The Whole Person

Last night a social worker from the Loreto Day School, Theresa, came to speak to our group and share dinner. She had great insight about the city and about the alleviation of poverty here. I'm really pleased she was able to speak and share with us.

One of the first things she said in relation to her work was that she goes and visits the homes, writes case studies on the families, evaluates the conditions that students come from, works with them in counseling and provides support also to teachers. In my work as an educator we think a lot about what children bring with them to school, from the invisible knapsack of cultural capital to the physical and often emotional pains of being alive, including some difficult situations at home. To hear that these schools are making this a priority through Theresa's work is reassuring to me that the whole child is being cared for. As she put it last night, the child cannot be happy at school if they aren't happy at home. 

Mother Teresa had similar notions - believing firmly that peace started at home, with your family, with children and parents all feeling loved. We've discussed a bit how MT has had some criticism for her work, that it's not solution based but comfort and care based. For many, this sits uneasy based on our desire to see progress, to know that sustainable change will happen and we will move out of the status we are at to greater success. In our Western world, success is so important, and it's often only when a person is highly successful and has emerged from a disadvantaged point that we celebrate their improvement. For many children at Loreto and in the brickfields, they might not become university scholars or make buckets of money or even have much social mobility, but as Theresa said, they have a community of care that lifts them up and creates a place for them to be important and valued, 

It's my goal as an educator in all ways to help individuals feel valued and cared for. MT said that the worst poverty could be loneliness, and I know from my own experiences living alone that loneliness is a dark, quiet and sometimes scary place. In this beautiful group of compassionate and engaged individuals, I don't feel lonely or uncared for. We are looking at our whole selves with care and seeking that connection with each other as well as those we serve. It's a gift to be here. 

We are still healthy, happy, and curious. Thank you for your support and kindness. We're sending you all our love and feeling yours here in Kolkata. 

Love & light,

Sunny