ma’am, ma’am,yeh?” asks a child holding a
crayon and wanting to know if it’s the right one. It’s a question we’ve grown accustomed to in
the last four weeks as children seek confirmation that what they are doing is
right. After a tentative start, our mimes,
songs and visual aids have scaled the language barrier. Our routines are now so familiar that many
children dive into activities such as wordsearches, or labelling a diagram of
the body without much prompting.Listening to their chatter as they help each other
complete tasks is a joy; and very rewarding to notice that they are remembering
new words and phrases and making connections with concepts we taught previously.
String has been in great demand to tie to
fluttering rainbow fish and twirling snakes, as are urgent requests for smiley
faces for work well done. Teachers, some
reticent at first, have joined our activities, translated instructions, and
kept our visual aids displayed in their classrooms.In our Monday school,
village teenagers turn up and delight in reading alongside their brothers and
sisters. Adults from the village also
drop in to classes and smile their approval.
The sense of community is very strong and we are always warmly welcomed.
Teaching is not just one way – we’ve learnt a
few everyday phrases, to count to ten in Hindi, and the
names of basic colours and animals.I shall probably remember forever that margermunch, our favourite word, means
crocodile.
Jean Ashbury. Volunteer Book Bus India March 2013
