curriculm autobioraphy by sunil sarkar

7/31/2019 Curriculm Autobioraphy by Sunil Sarkar

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CURRICULUM AUTOBIOGRAPHYBy Sunil Sarkar

August, 15, 2012

Early ChildhoodThe early awareness and achievement spirit of educationaroused in me with a hit of a bamboo made ink pen, by mymother, on the middle finger of my right hand. I was 4years old, no clothing, from a deep rural village of southBangladesh. I was sitting on my mothers lap as she wastrying to teach me to write the first alphabet Kha ofBengali literature, on a dry palm leaf, dipping the ink penmade from a bamboo stick, into a bottle of charcoal ink .

The roughness of the dry leaf, bamboo made pen, charcoalink, and my small being was failing me to begin to writethe first alphabet, even though my mother was holding myhand strongly teaching me to write again and again.Suddenly, out of anger, my mother hit me on my fingerwith the pen as I burst in to tears with a conscious cry

looking to her eyes asking my dear mother is theresomething worth writing to feel such pain?

A year after my mother passed away, I started to realizethat education is the greater means to living, than painand suffering. In those days I had seen students in uniformgoing to the only SDA village school in our area, to make abetter life. I had lived with my grandparents and uncles for

a while when my grandmother, who was a village religiousgospel singer, taught me that my mother wanted me tohave an education, and that only education will remove allmy pain and suffering someday in the future.


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By Gods grace there was an opening for the childrenseducation at Kellogg Mookerjee Memorial Seminaryboarding school, near our village, which first began theSDA work in Bangladesh. My grandmother and grandfather

carried me on their shoulder, walking through the paddyfields from morning to evening to the school. I was tellingthem that when I will finish my education, I will buy mygrandmother an outstanding red Shari, and for mygrandfather a big fish as I have seen how happy mygrandmother used to be to have a Shari, and how happymy grandfather and uncles used to be when they caught abig fish as fishermen.

Kindergarten, Primary, Elementary and HighSchool

The first evening at Kellogg Mookerjee Memorial Seminaryboarding school was a great surprise. For the first time inmy life I had seen a pitched road, iron made gate,buildings and lights. This school was built by some SDApioneers like Lal Gopal and Grace Kellogg Mookerjee,

missionaries from Battle Creek, Andrews University andLomalinda University.

I had started Kindergarten by cutting papers, drawingpictures, playing with toys, learning through puzzles andpictures, and even making animals, a house, etc., out ofclay. I was the first boy in the class until my primary andelementary school. There were several talented SDA

teachers who taught me various subjects like Bible,English, Bengali, Math, Science and Social Science.

As I have continued my studies in the same school,several subjects like Anatomy, Biology, Chemistry, Physics,Bookkeeping, Trade and Commerce, Agriculture, Civics,


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Sociology, Home Science, English Grammar, BengaliGrammar, Bengali literature, English literature, etc., wereadded in the high school level .

From Kindergarten to High School, the curriculum we havefollowed was timely and very systematic. Sunday to

Thursday were schooling and working days. Friday andSaturday used to be holidays. Every Friday was a holiday,with Vesper Service in the evening, and every Saturday weuse to have Sabbath School, Divine Service, BranchSabbath School and Adventist Youth programs.

The other working and schooling days our schedules wereas follows : every morning we woke up 6AM, worship 6:30AM to 7:00 AM, breakfast 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM, class 8:00AM to 12:00PM, lunch 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, rest 1:00 PM to2 PM, physical work 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, play 5:00 PM 6:00 PM, dinner 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM, study hour 7:00 PM to9:00 PM and sleep 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM.

Work education was one of the most important prioritiesfrom my kindergarten to high school, and every studenthad to go through all types of vocational training and workactivities that a human needs to survive his or her life.

Intermediate / CollegeAfter I finished my high school I had no sponsor orrelatives to help me to continue my studies. Because I hadgone through all types of work and training in my highschool, and I had joined Intermediate in Applied Arts, I wasable to take the risk to travel to Dhaka city to sell healthbooks, to earn money to further my education. I startedselling books without training, and successfully earnedmoney to survive and continue my studies.


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The money I had earned by selling books, plus other helpfrom our Bangladesh Christian Sponsorship Service, I wasable to join Intermediate in Bangladesh Adventist

Seminary and College. When I was in the college I stitchedshoes, and sold books during the vacations to earn thetuition, living expenses, and pocket money.

When I had finished my Intermediate I wanted to join onlya SDA college but I did not have money. Additionally, atthe same time our only SDA college in Bangladesh wasabout to be closed due to collision with Muslim students.

At that time, there was an American man named DavidWaid who came to know about me, and wanted to help meearn my Bachelor of Theology. With his help, I went toSpicer College, Pune, India and studied and attained myBachelor of Theology.

Carrier and UniversitiesI came back and obtained a position with the Bangladesh

Adventist Union Mission as Health Teacher/Bible Workerand Pastor. For about 1 year and 8 months, every Mondayto Friday, I went to preach the gospel, teach in the slumschools and worship in peoples homes. Every Friday night Iconducted the Vesper Service and every Saturday Iconducted the Sabbath service as a pastor.

As a pastor, I have seen that its hard to change an adult

mind through preaching, and also, people basically join achurch for other needs sake than spiritual needs in ourcountry. A British diplomat name Gordon Saggars and hiswife Pene Saggers, who were my church members, wereimpressed and wanted to help me with an amount ofmoney to study my Master s of Education. I went back to


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Spicer Memorial College to study Master of Education inAdministration with an extended Andrews Universityprogram.

At the same time I was teaching English to students fromTaiwan, Korea, Thailand , and Iran, to earn my living. I hadmore than enough earnings to help my studies, so Iadditionally joined Master of Sociology in Tilak University,Pune, India, so I could help the poor people of societiesand bring them to Jesus Christ.

After I finished my studies I came back to Bangladesh and

joined as the Assistant Manager of the WomenEmpowerment Project. I also joined Assembly of Godschurch Bible College as a manager. Inside me the spirit ofeducation still bubbles pushing me to study more. I camehere in the Philippines to study my PhD in EducationalAdministration.

When I visited AIIAS, Philippines, I met Professor Dr. Prema

Gaikward whom I have always wanted to be my teacherfrom Spicer Memorial College itself. Dr. Gaikward changedthe view of my life about education and teacher. I foundout about myself, discovered that I am good in lecturing,and came to realize that someday I wanted to be theauthor of books which is my final destiny.

And finally, I have decided to study PhD in Curriculum and

Instruction, because I will be lecturing and will grow andcontinue to mature, to write some books very soon. At thispoint I remember my Mother: I want to tell the wholeworld that writing will never leave me because it is greaterthan pain and suffering to me.


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Thank you

Sunil SarkarEmail: [email protected]

curriculm autobioraphy by sunil sarkar

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