Again, so much can happen in a week. I went to the Unbox conference in Delhi, did an excursion to Agra to vist the fort and the Taj Mahal, and went on a group inspiration trip with Quest to Ahemedebad. We visited two different education institutes, the Riverside School and the Dalit Shakti Kendra school, and met a few Gandhian philosophers. It is too much to convey in one blog post, and ultimately too much to process in a day. I am moved by how simply change can happen, nail clippers or a broken broom can start a landslide of change. I am deeply moved by the humility, compassion and shared desire to change deeply rooted social behaviors. What we saw and heard will stay with me forever.
Ultimately, I am coming to terms with the more spiritual side of myself. The big theme we heard echoed from the different leaders, was that creating relationships is key. To everything. In order for our vocational training program to happen, relationships must be built. Relationships between facilitators and students, between students and parents, parents and facilitators and between peers. Without this, it is the same pedagogy applied to a needier audience. The other theme was authenticity. There is a need to relate to the students in a way that is truthful and authentic to who they are. Learning should be owned by them, and they should be able to relate to the lessons. Indian values must also be maintained. We saw a continuum of educational institutes, ranging from a process more localized in thought to a process of thought that is more international and somewhat androgynous to Indian history. Quest will have to determine where on this continuum we want to be. There are benefits for both, but I have a feeling that westernizing and ultimately globalizing student thought is doing a disservice to the culture that the students and facilitators are apart of.
It is becoming more apparent that industrialization of products and ideas may do more damage than good here. There are so many people that need jobs, are able and willing to work, that mechanizing goods may create faster and more controlled product, but do so at the price of humanity. I don't necessarily think that everything should be craft, there is a balance in there somewhere. But directly copying the western model will not work. Too many people will be overlooked and only the privileged will benefit.
Resisting industrialization also applies to the education system. Teaching for tests and solely for academic advancement is foolish. A pedagogy that does not promote individual identity or personal interest fails. More important than being educated is getting a good education. Students need to be self-aware, critical, and able to think for themselves. This involves deeper learning skills such as creativity and collaboration that students may not be getting at home. Ultimately a passion for continuous learning must be instilled. And all of this should be driven by the student. If learning isn't seen as relevant or contextual, why should a student engage? The educational system that the west exports is failing everyone. Lucky for my program, we don't have to fight an established system. We can control the curriculum without the limitations of government imposed regulations. There are still funders that we have to answer to, but hopefully we can create good partnerships where they see the actual problem in front of us and support the subtle shifts that we are hoping to create.
India is becoming more and more like home. This is both scary and liberating. I love it here. I also love where I come from. I miss both San Francisco and North Carolina, but not necessarily for the reasons you might think. I miss them for the support that is there, for the beauty of the places, and for the ease at which I lived there. India is challenging in so many ways, but I feel more open here, more at ease with the environment and with myself. It is an exciting journey that I am on. One, that in hindsight, I desperately needed. I am incredibly lucky for what I have and am unsure what the future holds, but I plan to embrace the ambiguity. Fully.
Who knows, this chance may never come twice.
