notes of a teacher as a soldier

make a sentence with"kaloo school

The smallest School in The World

Chris Barrett 

From 7am, Monday to Thursday Hosseien (11), Parisa (9), and Mahdi (8) walk the short distance to their school situated on the east coast of Iran in a village called Kalo with a population of 30 consisting of 7 families.
The tiny fishing village of Kalo is not just small by population it is also small enough to be missed by the naked eye. Set 10 metres back from the Persian gulf It lies behind a row of palms trees on desert rubble with a mountainous backdrop.

Picturesque location apart this school is no ordinary school in a country more synonymous to a western perspective by its politics rather than education. The shortened journey to school taken by Kalo’s 3 students, rather than the 15 mile walk to their old school in the neighbouring town of Dayyer, was made possible by their teacher 22 year old AdulMohammad Sherani

In early 2008 as part of his national service Mohammad decided to act on his dream of being a teacher and quite possibly went about achieving his dream on the smallest scale imaginable.

Deciding where to apply himself with a deep desire to make a difference Muhammad decided to take on the task of setting up his own school for the benefit of his students families saving the parents valuable time and money on the school run..

Full of energy in an experiment with the internet Mohammad utilised his computer and writing skills to create an award winning web blog about his life as a solider teacher. Through Mohammed’s documentation of the school Kalo became known to the Iranian public as well as being accessible to many in the world via his blog. His blog’s English version, gained the attention of UNESCO who later declared the school as the smallest school in the world.

With the UNESCO title and media attention in Iran the story of the smallest school in the world spread to a report on the American news channel CNN .
Muhammad, Hossein, Parisa and Mahdi received letters, teaching aids, chocolates and text books from all over the world and even saw the Iranian minister of education donated his own personal computer from his office as a gift to the ever increasing fame of the school in the quiet fishing village

Just as they [the village] thought they had had their lot a private sponsor from Bushur, a town a few hours drive north, had put forward the money for a new building which is currently being built a few metres away from the existing 3 metre x 4 metre class room.

Indebted to the donations the school was receiving from around the world and his country Muhammad continues to update his blog; www.dayyertashbad.blogfa.com , daily… writing updates on school life and the schools gratitude to the kindness of the worlds people.

Asked what he (mohammad) would like to do after his 2 years national service he replied…’i'd like to reach out to help my home towns (Dayyer) community as far as I can for the good of the people, improving the education of the people’.

Continuing to unearth the desire of this young entrepreneurial soldier I asked what the importance of teaching was for him …’The importance for me is that the students grow up well equipped for this breathing Iran that they will live in…its vital that they have a good understanding of modern technology even in a small fishing village such as this…from that basis they can form their own opinion and education of Iran, themselves and the world’.

Dear Mrs. Asieh Namdar

We received your nice letter along with your gifts for kids. While I am writing this letter for you, Hossein, Mahdi, and Parisa are in front of me sitting next to the empty seat of Hamideh which has left our school to study the upper level, and the sound from the next-door sea breaks the silence, as if it also wants to thank your kindness with its wave’s sound.

Kind Lady!

The people of Kaloo are happy as the voice of their small school is spread all over the world. They appreciate your efforts for making Hamideh, Parisa, Hossein, Mahdi and their teacher globally known. The message of Kaloo’s school from the southernmost regions of Iran to the nice people of the world is the message of kindness, the message mixed of the learning enthusiasm of the little scions of the great Iran.

Mrs Asieh Namdar,

Say to the world that Iranians remain “Iranian” and courageous no matter where they live. Please let the world know, Iranians want the world without war. Iranians want the world to be as beautiful as the wishes of the kids in kaloo’s school, “The smallest school in the world”.

With the best wishes ever

Abdol mohammad Sherani

The teacher of “The world’s smallest school

The school has become the world famous not because of its only four students, or its single classroom, but because of the great hope planted there by a teacher who believes in his dreams for making a better world.
Let’s vote for hope, let’s vote for love, let’s make him the “ONE” ...... but not alone

vote here 

On the first day I went to become the soldier teacher, a tiny girl with a sweet voice and that lovely southerner modesty came to meet me. She took my hand with her tiny one, encircled with a green bracelet to ward off evil, and showed me Kalou's new school; a school that had no walls and stood just a few steps away from the sea.  

Hamideh said, "Excuse me sir? My name is Hamideh, Hamideh Zarei and I was in third grade last year, and Sir! This year I'm in fourth grade! Are you thirsty? Shall I bring you some water?" "No thank-you" I said, "I'm not thirsty."  

Hamideh spread the news around the village that the new teacher had arrived and her voice could be heard calling out to the other children, "The new teacher is here! Come and see him!"  

Hamieh brought a broom and we started cleaning up the school with the help of the children. "We didn't even have a school till last year!" said Hossein.

I start brushing the floor but Hamideh's tiny hands come and take the broom from me.  

School started the next day and I appoint Hamideh as prefect. She hesitated and said "No, the boys are always prefects here; I want to be the librarian." "There's no difference between boys and girls" I told her, but she just smiles and said "Don't want to."  

When Hamideh's father called today to pick up her file and take her away to the school in the city, a lump rose in my throat, but I reminded myself that Hamideh was breaking tradition by doing so, and that I should be happy.  

It was our tiny school and the many visitors it drew to Kalou that made Hamideh's father agree to her continuing her studies in the big city. I remind myself that Hamideh was breaking tradition and unlike other village girls, who only finish Elementary school, was going to middle school.

I remember the day I shouted at you "Hamideh! Why has your younger brother not finished his homework?" You scowled back at teacher and said, "I don't know whether to do my own homework, give my mother (who is going to adult education classes) a dictation, or check on my naughty brother's homework!"  

I remember you put your head on the table and wouldn't talk to me, but later we made up with an exchange of smiles.  

I remember when an inspector came from the ministry of education and you quickly pulled off the cloth covering you broken school desk, so he would see and send a new one down to Kalou.  

I remember the day I was mercilessly chased by village dogs and you saved me Hamideh, shouting at the dogs "Go away! Don't bother teacher!"  

I remember the day we went to Saint Seyyed Reza's shrine and you got the key of the building from the village key-keeper, you grandfather Haj Abbas, and hung it round your neck saying it was the only key and that you'd be in trouble if it got lost.

I remember our field trip and the day I was teaching Parisa geometry. I said our school was like a square with four corners, but it would be a triangle with three when Hamideh left.  

I remember the cloudy days in Kalou and Hamidehs pretty pictures, the numbered books in the library, and Hamideh's desk facing the sea so she could inform the class when their father's fishing boats returned home.  

I remembered Hamideh, one of the stories of the smallest school in the world, was leaving us.

CNN has a Story about Kaloo where the world Smallest.

The road to Iran's tiny Kalou village is being laid in honor of its elementary school, now recognized by UNESCO as the world's smallest

Kalou is a tiny village situated 180 kilometers from Bushehr in the south of Iran; its population is made up of 34 people - seven families

Kalou's school has four students; two boys and two girls, taught by their enthusiastic teacher Abdol-Mohammad Sha'raani. He put his plans for further education on hold to teach in this village.

It was Sha'raani who introduced the school to the world through his Web-log. Now the school is internationally recognized

When asked how the school was introduced to UNESCO, Sha'raani said an Iranian friend living in Australia created an English version of his blog for him. Soon after, a reader sent a link to UNESCO which then recognized the school as the smallest in the world.

"There may be smaller schools with fewer students in the world," says Sha'raani, "but the advantage my school has is that I have introduced it to the world through my web-log." 

The arrival of a mysterious package containing chocolates and a card all the way from California shows the little school has definitely managed to touch hearts worldwide. The gift gave Sha'raani the chance to talk about people of other cultures with his students, who promptly wrote a thank-you letter to their fan from afar

Sha'raani is very proud of his charges, Parisa, Mahdi, Hamideh and and Hossein who study together at the same time, although they are in different grades. Though challenging, Sha'raani says he manages to keep them all occupied at once, with various activities he has designed.

With adult education centers opening in even the most remote areas of Iran, village mothers and fathers are also improving their education

When Hamideh, Mahdi's older sister, is asked if she helps her brother with his homework, she says that she does not know whether to do her own homework, help her brother, or give her mother a dictation when she gets home from school.

The students have one computer among them, donated by the head of the area's ministry of education. Mr. Abedi sent it to them after seeing pictures of their wish lists, one of which was a computer. They have access to the internet and Sha'raani tries to incorporate computer studies into the curriculum

An Iranian director, Daryoush Gharibzadeh, has made a short documentary about the Kalou village elementary school.

Gharibzadeh's short film Boomerang is to compete at Canada's 2008 Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival. Boomerang won a Crystal Simorgh (Phoenix) for the best short film at the 26th Fajr International Film Festival

Reference:

World's Smallest School (blog)

Read interview with the teacher (in Persian, Deutsche Welle

Having a blue parcel in my hand I entered the class. The kids stood up and asked about the parcel
.
“This has been delivered for the Four Shahid Rajaei Elementary School ’s Studenets and Their Teacher” , I told them.”Could you guess where it is from?”, I raised the question.

“It must be a book for the library from Tehran”, Hossein answered.

“or some present for Norouz, or from Bardkhoon” , Parisa mentioned.

“No, let me give you a hint, it is not from Iran” , I told them

“Dubai…no , no The US”, Hosein shouted.

“Good guess, that’s right. It has been sent by Ms. Eliza, an Iranian residing in The US”.

As I mentioned “The US”, Hosein got petrified, “It must be a bomb, Let’s escape or we will be killed all.”, he added.

“No, it is just a bar of chocolate”, I said.

“They are just out there to start wars”, Hossein said again.

“They bombarded the holy shrines in Iraq and they don’t respect our religious icons”, Parisa stated.

“The Americans are not the same with the American governors. Many of them are anti war, and remember that Iranians never start a war or invade a country, but if any country does so against Iran and tries to occupy our land, we will be up and ready to be killed defending it. Ms. Eliza is an Iranian living far from Iran and she definitely misses her origin and homeland like lots of Iranians who are not here.” I told them.

Hossein cooled down. He cheerfully said that if Ms. Eliza comes here all the students will thank her, give her some gifts and cook her their specialties.

I suggested that they write her a thank you letter, they welcomed the suggestion.

Following is Ms. Eliza’s postcard

This weblog will give you snaps of working as a teacher in the , I  can claim, smallest school in Iran.

The school is located in Dayyer, one of the villages in the southern most province of Iran, Boushehr.

Most people do fishing for a living, as they live along the coast line of Persian Gulf.

There are four students in my class:

Mahdi ,7, who is in the first year   

Parisa , 8, who is in the second year and is in charge of looking after sport equipment

Hosein , 10, who is in the forth year and  is the proctor of the class

and Hamideh , 11, in the fifth year and is the librarian

Two by two they are brothers and sisters, Mahdi and Hamideh ; Hosein and Parisa

and last but definitely not least !!! is ME, Mohammad, 21, a teacher conscript, who has been teaching here for the last 2 years

This weblog tries to share with you the extraordinary life of being the teacher of the SMALLEST school in Iran