Skype classroom with a Portuguese school

On 8th May 2019, the students of classes VI-VIII had an enriching Skype interaction with the students of the Escola Basica Infanta D. Mafalda in Portugal. The occasion was to commemorate the contribution of one of Portugals best poets and authors, Sophia de Mello Breyner Anderson to the world of Portuguese literature.

The facilitators from both the schools were Veronica Fernandes, Manuela Baptista and Nilanjana Chatterjee who prepared their students to recite one of Sophias famous poems The Perfect Hour. Floral attire, tiaras and roses added effect to the recitation of the famous poem.

This is the perfect hour when a hush descends On our muted human murmurings And inside us finally there speaks The grave voice of indolent dreams.

This is the hour when roses are the roses That flowered in the Persian gardens Where Saadi and Hafiz saw and loved them. This is the hour of the mysterious voices Chosen and summoned by my desires. This is the hour of the long conversations Held between leaf and leaf. This is the hour when time is abolished And I do not even know my own face.

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Our students Asim, Satakshi Bais, Saaim, Simran Kaur, Vishwadeepti, Harshita Khurana, Diya, Rhea Grover, Bhoomi Barua, Meher Sagoi, Divyanshi Panwar, Alvira Imam, Harnoor Singh and Tazeen Fatima recited Sophias poem in English while the students in the Portugal school recited it in Portuguese!

Thereafter, Aryan Panda, Simran, Divyanshi, Harshita and Alvira told their peers across the screen all about Environment Week that the Foundationers observed with passion and enthusiasm to help make our Mother Earth Green and Clean again. They exchanged greetings with each other in the customary way and in the native tongues respectively. The session concluded with the song Hum hongey kamyab by our students accompanied by its English translation.

Our students always look forward to Skype classrooms with students in distant places. We, as educators, endeavour to collaborate with the educators community across the globe on this global platform to introduce our students to a new learning experience through technology.