- Tuesday, August 12, 2014
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I have seen the Reading Horizons program help the UKG children tremendously in their learning of the English language. Sabari, a boy from UKG, has excelled in the sounds and names of the alphabet letters 'A', 'B', 'D', 'F', and 'G', as well as the slides 'ba', 'da', 'fa', and 'ga'. He has learned the difference between the letter 'b' and the slide 'ba'.
The volunteers have helped in the library, reading one-on-one with each one of the standards. The one-on-one time gives each child a chance to focus on their reading individually. One volunteer, Carrie Gaykowski a mom of three, told me how she loves reading with the older children one-on-one, and said,
Education Coordinator (USA)
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| Carrie Gaykowski and Sathya A. |
The volunteers have helped in the library, reading one-on-one with each one of the standards. The one-on-one time gives each child a chance to focus on their reading individually. One volunteer, Carrie Gaykowski a mom of three, told me how she loves reading with the older children one-on-one, and said,
"it's really cool to see how advanced they are and the progress that they have made."--Emily Hashey
Education Coordinator (USA)
- Tuesday, June 24, 2014
- 0 Comments
Being a participant in the Women to Women volunteer session gave me the opportunity to return to the Rising Star Outreach campus after an absence of six years. It was very meaningful and nostalgic and although I noted many changes, the most important aspects of the Rising Star experience have NOT changed: 1) Enthusiastic, beautiful students; 1) Capable and dedicated administrators, teachers, and staff; 3) Meaningful service in the Colonies; and 4) The kind and gracious ways of the Indian people.
I was first impressed with the new buildings on campus and the growth of the trees and plants. One quickly senses the beauty and peace of this extraordinary oasis of learning and positive change. I enjoyed staying at the Elephant House, a hostel with spacious rooms and storage, which blends Western convenience with ornamental elephants, plants, and charming décor. Each room has an Orientation Binder containing well-written information on pertinent topics, such as cultural sensitivity, hostel rules, and health and safety measures. Most importantly it provides details on all Rising Star Outreach programs --from Sponsorship to overviews of each Colony Rising Star serves. The end of the Binder has pictures and writes ups of the Rising Star team in India, including management, administration, and staff. I greatly enjoyed putting names to the faces of these dedicated people!
I also learned at the Volunteer Orientation meetings which not only outline the activities of the next day, but now volunteers are given a packet detailing each task to be performed in a simple step by step format, which lessens confusion and helps volunteers more ably perform their duties. I was very impressed with the Community Education meetings. As the term implies, volunteers received a packet containing valuable information on many aspects of leprosy and its treatment, including patient biographies, statistics, patient care, and rehabilitation efforts. Another highlight was the latest information on small business growth through micro-grants in the Colonies.
Meeting the child I sponsor was wonderful! Ostensibly my donation helps her gain an education, but learning her story and witnessing her tremendous efforts to complete her studies taught me much about sacrifice and courage. I heartily applaud the Sponsorship Program. It is a great way to help sustain the education of these resilient and amazing children.
For me, the most meaningful time at Rising Star was spent assisting students in their classrooms. The schedule is rigorous and they must be diligent at their studies. Education is the vehicle that will lift them and their families from poverty to employment and meaningful careers and lives. Education provides the opportunity for these Rising Stars to continue moving upward!
My gratitude to those who planned and arranged the Women to Women Volunteer Session. I feel fortunate to have been part of an experience that enabled me to give service, but the outcome is that those at Rising Star have given me more than I gave!
I was first impressed with the new buildings on campus and the growth of the trees and plants. One quickly senses the beauty and peace of this extraordinary oasis of learning and positive change. I enjoyed staying at the Elephant House, a hostel with spacious rooms and storage, which blends Western convenience with ornamental elephants, plants, and charming décor. Each room has an Orientation Binder containing well-written information on pertinent topics, such as cultural sensitivity, hostel rules, and health and safety measures. Most importantly it provides details on all Rising Star Outreach programs --from Sponsorship to overviews of each Colony Rising Star serves. The end of the Binder has pictures and writes ups of the Rising Star team in India, including management, administration, and staff. I greatly enjoyed putting names to the faces of these dedicated people!
I also learned at the Volunteer Orientation meetings which not only outline the activities of the next day, but now volunteers are given a packet detailing each task to be performed in a simple step by step format, which lessens confusion and helps volunteers more ably perform their duties. I was very impressed with the Community Education meetings. As the term implies, volunteers received a packet containing valuable information on many aspects of leprosy and its treatment, including patient biographies, statistics, patient care, and rehabilitation efforts. Another highlight was the latest information on small business growth through micro-grants in the Colonies.
Meeting the child I sponsor was wonderful! Ostensibly my donation helps her gain an education, but learning her story and witnessing her tremendous efforts to complete her studies taught me much about sacrifice and courage. I heartily applaud the Sponsorship Program. It is a great way to help sustain the education of these resilient and amazing children.
For me, the most meaningful time at Rising Star was spent assisting students in their classrooms. The schedule is rigorous and they must be diligent at their studies. Education is the vehicle that will lift them and their families from poverty to employment and meaningful careers and lives. Education provides the opportunity for these Rising Stars to continue moving upward!
My gratitude to those who planned and arranged the Women to Women Volunteer Session. I feel fortunate to have been part of an experience that enabled me to give service, but the outcome is that those at Rising Star have given me more than I gave!
--Suzanne Stott
- Saturday, February 08, 2014
- 0 Comments
Working with the women on the Women To Women trip this past
month was a remarkable experience for me. Having been here once before just 9
months ago, the experience of my first time was fresh in my memory. I could
remember the fear, trepidation, sadness, love, inadequacy, and excitement I
felt as I began working with the people in the colonies, the children at
school, and the staff at Rising Star Outreach. But during this trip I made a special
point of watching those women who were here for the first time. I saw fear as
they spent their first rotation removing bandages and doctoring wounds from
those affected with a disease they had never seen before. I saw the sadness as
they watched people remove their prosthetic limbs for their treatments. I saw
inadequacy and trepidation as they touched and administered to humble, gracious
people. I saw joy and excitement as they taught and played with the wonderful
students. I saw respect as they worked with and learned about the work of the
dedicated staff. And lastly I saw the love! There was a light that
lit up their eyes and then changed their faces as they looked into the eyes of
such sweet, gentle men, women and children. There was a change in their
hearts as they touched and hugged those whose lives are so very hard, but who
are always so thankful and happy. There was magic as I watched volunteers who
came to India and Rising Star Outreach
- Saturday, February 08, 2014
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School is in full swing now, and all of the standards are taking midterms this week. The students have been studying very hard, and with some new changes in the education program, volunteers are able to better assist the children in their studies. Although, the team teaching approach is very fun and interactive, The Peery School Administration asked that one-on-one time with volunteers be incorporated into the daily routine as well. We still have some team teach activities included into the schedule--UKG morning fundaments, computer class, and art class--but now most of our time is dedicated to personalized academic help for each child.
The group-teach activities are still some of the volunteer’s favorite times during the education rotation. During computer time volunteers feel needed, especially when students are working in IXL, an interactive math practice program. All of the students enjoy the Imagine Learning program too. Right now they are studying nouns, pronouns, verbs, and reading comprehension. (Big shout out to those who donated the headphones-the students love them and treat them with care!) Volunteers also love Morning Fundaments time with UKG, where they get to sing songs and do dances and get to know one another. UKG’s favorites are the banana song, and Old McDonald. On Old McDonald’s Indian farm there is a tiger, a peacock, and elephant, a snake, a frog, and a lion- it is a pretty exotic and intense farm.
Individual tutoring has also been implemented into the school day. This helps not only with specific subjects, but also allows volunteers to develop an emotional connection with kids. During this time, if a student needs help with a certain subject they are struggling in, the volunteer can give them their attention directly. This direct attention simultaneously helps with social and emotional development. Other interactive activities have made this time very enjoyable for volunteers and students. The older standards really enjoy playing chess. Studies have shown that there is a correlation between chess playing and math skills development. Chess is a great way to teach logic and problem solving. Moreover, The students actually end up teaching the volunteers the game of chess; this is a big confidence boost for them, because the best way to learn is to teach somebody else.
“I really like the education day because you get a lot of one-on-one time, and get to know the kids. You are always doing something different with all the different age groups, and you get to experience the different culture. It made me glad that there were so many kids that had a bright future because they were able to go to school. Because of the volunteer program the students we able to excel and we can literally see so many kids that were doing well in school while we were there”. --Sarah
“I loved art class, drawing with the kids and seeing their creativity. You can see when they look through books to find a picture but then use that inspiration to add their own style. I loved reading with the kids and helping them sound out words. You can tell that they are tying to learn and eager to read. Whatever age group it is, they always show that they are interested, they want to learn, and they are focused. I liked education because always I felt like I was helping. “–Molly
“On Friday, while working one-on-one with 2nd standard Sangeeta, I asked her ‘What is your favorite class?’ ‘This class’ is what she replied. It brightened my heart to know that students look forward to the individual time they get to have during the school day. Their different learning styles are able to be catered to, and therefore they can better excel in all areas of their education” -- Rosie
--Rosie Tempka
2013 Education Coordinator
- Saturday, August 10, 2013
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