tms@themodernstory.com

KellyA_12
7
Dec

0

The Modern Story Fellowship, TMS Fellow Updates, Videos

Reflections

Like ripples left in the wake of passing ship, the memories of my time with The Modern Story resonate with me to this day – from the subtle sound of a familiar Indian accent on the New York streets, to the electric shock of remembrance when I open a notebook and find an out of place message from a student. This entry has been a long time coming – though what more appropriate day to reflect than that of the final ceremony concluding the 2012 TMS Curriculum at all of the schools. After facing an unfortunate run-in with a dengue infected mosquito and spending two weeks in a delusional state of mind-body disconnect, I returned to America in late October and have not able to fulfill the rest of my intended projects with the schools where I was teaching. As I look at the pictures of Emily and Dana saying their final goodbyes to the Railway students today, the pangs of nostalgia feel fresh.


Message of memories I made for the students of Railway 8A

Unwinding from this time in Hyderabad has not been easy – it is difficult to articulate a city where the spirit is so strong, the energy so vibrant, that it is tangible in the air. India has been home to some of the most sincere connections I have ever made, from the seemingly trivial interactions with a reliable ricshaw driver, to the protective presence of the samosa man next door who we always knew was looking out for us. Life in this big, crowded city felt like home. Additionally, I was given the blessing of experiencing all of this with two creative and amazing co-fellows Emily and Dana, and of course Asma and Neha, sincerely the strongest and most fascinating women I have met. It sounds cliché, but sometimes I feel that getting so intimate with Hyderabad taught me a new way to love – to embrace diversity from the heart and legitimately open the eyes and ears to all the variety of forms that life’s wisdom takes. Never did I anticipate when I left for this fellowship that the students would create such an impact on me. I have bits and pieces of student paraphernalia hanging in my room – name cards, drawings, letters, or masks- and they remind me every day of that inquisitive childlike presence on the otherside of the globe.

Stepping back in time to when I was just leaving India…we were just concluding our small video projects. I want to take a moment to reflect on each of the schools and give a bit of detail about those projects. Because it is most fresh in my mind, I will begin with the project of Railway Class 8A. It was exciting to watch these students perform drama – not only creating a critical awareness of their own identities but allowing the film medium to open them up to the potential of taking on new roles. We can be whoever we want to be! The project was entitled “Fight For Your Rights: Education for Everyone!” and concerned a young girl from a village who desperately wanted an education but was not allowed to go to school in her village. She decides that if she can not go to school as a girl, then she will go as a boy and dresses up every day. Watch to discover what can happen when one girl makes a bold move and stands up for the rights of the community. Below is a link where you can watch the full video on vimeo.

Fight For Your Rights! Education for All

13
Sep

0

Classroom News, Reflections

The dream of unity in diversity

Religious freedom and equality is a particular topic that resonates deeply with my personal conviction, life philosophy and ambition. Thus, naturally, given the opportunity to live within such a rich tapestry of culture and belief here in Hyderabad and have access to children from such varied backgrounds – it is a topic that I enjoy exploring. It is easy in the context of the classroom to cultivate some false sense of harmonious coexistence. Certainly, the unity in diversity within India that the students talk about is a reality that the whole world can benefit from paying attention to – but, sometimes, there are harsh realities in my confrontations with the ‘real world’ that force me to recognize how much progress still needs to be made.

The experience filming this small clip for the video I am working on at MGM is what has brought me to this topic. The MGM Project is called “Sita’s Life” and shows the two possible ‘tomorrows’ of a young girl who is having a problem in school and contemplating suicide. The video is supposed to reveal all of the small ways that our lives are interconnected to those around us and who love us, and to approach this difficult topic from the perspective that ‘Life is Beautiful.’ In order to do this, we show a day in the life of her family and friends, had Sita killed herself, alongside the normal day. At the end, mourners go to console Sita’s mother. The day we were to film this small clip, the two students playing the ‘mourners’ forgot their costumes. Half of this class is Muslim, and half is Hindu, so one Muslim girl suggested that they just wrap the scarf like a burka and we do a close up – nice idea.

“Wait!” one girl says.
“But, the girl’s name is Sita (a Hindu name) there would not be Muslims in her family”

I happen to be from a Christian family (with a much more complicated relationship to the spirit) that has Muslims (newly and warmly welcomed) into it…so, I said
“Why can a family not contain all faiths? And maybe these are not direct family but close friends who have come to mourn. Religious unity is a possible reality that we can show in our movie!”

The girls agreed, and went on with it.

Just as we were about to film, the teacher at this school that I work with came out and saw the girls. She said,

“That looks horrible, wrap it like this” – and re-wrapped the scarves in a religiously neutral way – obviously tending to imply that they are Hindu like the young girl.

I was put off by this reaction. I did not say anything to stop it, because I also did not want to offend the teacher, and we were running short on time. But I felt that it was worth a reflection on, and every time I see this clip I think about it.

It reminded me of other experiences we have had here in India that have put a thorn in our dreams of the peaceful coexistence we see in schools reflecting onto the scale of the city and country. About a month ago we were invited to a wedding in Charminar in the family of our teaching assistant and dear friend, Neha. The function started late, went late, and being the old and ‘dangerous’ part of town, when it came time to go home Neha and her brother decided to follow our ricshaw back to Abids (the area where we live) on his bike. Just as we were making our way home, there was some confusion in the street that forced us to make a U-turn. Neha told us that it was an imposed curfew because of violence. She blamed this violence on the Hindus and said that it was the result of what was happening in Burma to the Burmese Muslim minority, the Rohingya. (The following is a picture from that wedding)

Since June there has been mass violence against the Burmese Muslims at the hand of the Burmese Buddhist majority, and many Indian Muslims are upset that India is not doing more to help them. Tonight I asked Asma some more questions about it, and these are some notes from our phone conversation:

“Burmese want the immigrants to leave Burma because they think Burma is theirs. They killed 150,000 innocent people. Common men, innocent people, not in the army of Burma. They wanted help but no one was helping them. Turkey was the first country to help. They want to kill the Muslims because they belong to Muslim religion and they are Buddhists. They are saying, go to your Muslim countries, leave Burma. They are from Burma, only! They lived in Burma. In India, so many Muslims are there so they are thinking that they are doing wrong to the Muslims and they are against the violence of them. The Hindus want to fight the Muslims here in Hyderabad also, but they can’t do anything here actually because they have Hindu unity is bigger than Muslims, so the Muslims can’t do anything against them. It started with the Buddhists, but they are not showing on television.”


(A picture of dear Asma)

I wanted to learn more about it, so I went to youtube and clicked the link for “Burma Muslims Exclusive video: “They will Kill us all, please help us!”” but it could not play, saying it was banned by the government of this country. Maybe you in America can see it, here is a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X_Y1PL-eTA. I asked Asma about what was happening now, and she said that she did not know because the government and everyone is trying to hide what is happening.

“Last time I tried to see that video, it said it cannot open in your country. Muslims feel that India is not doing enough, hiding the whole thing! India wants to hide the violence. It started about 5-6 months ago, and it may be continuing but we can’t see in the news. Some people uploaded the videos on the net that’s the only way you can see.”

The Rohingya is said to be one of the most persecuted minorities on the globe – although they have inhabited Burma for years, they have been common victims of violence and the junta was hostile towards them since the year 1978. Many have fled to Bangaladesh, but are also not welcome in this country. Reflecting on all of this within the context of the 9/11 anniversary, and now, today, Emily, Dana and I being warned by our parents to be extra ‘aware’ due to the violence that happened in Libya against the United States embassies – I feel saddened. We have become so close to these two girls, Neha and Asma, who come from completely different background than us but we would never have difficulty being friendly and/or friends! with. All the time you experience beautiful moments of neighbors, friends, bus seat mates, school friends, colleagues, etc. working across cultural divides within this one city – Why is there so much fear of the ‘other’ on the big scale?


(Emily and Asma)

Sometimes I am humbled and energized by the dissonance between the ideals we love to believe in, and the way the world enacts itself around us. I think we all aspire towards love, and to find the beauty in our own lives. On that note, here is a message to leave you with from the same girls at MGM:

Until next time,
Kelly

29
Aug

1

Classroom News

‘My feeling is my feeling, not another feeling’

This Kheertna, the student at Sultaan Bazar Government Girls High School who probably tugs the hardest on my heart strings. She does not say much – whether due to shyness or language, I am not certain – but she is one of the most hard working girls in class. Since the first day of TMS she arrives at least 15 minutes early, cutting short her post-lunch play time to sit as close to me as possible in a chair as I prepare the computer with our lesson.

I am dedicating this post to her because she has recently impressed me to a point I can’t ignore. It is always difficult with these students to gauge just how much the students are, or are not, picking up from our lessons – particularly when we attempt to delve deeper into social issues that test them beyond clicking pictures. We are right now in the midst of preparations for our video project and have been busy making stop animations to be used as transitions in our finished product. The story revolves around a girl who is new to a school and has no friends – every day, she returns home and reports to her mother about a new piece of nature that she has made friends with and something that she has learned from this. Students have chosen the sun, a river, the moon, a flower, and little Kheertna has chosen a parrot. For days she has been diligently preparing these parrot cutouts so meticulously you would think her life depended on it.

Watching her I could not help but think, “What is it with Kheertna and these parrots?!” I remembered that this was not the first time she featured a parrot in one of our projects, and I went back to take a closer look at an old drawing I had of hers. This earlier parrot was drawn as a form of ‘protest sign’ in response to the Gandhi quote prompt I had assigned just after Independence Day. One of the quotes the students were given to respond to was on democracy, it said: “In true democracy every man and woman is taught to think for himself or herself” Below is the protest poster created by Kheertna, it was only today I realized how cleverly she had related to this statement.

I know it may be difficult to read, so here is what the poster says:

“Democracy: This parrot is my favorite bird and my parents are saying you get favorite peacock, zebra, but I like parrot. But my feeling is my feeling and not another feeling is my parents. And friends say your favorite bird is parrot but why? I will say yes my favorite bird is parrot.”

I am so proud that Kheertna understood that her ability to choose her favorite animal despite what others say is a reflection of our right to think for ourselves. Cheers to her.

Until next time,
Kelly

17
Aug

1

Classroom News, Photo Stories, TMS Fellow Updates, Videos

Independence, Fight for Rights, and Photo Stories

Festival season is in full swing here in Hyderabad – exacerbating the familiar sense overload of India and creating a series of obstacles to navigate in class scheduling and seeing projects to completion. August 15 marked the 66th anniversary of India’s independence, and coincided with a transition period occurring in our curriculum – photo stories finished and venturing into the new territory of video pre-production.

Each of our schools extended anxious invitations to join them for their special school programs to celebrate the brave actions of Gandhi and the Freedom Fighters that allowed India break free from British rule. However much I wanted to attend both schools, I should have anticipated that it would not be so easy to peel away from the students wrapped up in excitement at the first, MGM, to share their pride in being Indians. I also did not anticipate that I, myself, would be expected to contribute to the ceremony by giving a speech on India. I have to admit that when they announced I would be speaking it came as a complete shock, not entirely sure that I felt appropriate to speak on behalf of a country I feel only humbly welcomed to live and teach in. That said, it did not take me long to realize upon this spontaneous reflection on the Indian Independence Movement, that this was not an isolated historical event of localized importance – but rather, the introduction of the power of nonviolent civil disobedience onto the world scale. The whole world has, through its influence on global social justice movements, and can continue to benefit from a remembrance of the words and actions of Gandhi and the Freedom Fighters. I enjoyed incorporating this into this week’s lesson plans by having the girls make ‘protest’ signs inspired by various quotes from Gandhi – on topics ranging from Character and Truth, to Women, Religious Unity, and Democracy.

I also thought that Independence Day came at an appropriate time of switching gears in our curriculum, because it is our aim to engage the students in socially conscious critical thinking. As much as Independence Day could function as a celebration of where India has come – it is also a platform to focus on the issues still alive in present day India and to imagine what India can be in the future. I love this country and its spirit, but there is also a reality that it is a place with some startling statistics if you begin to look into them- where 40% of schools do not have functional toilets, 42% of children are malnourished and underweight, and basic reading and arithmetic levels struggle to keep out of decline. It was nice to reflect on the relevance of the stories written by students for the Photo Story in this context, and I am excited to share these below.

Completed Photo Stories:

The girls of MGM wanted to draw attention to the struggle women face to receive an education in India. The story, written by students, is set in a village, where a young girl dreams about going to school. She pursues this dream for education despite the lack of support from family and community, creating a role model for local girls.

The girls from Sultaan Bazar bring us a lesson in overcoming our superficial differences. A new rule from the Commissioner has created rifts between the various people of Rainbow Park – fighting and prejudice transform the formerly peaceful park into land divided in inequality. It is only with the help of an observant young girl and a ‘Friend Book’ written in multiple languages that recognition of unity in diversity is restored. I like this story because subtly it addresses themes ranging from caste and religious unity to the celebration of Friendship Day and Independence.

Looking forward to sharing more in the future!

Until next time,

Kelly

19
Jul

2

Reflections, Student Writing, The Modern Story Fellowship, Uncategorized

Making Moves and Breakthroughs

I continue to be startled by the distinct personality of each school and how quickly they evolve – like new friends, who for every interaction open your eyes to surprises. As the girls get more comfortable in class, we have witnessed the breakout of closet poets, the soft voice of silent activists beginning to sound, and a humbling confrontation with the limits of our communication which force us to get creative with our bridges across the cultural and linguistic divide.

I have not updated since my start of class at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Government Girls High School. I was most self-conscious to begin teaching at this school – the courtyard, shared with a number of other girls’ schools, initially felt heavy to me in a conservative discipline that left me unsure how I would be received. These was a stark contrast between the disruptive excitement that meets me upon my entrance into Sultaan Bazar, and the cautious curiosity mixed with skepticism I felt while sitting amidst the students waiting for a teacher to arrive and open the school that first day. I watch the students stand in straight-lined assembly and repeat the words of various national and cultural anthems, rising and falling to attention with the sound of a drum. When the lights of the classroom give out upon my first opening words of 9 o’clock class, I come to know that there are daily power cuts scheduled to the precise timing of my computer based class. Hyderabad gets the majority of its power from hydroelectric dams, and the low rainfall thus far this monsoon season which may necessitate lengthier power cuts jeopardizing the students’ learning environment.

I must admit, I was nervous – but this aside, and with two weeks of retrospect on this school, I can comfortably say I am most impressed with the dedication of these students to take full appreciation in their opportunity for education. It is this school that is now pushing me to be as creative in the classroom as I can, and to ensure that each lesson plan is rich in educational content deeper than the technical logistics needed to carry out our curriculum. The girls are demanding me of substance, so it was this school that motivated me to initiate a unit on human rights earlier than I had intended, and to incorporate lessons on the civil rights movement and Martin Luther King Jr. into our second week of class. I told the girls the story of Rosa Parks and segregation of the busses, and was impressed with how easily the girls could relate to this based upon the segregation of their own busses between male and female – a connection which makes an easy leap into the questions of gender equality that are made to feel taboo when you see the shyness in the girls when it is brought up. In pushing these touchy subjects and discussing civil disobedience, it is not to encourage a class of discontents but to stimulate critical thinking.

The barriers are quickly breaking down, and there was an amazing contrast between the photographs taken by the students in the second class, when cameras were introduced – as opposed to the fourth class, when they touched the camera for the second time. I was pleased to see the confidence to show action in front of the camera, and to express their own unique personalities to be captured by the eye of the lens.

Pictures from the first day of camera use, MGM:
On the first day of class, most of the photos were like this one below. As soon as in front of the camera, there was a rigidity – to the point that I had to introduce a ball to the frame to try to encourage them into activity.

Pictures from second day at MGM:
By the second time we use the camera, the girls are showing much more creativity – they are staging their own photographs, and coming up with fun ways to take pictures with each other.

In this class, the girls were asked to participate in an activity concerning the concepts of Justice, Fairness, and ‘Doing the Right Thing.’ I gave them prompts of various scenarios that serve as tests of character, and allowed the students to decide what they would do in these situations. Together in three groups, they discussed and came up with the right way to handle the situation presented to them. They then performed the scenario as a skit while other students took pictures. I have pieced together the product in the short clip below…

Finally, I will end with saying that there is as much diversity within the classroom as between them – and for every look of bewilderment is a response of striking insight. The following is a journal response written by one of the students named Neetu when prompted to write the ‘Letter to the World’ assignment. Neetu was in the Modern Story Class last year, and has joined into our class as a sort of ‘teaching assistant’ to help the new students in understanding. I do not know much about her own personal journey through the curriculum last year, but I am continually impressed by her composure and depth of attention and thought.

Dear World,
Hi. I am Neetu. Now I am in 9th Standard and I am from MGM School. My school is a little far away from my home so I have to come by bus. It is a little difficult for me to come to the school by bus, but in my life the most important thing is my education, for my education I am ready to fight with all the difficulties in life because I think education can change the world – even changing myself.
I am proud to be an Indian because the true wealth of India is the hearts of the people of India – which is very kind hearted. There is a lot of Brotherhood among the People of India, they give more importance to their culture. There are many different languages, cultures, religions, etc in India, but I think what is equal in all is the feeling of Indians that we are all Indians – there is unity in diversity in India as we all know.
India is a developing country, but it is not developed. After getting freedom so many years have passed, but still it is developing because there are some crises and social problems like child labor, child marriages, poverty, corruption, illiteracy. Still India is a developing country, but I hope that today’s children will work hard and be successful to make an India as a developed country in the whole world.

Thank you,
Neetu.

I am excited to keep you updated on our photo story projects that will be coming up soon!

Until next time,

Kelly

9
Jul

1

Reflections, Student Writing, TMS Fellow Updates

Shooting Outward, Focusing Inward

This past week at Railway School was spent familiarizing the students with the digital camera, while simultaneously beckoning them to begin to unravel their own individuality and passion. In preparation for the photo story project, we have been working through the power of photographs in telling stories – both of socially relevant and emotion content. This balance was reflected in our lesson plans this week that began with a Letter to the World assignment and ended with an exercise in the movement from head-to-heart with poetry. I was impressed with the topics the girls brought up in their letters, and would like to let their voices speak for themselves this week with excerpts from their classwork.

The Letter to the World responses can be categorized into 4 major categories: Education, Environment, Unity in Diversity, and Equality/Human Rights. I will go through these one at a time.

Environmental Awareness:

I am surprised with the number of students expressing an interest in the problem of water pollution. Perhaps it should not be surprising, considering the quality of the lake water we drive past every day on the way to work, and the caution we exercise ourselves in what water to drink when while living here. Here are a few words from the students.

Soniya:

Long ago humans worship earth as a goddess but nowadays humans have big axes to cut trees and cars and buses to pollute air with smoke and fumes. Insecticides and pesticides are also polluting the water, and some people are wasting water – it is not a good thing to waste water. They don’t know that still some people don’t have water to drink and we are wasting food and water. Some poor people don’t have food to eat so we have to take care of the Earth, for people. For example, we use bicycles or walk for short distances, we have to reduce plastic and recycle. Forests are being destroyed. Forests and mountains help to make rain and keep life on Earth going, we need them for enough rain.

I am very sad about what is being done to Earth. That is why I am writing to the world a letter, so we will all grow up and become good citizens. I want to have to take care of the Earth, plant more trees in our house, school, and in towns and villages. Every human has the right to take care of Earth, plants, trees, and animals.

Think now, after all you have just one mother earth. I trust we will take care of the earth well.

Your lovingly,
Soniya

Sushma:

Dear World,
I want to tell a few words to change the world. We should reduce the dust because with the dust we face so many diseases. This is our world, we should keep our surroundings clean and neat. In the world different religions are there, like Hindus, Muslims, and Christians. Different religions are there but we are living on the same places, Earth and Sky is the same. I want to tell one request to the world. The world should be clean and green.
Yours Lovingly,
Sushma
8th Class

Sandhya:
“I want to save the world from pollution. Please don’t do pollution in the world.”

Tulasi:
“Our water is polluted by factories, by insecticides and pesticides, we have to save water. If water is not there on the Earth, we are all not alive.”

Education for All:

Dear World,

I am Prathyusha. My message to the world is “give study to everyone.” We see on the road that there are so many beggars. If we want to stop seeing beggars it means that we have to give study to all. When they are studying then they can get a position as a worker. When I come to a high position, I will build a hostel for all.

Thanking you,
Yours faithfully,
Prathyusha

I am not convinced this is the original thought of a student, but I was also impressed with the following that appeared in the journal of Sweta Padmini:

E = Enlightenment
D = Duty
U = Unity
C = Character
A = Action
T = Testing
I = Ideas
O = Oneliness
N = Nation

Equality/Human Rights:

One of the girls was having trouble deciding what topic she should write her letter about. I asked her if there is anything in her community that makes her angry, and she responded that she gets angry when people make fun of beggars. She went on to write a heartwarming letter about the need to express love towards the people who beg on the streets.

Yuva Rani:

Dear world,
A country with large population and innumerable religious places has many beggars. In India all types of beggars are found in large numbers. These beggars are small children, women, handicapped, and diseased people. Sometimes children of young ages are stolen or kidnapped by members of gangs and get them trained for begging. The money the children or people begging get will go to those people. Most of the beggars are found near temples, mosques, and churches, railway stations, bus stops, hospitals, etc. In has not received people’s support. I is true that most people do not like this public nuisance but are somewhere eager to help the poor beggars. So, I am telling that we have to show love and affection with the beggars.

Yours lovingly,
Yuva Rani

Unity: Religious and Human

‘Unity in Diversity’ is one of the aspects of Indian culture that it seems many take pride in – for good reason. This sentiment resonated through the writing of some students.

Srav’s

Dear World,
I am Srav’s of 8th class from Railway Girls High School. I am telling about religions like Hindus, Christians, Muslims. In Hindu there are so many festivals. Holi is the important festival where we play with color – all of my friends come to my house and we play with color. On December 25th, Christians celebrate Christmas. If we have problems we pray to Jesus and they will be solved. The Muslims wear long white tops and caps also. In our country we don’t fight – we are friendly and we are all equal.

Kirthi:

To the world,
I am D. Kirthi studying in 8th A. I am telling about unity in diversity. All countries have to be in unity. If we fight we get sad, if we all are in unity we get happy.

Keep smile and be unity.

I look forward to helping the girls express their opinions on all of these issues, and am excited to see the first signs of coming up with a meaningful project during our time together this six months. Finally, I will close with a few of the student’s poems…

Prathyusha:
Peaceful Heart
Running Person
Angel
Thoughtful Mind
Hugging Girl
Yumuna
Unlike to go to another school
Something Different
House is my Heaven
A Different Mind Thing

Sushma
Sincerity
Unity
Strength
Honesty
Marvelous
Attraction

Krevathi on her Mother
Mother
Peaceful, Shanti
Cooking, Washing, Cleaning
Amma, Mummy
Godess

Thank you.

Until next time,
Kelly

2
Jul

0

Classroom News

Clear, Confident, Quiet

“Dear Teachers,
We all are thinking that we are the luckiest girls in the world because we are learning about TMS and we are very very interested in TMS class and by this TMS we are also enjoying.

Thanking you,

From your student,

N. Soniya”

I would like to open by recreating a small moment that passed between a student and I the other day, that somehow struck me straight into the heart. It was after class on Saturday. Two of the more outspoken students, pictured above, were lingering in the courtyard before riding their bicycles home for the weekend. One of the girls approached me with a bit of apprehension, and I could sense there was something she wanted to say.

“Yes?” I asked.

“Kelly teacher, we have a question”

“What is it?”

The girls giggle and say nevermind, but I provoke them to speak what is on their mind and not to be afraid, as with the rules of TMS class.

“Kelly teacher, why are you white?” she pauses. “I mean, why are you different than Indian people?”

I was shocked by the frankness of the question, and the caution with which it left her mouth, unsure whether it was acceptable to bring awareness to the difference in our skin colors. I was happy that she gave me this opportunity to reiterate our unity in diversity, and that we are all sisters and are the same inside even though we may appear different externally. I was reminded by her courage that these girls are not to be underestimated and that it is a privilege to facilitate their ability to verbalize their experience.

We concluded our first week and initiated the second at Railway School with an introduction to the concept of voiceover and learning the technical skills necessary to make a successful voiceover recording. We emphasized the importance of a clear, confident and proud voice. The girls read from a ‘script’ that they had written for homework describing their favorite object at home. These objects ranged from bangals to dolls, rings to idols. The students expressed such an excitement to share these pieces of their lives with us, and many brought their objects to class even though this was not requested of them. Even days after the original assignment had passed, and we had moved on from lessons involving the object script, students were filtering into class, greeting us with timid smiles behind their precious objects. The girls are loosening up and the classroom has been filled with a buzzing anxious energy to learn and soak in everything all at once. I was impressed with the improvements made in the voiceovers from our first lesson to the second – and pleased and encouraged by the ability to see that progress is being made.

This video was made to show the girls in class using recordings that they made of each other on the first class dedicated to voiceovers. We tried to draw attention to the background noise so the girls would recognize the importance of being quiet and listening to one another – as well as the need to articulate themselves slowly and confidently.

The girls, excited to hear their voices come from the computer, seem to be making the connections between the classroom activities and their ability to share ideas and opinions about their individuality, culture and community. There is a sincere interest in improving, and by the second day it was inspiring to see the girls work together to make the voiceovers more successful – encouraging each other with gesture to speak loudly and taking on the role of directors themselves. The video below shows this improvement and was also shown to the girls in class to thank them for their hard work.

I noticed a transformation in their camera presence when asked to talk freely about their families as opposed to reading from a script. I am inspired by the potential of these girls to open up when we discover the topics that they are passionate to share with the global audience. The difference in their attitude when asked about their family (as in the video above) or their favorite festival, in another classroom exercise, alleviated my fears of dependence on the security of the script in the future.

So excited to see what surprises these girls have in store.

28
Jun

2

Reflections, The Modern Story Fellowship, Uncategorized

Entering the World of the Bazar…

In the midst of the hectic bazar crowds, beyond the yellow door that opens in upon the crisp white temple, past the stacks of paperbacks and street side printing press, and next to the man with the sugar cane stand, one can find the door to the Sultaan Bazar Girls School. At this school, I feel that my interaction with the students necessitates a breaking down of walls of ‘otherness’ I wear as a foreigner to be seen as person before romanticized celebrity. It is in these cross-cultural encounters that I recognize the breadth of learning and sharing that can take place through the Modern Story curriculum, but that also humble me to the challenges presented by engaging with a system and pedagogy unfamiliar to my Western upbringing. When I walk through the gate, all eyes of the courtyard turn to me, and I feel a bit insecure in my skin when I notice the teacher of a class being held outdoors search for the source of the spontaneous distraction. Although this attention can become burdensome in general, with these students there is something so innocent in their intrigue – so genuine in their questions to know how I got here and where I am from – and this sincerity makes me so excited to work with them towards integrating into the global dialogues available through technology and their own voices.

On the first day, the students got to class half an hour early. They have their lunch period before The Modern Story class, and it seemed as if they must have eaten as quickly as possible in order to come join me in the computer lab. I made sure they had, in fact, eaten properly before agreeing to start class fifteen minutes early. They were all sitting in a tight knit circle that had formed around my chair at the computer- wide eyed and leaving me with little choice but than to acknowledge they were ready to begin. We started class with an introduction to the curriculum, and once more with going through the rules that we expect in the Modern Story. When they were hesitant to respond to my questions, I was not sure if their nods of understanding were coming from a true grasp of my English. The teaching assistant working with me that day assured me that they did understand, but that speaking is a problem for them. I recognize that the most difficult rule to follow may be the last one we listed on the board, “I will not be afraid to speak.”

By the second day they seemed to have loosened up, and though still quiet, gave fully devoted attention to the lesson. My aim with this class was to introduce the girls to the idea of finding stories in the world around us. I am trying to use the ‘medium as my message’ as much as possible in class, so I showed them a small video I made on the stories that can be seen in the stars, and the lessons that nature teaches us all around. From this we moved on to the idea of a ‘picture says 1,000 words’ and did a free-write exercise responding to an image on the computer. The rigidity I saw in these girls when asked to be creative, the hesitation and fear they seemed to have of getting the ‘wrong answer,’ reminded me of the behavior the day before when many of them used straight edges to make sure the lines on their name cards were perfect. My desire to shake and loosen them up again beckons me to the boundaries of teacher and friend.

With that said, I am excited to get to know more about these girls throughout this six months and hope that I can facilitate their ability to speak up for themselves and believe in their power to effect change in their own lives, families, and communities.

24
Jun

1

Classroom News, Daily Updates

, , , 

Kelly’s Railway Reflections

After one week in moderately hot and sporadically humid Hyderabad- Dana, Emily and I have finished with the formal introductions – to students, teachers, commute routes, and culture. We have been left with the template of characters and stages that will be the basis of the story we tell over the next six months as teaching fellows with the Modern Story. On a personal note, I am surprised at how familiar the idiosyncrasies of India feel to me this time around – from the traffic exemplifying the potential for order in chaos, to the startling variety of human experience co-inhabiting the space of the streets. Wealthy, poor, Hindu, Muslim, Christian- boundaries between self and other broken- beckoning the foreign eyes to recognize the meaning of the Namaste greeting, an honoring of the place in each of us where we are the same.

We will be carrying out the Modern Story curriculum at a total of five government schools. Thus far, we have only begun classes at the Railway Girls School located in the Secunderabad area of Hyderabad, and will begin at the other 4 this coming week. All three fellows teach at Railway School, and then the tasks are divided up between the remaining four- with Dana and Emily co-teaching at two, and myself teaching at another two, called Sultaan Bazar and MGM. Initially I was struck with the distinct personality each of these schools had, and impressed with the quality of the computer labs that the students have access to. The greatest challenge I anticipate of our duties for the next six months is overcoming the language barriers, and finding a way for the students to actualize their creative potential despite the hurdles of communication. I enter this journey in a recognition that I must expect the unexpected, and that each school will present its own unique difficulties, but ultimately, and hopefully, through this will come a variety of voices in the media projects of the students.


Reading over the ‘script’ of our introductory videos with the girls of the Railway class.

We are blessed with the help of two inspiring teaching assistants at the Railway School, named Asma and Neha. Dana and I, co-teaching, work with Asma, while Emily works with Neha. I am struck by the calm maturity of Asma in the classroom and as an individual. The strength and determination I see in her rings to an age well beyond her young years, and I feel so fortunate for the opportunity to work alongside her. There is a strong network of support at the Railway School, and a dedicated interest in the program from the staff, that has been helpful in assuaging the anxieties of our first days. I am quickly growing fond of the students, and find myself needing to consciously keep the walls of student-teacher erect when I get swept by the instinct to just befriend the wide-eyed and attentive group. I am hoping that we will be able to harness their energy and direct it through their passion in a specific topic to produce nice media projects together.

This week was spent introducing the students to the Modern Story curriculum and what is meant by digital storytelling. We set rules for the class, reminding us to respect each other, listen to each other, and to not be afraid to share our own voices. We are orienting towards two goals, the technical product aspect of the digital component – technological literacy, camera, and writing skills – as well as the empowerment that comes through the process of creativity. We began with the questions of ‘What is a Story?’ and encouraging the students to recognize that everyone is a storyteller and they, themselves, are the lead character of their own individual, unique stories. The following is a slideshow of the student’s drawings done in a classroom exercise to practice connecting words with images. I am interested in the study of religion, so it grabbed my attention when many of the students responded that the first thing they do when they wake up in the morning is pray to God, or the first thing they see is nature. The religious diversity of Hyderabad is dramatically visible, and I am wondering if there is potential for exploring the topic of religion more closely throughout our time together.

‘When I wake up in the morning, I always…’

As the sun sets on Sunday and thus the weekend,the three of us are anxious to see what the next week has in store for us. The journey continues…

Until next time,
Kelly

13
Jun

2

Pre-Departure, The Modern Story Fellowship, TMS Fellow Updates

, , , , , 

Kelly Adams, 2012 Fellow Introduction

Namaste,

My name is Kelly Adams and I am one of the 2012 teaching fellows with the Modern Story.  I rest tonight at the home where I grew up in Lebanon, Pennsylvania- in a state of, at once, reflection and anxious anticipation for the journey of challenges and triumphs that await upon my arrival in Hyderabad in the coming days. I would like to take this time to introduce myself.

I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to work on behalf of the Modern Story, and towards the mission of integrating technology and narrative in the classroom and encouraging students to engage with their personal, social, and natural environment in a proactive way. I hope to facilitate experiential learning through the Modern Story curriculum and production of film projects that will extend from language development, technological confidence, and career planning to personal empowerment, cross-cultural education, and creative discipline. I am also excited to develop along my own course of digital storytelling in this unique opportunity to bring awareness to the lives of urban, Indian youth on a global scale, through the voices, images, and productions of those concerned.

I come from a background in Anthropology and Environmental Earth Science, and align my academic focus to the junction of these two disciplines, where the nature of human experience meets the human experience of nature. My senior thesis in Anthropology concerned Native American sacred lands, and the reality of religious freedom and self-determination for the Native American population of the United States. Writing this paper was as much a process of self-discovery as it was an academic project, and I was left with a new respect for the true beauty in diversity of ways of being, seeing, relating, understanding, and defining human life that co-inhabit the cultural sphere, and with a determination to serve the sustenance of cultural and ecological diversity on planet Earth.

I am a firm believer in the power of the film medium as a tool to enhance recognition, promote self-determination, and serve the empowerment of disconnected and disenfranchised people, communities, and cultures of the globe. This will not be my first experience in India – in fact, I have only recently returned to American soil after an 11-month trip abroad that began June, 2011.  I spent 7 months living and working in Pune, Maharasthra on behalf of a new media online documentary film festival, whose mission is to raise awareness and evolve human consciousness towards a more integrated and holistic paradigm. Upon completing my obligations with this festival, I took an extended layover in Cappadocia, Turkey where I had my first practice run at the creative construction of my own documentary project, which I entitled ‘Landscape Biography: Cappadocia” – something that I would like to pursue further in my future studies.

I am so excited to return to India, and feel that I would need to be a poet to communicate the emotion that this country awoke in me. Although I was initially disoriented in this country, by the overwhelming colors, sounds, smells, and tastes, there is a spirit that infests its air that has profoundly touched me.  In the words of Jawaharlal Nehru, ‘India is a bundle of contradictions, held together by strong but invisible threads,’ and it is a powerful place to confront the true unity in diversity of life on this planet. I have grown so much from my experience in India, and am excited for the chance to give back-  hands on, on the ground, and immersed in this culture daily.  If there is one thing I have learned in India, it is the extent of education that occurs outside of the classroom  – with this in my heart, I am grateful for the opportunity to enter the classroom and have a holistic, reciprocal, learning experience between fellows and students.

 

I am also excited to share this experience with all of you in the Modern Story community! We will be sure to keep you updated on the activities and projects of the students!

 

Until next time,

Kelly Adams