First Day of School!

Today marked our first day as teachers at the Gujarati Medium School in Madhi. For a week we had been going to class with our Indian co-teacher to observe how classes are run in India. My schedule has me mostly in 7th, 8th, 9th and 11th grade classes. In India, each grade is bifurcated into different sections depending on ability and the number of years they have been at the school. The first section is A and those students are at a higher level; the lowest section is E, and most of those students are from small, village schools. Most of my classes are sections of C, D, and E; the lowest in the school. It was disheartening the first couple days of my observations because the Indian teachers were reviewing the Gujarati alphabet! All I could think was how am I supposed to teach them English if they don’t know the alphabet in their mother tongue?! I tried not to let that discourage me and I focused on what they do know, their enthusiasm and trying to build upon that. After a week or two of teaching the students and I got more comfortable with each other. They are not as timid to answer questions and most times I have too many volunteers.

Aside from my work at the Gujarati Medium School I also spend two hours a week at the nearby English Medium School. This school is drastically different. English Medium Schools are not free and the one I work at is run like a military school. Students must stand at attention during the morning prayers and pledge of allegiance. While walking the youngest students must place their pointer finger on their lips, as if to say “Shhh.” The youngest students are 3 and the oldest are 12. The majority of the classes are conducted in English, even in the lower levels, the theory being total immersion. The class sizes are dramatically different as well. My 6th grade class has 10 students and my 4th grade class has 8. Even though my classes there are small they are just as exhausting. I constantly hear “Teacher! Madam! Teacher! Teacher!” as I walk through class to check work. Their English skills are higher and they are not afraid to use them. They are also extremely cute in their uniforms.

Our work day starts at 9:30 with a Spoken English class. This class is an extra class that the students can take for free. In India there is a huge trend of taking tuition classes, which are supplementary classes taken before and after school. Tuition classes are not free and some students cannot afford the extra expense so we added this Spoken English class. At 10:30 the bell rings for the first period and students run to their classrooms. In India the students stay in the same room all day and it is the teachers that move around. Anytime a teacher walks into the class all the students stand and say in unison “Good Morning Teacher” to which the teacher responds “Good morning, please sit” and as they do they say in unison again “Thank you Teacher.” At 10:40 Morning Prayer begins. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday the Prayer is in the assembly hall where 600 secondary students file in and sit cross-legged on the floor. The prayers are usually sung by three or four girls over the loudspeaker and the melodies are haunting. During prayer the students are expected to stand with hands in a prayer position with eyes closed, regardless of religion. The prayer ends with the national anthem and class begins.

Classes only last about 30-40 minutes, but that can seem like an eternity when you are facing a class of 60 students who don’t know how to respond to your questions. I sometimes have to rephrase my questions two or three times or write the question on the board before I can finally elicit a response. At 1:30 lunch begins and everyday is like a buffet, the best part being the chai that is delivered daily from the shop outside the gate. Sometimes I can't wait for the lunchtime chai so I sneak out the gate for a quick cup. All the teachers share food together so on any given day I am able to sample 6 different dishes, all of which are delicious despite their odd appearance. From chopsticks to fingers, I am becoming a pro at eating with my hands and only rarely use utensils. I think my tolerance for spicy food has also improved out of necessity. Our school day ends at 4 when our van picks us up and takes us back to Bajipura where we usually unwind from the day with another steaming cup of chai.