Transforming Lives through Education Rural Oaxaca

Dear donors,

We send you a warm and sincere greeting. We thank you and share with you, here, the work we continue with your support.

After two months of being at home, the time has come to start the 2021-2022 school year again. The teachers of the Ananda Learning Center know that these have been difficult times during the pandemic. We kept alive the strength and hope that in our community we would be safer and away from contagions. No one imagined that we would experience it up close. Unfortunately, the pandemic reached our community, beginning with some cases in a few families in the village and later a couple teachers.

During the first weeks of August, we began our first virtual meetings to plan the start of the school year. We met the new teachers who have joined our great work team. Our school year began with online classes. Counseling and contact with children was happening through the internet, however, this form of work was difficult in the community due to the inconsistent access to the internet in rainy seasons. 

After a month of being in virtual classes, we began our face-to-face classes with small groups, alternating days of class, following our security protocol for Covid19 and respecting the decision of parents when to send their children to school as we understand the distrust and fear of many parents in the face of this experience.

Our outdoor spaces have been key in the return to face-to-face classes. Primary school students are exploring the cosmos and a strong interest in students is evident through their questions, their statements, their ideas, and their fascination for what occurs in the universe. In addition, the children are making trips to the forest, the garden, and the atelier where the autonomy of the students is expressed through their different projects. 

Each staff member at the school contributes to solidarity and love for our fellow human beings. We weave multiculturalism through different outdoor activities, however, our goal is to awaken in children a sense of unity and understanding that we are equal beyond any perceived differences so that we, as staff, are modeling as well, helping to create a place for all children to play and make friends freely, as they are.

Thank you for being part of this project. Our school is thankful daily for your donations. Our wish is that the children can be happy in our school spaces where they have every opportunity to grow with respect and love.

INICIAMOS EL CICLO ESCOLAR

Queridos donantes, les enviamos un cálido y sincero saludo, queremos decir ¡Gracias! y compartirles la labor que llevamos a cabo con su apoyo.

Después de dos meses de estar en casa llegó el tiempo de iniciar de nuevo el ciclo escolar 2021-2022, las y los maestros del Centro de Aprendizaje Ananda sabemos que se han vivido tiempos difíciles de pandemia, mantuvimos viva la fuerza y la esperanza de que en nuestra comunidad estaríamos más seguros y lejos de los contagios, pero nadie imaginó que lo viviríamos de cerca. Desafortunadamente la pandemia llegó a nuestra comunidad, comenzando con algunos casos en algunas familias del pueblo y después en el círculo familiar de los maestros.

Durante las primeras semanas de agosto, comenzamos nuestras primeras reuniones virtuales para planear el inicio del ciclo escolar, conocimos a los nuevos maestros que se sumarían a este gran equipo de trabajo, pero el regreso a clases sería de manera virtual, nuestro año escolar comenzó a través clases online, asesorías y contacto con los niños a través de internet, sin embargo, esta forma de trabajo es difícil en la comunidad por el difícil acceso a internet en épocas de lluvias. Después de un mes de estar en clases virtuales comenzamos nuestras clases presenciales con grupos pequeños, alternando días de clase, siguiendo nuestro protocolo de seguridad ante el Covid19 y respetando la decisión de los padres al mandar a sus hijos a la escuela, pues es comprensible la desconfianza y el temor de muchos padres de familia frente a esta experiencia.

Nuestros espacios al aire libre han sido claves en este regreso a clases presenciales, los alumnos de la primaria están explorando el cosmos y se evidencia un fuerte interés por los estudiantes a través de sus preguntas, sus afirmaciones, sus ideas, su fascinación por lo que ocurre en el universo, además de las salidas al bosque, el huerto y espacio de oficios donde se busca la autonomía de los alumnos en sus diferentes proyectos. Desde la posición de cada uno de nosotros de aportar solidaridad, unidad y amor a nuestros semejantes trabajamos la multiculturalidad a través de diferentes actividades al aire libre, sin embargo, nuestro objetivo de despertar en los niños el sentido de solidaridad y entender que somos iguales ante cualquier situación, se da de manera natural, pues para ellos no hay barreras y siempre hay un hueco para jugar y hacer amigos.

Gracias por ser parte de este proyecto, nuestra escuela mejora cada día gracias a sus donaciones, nuestro deseo es que los niños puedan ser felices dentro de estos espacios con los que cuenta la escuela, donde puedan tener todas las oportunidades de crecer con respeto y amor. 

The school year is coming to an end. It was an unexpected and overall different school year. None of us thought we would be living a world pandemic. None of us was prepared for all the changes that such event was going to bring. Our lives changed and so did our way to do education. This school year had to have some adaptations and variations. Children were working from home at first, later we moved to online classes and when it was finally possible, they attended face-to-face lessons in our beloved school.

Appreciation is a key factor these days, that is why we decided not to focus on the unfulfilled lists of to-dos but to acknowledge the achievements we had during this year. Since September 2020, our students were able to attend school. At first, the children were divided into small groups and by May this year, the school was able to welcome all students following a safety Covid protocol.

Since then, we started catching up on school content, working with new materials, spending time in the forest, and enjoying each other's company. To close this year, we are planning a small graduation ceremony for those who are starting elementary school and the same for those who are finishing 6th grade. There will be a Waldorf ritual that we normally do called “the bridge of knowledge”. Besides, there will be a few dance performances and a small gathering with the families of our community.

Another great achievement this year was the connection and support we have received from AMI Mexico. A big thanks for helping us make this dream come true. Thank you for supporting us with the best Montessori training for our teachers and for guiding us in the right direction to become better and better every time.

We also want to extend our most profound gratitude to our teachers who are concluding the year and will be heading towards new adventures. Thank you for all your efforts, your knowledge, your love, and the seeds you planted during your stay. You will always have a place in our hearts!

My heart is filled with nothing more than gratitude. Personally, I would like to thank all the Ananda community for these 2 years of being part of this beautiful project. For everything I learned, not only in terms of education but also in my personal life. Ananda opened a new world for me, it allowed me to live in the forest, to live in a mud house, to grow a big part of my food. To connect with this beautiful community of San Sebastián Rio Hondo, to learn from them, of their lifestyle and their sacred connection with nature. Thank you Carolina, Kalindi, local teachers, and everyone who has contributed to the creation of this project.

Last but not least, a big thanks to our donors for making this possible. We look forward to your continued support. If you would like to support to enable more and more students please consider starting a monthly recurring donation for an amount that suits you.

Kind regards,