Misaya

 

When I first started teaching at the international school here in Mayapur, West Bengal I noticed that the students were calling me by some unusual name. At first I just thought that it was a mistake and the student had absentmindedly referred to me as someone else. However in the next class two other students called me by the same name…misaya. So I asked in a confused tone, "what did you call me?"

Misaya

Who is that?

Oh, misaya, that is the Bengali name for teacher.

So by the inconceivable mercy of the Lord I have been placed in the position of teacher. It is a service and occupation that I feel my psychophysical nature is most suited. I feel especially grateful to be able to help facilitate the spiritual and academic growth of the students here. The classes that I teach are as follows:

Thinking Skills grade 11-12: I finally get to use my philosophy degree here! In this class we discuss critical thinking and problem solving skills. The critical thinking component consists of understanding common patterns of arguments, how to detect fallacies in arguments, and how to express your ideas clearly. The problem solving section deals with gathering and synthesizing information from graphs, pictures, tables, and prose in order to solve a particular problem.

Geography grades 7-8 and grades 9-10: We study population info, urban and rural settlements, resources, employment sectors a in addition to many other geological subjects. Presently we are looking at the relationship between available resources in relation to development. Particularly we are looking how the availability of cheap oil and abundance of cars affect developments.

History grades 7-8: We are focusing on ancient , medieval and modern Indian history. I am used to teaching history with an USA-centered view so it is interesting teaching history from the India centered view.

Math grades 7-8: At present we are studying measurement of angles.

Sastra (scripture) grades 7-8, grades 9-10, and grades 11-12: In the younger class we are studying the history of Vaisnava saints and their unique contribution to our Gaudiya Vaishnav movement. In the other two classes we are studying Nectar of Devotion (Bhakti Rasmrita Sindhu). We are looking at the progression of spiritual awakening from little faith to the fully realized state of ecstatic devotion and realization of the Lord. The student are doing a project where they have to depict some of the activities required for spiritual growth in a colored drawing and a photograph. Each student gets 3 or 4 of the 64 principles of devotional growth to portray.

I am given sufficient time in the day to prepare lessons so that in the evening we can attend the evening kirtan in the temple.

Fun Fun Fun.