Day 3Our first visit this morning was to Veda Secondary School, a public school that serves many of the students in our partner organizations, Child Collective (CC) and CHILD. Although they school functions for a very poor community, they recently achieved 100% passing scores.
The majority of our visit was spent observing classrooms in small groups and interacting with the children. We noticed that school lessons in India and in the USA had their similarities and differences. These observations not only make us feel grateful for the luxuries we have in our classrooms, but also inspired deep respect for the teachers and the students that we got to meet.
After witnessing these dedicated students and how much more dedication and diligence they had, CLP youth were definitely impressed and know what attitudes to bring home.
Similarities
A correct answer from the student is praised (but in this classroom, applause always occurs when right)
Teacher is at the front of the room
Students take notes
Answers are sometimes said together
Respectfully quiet when someone is speaking
Numbers are written in English
Have an agenda
Interactive teaching
Differences
Boys and girls sit on separate sides of the room
Stand up when reciting an answer
Answers should be in depth; a couple of words won't suffice
Lessons taught in 2 languages: English and Tamil are mixed in
Fast paced learning
Bench seats instead of desks in a row
No computers, projectors, etc.
Chalkboard instead of whiteboard, smartboard, etc.
Walls are empty
Only one light and one fan, both at the front of the room
Students volunteer instead of always being chosen
Much more respect for teachers
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P.S. from Samantha:
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