Day 13: Same but Different- Stories of Impact

Today we got to visit Christel House, a school run by an International Non-Government Organization (NGO). I will note, however, that the most compelling part of the day was realizing that my colleagues and I are processing this one experience (same) from very different perspectives. Let me rewind.

As we slowly trickled back to Bangalore from our respective host cities, we shared and heard about the experiences our fellow educators had. From teaching experiences that began on the first day of arrival, to more general interactions with students. From lavish welcome ceremonies and intense community involvement to tight schedules and impromptu engagements. The resources, school culture and teacher perspectives of our host communities made an impact as well. On the one hand, a teacher in an urban city school might espouse ideas of student agency and personal expression, another teacher in another urban city school might chastise a child for interpreting a reading excerpt from an empowered personal perspective and not from the stated point of view provided by the teacher as sole right answer. While these themes are not endemic to India (learning in U.S. schools is also influenced by teacher available resources and teacher perspectives), conversations that we had about our experiences did give us food for thought regarding best practice experiences and teacher development policies.

A consistent theme across all experiences, however, was the incredible generosity, excitement and accommodation that was shown by all the host communities. We also heard stories of cultural explorations and memorable excursions to interesting historical and geographical sites around India; memories that we will carry with us always. We will now return to our visit to Christel House, Bangalore.

Christel house Bangalore was founded by Christel Dehaan, a business woman from Indiana who wanted to give back to the communities that helped her succeed. Christel House operates Kindergarten to Grade 12 classes and aims to enroll children from severely impoverished and poverty stricken backgrounds. Students (and their siblings) within a 25 kilometer radius of the school are given priority enrollment and can be transported by bus to school. 

We observed different classes as assigned based on our teaching designation and interests. I was assigned to a Grade 4 Environmental Studies class (EVS). This class incorporates components of Science and Social studies to enable students’ connections with and knowledge of their environment/world. As part of the lesson, students engaged in think-pair-share to explore states of matter. I also observed a Grade 2 PE class held outdoors. Students gathered on a field with the PE teacher and participated in warm up/stretching activities, then they played a game..at least some of them did. As soon as I got close enough to the group, students began to give shy waves and to say hello ( apologized profusely to the PE teacher for disrupting class), although midway through the class, I had a group of 10-12 students gathered around me asking about everything from my hair to my name to my favorite food. They also felt it necessary to share with me that 2 of their friends had a birthday coming up, and some detailed information about their home lives. The cuteness was an absolute overload 😂. My final class was a Grade 2 Integrated Curriculum class (The Integrated Curriculum framework includes an emphasis on research and project based learning during instruction). Students were learning about the seasons and engaged in discussions with the teacher and each other to determine clothes worn and activities performed during different seasons. Students read from a printed resource to help determine facts to support their responses. 

During the admin/teacher debrief, we asked questions based on our areas of interest and our personal/professional perspectives. Regarding the curriculum, from Grade 8 upwards, the curriculum followed at the school is that prescribed by the government. All grades below Grade 8 use a curriculum created by the school and based on what they feel would most benefit students. Regarding parent/community involvement (my areas of interest), parents are required to volunteer 5 times a year and have helped build the school (parents who are carpenters, freemasons, gardeners, etc support the school with their skill and expertise). Certain mothers also serve as community leaders and liaisons between the school and the community. The school administration convenes parent focus group meetings where support is provided to parents as needed. After the debrief, we were invited to eat lunch with the students in the cafeteria; a thrilling idea because thai brought us closer to the students who fervently asked that we sit with them at their class tables. Unfortunately we could not, as we were instructed to sit at a reserved table for the duration of lunch. I also think it would seem unfair to students at other tables if we sat with only certain groups of students… logistics and Social Emotional Learning/awareness are a constant consideration in school spaces! I did enjoy the experience of washing hands at the same place as the students, standing in line to grab our trays and have the ‘lunch lady’ scoop our meal (chola-a chickpea sort of porridge, a chapatti-type flatbread, a boiled egg and some sooji halwa-a semolina dessert popular in India).

It is worth mentioning that the hallways and most walls of the school were covered in student-created art, and the school grounds are surrounded by the most gorgeous and enveloping trees. I can only imagine the sensory imprint created by an environment surrounded by nature and authentic/meaningful art. Perhaps this is meaningful to me because trees and greenery are soothing and grounding for me personally, but I must not be too off the mark, because developers and town planners in cities and towns across America take care to identify/include green spaces in neighborhoods and community spaces. I would imagine that students in this setting would conceptualize school as a calming, structured learning environment that showcases student work and instills a sense of pride and ownership in the school community. This idea of local creativity was further supported by our evening trip to a local crafters market called Chitra Santhe. We perused the impressive showcasing of ceramic work, locally designed and crafted jewelry, kurtas (tunics), pashminas and stoles, leather purses and bags, incense and spices and an array of other beautifully crafted wares. It was definitely a good day for Indian/local creativity.