Food and feeding people can say so many things. In India, I was fed well. My hosts from the Teacher Foundation and at Brilliant Stars Schools, made sure to expose me to the best that India had to offer in the way of eats. In Bangalore, we visited four restaurants beyond the hotel. We shared a family style meal with a variety of curry dishes early on. Surprisingly, the chicken was not too spicy for me. I tried all the chicken dishes and I found the butter chicken to be the least spicy and the best choice for me. Next, we visited a restaurant featuring the foods of Rajasthan. This meal was long and visually pleasing, but it was entirely too spicy for me! I tried many dishes, but I ended up heading to the restroom four times before we left as I had taken in so much water in an attempt to cool down the heat in my mouth. We also had breakfast at one of the oldest restaurants in Bangalore. We had freshly squeezed grape juice, an amazing pancake like dish and eggs and potatoes. Once again, the food was very flavorful and a little on the spicy side, but I enjoyed hearing the history of the restaurant and sampling their most famous dishes. Once I arrived in Tripura, I was able to eat more. Our wonderful cook for the week, Suprea, made dishes especially for me. She toned down the heat and I was so happy to finally be able to fill up before my mouth was officially on fire. My favorite dish from Suprea was an onion and potato dish. She made this daily with different types of breads which were used a shells or "buns" for the potato and onion deliciousness.
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Bangalore School Visits
I visited two schools in Bangalore. I was at each school for only a couple of hours, so I am reluctant to make snap judgements or sweeping generalizations about all I saw and more importantly, all I did not see. My initial impression was one of surprise at how different the schools seem to operate as well as a bit of sadness brought about by the difference in their buildings and resources. We first visited one of the oldest schools in Bangalore which is run by a charity for students who may not be able to pay tuition. Many students will spend their entire school career at the same school. The students were excited to meet with us and they posed for selfie after selfie. We loved their energy and we would have loved spending more time just chatting with them. The teachers were clearly working hard to meet the needs of their students, but they shared with us that many challenges and obstacles impede their progress. As in America, poverty is often a barrier to success. Another obstacle American teachers know well is the intrusion of government officials with little or no training in the area of education. Teachers were quick to point out that what they are ordered to do is often not in the best interest of the students. Lastly, I was a bit taken back by the lunch time monitor who walked around with a stick. He seemed to “poke” students with the stick if they were not behaving in a he preferred. I could not make sense of the “rules” or where mistakes were being made, but he was quick to “poke” for what seemed like typical kid behavior to me. Next, we visited an Army Public School and public in India means private. This building and the grounds surrounding it were quite lush compared to the charity school. The students were incredibly well spoken and offered great questions and responses during our panel discussion. We met two recent grads who spent the last year in the US at a university. It was clear that these students are confident they will be going on to college/university and that they will be future leaders. We often see differences in schools in the US, but it is rare to see such stark differences within just a few miles of each other. It is true that all students in India are offered the opportunity to attend school, but there are a variety of types of schools and levels of success within those schools. “Change is the end result of all true learning.”
I often think about this quotation by Leo Bruscaglia, a special educator, when I am teaching. Will my students remember this lesson, this novel, this project next year or even years later? Does it matter? Am I using their time (and my time) wisely? Even before I arrived at Brilliant Stars School in Tripura, India, I was impressed. I watched a couple of videos about the school and I corresponded regularly with Principal, Sir, Biswajit Sinha. These students and teachers were engaged in projects and learning that would last long past the end of the school year. Identifying problems and designing innovative and creative solutions is at the heart of their curriculum. Change is their bread and butter, their stock in trade. In order to get to BSS, I took a 4.5 hour flight and then a two hour very bumpy car ride. I drove through what looked like a lush, green jungle at times and at other times, small, but vibrant villages. How could educators who live in such a remote area be so progressive? I am still not sure I could answer that question, but I do know that I would put these teachers up against the very talented OHS teachers any day! In small classrooms with no air conditioning and intermittent electricity, these teachers brought the magic. I observed engaged and eager students. I observed teachers discussing growth mindset, joyful learning and other ways to meet the needs of every learner. I observed group work, the use of technology, and student centered discussion. I watched students present beautiful powerpoint projects while their classmates gave meaningful suggestions for improvement. Most importantly, I witnessed true joy. During a day long PD session, I was asked how I use joyful learning at OHS. I realized that although I think about the emotional health of my students, I was pretty perplexed by the question. I gave a rambling answer about enjoying my job and my desire to get to know my students as people along the way. It turns out that there is a whole philosophy called “joyful learning.” The idea is to bring a playfulness, excitement, wonder and love to the classroom. I certainly witnessed this in every classroom I observed at BSS. This year’s project, chosen by students at BSS, is gender equality. Students will research this issue in their community by reading, surveying and studying the topic. They will come up with a plan for creating more equality and then they will put this plan into place. True change will occur in this community because of talented educators and joyful and engaged students at Brilliant Stars. In a little less than 24 hours, I walked on three different continents and travelled from Michigan, USA to Bangalore, India. On the two international flights, I was struck by the number of languages spoken by the flight attendants and I was in awe of how easily they toggled between various languages to assist passengers. I realized that global education is not just a fad or a passing trend, but it is inevitable. If one can walk on three continents in one day, connection and collaboration will surely follow.
Our first session once we settled in was with Chiranjiv Singh who has served in many central and state government positions. He is the former Ambassador of India to UNESCO and retired as the Development Commissioner of Karnataka and Chief Secretary to Govt. of Karnataka. He shared so much about the history of India and answered our many questions. He shared information about: Languages: India has 15 official languages printed on its currency. There are many beyond the 15 as well. India is one country, but the languages, religions, traditions, cultures, etc. vary from place to place. Caste System: Although the caste system has "officially" ended in India, it is still in place on some level. Change takes time and colleges and universities have taken measures to offer seats to lower caste citizens to facilitate change. Arranged Marriage: 90% of marriages are arranged in India. Mr. SIngh explained that they could more accurately be termed arranged introductions. Parents introduce children to a possible mate and if the children are not pleased, they will often introduce them to someone else. Almost all marry within their caste. Clean India: I had heard that the streets of India would be littered with garbage and unfortunately, this was very true. Mr. Singh explained that this is due to the change in the caste system. In the past, the lowest caste was responsible for cleaning/removing all waste. India has a new campaign called "Clean India" and it aims to install more dust bins and educate school children about the need to keep India clean. Cows: The cow is still protected in most parts of India. The Hindu religion forbids the killing or eating of beef so they are seen wandering the streets all around town. I was told that I would be shocked by the poverty and awed by the colors and beauty of India. Both were true in my first few days in India. |
Jane PhillipsJane Phillips is a teacher at Okemos High School in Okemos, Michigan. In the summer of 2017, she travelled to India with the U.S. State Department as part of the Teachers for Global Classrooms Program. Archives
August 2017
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