Meeting Miss Reynolds' KV Teachers and Students

Today was our first day at Miss Reynold's KV school. We had the wonderful opportunity to interact with the students. They were excited to meet me and they ADORE Miss Reynolds. I have never been more aware of how different I was until experiencing my travels in India. Everywhere I went, people looked at me curiously because seeing Americans is very rare, especially at the schools. All students greet teachers and stand when they enter rooms. I w
as greeted all day with, "Good morning 'mam?" and "How are you doing today 'mam?"

I was prepared with my Indian attire, but everyone liked that I was dressed differently and had a hairstyle that none of them did. I was completely accepted for who I was and still considered a part of their "family." That was a very powerful realization I had during this trip. For a group of people who are so different from me, not wanting me to change, but loving me for my differences really made an impact on me.

Today I had a chance to teach interactive lessons to students. I taught them how to do our celebration dances we use in class, like the "We're an awesome team, yes we are, and don't you know it!" I also taught them different ways to cheer for each other when someone earns success. We did the different types of applauses and gestures (Ch Ch...Wow). The students loved these activities and it completely change the learning environment to a classroom community. After the students were comfortable being risk takers and supporting each other, I began to teach them different games to review language and literacy skills. The students were very comfortable playing these games and were excited to participate. We even got the teachers involved. We also taught the students common games in America such as Simon Says to have them practice listening and interpreting English with connecting it to body movements. We were asked to come back tomorrow and teach math and English lessons. This was an enriching teaching experience and I am so honored to have been a part of it and to help teachers that need more ideas, support, and access to information and materials.

Miss Reynolds' KV School - Infrastructure & Land

The school is laid out on a beautiful piece of land. It is like being in a modified jungle. When we first drove up, I saw wild monkeys, dogs, cows, squirrels, and a peacock ran across our path, which is a sign of good luck. It is very green and the students take great pride in their gardens and natural ways to preserve the environment. I was very impressed with how the students could articulate their involvement in keeping the campus "alive."

They playground equipment needs to be updated, but the students, and Miss Reynolds, has a positive attitude about getting outside and being active. It was wonderful to see students playing together from all different ages.

This community of learners is very proud of their hands-on projects and they post bulletin boards to show their students' work. We were fortunate enough to have students give us a tour and present their work to us. This was a valuable activity because the students were sharing pieces they were proud of and practicing their English simultaneously.

The environment is very different from ours, so it was almost surreal being on campus with the students.

Dining Indian Style

After the seminar, we went for an authentic Indian dinner with two women Bree works with. We took a Rickshaw to her mentor's house and then we went on our Ladies' Night Out. We had a wide variety of Indian foods and we were able to ask the family about their dining customs, religious beliefs, ad daily life. We were dressed in Saris (traditional Indian dresses) and given bindis (a forehead decoration) to wear. I loved dressing up, saying the family spiritual mantra, and being welcomed into an Indian home.

It is the custom that food is always served hot, so the hostess does not eat with the family because she makes sure that once the food is ready, it is served quickly, so that it will not get cold. The sister or selected female, other than the mother, also does not eat at the same time as the rest of the family. She serves the food onto the plates. The men are served first and guests (myself and Bree) are not to help in any way. The guests are meant to enjoy the hospitality and food that is provided for them. It is a culturally different environment, so not to offend other peoples' cultural beliefs, it is important to respect their values and traditions, even if it is different from your own.

The seminar was a great success!

We had a wonderful time sharing our teaching experiences and strategies (you can see a Logic Lineup we modeled) with the Indian teachers. We are proud of who we are and how we teach, but we are also appreciative of the knowledge we gained from the Indian teachers as well. We all agreed that we will take back ideas from this seminar to help provide our students with a meaningful education. We covered a broad spectrum of topics and reflected with the staff and each other after the seminar. It is amazing to be a part of such a wonderful and reflective community of teachers. We feel honored to share in this experience together and with all of you.

Inspirational and Interesting Thoughts

QUESTION: HOW DO THESE POSTERS COMPARE OR CONTRAST WITH YOUR EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES? IS THERE ANY VALUE TO THEM?

The two lists on white paper are the perceptions of the Indian teachers about the American education system. DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THEIR STATEMENTS? WHY OR WHY NOT?