Salaam Balaak Trust

Today we went on a city walk with the Salaam Balaak Trust, an NGO established to provide education, training and a safe haven for street children in Delhi. Most are rescued from the Delhi train station, a chaotic amalgam of humanity.  Most children become addicted to glue sniffing, alcohol or other drugs to dull the harsh life on the street and beatings of police. While some can earn upwards of 10,000 rupees a day, it must all be spent quickly or it will be stolenfrom them. Money is oftenspent ondrugs and Bollywood movies, as food is provided free br Sikh temples. Over 70% of the children rescued in a given year are reunited with their families who they have run away from without knowing the dangers of street life. Michelle Obama recognized Salaam Balak last year for their outstanding work. It relies entirely on volunteers to provide the education and training to thechildren.

Our gudes, Ajay and Jumaid, were both former street children who have learned English and are preparing for careers.  One guide was just awarded a scholarship for college in the US, a huge accomplishment.

Here are some photos from our visit....

Goodbye to Taktse

We arrived in Delhi on Sunday night and have been doing a lot of sight seeing. We are missing the school as we came to feel so much a part of the Taktse community. It was a tearful goodbye with the staff and students for me. I so enjoyed working with them and learned so much from them as I gave away what I knew. My perspective as a psychologist has been changed deeply by this experience, and I believe I may not know how much until I come back home.  We will keep in touch via Facetime as I continue to collaborate with their teachers, new social worker and new Dean of Students. My greatest hope is for a Taktse student to visit us in Maine.

Thank you Taktse!

Dara with her 4th grade friends: Palden, Abshe, Sehezl, Rajashwari, Ahana

Dharma class

Dara has been attending Dharma class during our 5 weeks here at Taktse. It is an elective class for students which teaches the traditions, prayers and fundamentals of Buddhism. Dara has been working on a circle of life replica which represents the six stages of un-enlightenment.  Here is a link to a video on the Dharma class.

Gumption, Grit and Goals

I may only have two days left at Taktse, but not a moment is being wasted!  Here is the title slide of my presentation to the 9-12th grade students this afternoon. We will do a self-assessment exercise, learn about the most recent neuropsychological research on the adolescent brain and discuss the most beneficial study strategies.

We will miss the dining hall

We even bought some stainless steel plates so we could remember all our fun meals there. Some of the teachers thought we were crazy!

Fun in the dining hall

Breakfast with Tang

Ms. Subani, Ethan's 5th grade teacher on the right

The lunch line

Kindergarteners eating lunch

Sonam and Jigme

A giant veg momo and tea for breakfast

Rice and dhal and potatoes, a typical lunch

Executive Functioning

On Friday night we had a lively workshop on executive functioning for select members of the faculty. I taught about recent advances in neuropsychological research on the adolescent brain, we did a self-inventory of our strengths and weaknesses in executive functioning skills and then the group brainstormed solutions for a case study of a 7th grade student with attention and writing problems.

The school culture here is unique because the faculty are truly invested in advancing their knowledge base and eager to be part of any type of professional development. Reflection writings after workshops and assemblies are standard here.  Hands on activities and active problem solving by talking with colleagues is expected.  This is probably the single factor that has most impressed me.  This commitment to learning also encourages risk taking. I have felt this first hand in my approach to presenting to staff and giving feedback about behavior management. I feel a part of this school now, which is really astounding to me given I have only been here for 5 weeks.

The principal was excited with the feedback he received and asked me to present to upper school students (9th-13th grade) on Tuesday and parents on Wednesday.  I expect the student presentation to be free flowing with lots of questions.  The parent presentation will be interesting because there isn't really a cultural expectation that parents collaborate with teachers, come to teachers with problems or participate very much in their child's education.  The very idea of a parent workshop like this is exceptional in India.  Taktse is forging ahead with bringing parents in and creating a collaborative dynamic.

Staff completing self-assessments of executive functioning skills. 

In my new kurti (traditional Indian wear).  

Week in Pictures

This week students are preparing for their mid-term exams, which are a progress monitoring opportunity. In October they take "Checkpoint" exams administered by Cambridge Examinations. These determine if they are ready to advance to the next grade level. Maria has several much younger peers in her 8th grade class -- quite a difference from our American model!

Here are some pictures from the week as I prepare to give an in depth workshop on Executive Functioning Skills to the staff tonight.

Happy last day of school in Cape Elizabeth!

A long sought after sunny day!

Third graders studying in the library before breakfast.

Breakfast on Tuesday.  Puri (like fried dough), halwa (like cobbler without berries) and beans, with hot chocolate

Dara and her friend Rajashweri on Traditional Dress Day. 

Fourth Grade girls on Traditional Dress Day

View from the library. We cherish the sunny days here!

A global map in the dining hall.  Can we get one for our cafeteria?