September 27, 2011

Dear Mrs. Chrestian, Mrs. Lionel, Mrs. Nandi, my friends in the staff room, faculty, and especially students,

It has been nearly six weeks since my stay with you, and I think of you and St. John’s Diocesan every day. Being in your company and a part of such a warm community has been one of the most gratifying and rewarding experiences of my life.

The warmth, joy, and hospitality exhibited by everyone in the Dio community will forever stand as a model to me. Every day, after Mr. Saxena and I negotiated a different taxi fare and navigated a different route to Sarat Bose Road, I stepped foot onto your lovely campus, the rightful winner of the “best maintained school award” for three years in a row. Your beautiful aqua-washed buildings and the lush greenery were paradise to me, a refuge from the delightfully cacophonous but overwhelming streets of Kolkata.

I was greeted each day by warm, genuine smiles from everyone—the men at the gates, the support staff, the teachers, and every girl I passed. I heard “good morning, ma’am,” over and over as I made my way to the staff room each morning. Within the first week I was getting to know some of the older students, but even the middle school girls would sprint across campus to exchange “good morning…how are you?…fine, thank you…how are you?” with me. Always, always with the most lovely of smiles. My keenest and dearest memory of India is of being surrounded by open, smiling faces.

I have taken away critical life lessons. I was eager to see what classrooms of 60 girls would feel like, and quickly discovered how effective a teacher can be even in a large class with engaged and engaging learners. The students at Dio clearly value education, a lesson I want to impart to my own students in the United Sates, and an attitude that is the key to learning.

The girls at Dio are proficient in several languages, most in at least three—Bengali, Hindi, and English. As an educator, it was very exciting to see first-hand the intellectual advantage multi-lingualism provides. Whether I was teaching grammar, poetry, or a literary concept, you girls soaked it all up like sponges. It is clear that you are attuned to language and to linguistic concepts. Of course, your engagement and dedication was not only evident in language classes. Mr. Saxena and I had many, many conversations about the quality and depth of the learning we witnessed at Dio. He was mightily impressed by your skills in mathematics—and by your dedication and obvious engagement in the subject matter. You are living proof to us that understanding the value of education is one of the keys to education itself.

I will always recall fondly attending your quiz tournament and the impassioned preparation for the competition. The energy and excitement that I witnessed on the day of the tournament rivals any celebration or competition we have here in the USA. You know how to make learning not just fun, but a joyous community event.

I loved watching you practice native dances for your Independence Day celebration on August 15. Your marked improvement over the course of the month before my departure and your celebration (very poor timing, indeed) was a revelation.

I heard from several of the teachers that the weather was fine and the performances strong. I was thinking of you all that day, as I do every day now.

I recall how quickly Mr. Saxena and I were made to feel comfortable in the staff room at Dio. It was not long before we were having spirited discussions of cultural mores and differences, of the importance and challenges of building a curriculum that is both accessible and rigorous. I still e-mail some of my new, dear friends, and we hope to continue our dialogue, our friendship, and our professional relationships.

I was privileged to visit your second schools and meet the students there who, like you, value education.

I witnessed your “1 onion and 1 potato” program. Many girls at the school expressed a concern for the environment, others a keen sense of political awareness. Many, many girls were very interested to learn what I thought of your country. You are good citizens of India and of the world. One after another of you indicated to me that you have a social conscience, a political awareness, and a cultural sensitivity.

I think that if the students of Dio are indicative of the future of India, the country has reason indeed to be optimistic. I would wish the teachers and staff congratulations on such a fine institution and such wonderful students. It is my fondest wish to return one day. Until then, it is a “flat world,” and there is little holding us back from continuing to communicate and collaborate. This is, I hope, not an end but a beginning.

Fondly,
Cindy Sabik
USA