Ignited Minds
I was
almost mobbed today by fifty adoring students, who at the end of class applauded, then rushed up to shake my hand. Many of them said, “Thank you, Miss,” and “I am so happy.” My secret? I taught the songs “the Itsy, Bitsy Spider,”
“You Are My Sunshine,” and “This Old Man,” and gestures to 8 and 9 year olds! During the lesson itself, I had difficulty keeping students from leaving their desks to bring me candy,
pencil erasures or drawings. I wish I had a video camera to record their enthusiastic
singing. I know that Roger Smith can picture the scene, similar to ones he described
when he was in the Philippines.
Teachers
are revered here. Before exams students come up to touch the feet of their teachers
for good luck. Teacher day is annually celebrated in Kolkata. I was fortunate to experience this on Monday in the primary classes.
We were greeted with ceremonial dots placed between our eyebrows and our path was strewn with flower petals. Then commenced the dramas, recitations, and songs including a heart-breaking piece in which a small girl
burdened with a heavy backpack begs her teachers to restore her childhood and stop giving so much work! The song seems especially appropriate since the
students had tests this week. The primary children worked diligently for three
hours– fifty in a room with no air conditioning on math and reading comprehension.
Tests
become increasingly important as one progresses in school here. In 10th
grade, the test score determines whether a student will be able to stay in their current high school or have to transfer to
another. Each school has competitive academic ratings. There are two big testing dates during the year; this one is not as important as the board exams given
in March. Teachers grade all exams by hand.
The student exam answers are short answer and essay– not multiple- choice.
(The children’s penmanship is beautiful.) The teachers are given twenty days to grade about 300 papers–
no extra time or compensation is awarded for this work.
The President
of India, ABJ Kalam, has made education a number one priority. He has personally
written an inspiring book called Ignited Minds that encourages educators to challenge and inspire the 700 million Indians
below the age of 35. I love the optimism of his vision. He quoted Indian sage Maharishi Patanjali, “When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary
project, all thoughts break their bounds: your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction,
and you find yourself in a great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties
and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater force by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”
For more information
about Indian education, please refer to your resident specialist, Ms. Shubalksmi Nandi.
I hope that she will correct any mistakes I have made in my portrayals. I
also wonder if she is finding any benefit to computers in education?
