At 10am I made my way down to the bus terminal in Cusco. It was unlike any experience I had ever had trying to find a bus. There were many large white vans, and in front of them were the drivers, who were yelling at each and every passerby encouraging them to get into their van. I found a van going towards Ollantaytambo and hopped in. We waited for another 30 minutes as passengers piled into the van, during which I read The Storyteller by Mario Vargas Llosa – a fantastic read about aboriginal Peruvians. Once out of the city, the landscape changed dramatically. Suddenly I was in the Sacred Valley. The landscape was smooth, with rolling green and clay-coloured hills. We drove through the Sacred Valley for about an hour before reaching Ollantaytambo. Here the mountains jutted out of the earth dramatically, making me feel quite small. Each mountain was spotted with Incan ruins and trails. The urge to go explore these mystical mountains was overwhelming, but I had come here to visit the Ollantaytambo preschool. In town, I met up with Louise, who has been working in Peru for 12 years. She walked me to the preschool, where I met Guillermina, the head of the kindergarten. Guillermina is a bright and compassionate lady who moved to Peru from Argentina almost a decade ago to help with education reform in Peru. Here is the transcript of our conversation:
Tell me about the program here.
Well, we have 30 students aged three to six. We used to have 45 per year, but our last landlord kicked us out of our building, so we had to downsize.
What do you teach the children?
We have a type of ‘Waldorf learning’, or as I call it, active learning environment here. We teach the children with emotional learning games and through interaction with one another. The goal of the program is to contribute to this community through education.
How exactly do you do that?
Hmm… Good question. We try to teach the kids the value of compassion, trust and peace. This area is very violent. The people are very aggressive and they drink a lot, especially fathers. There is a lot of domestic violence, so for many of the kids fighting is the only way they know how to solve problems. This is also true for teachers, parents, and siblings, who discipline others with force. By teaching the kids to cooperate and love one another, we have seen big changes in the dynamic of their interactions. We often see parents learning from their children. That’s how we make a difference.
Do you see any other benefits for the children?
I think there is one other very important benefit. This program helps the children to realize the multidimensional aspect of education from an early age. They see that school is not just about studying books. They experience the power of reflectiveness and thoughtfulness, as well as fun. They see that education is not just for the mind, but also for the heart and the soul, and they love it.
We have seen a big change in the mindset of the community here. In our first year we would invite parents to come see and be involved with our classes. Eventually, they realized that their children experienced significant behavioural advances. These parents then spoke to other parents in the community and one by one we got buy in from many parents.
And how do you feel when you see the kids in this program?
Hmm… You can have a lot of problems, you can have and awful day, but when you come here and see the kids, when you feel their energy that is so pure and so full of love, you forget about everything negative. It makes my life better. You can learn so much from children.
Tell me about one time that you felt that way.
We have a student here named Maria. She is the most adorable, loving, little 5 year old girl. Her mother works in the field and her father is a metal worker. They just built a small new house; it has no floor. They aren’t very well off, they can’t afford the 8 dollars a month to send Maria here. But very often they bring us eggs and potatoes and whatever else they can in order to help us out. Anyways, for Maria’s fifth birthday an old teacher sent money to buy her a dress and shoes. We wrapped them up in a little box with a ribbon and surprised Maria with the present. She was so happy. I will never forget the joy in her eyes. She deserves that every day. She deserves everything, to forget all worries.
After the interview I walked back to the centre of the town and bought a plate of rice, vegetables, and chicken from one of the caseritas on the street. I sleepily got into a van headed back towards Cusco, inspired by the passion that Guillermina had shown earlier that day.
– Benjamin