Unfortunately, the school was not operating smoothly. The school and teachers were available but no one was making proper use of them. Doug also established CANepal in Kathmandu. www.canepal.org.uk Now, another guy is running this organization in Nepal with the help of other employees. They have a meeting once a year for everyone and from that, Doug came to know that the school was not being used as effectively as it should be.
With this in mind, he went to talk with Thrangu Rinpoche and asked for help. Doug raised the question: How about if you send SMD kids there to be teachers? Rinpoche said he would do his best to send his student to help there next year. The discussion ended but the outcome was optimistic. The job was given to two Nubri monks, Lama Tenzin Dorje and Khenpo Choegyal to work out.
At last the pressure came to Shirley Blair's shoulders (the Director of SMD School). She planned to send “Seniors” (students who have passed Grade ten) and she thought it would be far better if these seniors had Teacher Training. We have “Reading Angel” training at SMD (brought to us by specialist teachers from the Inter Community School in Zurich). The training includes psychology, classroom management and early language skills teaching. Shirley asked SMD’s senior Reading Angel Tsering Dekyi (currently on scholarship at ICSZ in Switzerland) to train two SMDers.
Tsering trained both Tashi Chodon and Pasang Lhamo, the kids who were selected by Shirley. These two girls are also from Nubri. They are from very poor families and they have deep respect for Thrangu Rinpoche and the teachings of the Buddha. They showed desire to help the kids of the village in the school.
Tsering gave the Reading Angel Training plus extra teacher training (and materials) for more than one and half months to Tashi Chodon and twenty days for Pasang Lhamo. They started teaching at the school in Lhi village in August and will be there for approximately one year. After one year, they will exchange with other Seniors of SMD School. As one of Thrangu Rinpoche's wishes is for the students to go back to their villages and help there, these two young women are starting the fulfilment of Rinpoche's wishes...preserving the language, culture and Buddhist way of thinking of their own people.
Tashi Choden and Pasang Lhamo are paid by CANepal Organization as teachers in the school, but they are under the Director’s guidance. If something happens they can talk with Shirley for advice. When they finish the year, they need to pass their knowledge, experience and ideas to the next newcomers.
These two SMD seniors from Nubri are succeeding in improving teaching standards in Nubri with the support of Thrangu Rinpoche, the CANepal, SMD administrators, Lama Tenzin Dorje, Khenpo Choegyal, Shirley Blair and all the other Seniors themselves.
By Tsering Dhundup B340a (also from Nubri)
Update About Our Girls Teaching In Lhi Village
At the beginning of August 2011, two SMD students, Tashi Chodon B322 and Pasang Lhamo B309 trekked back to their village in Nubri. They have gone there to teach Nubri kids in their own language.
I am writing this letter just to let you know that my sisters Tashi Chodon and Pasang Lhamo both are doing well with their work out there at our village. They said thank you so much for your help and kindness towards them. They feel happy and proud of themselves when I told them what you had requested me to tell them. They told me that they are in good health and are doing their best in their teaching.
They are okay with everything but they are having problems with stationery: the children don’t have notebooks, pencils, erasers and sharpeners. And they told me there isn't any furniture in the classrooms and the students needs to sit on the wooden floor which will be very cold during in winter time. They are bit worried about their students during winter time but it’s okay Other than that everything is okay and going on well.
