Expect the unexpected calamity...

I am in dilemma whether to narrate or not. In the midst of the class right after lunch, the weather started becoming gloomy and few minutes later the rain started to grumble heavely. It was for few moment and the rain has stop and i went outside to check whether it has really gone.
My epiphany of students making malicious gossip while teaching made me furious. The act of drop, cover and hold by the students astonished me during the instruction of an activity.  I thought, hell! What's going on with these students? I went outside and saw other students running towards evacuation site which was identified during mock drill. And i surmised may be it's a mock drill for an earthquake. If it was, how did i miss the blow of a whistle?
Then i decided to send my students to an evacuation site covering their head with a book. Enormous congregation of students and teachers were made along the balcony of classrooms. Sooner or later we witnessed lightening and thunder simultaneously, and followed by heavy down pour. The quake made me seek my lesson plan and text book for quite sometime. Later i realised, i left it in the classroom while trying to save from the unconditional hazard.
The unprecedented event also made me realise how vital it is to conduct mock drill in schools regardless of risk factors. The erratic weather evoked daunting visionary and carved remarkable memories in the heart of many paramount learners and altruistic educators. Thank you, it was indeed a great rehearsal and a reminder to expect the unexpected chaos.
Have a blissful reading...                  1/08/2016

In Quest to Quench and Quell

It's been awhile without writing a piece of note. Today I lie down with deeper thought to keep my writing alive. 

The value of a thing is best known when it is lost. The sense of need is pricked when it becomes shortfalls. Water is the most essential element in lives of every human kind. It's difficult to start a day without it. A place like Zhemgang which is considered as the least populated and developing realm is in dire need of water. Actually it should have enough water to quench thirst of all the households but it fails to provide even a bucket in a day. Can we imagine a teacher who stays in the school from 8 am till 5 pm and he/she needs to fetch water till 8 pm right after the school? But most of us in Zhemgang do. It's been 4 months without supply of water and accumulating has become a culture. The water at the source has dried up and we have no other option then to continue accumulating. I have been calculating the hours that I spend in fetching water. Its takes almost 3 hours in a day to fill all the empty vessels. In a week I spend priceless 21 hours. Actually these hours can be used in rejuvenating my profession which will directly benefit my students.

I do hear same issues being discussed in some places but the scenario is different. When we have a dinner it becomes 9:30 pm and after preparing lesson plan it stretches up to 11:30 pm. The moment i prostrate my body on the bed, it becomes 12 mid night. Teaching profession demands more time to explore and come up with daily pithy lesson planing which will help students learn better.  We need to prepare beguiling teaching learning materials which will keep the eyes of learners instantly. I have to compromise maximum intriguing plans and make sure I have my evening time with empty vessels somewhere else. It's quite baffling at times when a perished body needs to attend breathtaking moment right after the class. 

I heard, the hard work is the key to success but I am quite confounded that this hard work may lead to a failure if it prolong. Besides teaching, fetching water has become a list in my daily hustle and bustle.

Have a Great Day!

Remarkable Journey...

Japan is one of the most popular and advanced countries in the world. I have just dreamt about it and never thought of visiting in my entire life. I even heard people saying, expect the unexpected and it just flashed into reality. I was given an opportunity to attend young leaders program on health and physical education at Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.

My stay in Japan for 20 days was like a day who belongs to a country that resembles a prefecture in Japan. But i know every country has its own beauty. Metropolis is well developed with technology and we can hardly see things that need to be done manually. 

I won't be fair if I do not share about the qualitities of Japanese. Punctuality and discipline stands at the top. Every Japanese understands about segregating waste. Every activity is well organised and systematic. If given an opportunity to stay for a year or two, i can guarantee that, our attitude and personal development would change rapidly. When ever i introduce myself as a Bhutanese, the first sentence they talk about is GNH and followed by;happiest country. My visit to Japan has given me a thought on my integrity and every step was worth walking. Personally i feel we have many more to learn and grow. The moment we stop learning, we stop living.

One can never pay in gratitude. -Anne Morrow Lindbergh

I can vaguely bear in mind about my childish days. I am born to a family who earns very low income as monthly wages. It was in 90’s that my father use to run our home with that amount in a month.. Now a days we can hardly get few commodities with that amount. To my astonishment, father use to send 5 children in the school as well as buy necessary home items. Education is one of the areas which demands lots of investment. I have seen my dad working under scorching sun and freezing rain. Spending almost a day carrying a sack full of sand along a steep slope. I can clearly remember that, dad and mom have neither left us bare foot nor clothe less. We were given every essential needs that would keep us alive and lead us to an independent survivor.

My father worked relentlessly and we gave our best endeavor to study hard. Mother didn’t fail to accomplish her household chores and the situation was perfect even though there was seldom blood, tear and turmoil. I got the best education quality and my sisters couldn’t move further to tertiary education. Now they are married and stays at home. I am the only son and the only sibling working as a civil servant. I am working in one of the solitary Dzongkhags which I believe is the best place to build our capacity to face turbulent times.

Today, as I try to flash back with hard and gentle moments, I am filled with lots of responsibilities and commitment to be made to my parents. To pay my deep respect for what they did to me. These words remain as words and commitments as procrastination. I hardly spend time and share good memories with them. Today my parents are walking in the early 60’s and giving their best to make old bones. I have my deep reverence and very thankful for their unconditional love but I know I can never pay in gratitude. 

Life of a provocative teacher.

In the entire universe, there are lots of activities being carried out relentlessly. We have distraught war, criticism, ecumenical actions among fanatical people and many more. The world is filled with love and hatred, marriage and broken relationship. We have million of job seeker suffering from mental fatigue despite having unrealistic jobs around the world. Teaching is considered as a noble profession who educates and aid the learners to embark desirable destination. Great renown philosophers termed teachers as Gurus which epitomize “master of all.” Teachers are said to be the right person to elevate paramount leaders and pious citizen.

Life of a teacher almost resemble life of Buddha who had sacrificed and bestowed altruistic support. We have almost 40% of troglodyte teachers working in solitary places in spite of having their families settled in metropolitan area. In order to teach few students, they have to walk days to reach school. Most of the teachers serving in solitary places forfeit luxurious living style which is immensely savored by metropolis. All the teachers sacrificing for the well being of others are someone’s father, mother, relatives and loved ones. Teachers are facing the most hectic moments and still we are questioned by everybody if things are not done properly. Parents come to the school with loads of clarifications indeed trying to create commotion and chaos being oblivion of hardships rendered by teachers. We have a pithy aphorism in Bhutanese, “ Ta so wei drilaan doktse.”

We are the first person to justify when their children gets involved in misconduct and even when they have mediocre performance. Is it the only obligation of a teacher. Where does parents responsibility lie? It is said that education begins at home. Parents aspect miracle to happen at the end without relentless support and persistent determination. Teachers need to do lots of paper works which encompass lesson planning, continuous assessment, class work and home work. It also include scrap book, journal and project work corrections. We have to correct around 230 note books in a month. The work of a teacher is never a piece of cake. Apart from academic teaching, we have to carry out co-curricular activities and remedial classes. We hardly get time to spend with friends and families. “Sacrifice” is the motto of a teacher.

We never feel the pleasure of being on the summit of the mountain unless we have been in the deepest of the valley. We are HUMAN BEING not a SYSTEM DEVICES.

Milieu of Special and Inclusive Education in Bhutan

Special Education or widely known as Inclusive Education has been introduced in our country in early 2000. This mission was started with vague idea on special needs. Few schools were selected as pilot schools to render expedient learning to those differently able students. As of now, we have 10 pilot schools and two special schools. My school is one of the pilot schools since 2011.This system demands lots of specialist and realistic framework. Bhutanese are hardly into this line. Most of us are directly introduced into the system without proper training. It’s like carrying 100s of tons on our back.

The system has been a mandate for a teacher to teach special children without knowing the concept of special and inclusive education. It is said that, if we want to become a great leader, first we have to become a great person. Teaching differently able children oblige various skills and strategies.We come across different students with different special needs. Some of the disabilities are autism, impairment, delayed mental growth, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities (dyslexia, dysgraphia) etc. We need different skills to teach those disabilities. Most of the time, we employ foreigners to work with us and set meticulous policy. I feel it is high time for us to become skilled and well trained teachers. 

Pilot schools are given at least 4 workshops in a year demanding around 4 to 5 participants. If we really calculate the amount for these short-term training, it will come around Nu.1500000 to 2000000. The participants will go back home with handful of cash and inadequate knowledge. I know the organizers are doing for the betterment of the program but I feel the training doesn’t achieve the goals of GNH in depth. Instead of having those short–term training or inviting foreigners, it would be very momentous to provide at least long-term specialized course in developed countries with that amount spent in short-term training. A specialized Bhutanese will make a difference in students learning as well as provide aid to his/her colleagues and the specialized skills will remain in the country forever.

It is high time for us to make a call, a call for a change and a call for a good cause.  

         This write up doesn't intend to go against any policies. It is a personal view.  

Live as if today is the last day of your life

In this ambitious world of human breed, we are controlled by despicable greed and wants. We tend to be insufficient and oblivion knowing the fact, nothing last forever. Invincible mind and capricious thoughts overtake the livelihood of human kind. We are said that Bhutanese are the true followers of Buddha but we lack in having the qualities of being Buddha. 

If site an example, if a person looks pretty good and quite wealthy, then the people around him/her become jealous. The seed of hatred and envy develops through small issues meaninglessly. Hatred and  jealously is the primary cause of evil deeds. We tend to become typical Buddhist by offering butter lamps, commodities and cash during auspicious days. I believe that, we need not have to really do these things if our heart and thoughts are serene and tranquil. It's always better to be gentle and imbibe the qualities of being human. We need to become a philanthropist if possible.

At the end of the day, neither we can take the things that we have spent lots of hardship nor the amounts that have been accumulated for decades. Everyone of us have to face unbiased DEATH and we can only take the blessings earned being a great person.  Live each day as your last day and savor each moment by helping other sentient beings.