On teachers and teaching

The NY Times article this morning on Charter Schools started me thinking about teachers and what is good teaching. Are we preparing our teachers to educate children's minds or train them for careers? Neoliberal policies are making it more and more challenging to prepare and be the kind of teachers who will help children become successful human beings first and then successful professionals second. J. Krishnamurti reminds us that "In our relationship with children and young people, we are not dealing with mechanical devices that can be quickly repaired, but with living beings who are impressionable, volatile, sensitive, afraid, affectionate; and to deal with them we have to have great understanding, the strength of patience and love". The quickly-acquired technical knowledge and use of assessment tools, rubrics and check lists serve to evaluate the least important facets of children's development and growth. The act of real teaching requires dedication, commitment and a deep understanding of the teaching-learning process that can't happen in two years. It takes time, patience, practice, dedication and a mind open to growth and self-improvement to be a good teacher...

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/27/education/at-charter-schools-short-careers-by-choice.html?pagewanted=all




Cultural Worldviews Shape Parenting and Teaching Styles

There is a brand new study on the Culture of the American Family that was just done by a team at The Institute of Advanced Studies for Culture out of the University of Virginia that highlights four primary Parenting Styles. I served on the Academic Advisory Council of this study for the last three years and have particpated in discussions as this cross-national study was initiated and brought to fruition. The findings were released yesterday at a Press Conference and are mentioned in the Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/15/which-kind-of-parent-are-you_n_21376...

The most interesting point made is that parenting "is not a system you choose, but an outgrowth of who you are; you don't select it as much as you let it find you. What is "good" parenting depends on the life you've lived and the values you hold".

That, to me, reinforces the directions of my own scholarship: the powerful role of culture and worldview on how we choose to parent or teach. It is hard to pick up a guide or read a book to become the kind of parent or teacher you wish to be. There are forces that run stronger and deeper than an intellectual understanding of how we're expected to conduct ourselves as parents or teachers within a given climate or zeitgeist. Our practices as a parent or teacher are profoundly influenced by the way we internalized these roles through our own socio-cultural-historical experiences. Our practices are profoundly informed by the values we prioritize most.

"Why do we all look at this same role -- parenting -- and see so many different and disparate ways? It is because, this school of thought argues, we are all looking out through different windows, and therefore looking onto entirely different worlds".

It is because of these different windows of understanding that, although we look at the same view we see different images. Our understanding of good teaching is shaped by the image we have of who a child is or who a teacher is. Thus teaching and learning are processes that are specifically shaped by cultural worldviews.

I will discuss this more in my next post.

Shopping for Preschools

On one hand, the onset of Spring brings blossoming tulips and magnolias here in the north-east, heralding the approach of warmer, longer, sunnier days. On the other hand, it brings the much dreaded admissions decision season in New York City as pre-schools, nursery schools, and kindergartens in the city begin the process of informing parents whether their child was admitted or rejected or wait-listed. The season becomes joyful if the news is good, and can become colder and greyer than winter if families get a rejection letter. 

The admissions season begins in early Fall, or even  late summer, as embarking on school tours and completing application forms seem to take up every waking moment of parents of  toddlers as they strive for that "best" preschool for the beloved apple of their eyes. I can only remind families that there is no one "best" school. Rather, the school that is right for your toddler is the one that works best for you as a family. As a former Director of Admissions of an Upper West Side Independent Nursery/Kindergarten school for ten years I was interviewed on how to shop for preschools and the points I made at that time still hold good. As parents of toddlers prepare to launch into next year's admissions season they might want to take a deep breath and read the pointers which I have briefly presented here so that they can ask the right questions when shopping for Preschools:

Environment - Is the general school and classroom environment bright, spacious, airy, welcoming and child-friendly? Do you see a lot of diversity in th school amongst teachers as well as children? Is the school welcoming of diverse families? Are there indoor and outdoor spaces where young children can learn and play? Do the classrooms allow ample space for the children to move around throughout the day? Are there multiple play areas in each classroom that allow for diverse activities such as Reading and Writing, Art and Painting, Dramatic Play and Housekeeping, Construction and Block Play, Sand and Water Play, and so forth. 

Teachers - Are the teachers and staff well-qualified and experienced? Are the group sizes small and are there an adequate number of teachers in each classroom? What about teachers' demeanor and approach to children - Are the they engaged in play with the children or are they merely supervising? What is the teacher turnover rate?

Curriculum - What is the educational philosophy underlying the pedagogy and curriculum - Progressive, Reggio Emilia, Bank Street, Montessori, Waldorf? Is the school philosophy in sync with your parenting philosophy? Is it a play-based approach to learning or a more traditional academic approach or somewhere in between? Are there plenty of hands-on activities for children to engage with around the classroom or are they spending more time sitting at tables? Is the curriculum culturally responsive - do teachers welcome the inclusion of children's racial ethnic, religious and linguistic backgrounds to inform and enrich the curriculum and their teaching? Does the school make an attempt to get to know your child before they start school? Are there any specialty teachers in the school for Art, Music and Movement, Literacy? Most importantly - do the children look ACTIVELY ENGAGED and HAPPY?? 

Calendar and Schedule - Does the school's annual and daily schedule work for you as a family in terms of drop-offs, pick-ups, and holidays? If both parents are working will the school offer an early drop-off or a late pick-up? Are there substantial after school activities for your child? 

Affordability - A preschool does not have to break your bank. There are expensive good schools but also moderately priced good schools. Is the school tuition affordable for you as a family? Does the school offer a sliding scale fee, or a payment plan spread over the year, or any financial assistance?

Access - To conserve time and energy as a family it is advisable to look for a preschool near your place of residence. Over time it is easier and more sustainable if the preschool commute is easy for the parents and for the child. 

The above are just some of the points to keep in mind while shopping for a preschool. I am including a link below to a PBS article where you can get more important information on this topic.


In conclusion I want to reiterate once more what I have already emphasized earlier - there is no one "best" school. Rather, the school that is right for your child is the one that works best for you as a family.


Schooling in the Maldives

The political turmoil in the Maldives with the ousting of its president earlier this month reminded me of my recent visit to that beautiful island country while on a Fulbright Grant. I was conducting a research study on the influence of globalization on pre-primary and primary teacher education in South Asia.

The Maldives is an Islamic archipelago of 1,192 islands and about 400,000 people is not only a delicately balanced ecological system but was also experiencing the growing pains of a new democracy. An important development in the Maldives has been the new constitution written in 2008, and a president who came to power in 2008 after democratic elections were held for the first time in 30 years. This political change considerably influenced current educational practices. The Maldives was one of the countries included in my study. I have written about the beauty of the Maldivian sea and sky earlier in the blog. Here I want to describe one of the primary schools I visited. I am choosing to write about this particular school because of the student elections that were taking place during the time of my visit. Undoubtedly, the concept of elections and voting was new to Maldivian schools and society. The following excerpt is taken from field notes that I kept during my research:

"This is a government primary school that runs from Grades 1-8. The principal took us around on a guided tour. First thing that strikes you is how clean and neat the school environment is. The building is large, three storied, spacious open classrooms and open hallways, colorful, with lots of motivational and inspirational posters and slogans. Big emphasis on values: Fairness, Trustworthiness, Respect, Citizenship, Caring, Cleanliness, etc on staircases and hallway walls. Outside the school there is a large board with a proverb about thoughts and actions and character and destiny, which resembles other eastern philosophies such as Hinduism and Buddhism that I had encountered in other South Asian countries. The first grade classrooms are buzzing with two teachers and about 17-30 students each. There are four rooms and all of them are studying a unit on Family. Each classroom has a shoe shelf outside and all the students take their shoes off before entering the classroom. Their shoes and clean and polished, and their white uniforms are clean, washed and ironed. The students seem engaged and busy – both girls and boys. There are slogans for each grade level: The first grade slogan is Reading is Fun, the second grade slogan is Read to Lead; the third grade slogan is Dream Big, Learn More. The children in this grade level are grouped into groups named after sea creatures – lobsters, sea horse, jelly fish, etc. The medium of instruction in all schools is English but the local langauge, Dhivehi, is also used extensively.Elections for the school presidents (one boy and one girl) will be held tomorrow and there are 239 candidates in all. Students as well as teachers will be voting. Only one day is allowed for campaigning and today all the candidates have their poster and photo up on the hall-way walls.  Since space is such a commodity in the Maldives and especially Male (about 100,000 people live on island which is less than 2 square kilometers in area) all schools have two-three shifts daily in order to accommodate all the children in the city. Since classrooms are shared by multiple groups each day, students cannot leave their books in their classroom and have to carry them to and fro between home and school each day".