bclarkwriter – Page 4 – Adventures in International Education

July 10, 2019 bclarkwriter International education

Teaching at the Vidyalaya

Tuesday found Gerald and I in the classroom, teaching English and math lessons and explaining our theories of education to faculty members. My first task was to honor the young women who had chaired the previous evening’s celebration: Aiswarya T and Gayatri Vinodkumar. In the morning, they looked totally different, their exquisite cultural costumes replaced with school uniforms. I complimented them on their performance the previous evening and said I would be honored to have them in my classroom in

July 10, 2019 bclarkwriter International education

From Morning Yoga to Evening Dance and Drumming

Our second day in Mahe began with a relaxing yoga session with Hakeem, the yoga instructor at Jawahar Novodaya Vidyalaya, and Rathnakaran, the school’s principal. It ended after 9:00 p.m. with a cultural evening of traditional Hindi and Malala dancing and drumming at the school. Along the way, Gerald and I ate wonderful South Indian meals, saw the area, and visited classrooms. I found that Indian students love pencils and almost created a riot in the schoolyard when I started

July 9, 2019 bclarkwriter International education

Sunday, 7 July: Arrival in Mahe

Mahe, a small town of 40,000 on the southwest coast of India, faces the Arabian Sea. We arrived at the brand-new Kannur Airport after a four-hour flight from New Delhi. I’m traveling with Gerald Smith, a math teacher from Indiana, Pennsylvania. Mahe was liberated from French control in July 1954. The municipal area covers about nine square kilometers (3.5 square miles) and Mahe is one of the four districts of the Union Territory of Puducherry. Mahe was liberated from French

July 8, 2019 bclarkwriter International education

Training Indian Teachers

“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

July 7, 2019 bclarkwriter International education

Sikh Temple: Gurudwara Bangla Sahib

Our bus took us through New Delhi in the late afternoon. We arrived at the bustling temple grounds and received an education about Sikh spiritual life. Everyone entering the temple must do so barefoot and wearing a head covering. Volunteers clean and polish the footwear in a room filled with racks of shoes and smells of shoe polish. Our guide took us through the main hall where devotees sang, played music, and prayed following the words projected on screens. Water

July 5, 2019 bclarkwriter International education

Teaching at the School of Excellence

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

July 3, 2019 bclarkwriter International education

On the Farm

When the alarm sounded at 0330 hours, I thought the night was just too short. Still jet lagged and adjusting to a new culture, a new climate, and the delayed arrival of my luggage, I had no idea what awaited me. Our host and guide Rajesh had planned a trip to the farm where he had been born. Our sightseeing bus quickly wound its way through Delhi traffic—at such an hour, the streets were almost empty—and we made good time

June 29, 2019 bclarkwriter International education

Education Philosophy: Graduate Expectations & Proficiencies

The graduate expectations (GX) and graduate proficiencies (GP) offer a representative framework for the work that Winooski teachers and students do during the school year. All schools in Vermont must develop a curriculum based on proficiencies. For the past nine summers, Winooski teachers have assembled at an off-site venue to plan curriculum for the next year. For several years, middle and high school teachers have worked on the graduate expectations (GX) and graduate proficiencies (GP).

June 29, 2019 bclarkwriter International education

Planning the Mahe Visit from Stowe, Vermont

It’s a beautiful, sunny day in Vermont with 80-degree temperature and a light breeze. I have to get used to translating Fahrenheit into Celsius so the equivalent temperature in New Delhi would be 27 degrees Celsius. The formula will test my math skills! [(80°F − 32) × 5/9 = 26.667°C]. With a nine-and-a-half hour time difference, Rathnakaran stays up until 10:30 p.m. to connect with our 11:00 a.m. DST call. It will be easier next week to connect when we’re in

June 29, 2019 bclarkwriter International education

Fulbright: Teachers for Global Classrooms (TGC)

This website describes an international education field experience that began with a 10-week online course during 2018 and familiarized me with concepts of international education and best methods of creating technology. In February 2019, I attended a Symposium in Washington, D.C. where I met other members of the cohort and learned about my summer field experience in India through meetings and lectures with State Department staff, alumni of the program, and residents of India. On the train to and from