- Middle School English Teacher and L1 SEE Learning Facilitator

Can you talk a little bit about your life prior to joining Jhamtse Gatsal?

I studied and worked in Pune city, which is in the state of Maharashtra in Western India. I worked as a Clinical Psychologist for most part of my career in Psychology. I also worked as a Psychology Trainer wherein I trained young and aspiring psychologists in school counselling and remediation programme such that they become equipped to enter the professional world of therapy and counselling. I enjoyed working with children and young adults. What I learnt from them was most valuable - virtues of empathy, humility, patience, kindness, perseverance. This goes to say that my 'job' at Jhamtse Gatsal has not only empowered me to serve the children with more enthusiasm, but has also deepened my engagement with these virtues.

What attracted you to Jhamtse Gatsal as a place to work?

I had always wanted to serve a remote children’s community after my service as a Clinical Psychologist in Pune city. I had heard a great deal about Jhamtse Gatsal which drew me to watch the documentary, Tashi and The Monk. The hook was my learning about this ‘garden of love and compassion’. Having always intended to live a life aligned with such core human values got me to apply for the vacancy of an English teacher, but more so for the opportunity of being a community member at Jhamtse Gatsal. The approach towards educating the whole child – educating the body, mind and heart – was deeply inspiring.

Ophelia (right) when she first joined Jhamtse Gatsal

What is the appeal of JG’s mission that transcends the challenges of the remoteness (personal and social change)? Why have you stayed?

It is the challenges that have made me stay. While a few challenges can be trying, just a little reflection helps me find meaningfulness in these challenges and struggles we face as a community – they transform into opportunities for growth, and for practicing compassion, patience, and interdependence. The simplicity of life and the practicality of community living drives me to live here; for me Jhamtse is home.

We’ve heard Gen La refer to you (and all staff) as ‘teachers of life’. What does that mean to you?

I consider myself to be both, a teacher, and a student. It was only in my second year that I understood that I could learn from my students and from everyone here. It took me some time to understand how hard it is to practice love and compassion in the midst of challenging times. Being a ‘teacher of life’ gradually seeped into me when I found myself serving the children beyond academic growth – especially when I was able to work with their social and emotional capacities. That also meant investing in my personal transformation which became a very strong commitment after my second year at Jhamtse Gatsal. When I approach the children from the perspective of ‘you are because I am, and I am because you are’, I can serve them with more sincerity and kindness.

Can you briefly describe your work, your programs and projects in terms of your goals and aspirations, as well as the impact that you believe you are having?

I am an English teacher for the Middle School section (grades 5, 6, 7, 8). I approach English as a language rather than a subject, and as a means of communication. I attempt to make communication fun through the use of visuals, fun grammar activities and games, speaking games, JAMs (Just a Minute for speaking), debates, and quizzes. I have worked very hard to improve students’ creative writing capacities in the areas of stories, essays, poetry, dialogues, speeches, and diary logs. Some from the middle school, and some of my older students who are now in high school have taken to poetry and short story writing.

I believe reading habits are formed very young. Although the academic load in English as a subject is very high, I always approach reading the literature topics from a skill point of view – that not only works on intonation, emphasis, pronunciation, etc. but also making annotations, identifying literary elements and literary devices. Whenever time permits, we discuss literary devices such as metaphors, euphemisms, onomatopoeia, and similes in a way that they can be used and how they can come up in our daily lives. This makes the learning of these technical devices very interesting.

I have also encouraged my students to participate in school assemblies and community events through delivering speeches and presenting as hosts. I have seen more student engagement in the last three years. This academic year, the English department has launched a program called LEE (Learning English Everyday) wherein each section (primary, middle, high school) spends 10 minutes every day in order to develop various linguistic skills. My team and I are also planning to involve students in a play this year.

Because Jhamtse Gatsal has always talked about educating the whole child, I took the opportunity to learn about and train in the international K-12 SEL program called SEE Learning (Social, Emotional, and Ethical Learning) created by Emory University based on His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s vision on educating the heart and mind.

Although I got trained as a Level 1 SEE Learning Facilitator between 2019 and 2022, I started experimenting with this body of work in 2020. Initially I used this model and curriculum only with the children in order to cultivate their SEE skills. But over the last 2 years, I use this for myself, and also train other adults (mostly educators) to implement this program in their classrooms and/or schools. While we are helping children cultivate their social, emotional, ethical and resilience-based capacities through this program, we also hope to foster a compassionate school and community culture.

I hope to continue working with more children and adults in this area of education. I truly believe that educating the heart and mind in this manner will improve academic outcomes too. I also hope to expand my opportunities at Jhamtse Gatsal through trainings and taking this work farther into this region and beyond.

Has living and working ay Jhamtse Gatsal changed you in any way?

Absolutely yes! My personal transformation journey sky-rocketed at Jhamtse Gatsal especially through Gen La’s retreats and through SEE Learning. Right from understanding the daily workings of interdependence and compassionate nature to cultivating love, hope, and patience for myself and others; I have had plenty of opportunities for solitude in which deepening my personal practice in the aforementioned areas became a top priority. I am forever indebted to Jhamtse Gatsal, its surrounding nature, Gen La, my children and staff for directly and indirectly being my ‘teachers of life’. I know that this is just the beginning. 😊

What I am even more grateful for is the effect of this transformative journey on my professional commitments.

Ophelia (left) with the plastic segregation team

What impact is Jhamtse Gatsal having on the children, and on your region?

I believe Jhamtse Gatsal’s education model, sustainability and waste management models, and its compassionate upbringing are surely impacting our children positively. We are helping our children cultivate a very essential yet lacking skill in today’s world – compassion and connection. We hope that when our children grow up and step into this globalized world, they will spread the seeds of compassion wherever they go. Many of the local schools in our region are majorly inspired by our education and community living. In all our exchanges with them, I have noticed the spark of Jhamtse in them too. We are happy to inspire more adults to channel these changes in their educational set-ups too. While this impact can appear slow, we know that it is impacting real change.

Ophelia (front of classroom) leads a reflection session with her students

Has there been one moment, one event, one interaction where you had a “wow” moment and said “this is it; this is what Jhamtse Gatsal is, and this is why I am here”?

There have been several such heart-warming, insightful, and savoury moments at Jhamtse Gatsal. We stood the true test of compassion and love many a times at a community level. If I had to pick one, it would be the time when we had a COVID outbreak at Jhamtse Gatsal. Everyone who was well came together to cook, clean and care for the sick children and adults. I saw how everyone rolled up their sleeves and chipped in wherever needed. We continued to be there for each other till everyone got better and safer.

I know why I had applied, why I got selected to be here, and why I still choose to be here. I remind myself of my purpose whenever I lose sight of it. As I pen this down, I am brimming with gratitude and joy. This is my fuel for a more meaningful Jhamtse-esque life!

Interview with Ophelia Lobo