We Nurture Wonderful Human Beings

Nestled in a secluded forest, Sadhguru School quiety coexists within its valley surroundings. Sequestered between volcanic hills and a large mysterious lake, there is no announcing sign to guide the visitor inward at the entrance. Equally unassuming are the students and teachers. They move about and interact with a natural ease. They are exuberant and comfortable with one another - like a family in the best of moods. Yet in spite of the free-flowing atmosphere, there is a quiet organization to the activity. Even the little ones, at four years old, file in to assembly in orderly fashion, ask permission to use the restroom... know how to wash hands and their dishes after lunch.

There is clearly great care and attention to detail given to the psychological experience of the student. They freely participate in all the activities with a distinct enthusiasm but a quiet focus. In the classroom, workstations allow the children to experience the thread of an idea across various applications. They explore water as it exists in human anatomy, geology, geography, meteorology. In art class students explore color as it appears in nature. Then they apply texture, perspective, and other tangible elements to refine their artwork. In language instruction, there are lessons on practical communication and creative writing as well. Mathematics and science are presented in a very tactile manner. There is an outdoor play hospital where the smallest students can try their hand at being doctors and nurses, and for those who are mechanically inclined, they can wear a hard hat and handle construction tools.

Students and teachers enjoy lunch seated in a circle under a large tree. Silence is willingly observed as the 120 young ones enjoy their vegetarian dishes. There are ample open areas for for football and rugby. The creative talents of the students are also given full expression: music and theater take center stage here. The school assembly and bonfire feature wonderful singing along with a flair for dramatic engagement of the audience.

There are so many unique elements which coexist in one place. The student experience is at once practical, collaborative, creative, exuberant, and balanced. Above all, there is one underlying element which allows all this frenetic activity to happen effortlessly and joyfully. Each morning the students and teachers gather together for 30 to 50 minutes of yoga and meditation. With their energies enlivened and balanced, they proceed through the day in harmony with one another and their surroundings.

Such a place should be witnessed by anyone who has ever wondered about the scope of human possibility.

Never more apt given the state of world affairs, Sadhguru School’s Early Years Coordinator, Trinity, takes us through Year 2's theme: ‘Bringing Peace Around the World through Children’.

With peace as the heart beat of the term, Year 2 (7+ years old) began by trying to understand the meaning of peace and their perception of peace. They further delved into the causes of lack of peace in their personal lives, their homes, their class and in school, and ways to resolve conflict. 

In pairs they carried out a whole school research, collecting data on how students and teachers resolve conflict. They then made tables and bar charts.This helped them sharpen their tallying and data-analysis maths skills.

Through music, dance and poetry the children navigated through the continents and oceans of the world to different countries including Uganda.They learnt about different countries from videos, story books and guest speakers.They began to see that we share the same air, land and water. That we are all different but the same.

This led them to the habitats around the world and how animals adapt to their environment. They also read Wangari's Trees of Peace by Jeannette Winter about Wangari, a Kenyan conservationist who fought to conserve forests in the Mt Kenya region.This awakened their awareness of the responsibility we all have to protect our habitats. They realized our inter- dependence with plants and animals for food, air and energy. This steered the study to the need we all have to share the resources we have: the big and the small.

The children realized that sharing equally is also called division, and they began to work on a variety of maths division activities. The term’s exit point was a presentation by the children that included a poem and song about peace as well as a touch of a South African ‘gumboot dance’ (an acoustic percussive dance of slapping boots and stomping feet).

You can listen to six-year-old Sunny's emotive report from the field (Sunny's Appeal for Unity) in the link at the bottom of this report.

In love and light, the Sadhguru School Team

Links:

• Sunny's Appeal for Unity