This question, how does place affect a person, was my research question heading into India. I teach in a very privileged area and school. Students are very well supported and they achieve at high levels. I know this affects students in different and important ways. For one, the culture of achievement is palpable in my building. This can be really good and quite difficult for students who may feel that they don't make the mark. I wondered about this in India as I had always heard that achievement in school and test scores and rankings were paramount to respect, happiness, success and more. I am not sure that my question could be answered in my short time there, but here are my observations and increased understanding after three weeks in India.
Schools matter! The school a student attends matters. The first school our group visited, was a government run, charity school. My first observation was that there seem to be so many kids in small classrooms without teachers. I learned that for some of the government run schools, absenteeism among teachers was as high as 25% daily. In the U.S. a substitute teacher will take the place of an absent teacher and although this is not ideal, it does beat leaving students completely unchecked and unsupervised. Students who miss out on the instruction and guidance of a daily teacher are likely to develop an apathy or less enthusiastic attitude toward learning. This fact alone, warrants attention to this area and I hope this issue will be addressed. We visited a private school for children of military families next. These students participated in a questions and answer session with use and they were so incredibly optimistic and excited about their future. Attending the panel discussion were two graduates of the Army School. Both students were home for the summer and they are both attending university in the United States. They felt confident and expressed an optimism that their education in India had not only prepared them for their college studies, but the environment of achievement and high expectations had inspired them to aspire to attending college in the United States. They both expressed a desire to continue their education abroad once they reach graduate school - they value education and see the connection between education, happiness and achievement. They clearly value education, receive a high quality education and are certain that they will continue this education beyond this school. My teaching placement, the Brilliant Stars School in Tripura, India, offered an even closer look at the value of engaged, vibrant teachers and families. These students LOVED school! The BSS philosophy is one of "joyful learning" and the students exude joy and excitement daily. I was met with students proud to share what they were learning and eager to receive feedback and critique from me. This level of confidence was greatly supported by the teachers and the overall atmosphere of achievement at the Brilliant Stars School. These amazing teachers were paid very little according to our principal and they could easily make more money in other schools or other professions. These teachers were clearly invested in this school and these students and their future. The students were working on a year long service learning project and they were very engaged in their learning. Our students have started a project to exchange video questions and answers with the students at BSS. We hope to offer a perspective that may inform their research and encourage more questions about change and social progress. Many attended school on Saturdays - voluntarily - as they loved the energy and the positivity at BSS! I know this is the case here at Okemos High School. Students feel engaged and empowered by their school and the support they receive from their community. My research, although very limited, confirmed that Okemos High School and the Okemos Community are not alone. Schools and communities all over the world affect their students in both positive and negative ways. The attitudes and expectations become deeply ingrained in the ideas, beliefs, goals and dreams of their students. I am not certain what will happen to all the students I encountered during my school visits. There is really no way for me to know, longterm, how they are affected by their "place" meaning their school and their community. But, this I know to be true: The positivity and excitement I saw at BSS and at the private Army school far exceeded that of the first school. This mood, atmosphere, and overall learning expectation was clear at all three schools and it could be seen in the faces of these students. Schools matter. Teachers matter. The tone, expectation, and excitement is contagious and if it is missing for the school and teachers, it will be hard for students to catch that excitement and be hopeful for their future.
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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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