A New Direction at New Creation

Well ... things changed a bit today. Quite possibly, they changed a lot. Thus far, I have been working in English classes in 2nd, 4th and 8th grade classes. In the 2nd grade class I have been in charge of story time at the beginning of class which has been a wonderful experience. Thanks to years of theatre classes in high school, I may have a future in 2nd grade story telling ( : I have basically been co-teaching the 4th grade class. The teacher, Mala, and I have been planning the class together usually toward the beginning of the class. We have really been a team. It reminds me of the time I spend working with Heather while she and I were interning with our church's Junior High Youth Group last Summer. I have really been pouring myself into the kids of the 8th grade class, though. I do a little bit of teaching when Shankar can't be there, and I say a little bit here and there. What I spend most of my time doing in the 8th grade class, however, is taking the students out one-on-one and getting to know them better. I have also observed other classes of theirs and really begun to form a close bond with them.



Today it all changed.



I am hoping to retain as much of the time I spend in these classes as possible, however, I believe that I will be giving up one period with the 8th graders (rather than spending time in both their English and Social Studies classes, I'll probably just be in the Social Studies one). The principal and one of the curriculum developers (I have no idea what her actual title is, so that's just what I'll call her) have asked me to work with two of their math teachers. One teaches 5th grade math; the other teaches 6th through 8th grade math. For the last 8 years or so, they have been asking them to change the way they teach, but they simply have been unable. For some reason, they believe that I, an inexperienced teacher with lots of great training, can turn it all around in a month and a half. Actually, whether or not they believe that, they're going to try it. They said they would "sac" (fire) these teachers if they could, but there's no one to take their place. I have seen the way one of them teach, and it is very difficult to watch. I would put a video of it up on YouTube, but I think that would be quite unfair to the teacher ( :


Esentially, there is no space for the kids to actually learn. The math teachers talk for the entire 45 minutes, run through far too much material in a very short amount of time, do not allow any time for questions, and do not allow the students to figure out anything on their own. The students are simply not learning the math because they are not given the space to learn. Students need to explore, discover, talk with each other, try alternate methods, be active, play with things, write down their ideas, work with one another, and so much more. None of this is happening in these classes from what little I have seen and from what the principal and curriculum developer have told me. I'm not entirely sure what they expect me to do, a young, shaggy guy from the States, but I'll try. I just don't think that either teacher will really listen to me.



Here's my plan, though. Ron, an alumnus from Antioch college in Vermont (he got his Masters in Education for Kindergarten through 8th grade) and I will work with both of these teachers. We will help them plan, model lessons for them in the direction that the principal and curriculum developer are asking them to go, and observe and make comments on lessons they teach in the same way. I am hoping to focus on trying a couple of new, simple types of activities that they can find in the students' textbooks. I do not have any hope of completely changing the way a 20-year-veteran teacher teaches, nor do I want to. Instead, I would like to introduce them to a couple of new tactics that I have recently learned (and that rocked my world a bit) that they can use and that may facilitate more change in them later. I don't know what those tactics will be yet, I need to look in their textbook. It sounds like a lot of work, so I probably will be spending even less time Blogging (especially since I am spending more time with Roy's kids as well). I am not sure how all this will work out, but I am willing to try. I am just hoping that it doesn't take away from the work I am already doing here. I will certainly be knocking on Jean's door, asking for help in this matter.



I do love the work that I'm doing here. Personally, as an individual volunteer, I am expendable for sure. That goes a long way toward keeping me humble, but I still have so much I can do and add here. As part of a whole, however - that is, educated volunteers from various institutions around the world bringing new ideas about education - I do not believe that I am expendable. There is a really neat work being done here. Children from the village are receiving far better an education than they would be otherwise. Auroville isn't so bad after all ( :



Just a few new pictures today. Can you blame me after posting like 300 on Monday?!? If you haven't already, check out the last post for lots of good pictures and videos. Anyway, these new ones are from New Creation Corner (a pizza joint) and from tonight when there was a breathtaking sunset. The sunset photos are actually a bit disappointing. They don't even get close to capturing it. Here's the link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/magicalmatt/Extras#

I look forward to letting you know how this whole new direction goes. Please pray that someway, somehow God will receive the credit for the work I do here, that people will be drawn to Jesus as a result of what I do. It seems so impossible to me, but I know that it's not.