Living in Hubli, where cows wander past my bedroom window, neighborhood children fly kites made of plastic wrappings in the field by the house and trips to schools are met with whispers and questions about where I’m from makes my time teaching in the States seem like a past life. Until the mail arrives.
The mail, traveling from Harrison, New York, to Somerville, Massachusetts to New York City, finally arrives at my house in Hubli when I receive a copy of the Summer 2010 newsletter from the last school where I taught. The principal’s letter talks about alternative routes to certification and the importance of thorough and accurate preparation for teachers in fundamental skills like teaching decoding and reading comprehension. And most interestingly for me, all the reasons why existing programs are not suitable and the actions the state is taking to allow alternative routes to certification.
A group of four-year olds in South Boston, USA in a summer meals program
A group of four year olds in an affordable private school in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
My own work with The Teacher Foundation has taken shape rapidly in the last month: I am conducting research — both in the field and through existing literature — in order to set the framework for an initial education program for people entering the teaching profession. There are numerous routes to receive teaching credentials: D.Ed. colleges give degrees for primary school teaches, B.Ed. colleges for secondary school teachers and both can be given by either government or private institutions. In addition, some credentials can be obtained through open institutions, or distance learning. But to cite Gloria Ladson-Billings, qualified and quality teachers are not the same thing. Just as teachers in Connecticut and New York are unprepared to advance their students’ skills, India’s teachers are often similarly ill equipped.
Non-governmental organizations and the private sector are increasingly filling the void to improve the impact of education on India’s children. The Teacher Foundation is building its programmatic base to do just what some US states are exploring — developing alternative paths to certification. Instead of providing another route to the same end, The Teacher Foundation is pushing the definition of what standards a teacher should meet to be considered an effective educator. An effective teacher, in my mind, is one who is able to take a group of students, whatever their backgrounds, and increase their academic, social and emotional competencies. This definition means more than any set of academic credentials or a piece of paper. Whether or not others subscribe to the same definition, dissatisfaction with the quality of existing teaching is evident-world wide.
An enthusiastic standard 9 teacher with some of her students in the background
I recently attended a conference in Hyderabad pulling government officials, private school owners, investors — both Indian and international, NGO directors, officers from foreign aid organizations and representatives from for-profit companies. The topic was affordable private schools with examples from Ghana, India, Kenya, and Pakistan. It also featured discussions about the choices parents make to spend 15% of their meager incomes on private education for their children. Opinions varied greatly over how to provide children with a quality education including debates on scripted curriculum, the value of technological resources, in depth teacher education, learning materials available and the importance of games. Throughout this confernece the common theme was a thorough dissatisfaction with the standard of education and in particular the gaps in teacher knowledge and ability.
At work, after I am asked, “Where are you from?” the next question is inevitably, “What are schools like in your place?” Well-to be honest, they have a lot to learn and much of that experimentation and innovation is coming from organizations here in India.
Standard 6 students explaining a game that teaches players about endangered species
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