When I first wrote about my time at Golden Jubilee School, I mostly talked about my time in the Jubilee kids room. But for a while I have mainly been working with the class just one year above them, in Lower Kindergarten. A few weeks into my time at the school, I was asked if there were any action songs I could teach to the LKG kids for an upcoming competition. That is something that happens a lot in India by the way- schools compete all the time in academic competitions, often spending weeks before hand in preparation. Now that I was at the school, they would have a bigger pool of English songs to draw from. They were hoping to get something brand new, that the judges had never heard, to give them a leg up.
Now for those readers from Camp Echo, this is going to seem absolutely ridiculous, and believe me it does to me too. The first thing I thought of, for some reason, was actually a camp song. Now the way that I taught it to the kids is completely different from the way it is generally sung, but hey you have to adapt for your audience a little bit. You have probably already guessed it from my title, but the song that I chose was the one that KTT sings, about the rabbit who seeks refuge in a cabin in the woods. So I am sure all of you can imagine how hilarious I found it to see twenty Indian school children singing that song, when it is normally being performed by KTT in all her overly expressive glory.
I spent at least an hour everyday teaching the kids that song, having added verses and a piano accompaniment. It was a difficult task, overcoming the language barrier and even more so, the collective attention span of twenty four-year-olds. But eventually they learned not only the words, but the actions that went with them. Sure the tune had been a little warped in the process, and it wasn't the original set of camp lyrics, but the kids were ready for the competition.
The competition itself took place in Aurangabad, which in and of itself was exciting for the kids- getting to take off from school and go into the big city. There were about 28 other schools there, which was a little daunting because we were an unknown group. This was the first time pre-primary kids from Golden Jubilee had ever gotten to compete in this sort of thing, so we were arriving as the nameless small town school among well-established big city names. The song wasn't the only GJS representative however- we also had kids reciting nursery rhymes, taking part in "fancy dress" competitions, and acting out a skit I had also been coaching. We were set for a full day of sizing up our competition, and eventually the surprisingly nerve wracking experience of our own performance.
When it was our turn to go, I actually experienced a swell of pride, akin to that of corny movies about teachers who fight all odds to help a group of students reach greatness. I'm certainly not that inspirational teacher, but I could at least start to understand what those movies, with their flowery language and profound quotes about the power of the human spirit, are meant to evoke. But as hyperbolic as it may seem, some of what those movies have to say is true. More than the satisfaction of seeing my tangible help in the school, I was just amazed at what the kids had achieved. Our turn came about halfway through the group of schools, and I can honestly say that I already knew at that point that we had done a fantastic job. It was clear that we had worked hard to achieve the quality that the kid's exhibited, and I must say that was a huge confidence booster in terms of my place at the school.
The next day the competition continued, though I had not had a part in those performances so I stayed back. But it was also the day that they announced the top three spots for each contest. I was at home at the time, and I got a call from one of the other teachers at the school. She told me that not only had both the song and skit that I had worked so hard on placed second, but that our little no-name school had gotten the runner up trophy in the entire competition. I felt so honoured to be able to contribute to the unexpected success. And I feel like this success has easily given me a more solid understanding of the role that I play at the school. Since then I have been bouncing between pre-primary classes, teaching songs, stories, and skits- overall just lending a helping hand to give kids the full practice and attention that they need. I am still amazed that my first real attempt at teaching went so well, and it has been very encouraging for the rest of my time here.
I have been trying to attach the video of the kids' performance, but my Internet is not being very cooperative. I will go ahead and post this, but keep trying with the video. So hopefully you will all get to see what a great job they did very soon!
Now for those readers from Camp Echo, this is going to seem absolutely ridiculous, and believe me it does to me too. The first thing I thought of, for some reason, was actually a camp song. Now the way that I taught it to the kids is completely different from the way it is generally sung, but hey you have to adapt for your audience a little bit. You have probably already guessed it from my title, but the song that I chose was the one that KTT sings, about the rabbit who seeks refuge in a cabin in the woods. So I am sure all of you can imagine how hilarious I found it to see twenty Indian school children singing that song, when it is normally being performed by KTT in all her overly expressive glory.
I spent at least an hour everyday teaching the kids that song, having added verses and a piano accompaniment. It was a difficult task, overcoming the language barrier and even more so, the collective attention span of twenty four-year-olds. But eventually they learned not only the words, but the actions that went with them. Sure the tune had been a little warped in the process, and it wasn't the original set of camp lyrics, but the kids were ready for the competition.
The competition itself took place in Aurangabad, which in and of itself was exciting for the kids- getting to take off from school and go into the big city. There were about 28 other schools there, which was a little daunting because we were an unknown group. This was the first time pre-primary kids from Golden Jubilee had ever gotten to compete in this sort of thing, so we were arriving as the nameless small town school among well-established big city names. The song wasn't the only GJS representative however- we also had kids reciting nursery rhymes, taking part in "fancy dress" competitions, and acting out a skit I had also been coaching. We were set for a full day of sizing up our competition, and eventually the surprisingly nerve wracking experience of our own performance.
When it was our turn to go, I actually experienced a swell of pride, akin to that of corny movies about teachers who fight all odds to help a group of students reach greatness. I'm certainly not that inspirational teacher, but I could at least start to understand what those movies, with their flowery language and profound quotes about the power of the human spirit, are meant to evoke. But as hyperbolic as it may seem, some of what those movies have to say is true. More than the satisfaction of seeing my tangible help in the school, I was just amazed at what the kids had achieved. Our turn came about halfway through the group of schools, and I can honestly say that I already knew at that point that we had done a fantastic job. It was clear that we had worked hard to achieve the quality that the kid's exhibited, and I must say that was a huge confidence booster in terms of my place at the school.
The next day the competition continued, though I had not had a part in those performances so I stayed back. But it was also the day that they announced the top three spots for each contest. I was at home at the time, and I got a call from one of the other teachers at the school. She told me that not only had both the song and skit that I had worked so hard on placed second, but that our little no-name school had gotten the runner up trophy in the entire competition. I felt so honoured to be able to contribute to the unexpected success. And I feel like this success has easily given me a more solid understanding of the role that I play at the school. Since then I have been bouncing between pre-primary classes, teaching songs, stories, and skits- overall just lending a helping hand to give kids the full practice and attention that they need. I am still amazed that my first real attempt at teaching went so well, and it has been very encouraging for the rest of my time here.
I have been trying to attach the video of the kids' performance, but my Internet is not being very cooperative. I will go ahead and post this, but keep trying with the video. So hopefully you will all get to see what a great job they did very soon!
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