A Day at BJV

July 14, 2025

It’s Monday today, so it was back to school!

We began the day by taking photographs with each class. I’m quite certain I’ve never been part of so many photographs. 

Next, we spent time in music class, where the girls practiced singing, led by a harmonium and the melodic voice of their teacher. Kim, who played piano as a child, was invited to play something for the students on the keyboard. She and Olivia, who is just beginning to learn piano, played a duet of "Heart and Soul" and then gave some of the girls a chance to try it themselves.

After music, we headed to the main assembly room on the second floor, where the entire school had gathered for our presentations. Each of us had prepared a short talk about ourselves, our schools, and our home states. Before we began presenting, we played a few interactive games with the students, including “Where the Cold Wind Blows,” “Zip, Zap, Zop,” and a name game where each student performed an action while saying their name and the group repeated it. The games brought the packed room to life as we made the most of the limited space to move around and connect.

Following our presentations, we answered student questions about our hobbies, our impressions of Kolkata so far, and our favorite foods. This morning-to-early-afternoon session was a highlight of the day—each student was so curious, engaged, and eager to participate in our activities.

In the afternoon, we hosted an English workshop, inviting English teachers from over 40 neighborhood government schools. This workshop was the brainchild of Sharmila, a true leader who is always dreaming up new ways to expand the impact of her school on the wider community. "You see, it is not just our students who will benefit from your visit," she beamed, "but now also the students of forty other schools!" I felt a twinge of nerves before we began, not wanting to let down any of the teachers taking time out of their already full days to join us. 

We started with a Four Corners activity as a warm-up, followed by sessions on differentiation and heterogeneity from Kim, a back-to-back drawing activity led by me, and a See-Think-Wonder routine using Dorothea Lange's Migrant Mother from Olivia. We ended with a discussion in which the attending teachers shared some of the challenges they face in their classrooms, such as overcrowding and communication with parents. One teacher from a boys’ school explained that he teaches a class of 70 students—a reality that helps explain why so many classrooms we’ve seen are arranged in rows facing the front. Group work, therefore, is a real challenge. 

We were very grateful to all the teachers who attended. While our teaching contexts differ, we also share many of the same goals and challenges: supporting student well-being, striving to meet each student where they are, and believing that being a good human being is what matters most. I feel immensely fortunate for the opportunity to learn from and exchange ideas with these dedicated educators. 

My own photos from the day are pretty minimal. I'll share photos from others if and as they become available.