Namaste Primary School

It's been almost six months on the road. So far it's been exciting, exploring new places, meeting a variety of cool, interesting and/or odd people, and having shed responsibilities of work and earning enjoying the freedom of travelling. However, as much as I'd like to tell myself it's just a hangover from previous experience there is also a sense of being un-employed, lacking purpose other maybe being a passive observer. Perhaps it's time to do something but what?...

By chance, asking Shekhar about possible volunteer opportunities in Pokhara I find out that he is a trustee/governor of Namaste Primary School and he can arrange for me to do volunteer teaching there. The school was founded by two women from Delft, Holland who had worked with children at a nearby state school and decided there was a need for more provision. They managed to raise funding for land and building and opened in April 2007.

It's 45 minutes walk from lakeside, passing through the main road junctions, dodging buses transporting schoolkids wearing pristine white shirts, following a rough-road alongside canal trenches and two-storey breeze-block houses built amidst saturated fields, skipping puddles and climbing the embankment to get out of the way of enthusiastic motorcyclists, finally reaching a colourful and friendly looking building with a crowd of kids mingling awaiting morning assembly.

First Day

I'm introduced to Anne Bosch the current Dutch volunteer teacher trainer who will show me around. Lessons start at 10am and at 9.45am every morning there is a whole school assembly in the playground. Students from each class form a line for the morning exercises. This involves clapping, standing to attention, raising hands above your head, and although at first it seems a little militaristic the kids smiles suggest it's a lot of fun.

This is followed by morning prayers. Three students are 'volunteered' to stand in front and lead the assembly in reciting the morning prayer by saying a line which is repeated by the rest of the students. With great enthusiasm the kids shout out the lines attempting to set a rapid pace for everyone to try and keep up. It reminds me how at primary school some hymns became more like football chants... "WALK in the light, WA-AW-AWK in the light, WALK in the lie-ight, walk in-the light of-the lord!"

Anna shows me to the staff room where I meet all the teachers - from left to right, [top row] Priya, Nirmila, Savitri, [bottom row] Arjun, Hari, and Dhana (school principal).

It's decided perhaps the best way I could help out is to work with teachers and students on English grammar and pronunciation. Anna sets about devising a schedule for me to rotate between the teachers and I join Dhana for my first lesson with Class Two.

Initially Dhana suggests I can just observe and get a feel for how the lessons go. Standing infront of 18 wide-eyed kids staring at me is a bit daunting not least as they afford me the same status as a teacher and wait for a signal "you can sit down" (which Dhana has to prompt me to give).

Getting to sit at the back of class with the cool kids eases the butterflies. However, having settled down to watch for a while Dhana obviously decides a plunge is the best policy and starts quizzing me on grammar points of conjugating the verb "to be" and suggesting I read a dialogue from the textbook so the kids can hear how I pronounce "croak" (ah the irony!). From this point on I'm classroom support and reference on most English language things.

I follow Dhana to her next lesson with Class One. They are just beginning to learn basic sentences and grammar. However this does not deter conversation and questions. Practically every kid in the class crowds round and wants to know my name, where I come from, do I have brothers and sisters, what are their names, do I like Nepal. It's fun being the centre of attention in such an enthusiastic bunch although not much lesson teaching gets done in this first meeting.

Anna pops her head round the door and asks if I would like my picture taken with the kids - cue mad scramble so everyone can get in on the photo (this could be my favourite travel picture, not least for the Kes impersonator in the front-row!)

Organisation of School Day

There are six classes at the school into which the kids are placed depending on their age and previous school experience, so there's a mix in classes 2-4 ranging from kids aged around 9 years old to 14 years old. The school-day is 10am to 4pm divided into 45 minute periods with a Tiffin (lunch) break at 1pm which means 7 lessons throughout the day. The daily schedule is fixed so everyday the kids will get lessons in English, Nepali, Maths, Science, Health/General Knowledge, Social Studies, and Games.

For fairly obvious reasons we decide there's not much point me attending Nepali or Maths lessons (which is just as well really as seeing quadratic equations on the blackboard sends a cold shiver down my spine!) I'll end up spending most time in Classes 2-4 and working with Arjun and Hari.

Class Four

After a couple of days I've got a schedule of my own to follow devised by Anna. The first lesson of the day is English with Class Four taught by Arjun. I'm sitting on the back row next to Pradeep and Bishal.

Infront, Pooja, Anu and Renuka are exchanging whispers looking over their shoulders and giggling. I wonder what's so amusing. Then Bishal says "Matthew" with and huge cheeky grin (yellow/green t-shirt) "you like half pants?!" I dawns that wearing shorts as an adult and a teacher is not conventional and worthy of a few laughs. "Of course, in England everyone wears half-pants to school", an eruption a laughter from others who've been listening in.

Surviving Nursery

Anna explains that she is due to spend some time observing Hari's teaching in the afternoon and suggests that rather than us both be in the same classroom why don't I join another class instead. By this point I've sat in on most classes except nursery and kindergarten so why not give them a try.

Anna had warned me on my first day that the younger kids could be a little boisterous. I'm greeted very courteously by a class of wide-eyed little people what I mistake for shy smiles "good afternoon". I wave and good afternoon back and as a girl in the front row leans forward and wants to shake my hand, very polite! I smile and say 'hello' and shake hands and all of a sudden I'm surrounded by the entire class all wanting to join in. This could've gone on for quite a while but fortunately Nirmila calms them down and they settle back into their seats for lesson.

At the back of the classroom is a drawn curtain that hides the play room. After an English lesson it will be time for Games. The curtain acts as fortress gate, impenetrable to the kids, but as it is drawn back a whoop of delight rings around the class, the defences have been breached! I blink as a stampede rushes past. At my feet are are pile of shoes expertly removed on the move and looking inside the quiet colourful room that was unoccupied two seconds ago is a full swing party with kids waving games and toys in the air, jumping around manically and waving their hands in the air to imaginary music!

Over the next hour I show them how to play dominoes, help out with a dozen or more jigsaws, and get dragged all round the room to be shown each and every toy by very enthusiastic coterie of connoisseurs. The younger kids finish one period earlier so by 3.30pm I'm sat in Dhana's office that doubles as a small staff room. Anna walks in, takes one look at my obviously exhausted and shocked state and laughs, "you've been in nursery!!"

Quiz-time

On my last day Arjun decides to liven things up with a quiz on general knowledge. Class Two is divided into Team A and Team B. There's an odd number of kids so I make up the extra person on Team A which they (prematurely) celebrate as a guarantee of winning. The General Knowledge questions are taken from their coursebook that includes a wide range of things from geography, animals, Nepali history and Culture and some particularly random literature facts and references. For example, what was the name of the very first children's printed periodical? Deepak on Team B is scoring heavily and knows this one. It's from the 18th Century.... no? why the 'Lilliputian' of course! Afterwards I ask if he likes Gulliver's Travels, (I saw a couple of kids versions in the library) he shrugs, he's not read it.

In the afternoon Hari suggests I do a quiz for Class Three, which ends up being an extended session of 'hangman' (without the hanging man cartoon) by popular demand. Durga's (front row centre blue t-shirt) team lead by a considerable way and even granting a bonus 20 points for the final puzzle isn't enough for the other team to catch up.

Fond farewells

Once the kids have left for the day the other teachers gather to present me with an unexpected gift, a book on Nepali Culture with farewell messages from each person. It's a very thoughtful gesture and although I've only been at the school three weeks it's left a big impression on me, not least that teaching is very rewarding and very tiring! I joke with Arjun that I might be able to answer some of the quiz question next time. It's a bright afternoon as I walk back towards Giri Guesthouse... what's next?