Lazy, days of Summer -School!

Education is our most important mission here at Rising Star Outreach.  In the Peery Matriculation School for Rising Stars, our principal, teachers, and volunteers are working hard to help the children achieve their potential--not  just in the basic subjects, but most especially in English.  We're working in a language that is REALLY foreign to them, just as their language Tamil, is REALLY foreign to us.  They are being taught and tutored in this very foreign language (English)--even the words of Shakespeare! They go home to their families--the children from the village, every night, and no one speaks this English that they are working so hard to become fluent in. How can you read Shakespeare when you can hardly read a basic primer that our American students might read in 1st grade? 

India does not have a national language. The official language of the Republic of India is Hindi, and its subsidiary official language is English.  India has gone through some dramatic periods with language:  trying to make Hindi the compulsory language for the country caused a near civil war:  knocking out all the local languages such as Tamil and the Urdu language where much of the beautiful poetry is found, as well as the other 22 regional languages now recognized with official status was not well accepted.  After the British left, there was also a feeling to rid the country of all things that reminded them of the hundreds of years that they were one of the great British Empire colonies.  Speaking English seemed all wrong.  In the 21st century, however, English is the language of business in a global world.  Those who will get successful jobs and be successful in the university arena, will not only speak Tamil, Hindi, Urdu or many of the other state languages, but will also speak English.  English is now a required subject in every government and non-government school.  Those who learn it best come from an English Matriculation school, where every subject is taught in English!  

Our little kindergarten children will have no problems--we know that the younger they begin to face the daunting task of learning a new language the more successful they will be.  We have several students in the older grades who are doing very well, but many who struggle to master complicated subjects in a complicated language are failing.  Our volunteers, this summer, are spending part of every day in the mango grove, where one on one, they work on the subject where a student is falling behind and do it in English. These volunteers come in all shapes and sizes--Charlie Googh is in "our age" category:  he's here with his cute granddaughter Tessa Barton, a good friend of our granddaughter Hannah.  We have the son of our driver, Mani, who just graduated from 12th standard and will be entering the university here for the summer. The director of the tutoring program (pictured with David and Ragu) is Ashley Erekson.  What a job she is doing.   It looks like the Lazy Days of Summer, but actually it is a very intense and vital part of the learning process. 

One area of near total success is the computer program.  Children, the world over, seem to understand what some of us feel so challenged by.  One of our volunteers today made the comment that the 10 year olds were learning to do spread sheets!  I put my name in to sign up for that class.