Adventures in International Education

The cohort spent the morning of July Fourth at the School of Excellence in New Delhi. We were greeted by the principal as soon as we got off the bus, then students put garlands of marigolds around our necks and applied a bindi to our foreheads. It was an amazing experience. The head boy and head girl introduced themselves and took pictures in front of a floral design on the floor, which they had made in our honor. The Deputy Chief Minister of Education for Delhi was the honored guest, and students assisted him in planting several trees to commemorate our visit.

As s a group we toured a “connected classroom,” where students learned science using Chromebooks and an integrated study program. Reflection and refraction were the topics of the day. We watched as students took a short assessment and the teacher projected the results. I mentioned to the teacher that we use a similar program in our Vermont classroom to reinforce students’ learning.

I snuck away away after lunch and visited several classrooms on my own. Students Anamika, Ritika, and Shivan adopted me and accompanied me on my informal tour. In honor of the Fourth of July, students congratulated me on our independence and asked questions about democracy and how America became independent. As a history teacher, I enjoyed the idea of talking about the Declaration of Independence and Thomas Jefferson thousands of miles from home.

I visited a class in Hindi language with 40 students. I also did some instruction in a Humanities class. Students told me some of their hopes and dreams: Become a doctor. A physical therapist. An engineer. In each class, students immediately stood up as I walked in the room and were remarkably attentive. I thanked each class for being such good students.

My minders eventually pulled me from the classrooms and escorted me to the assembly, where my colleagues had been answering questions.

Students must apply to the school and the school pulls from an area three kilometers around the school. This attempt to bring in new ways of education is a well-funded experiment by the government, and plans are in place to use it for a model in other schools, with increased government funding.