Teaching Techniques & Sarees

I'm really having an enjoyable time discovering the differences about teaching here in India. First of all, the students won't listen to me unless I act angry. In the US, I often use the "silent technique" of staring down my students until they quiet themselves. Here, that would never work. So I tried to tell the students firmly to be quiet. . . This didn't work very well either, and it slowly wore down my vocal chords. Finally, an edge of frustration began entering my voice. And suddenly, I got a reaction. So I used this technique a little more. Suddenly, every child was responding to my directives. In the US, I purposely don't let the children see my emotions. It encourages too many of them to act out even more if they see they're affecting the teacher. Here I have to act angry even if I'm not so that I get their attention.

It's also astounding to me how public shaming is used here. Naughty children are called up onto the stage during morning assembly, and teachers regularly viciously rip into the children. The other day I heard a teacher tell a parent that her daughter needs to lose weight, and the girl was standing right there! Instead of having a low self-esteem, however, I am continually impressed by how tough these kids are. They stand up and take the tongue lashings without even flinching.

I must admit, I'm using a bit of the shaming technique in my classes. . . Hey, while in Rome! And, confidentially speaking, it's sort of satisfying. For instance, if a student is day-dreaming or off-task, I'll ask him/her to answer the question that the class has been discussing. In most cases, the student can't answer, so I have him/her stay standing while I ask other students the same question. It's become sort of a game. I'll call on a few students that I know will say the correct answer, and then I'll go back to the weak student. Sometimes, he/she still can't answer so I'll call on a few more people. I don't allow the student to sit, however, until she/he says the right answer. It certainly puts the pressure on the student, particularly when he looks like an idiot when he still can't answer the question after it has been repeated 10 times.

Below is a photo from the morning assembly. KV Kanchanbaugh has approximately 850 students classes 1-12. They are in lines according to their class, sex, and height.

Today I wore a saree to school for the first time. Although I had learned how to wrap it the night before, I got insecure in the morning and asked my landlady to help me. I knew I would get a reaction at school, but the magnitude really staggered me. Everyone who saw me burst into a huge smile and congratulated me. I oozed with compliments. And I must admit, I did feel like a queen. Below is a photo of me with two of my favorite teachers. The one on the left is a physics teacher who doesn't take any nonsense from her students, and the one on the right is a Hindi teacher who giggles and squeezes my arm with delight every time she sees me in the morning. And please notice how I am NOT short in India!