No Freedom Day 4 (7/5/12)

Riding to the airport this morning I had a lengthy conversation with the taxi driver who by the way, he taught himself English. After some chit chat, he said, “Women in India have no freedom (or no rights).” [Sorry can’t remember which.] The driver went on to say his sister’s marriage was going to be arranged, I’m guessing soon, since she was 25 years old. His family would have to pay for the wedding, clothes for his sister, clothes for the groom, and a dowry of approximately $5,000. Next she would move into her husband’s house whereby it would be up to him if she could work outside the house or not. Good grief, this sounds just like the nonfiction book May You Be the Mother of a Hundred Sons, by Elisabeth Bumiller. The author collected data from interviews she conducted with women in India in the mid-80’s. The driver went on to say dowry is an Indian’s biggest problem.

Flight to Pune. Met Charu Mathur, my host teacher, who greeted us at the airport along with the school principal and 2 or 3 other teachers. Since many schools work in two shifts, I’m guessing the teachers had completed their teaching duties for the day…or not. We checked into our hotel, and then proceeded to Charu’s house. Tea was served and we immediately started working. Charu received funding to start an International Space Science Club and the formal inauguration would be on Saturday. My travel partner, Abeyeo Abraha, a science teacher from NC, suggested having a pre- and post-test to measure student learning. I contributed the idea of using a Likert Scale and we began creating the pre-test. Science rocks!

The kitchen table seems to be a common work place worldwide:)

School Visits Day 3 (7/4/12)

      Visited two schools today. The first school we went to Blossom Public School. Don’t let the name fool you. It was really an affordable private school in a Muslim neighborhood. I could write pages about that experience: eye opening, eager children, NOISEY, young teachers, deja’vu  of my Peace Corps experience, are just a few descriptors that come to mind. Someone in my group called it a teacher’s nightmare. I think the tiny, about 10’ x 25’ space had 30 students all sitting shoulder to shoulder. In the afternoon we visited a government higher primary school, which really was a public school. Everyone in the group agreed the government school seemed better in terms of providing a safer, warmer and more up to date teaching environment.

     Dinner at a tandoor restaurant.

There was no space for me in the classroom in this private school in Bangalore.

Day 2 Immersion (7/3/12)

     Yes, it is true…(almost, more on that later) what you imagine India is like! Think scenes from “The Exotic Marigold Hotel”, and then magnify it. People everywhere, spices, live chickens, fruits, grains, cows roaming the streets, cars, rickshaws, and motorbikes, all competing for attention.  This was the immersion experience I’d been waiting for. At 7 am, Mr. Arun Pai, a native of Bangalore took my group of 12 teachers on a 5-hour walking tour. We received historical information about Bangalore, and visited a local neighborhood, which included stores, vegetables, spices and even a meat vendor. Sights, sounds and aromas stimulated every sense! The people were very friendly and didn’t mind having their picture taken. I think my American group was a tourist attraction for the locals. The neighborhood we visited included a stop a at a 1,000 year old Hindu temple. From a block away we could hear “Ohm mm”. Before entering this holy area we left our shoes at the perimeter of the courtyard and brought jasmine flowers and roses to give as an offering. The walk towards the temple across the magnificent and well- worn granite rocks was a sensory experience. Our tour guide arranged for us to go inside the temple, something usually not allowed by non-Hindus.  We gave our flower offerings and received blessings from multiple priests as we meandered through the interior of  the oil lamp and electric lite temple.

     The afternoon was spent visiting a local primary school, attending a panel discussion with local education leaders, shopping/bartering in the wild and windy streets, a motorized jipsaw to a local restaurant, then walking back to the hotel at 10pm. Long and fascinating day! 

Day 1 Arrival (7/2/12)

     Arrived safe and sound to our hotel at 3am. After a few hours of much desired sleep, we received background information about India. Dr. Narendra Pani, an economist, provided us with an overview of India’s fascinating history and culture. In the afternoon Maya Menon, from The Teachers Foundation, explained Indian’s educational system. Had a traditional Indian dinner this evening at Rajhdhani. Tomorrow begins at 7 am with a historical and cultural walking tour of Bangalore.

I will be visiting the Taj Mahal my last day in India!

Mustang Spirit

Off to India in less than two weeks. Will  share the Mustang spirit with my Indian colleagues, students and community members.

Host School

I have been contacted by my host teacher Charu Mathur. She lives is Pune, a city in Maharashtra, a state in the western part of India. It is about 100 miles from Mumbai, the Financial Capital of India. Pune is the home for a number of IT companies and has very good educational institutions so is often referred to as the “Oxford of the East.” Schools in India fall into 2 broad categories- Private and Government run (Public). They are either recognized by the State Board or Central Board of Education. Charu says the syllabi for these boards differs slightly from one another. She teaches at Abhinava Vidyalaya English Medium High School, a non- aided State board run private school. The medium of instruction for all subjects is English. The school committee also runs Marathi (state language of Maharashtra) medium schools.