Learning From Teaching

by Jhamtse Student Lobsang T. 

When we were sent home earlier this year for a lockdown-imposed break, I taught at a government school for two months. 

One of their teachers was on leave, and I was asked to help in her absence. I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to gain some teaching experience, so I decided to teach there. I would primarily be teaching History for grades 6 through 8. 

Initially, I was a bit hesitant and wondered if I would be able to teach well. However, I managed to do it as the days went by. All the staff and children were very friendly, and as I started working with them, I picked up many skills. 

Lobsang T in red shirt with students at the government residential school

Through the experience, I learned how teachers do their work. I learned how to make lesson plans and teach students. Though speaking in English was compulsory in school, I found myself using multiple languages so that the students could understand me better. I noticed that some of the students were able to understand neither English nor Hindi. 

I’d heard that the previous headteacher was very strict and that many things had changed in the school with the arrival of Sangey Sir as the new headteacher. I remembered him from when he had volunteered to teach English at Jhamtse Gatsal for a month in our early days. In the teachers’ meetings that I attended, he would share his thoughts about Jhamtse Gatsal and his learnings from the Community. He had participated in our Founder, Lobsang Phuntsok talks many times. He said that those talks had made him try to bring a positive change in himself and his environment. He said that the Community inspired him. 

Seeing Jhamtse’s impact from outside of the Community was very inspiring for me. It made me realize Jhamtse’s ability to encourage people to follow the path of love and compassion. When people say good things about Jhamtse, I feel like our Community is becoming a role model for society. Often Jhamtse Gatsal is praised because the Community takes children in and gives them a good education, free of cost. But now, the attention is on Jhamtse’s work. In our Community, we follow love and compassion, and whatever we do, we do it with kindness in our hearts. I think people gain a lot of knowledge from Jhamtse. We are seeing changes in our local societies because of Jhamtse. I believe that this circle will increase, and soon, it will spread to the whole world. 

I think, one day, we can change the world.

When I was there, some of the children had contracted chickenpox and were sent home. On one weekend, the staff and I came to take care of the school’s upkeep, like washing the blankets and cleaning out the water tank. It was a fun and memorable day, cleaning together. 

In classes, I would ask the students to give me feedback on my teaching. They asked me to explain in Monpa, the local language. They asked me to teach them a little slowly, as they were finding it hard to understand. I learned in class, every child’s learning abilities and styles are different. Some kids can catch up quickly when I taught them, but some take a lot of time. I had to think of ways to teach them in different ways. 

One day, the block officer of Lumla visited the school. That day, I was helping in Grade Five’s English class. When the Officer asked the class questions from the chapter I was teaching, they answered him well. His words of encouragement were heartening. 

The school is small, but they stay busy all the time. They have many activities. For instance, on Saturdays, the kids are divided into four groups and participate in quizzes and debates. 

Those two months went by so fast. Before I realized it, my time there was done. The school asked me to continue teaching for another month. I would have loved to but had to refuse because my online classes for college had begun.

The days I spent teaching in the school was awesome. I got a chance to learn many things, and I also gave my best to teach my classes.