Staring Rabbit : Seeing DJK-in Second

Staring Rabbit : Seeing DJK-in Second:   A figure like DJK is matchless being ever walked on this Earth, propounding the message of Buddha. Throughout year after year, reading his...

Seeing DJK-in Second

 A figure like DJK is matchless being ever walked on this Earth, propounding the message of Buddha. Throughout year after year, reading his books and watching videos, I may claim, that he has been an icon of inspiration to my everyday life.

For many years, I have been longing to see him, not for spirituality or creativity, but to see the greater being like him with my naked eyes.

After decades of living and breathing, my interest of seeing him, never wane, but simply yearning more and more to see him.

I remember seeing him once in Pemagatshel NangkorCS, presiding over the Lung for students on Manjusheri Visualization. Since then, he was a forgotten heroes to us.

I feel strong bond with Rinpochey, as I was growing at my Village, Rinpochey with Sakya head, looking like a flower. It was inside a room, and everday,I could see the image,ofcourse, I didn’t know who he was, what he was, simply grown up in that small helmet called Gamung. And after thirty years of leaving from home,today I still long to see that portrait and could not be seen during my occasional visit to my grandparents.

This image of Khetse Rinpochey can be seen at my grandparents home

After more than a decade, I was lost to my own pursuit of life and never had a chance to see Rinpochey.Longing days after days, Rinpochey was scheduled to reach Deawthang Shedra on start of June, and with demanding hardwork with profession, I couldn’t make to Dewathang for Wang. How sad I was to realize that I lack so called merit in life. On one Sunday, I planned to reach but couldnot go, the bad weather and the widening road stop me to plan my tavel.

Internally, I planned to reach Thselingor Gate, while Rinpochey head to Bartsam Chador Lhakhang. On 6^th July, Rinpochey was heading to Bartsam and waited for the day to come. I took a courage to request Principal for day and shared my plan to see Rinpochey. Easily, principal granted us a   leave and encouraged others too to see Rinpochey.

The permission to go and see Rinpochey on his way to Tsheligor Gate, brought an unforgettable pleasure in my life. But now, I was asked to coordinate the team to reach Tsheligor for Chawang. I followed the Facebook page of Dewathang Shedra, and managed to get a Contact No. of Lama Sonam, who is very humble and down to earth. I called him asking for a Rinpochey timing to reach Bartsam and for necessary preparation.

He recommended me to keep it simple, simply lining up with burning pine leaves and cypress leave along the Tshelinggor Gate. We didn’t prepare much, took few incense, match stick and kerosene to light a fire.

Lined up to see Rimpochey on way to Bartsam

It was a great moment in my life to reflect,plan and  organize the team to wait and see Rinpochey at Tsheliggor Gate, junction that dissect S/jongkha,Pema gatshel.

We couldn’t do anything to Rinpohey than to ask for his blessings in many forms. Around fifty people, waiting for Rinpoche and after our arrival at the point, called Narphung shopkeeper to check nearing of Rinpochey, we could lit sang in few Minutes and got into the lines. Many cars were plying to Bartsam to attend the Wang.

In few minutes we could mobilize an amount around Eighteen Thousand and packed in envelop for offer to Rinpochey.

It was a cloudy,and every car made us to check whether it was Rinpochey or not, in few minutes Rinpoche’s car came and Rinpochey said, “Keep yourself good and healthy”. The Kindness of Rinpochey is vast as sky and knew what the beings like us expected from him.

In a second, I shouted to Rinpochey for autograph on books written by him. I carried four books authored by him and presented to him with new pen, Rinpochey ordered his driver to stop car for a while and started signing on the books. After signing on two books, Rinpochey said, “Pecha Lok ni ra choncha ofay la ko nan,” in a state of joy, I said, yes I do read few books la.

Glimpse of Rinpochey Autographing on Books written by him for me

Many people were staring at us and in a second Principal managed to offer cash collected from staff and people present on the spot to Rimpochey but it denied by Rinpochy and incessantly offered to Rinpoche’s personal assistance to reach Rinpochey.

After far-sighting Rinpochey, we headed back and stopped near Rashuri, way to Youngla junction.There we all sat for a tea and lunch and shared the time, all were happy for the day and reached safely to home.

That moment was just a second and it was most beautiful moment in life. Temporary moments are precious! I shall treasure it till I take last breath. We just lined up near Tshlingor Gate, just to see the smiling face of Rinpochey, not for Chawang or for Changyel, so simply thinking of that moment, it was a big day to the staff of GlSS and people around.

 

 

Academic 2022(ENGLISH-CL-VIII)  Feedback 

  1.How is 

the content of the session was useful and interesting?.

      2.The session was structured and well organized, do you think so?.

       3.The topics covered were relevant to me.?

       4.The overall delivery of the session was clear?

       5.What did you think of the teaching overall?

       6.What did you think of materials distributed?

       7.Was there adequate time provided for questions and discussion?

       8.Do you think you can apply learnt material in the work place?

        9.What aspects of the teaching/training were particularly good?

        10.What aspects of the teaching/training could be improved?

                                      11. How did the awarding negative points in class help you in learning?

                                Note: Students to response in the comment section

  

Nangkor School- A seed of Dream in the East

Nangkor Central School- A seed of Dream in the East

Nangkor is an institution of love and friendship, that nurtures the dreams of many creative minds and meeting place of wise and wisdom blended teachers.

Administrative Block  

If you see any shinining stars from the east, it may be the product of Nangkor. It has the reputation of producing many excellent academicians,doctors,engineers,teachers.

Growing up with school bell, occasionally, hearing a ritualistic drum and music from the nearby village was a relaxing call during a exam and many students would happily share the joy of visiting annual lhochoe as strangers. Few land up receiving a punishment if the case was reported to Warden,otherwise,it was a refreshing movement in schooling days at Nangkor.

Inside a classroom, there was celebration of nickname,gossip and few students would love to engage in learning, many of the teachers were given a nickname, and Apchi Sir,Santosh sir is affectionately called by students for his love and kindness to them. Center shock, Durgatpu and Zadpay were still a nick that takes me back to school days. Students among themselves love calling by their personal nickname,  prominent amoung Dhomkharpa was Baamze,Aka,Thangpay.

One anecdotal incident inside a classroom was while attending the Poetry class in Apchi Sir lesson. He was a creative teacher and very good on Melodrama. He taught us the lesson on' THE Ride'. He was teaching the ride and kicking his leg uncontrollably, meantime,shoe was unleased from leg to garden, every students watched the flying shoe into the garden and broke into a big laughter. Immediately, class captain went to pick the shoe from fishery pond.

Fishery Pond to a Guru Rinpochey statue stand

The schooling days were much of celebrating the joy of friendship,meeting strangers,building dreams and redefining who I am today.

Spiritually Intervening SEN Children-Water Purification Ceremony

 As per the General Staff meeting held on 1^st June, 2021, it has been learnt that situation of the Pandemic is still worsening in nearby Dzongkhag and its ripple effect is circling all around, so, taking those severe children with disabilities to Bashowong for His Eminenece Gomphu Trulku Rinpochey’s audience is impractical at this juncture. Therefore, the School administration and SEN core team looked for alternatives and came to a point to reach the following children with disabilities for a Thresoel/ Water Purification Ceremony at Jashar Goenpa for few days.

The Water Purification Ceremony was presided over by lopen Khenpo of the Dratsang.

This collective effort from the school is aspiring to intervening the psychological, physiological and emotional states of those children and finally to their overall health and wellbeing.

1.       

 JAMYANG DENDUP (CLASS II)

There are many stories for the man to narrate. Over the years, when people are celebrating the success story of their  achievement, there comes a group people who doesn't have even a proper shelter or meals in a day. A nations making donations and helping others, while forgetting ones own citizens, the situations are out of our controls, which needs our rethinking and attentions to make it right.

 

This is a story of Jamyang Dendup who comes from Nganglam. He is reading in class II. He was admitted to GLSS last year(2020). He has been recognized as CP. He is doing well in the classes unlike other SEN children. He finds difficulty in coordinating the walk or using the muscles for writing and speaking. The cognitive is fine and he is learning equal as general student

we see  future in him, unlike other children, he is following all the norms and rules of the school. Everyday as he finds the way to classroom, walking over the railing, sitting in a classroom and learning the unlearn lesson is what makes him so special in the class.

 As the school strives to provide help and support in nurturing their dreams and motivations in life, I have been working closely with the School SEN team members in seeing  welfare of those 17 SEN Children.

PARENTS TEACHER MEETING(TERM I) 2021

This year parents teacher meeting was held on Sunday,11th March,2021. As usual meeting was chaired by Zobel Gup. The agendas were tabulated and discussed for resolutions. I presented on the services rendered for  SEN children. I don't want to write the agendas and its resolutions but I want to share some thing that I want to express as my observation.

As I sat over the meeting, sensing the discussion the agendas and  points, I found the meeting was based on ones projections and perceptions. It shouldn't dilute the essence of meeting and the points of meeting. My expectation was to hear the ways and ideas to nurture our children together. Most of the views and the opinion expressed were just on one sided ideas. The entire meetings were dominated by false ideas. It was found that public doesn't have even a respect for the School workers.  Teachers eating lunch from the mess kitchen should not matter them as all their miscellaneous work are not paid as teachers work.

Teachers here are finding a hard time to manage water scarcity and public doesn't have any support to address this problem. As a leader, as a community, I feel teachers deserve a respect  and  have right for resources . 

 Finally, as I wait for the next meeting, I would like to hear the ways and ideas to cater the learning needs of our children and communities from the common floor. Not as someone's views and opinions.

                                                 SEN SCHOOL IN PEMAGATSHEL

Gonpasingma lss is a heart of learning center for Children with special needs in Pema Gatshel.

A school stands on the apex of Zobel village, catering the needs of nearby villages.
 If you take a distance view from the adjacent motor road, it presents you with an immediate invitation to the place. Historically the place was founded by the local priest Yalo and Kalo as a new hermitage sites for propagating the Peling traditions, thus the name Gonpasingma.

school in a distance view from road point

I never dream of being in the place, until I was placed by the Dzogkhag to serve the school.  Once as a primary school goer I had been to this school to participate in the talent hood haunt competition. I remember sleeping in the dusted hostel fighting hard against the chilly aired room. Since then, the place became once again the strange place in my memory. 
Another picture of the school was, students studying in the school were found to have red cheeks due to severe cold weather, thus making it easy for the identification of the previous school. My brother also studied in the school and it was this school that he was shaped and molded to a man of today.
 Once School was well known for producing a good Dzongkha calligrapher. Under the strict monitoring of lopen Jamba.  My brother nearly dropped the school, when he had failed in handwriting improvement.  

It is also well-known for the water scarcity and producing an abundant potatoes harvest from the place.
Today school is housing a special room for the differently abled children. It was instituted since 2015 and it is connecting the children from nearby villages like Restang, Norkhe,Zobel and Mongling.
GLSS  being a place for the special child; teachers too were special. Teachers’ receives numerous workshops to fulfill the need of those needy students unlike other teachers and other school.

Teachers discussing the story of Special Child

The School caters the learning need of differently abled children such as autism, hearing impairments and speech impairments.
I have been teaching in this school for last five years. My experience of teaching the students were like finding the jewels from the dust. As challenged by the working experience and meeting the learning needs of a teacher, I still find the joy of being in the SEN program.
Every child is treated as special. And teachers do believes in their hard-work and commitment to be the agents of change for those special souls. 

                                                      Pullout classes
                

For an inch of change in children, its the collective efforts of all the concern teachers and the offices in looking a change.
School is also transforming structurally. Completion of ongoing ramp constructions for the wheel-chaired students will add another structural transformation to the school. There is also a call for the need of changing the old classroom structures for the special children.
GLSS SEN school is a special school in Pema Gatshel. What if there is no such room for those students, they are likely to become a complete waste to the family and to the nation as a whole. Or they could have become a perfect cow herder or victim of stigma in the public. Understanding the nature of disability is a complicated concept for all but inclusion is the vision of school.

Respecting the diverse needs of the children, working together for the common cause and goal is what makes GLSS  a center of INCLUSIVE learning for all.

Therefore, it is important for all of us to be aware of the special, abled and differently abled person in life. You or I may be the next person to sit on wheel chair, so, there lies a question of respecting and accepting them. Everyone should become one in system of ours.