Here are a few items to put Indian Education into perspective:

• 82% males are enrolled in school; 69% females
• Telangana (the state that Hyderabad resides in) literacy rate 66.4% compared to the national average of 74%
• 2011 polls state 75% of the population was literate
• Annual Status of Education Report 2012: 96% of all rural children were enrolled in school
• 19% increase in girl enrollment
• 95% children attend primary school; 40% attend secondary school
• Rural India 18% males receive high school diploma; 10% girls
• 9% of the state budge of Talangana goes toward education
• At the age of 58 a government school teacher must retire - on their birthday! They may continue to finish out the rest of the month but it would be unpaid. So if a teacher's birthday is October 5th that day would be the last day of their working career.
• Government school teachers must transfer to a different school every eight years. When asked why, I was told that teachers don't want to teach in the outskirt areas, so by forcing transfers everyone takes a turn.

So looking at the percentages and data above shows that things are improving from where they were. So how can these students do well and at times outperform other students that have more resources? Does a student need more resources to be a good learner? These students have nothing and from what I'm told doing well on paper. Is learning all wrapped up into drive and the will to learn? There are many students that I spoke to that want to continue their education to have a profession; they want to learn. There were many girls that I spoke with that truly shine - and I am told that the girls outperform the boys.

So, learning... all made up by drive and will?

My Guiding Question ...

Before leaving for India, I heard talk about this thing called The Happiness Curriculum. I looked into it and right away fell in love. I am a huge fan of the Dalai Lama and when I found out he was the behind the new curriculum being put in place at New Delhi schools, I knew it would be a wonderful program.

So this is how it works according to Global Citizen:

As part of the new programme, students will have a weekly “happiness period” of 45 minutes, with each class beginning with a five-minute meditation session.

The aim of the whole scheme is to put the emphasis on children’s mental wellbeing, in the hope it can spark a change that will “one day spread across the country and the world as well," according to education minister Manish Sisodia.

While many people consider sensory experience as the main source of happiness, really it is peace of mind. What destroys peace of mind is anger, hatred, anxiety and fear. Kindness counters this—and through appropriate education we can learn to tackle such emotions.

I believe this program is just what my students need at ECES. So, my Guiding Question for my trip was to find out all I could about the Happiness Curriculum and how I could take pieces of it back to Eagle Creek Elementary School.

What is the Happiness Curriculum?

How does it work in the classroom?

What does the Happiness Curriculum look like in action?

What can I take back to my school?

“While many people consider sensory experience as the main source of happiness, really it is peace of mind,” said the Dalai Lama on Twitter.

“What destroys peace of mind is anger, hatred, anxiety, and fear,” he continued. “Kindness counters this — and through appropriate education we can learn to tackle such emotions.”

For chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, the curriculum is a “solid step towards creating good human beings.”

“It is our belief that the modern day problems like terrorism, corruption, and pollution can be solved through schools and a human-centric education,” he added.

The UN’s Global Goal for health includes action to promote mental health and wellbeing, and it’s an important issue bearing in mind the complex relationship between mental illness and poverty. While mental illness can affect anyone, anywhere, poverty increases the risk of mental health problems — and mental health problems can also drive people into poverty.

According to the World Health Organisation, common mental disorders are about twice as frequent among the poor as they are among the rich.

Another report, published by the Association for Psychological Science, exploring the connection between mental health and poverty in the United States, found that participants who spent more time in poverty in early childhood showed signs of worse mental health in adulthood.

Here's what I have taken away and implemented at Eagle Creek Elementary:

Every student at ECES has been introduced to meditation. I started all the classes off with a simple four count - we breathe in for four counts, hold, and exhale for four counts; we do this four times. I tell them they can do this to bring themselves back together and/or calm down when they are anxious, mad, excited - any time, any where they feel they need to bring themselves back in and focus. I am proud to say quite a few students are taking this and doing it on their own. I received an email from a parent that their student did this at home to calm himself. Yay!

I am following the Happiness Curriculum and the Choose Love Movement ; working with both to establish emotional and social awareness in our earliest learners, the kindergartners. My hope is once we plant the seed in these little ones, we can foster empowered individuals as they progress through the grades.

Working with both of these programs, will provide our students with the knowledge, attitude and skills they need to manage emotions, show empathy, establish positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

Creating healthy, loving, humans for our future. In the end, that is my job as an educator.

Meeting the Education Minister of New Delhi, Manish Sisodia, was like meeting a rock star! It was as close as I could get to the founder of the program.

And then meeting with principal, Dr. Anil Teotai, at the District Institute of Education and Training, who explained all the ins and outs of the Happiness Curriculum was such a treasure.