The students at
Navrachana International School are yearning balls of light – curious minds
that illuminate the dark shadows of ignorance that are cast on every society
around the world. The moment I cross the threshold into their classroom, the
students share such radiance with me, asking questions about the United States
and its culture. How can America, with its vast array of flavors, be compiled
into a few introductory phrases? Furthermore, how can I solely (and accurately)
represent “The Melting Pot”? So I speak about what I know – the U.S.
destinations that were stamped not in a passport, but the crisp pages of my
memories: the electric pulse of colors that surge through one’s entire body in
New York City’s Time Square; the tiny windows at the top of the St. Louis arch
that collect the entire metropolis within their frame; the steaming plate of grits and friend
chicken eaten in Mississippi, served with a side of “Southern hospitality”; the
majestic presence of the violet Rocky Mountains; the flares of yellow and red
dragons that fly around Washington DC’s China Town; and most importantly, the
rolling hills of Wisconsin farmland, sprinkled with roaming dairy cows and
fanatic Packer fans. The Indian
students opened up their own mind passports and traveled around America with
me.
After my brief
introduction to America, we stowed the passports back into our deep cerebrum
pocket. The eighth grade English
teacher, Sandhya Mam, then asked if I would give the class a prompt for oral
discussion and evaluation. Due to their great interest in foreign countries, I
asked the class to respond to the following questions:
If you were the ruler of an imaginary country of your own
creation, what would your country’s name be and what would the place look like?
What infrastructures would you set in place?
The students were shy at first, but
after a few minutes of individual deliberation their imaginations began to
spark. The students created the
following countries, some of which I would like to obtain a visa to visit on my
next great trip:
·
Foodapest
o
Things to
know about this country: Visitors can only enter the country with some kind
of food in their mouth
o
Tourist
Attractions: There are several large marketplaces where every kind of food
from around the world is available to buy
·
Science Country
o
Infrastructure
of the country: This country has three states: Biology, Chemistry and
Physics; the houses in the state of Biology are made out of organic material
and the citizens that live in the state of Chemistry live in apartments in the
shape of test tubes
o
Things to
know about this country: only great scientists are permitted to reside in
Science Country
·
Laugh Out Loud
o
Things to
know about this country: visitors must be smiling and laughing when
entering the country because Laugh Out Loud does not allow any sadness
throughout the land
o
Tourist
Attractions: There are many festivals and dances to celebrate happiness
throughout the year; the sky is green and the trees are pink; the country’s
flag is very colorful, like the citizens who live here
·
Republic of Change
o
Government
decrees: All aspects of the nation will continuously be adapting and
changing so that the country will not stay monotonous. If citizens have many
talents and strengths, they can change their occupation often
·
La La Land
o
Things to
know about this country: During the day citizens fight for peace like
American hippies during the ‘70s.
o
Government
decree: No one will act angry or upset in front of the ruler or they must
pay a fine
After my mind
meandered through the hidden crevices of the Earth where imagination thrives, I
said goodbye to the eighth grade rulers and went to observe the learning
experiences of grade 11. These juniors were discussing the title of the novel, The
God of Small Things, and dissecting the perceptions and associations of the
words, “God” and “small”. Their teacher, Subhalaxmi Mam, asked excellent
probing questions to help the students further develop their concepts and create
a deeper exploration of the text. It appears that no matter where one lives, a
system of beliefs is a strong center of society, either based in religious
principles or moral righteousness. The questions that were asked in regards to Arundhati Roy’s
novel in this class can also be applied to the mysteries of the universe
and meaning of everyday life; so often these same questions have passed through
the corridors of my most intimate thoughts and will hang on the walls of my heart until it ceases to beat:
Why do we need a God?
What are the “small” things versus “big”
things?
When does a small thing transform
into a big thing?
“The test of a good teacher is not
how many good questions he can ask his pupils that they will answer readily,
but how many questions he inspires them to ask, which he finds it hard to
answer.”
-
Alice Wellington Rollins
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