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APV Teachers |
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APV Teachers |
| APV teachers have come to the ashram from all over the Indian mountainous state of Uttarakhand. Like the many mountain rivers flowing into the Ganga, their energies have converged at the ashram, directed down the same path of self development and social change. Individuals come to the confluence of APV possessing some sense of dedication to education and some ideas of spiritualism, but the ashram and teaching experience provides the space from them to grow as educators and learners, enquire about the nature of reality, live mindfully, while effecting the change they want to see in their communities and world. Their job in turn, is to provide the same space for their children to learn and grow. As the children mature, they start to influence those around them to live more mindfully, setting forth a revolution. With the energies of many streams flowing into the same river, we hope that we can gather enough momentum to change its course down the path of more intelligent living. |
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The ashram lifestyle is rigorous. Days are packed with activity, starting very early, for some three in the morning, and ending late, for some eleven at night (see schedule below). All of the teachers contribute to the activities of the ashram, from chopping vegetables to chopping wood, building rock walls to cleaning toilets. This is on top of preparing for school and teaching six days a week, five to six hours a day. (See Shanti's schedule below to gather an idea of a typical school day) On their day off from school, the teachers spend the majority of the day working with their hands, farming, collecting wood from the forest, building stone walls for terraced farmland, etc., sometimes lasting up to twelve hours. The teachers use the remainder of the time to catch up on personal chores of washing clothes, tidying up room, etc., to play music, read, and write. |
This demanding schedule requires immense energy and dedication. For this, APV teacher directly put APV philosophy in action. At the center of ashram living is mindfulness, freeings one's mind from the binds of future and past to live fully in the present. By curbing the flow of unnecessary thought, boundless energy and creativity is released for the teacher to direct to the needs of their children, their communities, and themselves. If one is living with other people then a harmonious community may soon emerge and this community living then helps every member to learn from one another about one's physically, mental, and emotional nature. This learning is very valuable deepening mindfulness. Mindfulness, therefore, is not just learning alone about oneself, but also learning to live within relationships with people and the world around us. |
Shared experience and the mindful lifestyle kindles camaraderie amongst the community creating a nurturing space where all support each other as teachers and as members of family. The bonds between those participating in the community run very deep. But this shared experience does not dilute the individualism of each teacher either. The plurality of personalities within the ashram remains intact, creating a vibrant and diverse community. |
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3 December 2007 3 AM- Shanti wakes up an hour before morning awareness exercises to read. December mornings are very cold in the Himalayas, so she needs to bundle up with many blankets. 4 - 5 AM- Morning group awareness activities. 5 - 6:30 AM - Today is Shanti's turn to help prepare the meals for the ashram, so she heads down to the kitchen to begin cutting and cooking. 6:30 - 7:00 AM - Washes dishes. 7:00 - 7:30 AM - The community gathers to eat. 7:30 - 8:00 AM - Shanti washes more dishes. 8:00 - 9:00 AM - The teachers have daily English composition class with American Indian Foundation Fellow, Megan McDrew. 9:00 - 9:15 AM - Shanti washes up and gets ready for the school day. 9:15 - 10:15 AM - Morning assembly, students and teachers sing songs, one of Shanti's students gives a presentation in front of the school on American President, Abraham Lincoln. 10:30 -11:00 AM - Yoga class with children. 11:00 AM -12:30 PM - Because of a chilly classroom, Shanti moves class outside. APV is currently conducting a series of student/teacher workshops, where APV children teach math and science concepts students of government primary schools. Today is dedicated to preparing the children for these workshops and reviewing the concepts that will presented the next day. She reviews arithmetic problems using different colored beads as units. 12:30 - 1:30 - Recess for the children. Shanti grabs an English storybook and reads in the sun for a while. She then joins the rest of the teachers for a mid-day tea break and light snack. 1:30 -3:00 PM - Shanti continues preparing the children, facilitating some experiential activities reviewing liter and meter conversions. To help with confidence building, the children then are given public speaking assignments. During tomorrow's assembly, they will have to introduce themselves in front of an audience of over a hundred students and teachers. 3:00 - 3:30 PM - School is over, but Shanti collects the children for a pep talk about their responsibilities in the coming week and the importance of their teaching. She also clears up a multiplication concept from the morning classes. 3:30 - 3:45 PM - Shanti helps clean the dishes from the mid day tea break. 3:45 - 4:30 PM - Shanti heads back to the ashram and helps prepare the food for dinner. 4:30 - 5:00 PM - The community gathers for the last meal of the day. 5:00 - 5:50 PM - Washes the dishes and makes tea with some other teachers by the outdoor chula, or mud stove. 6:00 - 7:00 PM - Spoken English class with other AIF fellow, Chad Robertson. 7:00 - 8:00 PM - English Reading class with Anand ji. APV stresses English competency for its teachers due to lack of quality English education in the region and the importance of the English language to the parents of the children. In the case of Shanti, the hard work in these classes has paid off. Over the past two years, Shanti's English reading, writing, and speaking skills have dramatically improved. 8:00 - 9:00 PM - Evening awareness exercises. 9:15 PM - Shanti turns in for the night. |
APV, c/o SBMA, Anjanisain, Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand 249121, India
apvschool@sancharnet.in
Ph. (91) 01376247648