Training Indian Teachers
Les Turner & Bill Clark
“Happiness” became a theme of our visit to the District Institute of Education and Training. Dr. Nail Teotia is the principal of this school, which trains high school students to become primary school teachers.
The visit began with a few students greeting us by applying a tika (red circle on the forehead), putting a garland of marigolds around our necks, and sprinkling flower petals over us. We then observed an assembly. About 44 male and female students lined up in rows. They chanted, took turns reciting a message of the day, announced the news—both national and international, sports news, and news in education—and gave speeches. It was a interactive session, with explanations of Buddha’s eightfold path. One young woman demonstrated a yoga pose and then walked around the room making sure all the students performed it correctly.
Next, we entered a blissfully air conditioned conference room, where Dr. Teotia, the principal, showed slides of the students’ work and explained the pedagogical principles of the school.
During the presentation, students arrived with chai tea, samosas, and mango slices. The long tables already contained juices, water, dried banana, and biscuits.
The second part of the presentation focused on the Happiness Project, a course of study the students undertake that involves mindfulness, story, activity, and self-expression. This curriculum was introduced in New Delhi but has not spread to the rest of the country. Dr. Teotia passed around a textbook in English that explained the Happiness Project and teacher guides in Hindi.
The morning concluded with classroom visits—the architecture teacher lectured in Hindi and presented slides in English, an innovative but demanding bilingual education—and a tour of the library. In the music room, Rajesh played the tambor and explained his musical training with me.
“One of the aims of the Indian educational system is to unify the religious and the secular,” began the student as she stood at the podium and presented a well-organized five-minute speech about education. She impressed me with her preparation and delivery. Her speech contained a solid thesis statement, transitions, references to other works, and a solid conclusion. That speech would have received a Pass With Honors in my Communications Capstone class.
After lunch at Barbeque Nation—where skewers of vegetarian and non-vegetarian selections were grilled at the table—we moved to our next visit of the day: the U.S.-India Education Foundation, an organization funded by both the U.S. and Indian governments to promote cultural exchange. Our cohort is the first Teachers for Global Classrooms in India. Quite an honor.