We Need More Perfectness

Usha Madam has particular phrases that she loves. My favorite of her phrases is:

"We need more perfectness."

The meaning of the phrase is (usually) that we, the Rainbow School team, are working on a plan to fix something.

Usha Madam conducted an interview for a journalist, and this was one of her follow up quotes:

"Before was no school, now the children and parents have good ideas about education. What changed is they understand the loss of [the] education. And, what the children love now is the [types of] respect they have in their community and what they can give their society now that they have education. They can realize their destiny with education.

"If they have a choice of one chocolate or education, before they would choose chocolate. Now, they would choose education."

How brilliant is that!

Usha has left for her new post at the Madhapur Mandal School, about 2 miles away. We will still see her often. I'm not worried, the rest of the team is pulling together. We are so lucky to have such a deep pool of talent in our teachers!

I called the senior teacher, Ashok, on Friday and he said:

"We need more perfectness in our exam results."

Ashok is on the right.

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MobilesForGood: EDU

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"A" Grade

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Gray Matters Capital and the Rockdale Foundation

While all is very well at the Rainbow School, I'll pause to highlight a "sister organization" supporting budget private schools in India. Gray Matters Capital and the Rockdale Foundation have an annual symposium in Hyderabad, called "Enterprising Schools." Buddies of mine from here in Palo Alto, the Hewlett Foundation and IDEO, are heading out there next week. More info is on www.enterprisingschools.com My IDEO fellas organized a whole list of very low-cost teaching aide ideas to present at the symposium. Ideas like using old newpapers to teach literacy. They put the list up on the website under "STEAL THIS IDEA" - click here for the list! (in pdf form) BEST WISHES for a successful symposium, I miss you all in Hyderabad!

Rainbow Primary School

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