Dr. Radhakrishnan is the Man!

Greetings from my Nana and Papa's home in Bangalore, India! I have been here since the 24th of August and have really enjoyed my time thus far. While I have been to India many times, this visit marks the first time that I am without my family. In addition, I am not only here to spend time with relatives, but to observe primary school pedagogy and teach orphans basic English and Algebra. 

I am having an amazing experience! However, I do really miss my family; whenever we visit Bangalore and Bombay (usually around Christmas), we have great fun with our inside jokes! Besides this one element, I am happily embracing the new activities I am involved in and the quality time spent with cousins, aunts, and uncles. The fact that it is not Christmas time also strips Richmond Town of the hectic chaos...it is certainly more of a low-key atmosphere (I do miss those star lanterns and the Indian version of Away in a Manger though!). 

Along with more frequent and intense exercise and a better diet, one of my small goals is to learn some Indian choreography that I could integrate into my Zumba routines. To my pleasant surprise, I unintentionally grasped some moves while watching young schoolgirls perform for their assembly on Indian Teacher's Day!

Speaking of teachers, the national holiday honoring teachers celebrates the life of Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, whose birthday is on the same day. The holiday came about when his students requested permission to honor him on his special day. He selflessly replied, "Instead of celebrating my birthday, it would be my proud privilege if 5 September would be observed as Teachers' Day." Along with one of the most famous scholars in history, he was also a brilliant philosopher. To top that, he was the first Vice President and the second President of India. What a resume!

The 2nd Standard students also led a prayer service for the student body. This reminded me of my childhood! In grammar school, each grade was assigned a certain time of year to plan a prayer service, giving each child a special role. Similar to my class's experience, all members of the 2nd Standard sang, recited prayers, or presented a poem. Among the qualities that represented a teacher, were impartiality, patience, and love. These are certainly characteristics that I hope to embody in my classroom!

The teaching style in India is quite different. My mother used to help me with my homework when I was little, so the techniques used to teach simple math and English were vaguely familiar to me. Teachers focus on being practical in their instruction. They are very particular and detailed about diction and penmanship. Print is only covered in preschool. Once 1st standard starts, children are expected to write in cursive, with every curve and loop in the right place. 

One stark difference in the school day, compared to the American system, is that Indian teachers teach to the entire class the whole time. There is no opportunity for small group work or more importantly, differentiation. I worry that this will gradually create a mini achievement gap among classmates and if it goes unnoticed, will hinder the intellectual growth of lower-ability students. I must say, though, that my teacher does an excellent job of keeping 60 small 6-year-olds under control. 

Control is a key component of a teacher's strategy. Students must stand when they talk to their elder. They must respond with three statements, "Good morning, teacher," "Thank you, teacher," and "I'm sorry, teacher," when called for. This sort of formality makes the school day efficient and encourages utmost respect. 

I was really impressed with the vocabulary introduced through the literature workbooks. Each story is read through choral read-alouds. Students use their fingers to follow along. Student are not allowed to drag any words...every nuance must be accented! Words such as suspicious are part of their spelling lists. I feel that this is advanced compared to American standards. The teachers take full advantage of scaffolding, especially in the department of comprehension. In the arena of math, students are exposed to numbers up to the 500's. If I recall correctly, I don't remember learning such high quantities when I was a little nugget! 

Anyways, I must bring this post to a close, as I am off to the orphanage. I cherish my time there--the kids are too cute and equally as naughty! For my next post, I will discuss some of the activities I am doing with both the school children and orphans (many of which are ideas and lessons from college and my own early school experiences). Also, I will talk about what I have been doing outside of hanging out with the kids!

Peace out (Gandhi style!),

Arlene Aka