I am amazed that we have completed are first week teaching in India! This week was full of lots of new faces, experiences and becoming more acclimated with DPS. As the week progressed, I found myself feeling more comfortable in the classroom and taking more initiative in teaching lessons. I spent most of my time this week teaching in the Kindergarten block with students from Kindergarten through second grade in a resource room. In this resource room, there are three teachers who are each teaching groups of 10-15 students at the same time. I have learned a lot from these teachers of about the importance of collaboration and being self-reflective. Due to the teachers all working in the same room, the teachers are constantly collaborating with each other on lesson plans and how to deal with certain students. I haven’t ever been in a school where special educators are this collaborative but instead in the U.S teachers are more isolated in their own classrooms. Additionally, I have learned a lot from the Resource teachers on the importance being self-reflective on yourself as an educator and constantly adjusting lessons in order to better support your students. For example, one of the teachers taught a lesson to a new group of students on place value and after the lesson approached me asking how I thought it went. She was genuinely interested in how to improve her teaching and better explain the concept to her students in a fun, interesting way. I have learned that as an educator it is vital to constantly be reflective about your teaching and be ok with making mistakes. I would like my future school that I teach in to place a strong emphasis on collaboration and self-reflection. I have enjoyed every second spent in the classroom working with the teachers and teaching the students. Additionally, I have felt very welcomed by the teachers at DPS-North and included in the school environment. The teachers at DPS-North are so eager to learn about the Special education system in the states and how it is structured. For example, DPS-North had an Autism empowerment program for the parents to gain more tools to support their children and feel more included in the school environment. An expert on Autism came to DPS to give this presentation and I learned so much from this program on how to better support these students. Then at the end of her presentation, the principal asked me to come up to give my opinions on how to work with children who have Autism and my viewpoints on special education. It was amazing to see how much the teachers valued my input and my own experiences working with students who have disabilities. I am so lucky to be able to teach in a different cultural setting and am excited to bring back the new teaching practices that I have learned back to the states. I have learned so much already from this experience thus far and am excited for the next week of teaching. 

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Wow! What a week! I can honestly say that because of this week, and this entire experience, I am going to be so much more confident in the classroom this upcoming year, and for every year to follow! I have always felt like a leader but I never knew how well I would be at leading a classroom full of 10 year olds (especially in a foreign country). Will they listen to what I say? Will they understand what I’m trying to teach them? Will they view me as a friend instead of a role model? Will they take me seriously? These are all questions that popped in my head at the beginning of the week. On Monday, I was told that I would have the opportunity to teach a lesson on my own, which I was SO excited about, but also so scared.

Put simply, it was amazing! Now, this doesn’t mean that every lesson I taught went exactly how I imagined. Of course I had to remind students to raise their hands for what seemed like every 30 seconds…and of course I was interrupted while explaining directions…and of course I was pushed to explain things differently than I’m used to. But I made so many strong relationships with my students. I remember a handful of students’ names in each class (names are hard for me so this is HUGE!). And the students were not only getting the correct answers, but they were able to explain their thinking and reasoning. To me, that is what teaching is all about. I have realized that a successful teacher doesn’t mean a teacher that follows his or her lesson plan perfectly. A successful teacher is someone who makes a positive influence in his or her students lives and I can honestly say I feel I was successful in doing that this week.

I have so many stories to share from this week that I don’t even know where to begin (ask my mom, she’s heard them ALL!). I have been placed in multiple third, fourth, and fifth grade classes teaching English. One student told me I had “really good English”. Oh thanks! That’s so good to know! Another student told me he had the “exact same house, car, and dog as me”. No way!! All three!?! Other students want any excuse they can get to talk with me! They will hear one student ask where I’m from and then immediately follow and ask the same question. While walking the hallways, every single student, I mean EVERY. SINGLE. STUDENT waves and says hello. It is so welcoming, friendly, and immediately puts a huge smile on my face! To be honest, I’m a bit nervous to teach back in America because I don’t think the students will be nearly as excited as they are here in India.

On Wednesday, I felt like I had the worst lesson ever. I couldn’t get the students to listen, sit in their seat, or stop talking. I felt so defeated. I talked with my host teacher after the lesson and asked her for feedback. She told me she thought it went amazing! She said the attention getters I was using, my voice level, and staying calm went so well and that it is only normal for the students to be excited since I am still new to them. She said it will take practice and time. I had another lesson to teach immediately after and I didn’t let my past lesson get in the way of giving it my all! I stayed strong and could feel myself leading the class confidently. I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to feel this way in a safe environment and experiment with different strategies and techniques.

This week reassured me that I could not have chosen a more perfect or fitting profession. I am so excited to continue experimenting as a teacher and learning from my mistakes and successes. I’m so excited for Week 3, let’s do this!

This last week, I have had an interesting perspective when it came to trying out the food here: a digestive issue. Nothing too serious as it’s already passed, but it definitely limited my performance when it came to trying new things and being present during meals. The culture’s emphasis on sharing meals reflects their welcoming attitude in their communities, something that’s similar but different than in the United States. In America, meals are a staple of our time at home and going out to eat is a common activity, but the emphasis on sharing homemade foods, connecting with the food, using your whole body, mind, and soul to connect with all the food at all the times.

This philosophy also carries over into their education system.

Replace the food with information and learning. The school systems here are heavily built upon the idea of sharing information, coming together in harmony to engage the information with your whole mind, body, and soul.

And it’s heavily exemplified in Vidyashilp academy.

At Shilp, all of the students are asked to partake and engage in academia in all different ways. They are asked to examine their own education, their own interests, their own skill development, and it shows that it renders amazing results through their organization skills, retention skills, and interest for learning.

Their engagement and well-rounded interest levels are only boosted by the ShilpDew and Encounter programs- the newsletter opens up a dialogue between the students and allows for their work to be peer reviewed and examined, and helps frame their interests in an academic way; the debate program invites them to build stances on policies, events, and the future, defend those stances, and dialectically come up with questions regarding those stances.

I sat and had a conversation with an 11^th grade student who had spent a significant time of their life in Dubai.

“I was born in Bangalore, and grew up here a little, but I did most of my studies in Dubai,” they explained to me that the school system they went to had a lot of students from a lot of different countries. This student spoke English well, but has developed a kind of makeshift accent from being exposed to so many languages most of their life. “I don’t really get problems from anyone about it; my friends tease me that I’m not from India or that I don’t sound Indian, but I am from here. I am from Bangalore.”

They went on to explain to me that having an outside perspective on the growth of Bangalore has been interesting to see, how when they were a lot younger Bangalore was a lot smaller and a lot less busy. I asked them how old they were: “I’m turning 17 soon.” I asked them what they wanted to be when they grew up, “I want to get into Engineering. But I feel like everyone here wants to do that. There’s a good Engineering school in Germany, but I wouldn’t want to come back to Bangalore, I don’t think.” When I asked them why, they explained to me that they wanted to take their Bangalore experiences and apply them to the rest of the world.

I’m hoping that when I get back to Mizzou, I can do the same.

It has been an amazing two weeks in India. As I grow more comfortable in my surroundings, it is amazing to grow in my sense of freedom. Being able to go out with a few others and being able make our way through the city on our own is something that is amazing to experience. It is interesting to walk around and take in the sights of the city. As I think and reflect on the past two weeks, I think about how this experience is something that will make a lasting impact on my life. There are so many wonderful things going on in the city, it is such a green city. The restaurants and shops have reusable products or products that are not made of plastic. It is amazing to see that a big city is creating a climate for green change. 

Being in the schools and having a set class and teacher is amazing. I am learning so much from the experience and being able to interact with the students and teachers. This past week I was able to prepare and teach two lessons, and it is different. In the US, my lessons were something that involved group work and activities, however when planing my lesson here is stemmed from the textbook. It is something that I believe is helpful to reflect on as an educator and seeing how different students react to different types of lessons. It was hard at first, however as I reflected during my lesson planning process it was clear to me that the students are in a different learning environment than I am used to and that it is important to meet the needs of the students. Another process was actually teaching the lesson. It is difficult keeping the interest of 38 four and a half year olds. It is also difficult to keep the interest of 38 second standard students. Some of the students that I taught the lesson to, it was my first time in their classroom. They did not know me, and the way the class is run is different than what I was used to. A chorus of “Mam!” was exclaimed every time a student had something to say. This takes some getting used to, it is also just amazing to see the thoughts of the students. They shout out whatever comes to mind on the topic. It is an environment where learning is always taking place and the students are actively engaged with their thoughts on the topic. 

Yesterday and today were amazing experiences. We went to the movies to see Toy Story 4 and the movie experience was something totally different than what I have ever experienced. Before the movie, the Indian national anthem played and everyone stood at attention as it played. In addition to the national anthem, exactly halfway through the movie there was an intermission. Something that was great for those who needed to get more snacks or use the restroom. It was an amazing experience to have. Today we went to a market and it was an amazing way to see the way people shop here. During our time at the market, we were able to bargain for lower prices and see so many different things. Before the market, we were able to visit a temple and participate in a puja. Being in the temple and seeing the beautiful altars and the service is an experience I will never forget. These weeks are helping me live in the moment and grow as an educator and person. 

It’s hard to believe that I’ve already spent two amazing weeks here in Bangalore. To be honest, I was nervous this week was going to be a long one. I felt that our routine was so monotonous. Wake up, go to school, come home, eat dinner, and do it all over again the next day. I would always feel tired in the morning and maybe a little crabby, but by the time I got to school and made a connection with one of the students, I remembered why I came here in the first place. For the kids! I have loved getting to know and learn something new from them each and every day. I made a seating chart to help me memorize all 41 unique and challenging names that are so different than what I’m used to pronouncing. One of my favorite parts about this week was teaching my class “Hangman” and “Heads Up Seven Up”. I have never seen a group of children get so excited about such silly time filler activities.

Another great part from this week was getting to teach my first lesson. It was on English grammar, specifically, articles (a, an, and the). I couldn’t be more pleased with how it went and how well the students were able to participate and remain engaged throughout the entirety of the lesson. One thing that I have struggled with is classroom management. In the United States, my classrooms consist of 18-23 students. Controlling the attentions of 41 little minds is incredibly challenging. However, I have taught them several ways for me to grab their attention. For example, clapping to some sort of rhythm and having them repeat it, raising my hand and them “zipping” their mouths shut, and simply not speaking until everyone is silent. The students seem to love these little tricks and some have started telling me to, “Do the claps,” when they notice the classroom is getting too noisy. I hope that my teacher utilizes these techniques after I’m gone because they are so effective.

Although it’s only been two weeks, I feel like our group is becoming more and more equipped with daily life. We’ve finally gained confidence in walking across the busy traffic by sticking our hands out and just hoping that the cars will stop. So far, so good! We’ve been trying new restaurants and even saw Toy Story 4 yesterday. Everything was the same, minus singing the National Anthem at the beginning of the movie, having an intermission halfway through, and the English subtitles. However, I’m still learning the lay of the land and trying to accept the fact that I’ll never fully “blend in”.

I think the most challenging part for me this week was living in the moment. I’ve noticed that I’m constantly looking forward to the next activity, the weekend, or how many days until I get to see my friends and family. While I’m busy thinking about what’s to come, I’m missing out on everything in front of me. I am in India, shaping the future of our world (and exploring that world at the same time!), and that’s pretty flipping awesome. See you next week!

Last Friday the plane landed in a Bangalore and I could barely believe I was actually here, after all the planning and packing. I had seen pictures and heard stories, but I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. Before coming I heard so much about all the traffic. We arrived in Bangalore early in the morning, so one would think the traffic would not be that bad. As soon as we got in our bus and drove away from the airport the hustle and bustle began. This city is always on the move. It’s filled with so many different things. From the stray dogs, roaming cattle and rickshaws buzzing around, there is so much going on all the time. It’s hard to find the words to describe, the somehow organized chaos of Bangalore traffic. It was definitely the first form of cultural shock that I experienced. When I return back to the United States, I don’t think I’ll ever complain about traffic. After getting through the first crazy traffic experience, we arrived at Casa Cottages where we we’re staying. I don’t think I knew what it felt like to be as tired as I was after all that travel. That being said after I rested up the first day, I was ready to explore the city. We spent the whole Saturday touring the city, from the Summer Palace to the Bull Temple, we got to experience a lot of Bangalore.

Exploring the city was great, but I was most excited to get into the classroom. On Monday and Tuesday we went to all the schools that we will be placed at and got a tour. Vidyashilp is the school that I will be at for the next six weeks. When we toured Vidyashilp, I got to learn more about the curriculum that was offered and I fell in love with it. Shilp has a very innovative way of thinking about education. They let the students be creative and think outside of the box rather than forcing them to think the same way the teacher thinks. For example, in some of the lessons that I have observed, the teacher will put just one or two concepts on the board, that will allow the student to start generating thoughts. Rather than the teacher telling the students at the beginning of class what they are going to learn today, they guide the student so they can be forming their own understanding of the concept. One thing I noticed about the atmosphere of the school is that the students are so happy. When I walk down the halls laugher fills the air. They are all seem so excited to learn. The students we’re all so welcoming. As soon I walked into the first classroom, they we’re so excited. They asked a million questions and even wanted my autograph. They we’re all amazed that I was an American. I have already gained so much cultural knowledge and experience, in the just the short time that I have been here. I can’t wait to see what the next five weeks hold for me. I’m excited to continue growing as and individual and an educator.

10 days later and we completed our first week in India. It feels great to be back here but a little off since my friend and her family is not here with me. The 20 hour plane ride did not get easier though. So far I am loving Bangalore. The weather is nice and not as hot as Delhi, the food is amazing, and the people are so friendly. The city is so rich in colors, sounds and smells. While walking down the street, your senses are overloaded with the smells of fresh mangoes and street food, the bright colors of the clothing vendors, the sounds of honking horns and squawking birds, and the feel of the unstable sidewalk sections. Bangalore is an unfamiliar yet familiar place. The senses remind me of my past visits but there is an element of being in a new city that is exciting and fresh.

The first few days here we did some sight-seeing excursions. We visited Commercial Street, government buildings, temples, traditional restaurants, an old palace, and Lalbagh Botanical Gardens. Commercial street is the place to shop in Bangalore. You can find almost anything you want here: clothes, shoes, food, luggage, etc. It was a bustling and crowded outside shopping area. While taking rickshaws around the city, we stopped to admire The Department of Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs building and the Karnataka High Court. We visited two temples so far on our trip, the Bull Temple and  Kote Sri Prasanna Venkataramana Swamy Temple. The temples provided an insight into the rich history and culture of India. Sometimes I forget how young our country is. The Kote Temple was older than the United States! After our visit to the temples, we ate a very traditional south Indian lunch at MTR. People were lined up outside to eat at the restaurant that was only open for a few hours a day for lunch. The servers kept bringing out different dishes and the pile on my plate kept growing because I couldn’t eat fast enough. We ambled out of MTR and walked down the street to Lalbagh Botanical Gardens. The garden was huge! There were so many different species of trees, plants and a mango market too. I had a mango slice and it was so sweet and juicy and convinced me to buy more on during the trip here.

The rest of the week we spent at the schools. The eight of us are divided between DPS North, DPS East, Vidyashilp Academy and AECS Magnolia. We toured each school and met with the principals.These schools were nothing like schools back home. They were small colleges with thousands of students. Vidyashilp even looked like a palace. Everyone was amazed at the school system here. Although they are very similar, there are some small differences like the curriculum, standards, and size. The students here are very eager to learn and have a level of respect for the teachers and the staff that I have not seen back home. For the past three days at DPS North, I have been floating around and observing different music classes in kindergarten, primary and senior blocks as well as special education class. The music program here is very different than back home but I loved my observation periods in the kindergarten block. I can’t wait to learn all about the program here and to take it back home with me.

This first week has been amazing so far and I am excited to get a schedule and start working with the kids at DPS North. I might start teaching piano and violin lessons as well. I am eager to know what the rest of the trip has in store!

Over the past week and a half, we have had many different experiences where I have had the opportunity to soak in the culture in India. We have done many things like touring Bangalore and also beginning our time at our respective schools. To be truthful, it has been extremely exhausting, but incredibly eye-opening.

When we arrived in Bangalore, one of the first things that I noticed was the traffic. Apparently, previous students who came on this trip always write about the traffic on their first blog post in India. Before coming here, I told myself I would avoid writing about it, but it is almost necessary to mention. I wish I could put into words how different and chaotic the constant flow of traffic is throughout the entire city. There are sometimes clear lanes on the road, but it seems as if nobody follows them. There are motorcycles, mopeds, cars, busses, cows, stray dogs, people, and rickshaws all weaving in and out of one another, honking, and staying about 3 inches away from each other. Although it all seems like chaos to us, I have realized that everybody here seems to have an understanding of how to safely maneuver through the traffic which is almost beautiful in a sense since it seems like a mess to outsiders.

Besides getting used to the traffic, our group has had many different experiences to learn and immerse into the Indian culture. We have been fortunate enough to see a few temples, a botanical garden, and eat at many different restaurants that serve traditional Indian food. All of these experiences so far have been incredible since it has given me an insight into the customs, manners, and traditions of this culture. Before coming to India, I truthfully did not know much about the culture, and I did not quite know what to expect. Being here for the past ten days has made me realize how different life is here in India compared to life in the United States. Although this has made me miss my home in the States, each day that I spend here, I truly see and appreciate the beauty of this country.

One of the biggest parts about being on this trip is to experience and learn from the schools that we are stationed at for the duration of the trip. For me, the school that I am learning from is AECS Magnolia. The first two days at the school, I was able to observe each of the elementary grades and compare it to how these grades are taught in the United States. In the school, I noticed that the kids are genuinely kids and they were all extremely excited to see me in their classrooms. When I observed the fifth-grade class, the kids seemed like they were probably third graders in maturity and physically. Academically, I noticed that the kids were learning content that was more advanced than the content that we teach students of the same age in the States. It made me realize how much potential kids have and in our American culture, we tend to think that kids cannot handle a higher level of thinking. In addition to this, in our culture tends to push our children to grow up fast. Here in India, they seem to try to value the student’s childhood.

On my third day at the school, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to teach a second-grade math class. It was unexpected as the teacher just told me to take the class even though I did not have a lesson prepared, but I took it as it was, and tried my best in teaching the kids. What was incredible was that even though I was scatterbrained and my lesson was improv, the children and the teacher in the room were excited and welcoming in hearing what I was teaching the students about place value. Although it was not the best lesson I have ever taught, it was a great experience to get up in front of the class and feel the excitement of learning from the students. On top of this experience, I have learned from observing the different subject teachers for the first and second grades. Although they are strict and they are more traditional in textbook teaching which differs with how we are taught in the United States, I have been able to take note of how they control a class of forty students, how they install the love of learning in their students, and how they are having success in the way that they are teaching their students. I am thankful to have the support of the teachers from Magnolia school and for the opportunity to learn from them during my time here in India.

Overall, this experience has been something I would never trade for the world. So far it has taught me a significant amount about a culture that I barely knew anything about. I am looking forward to learning more about the culture and learning how I can become a better educator for my future students in the United States.

It is hard to believe that we have already completed are first week in India. I have learned so much about the India educational system through visiting both “public” and “government” schools. In India, “public” schools are paid before by parents instead of in the U.S where public schools are free. While “Government” schools are free and are attended by students from poorer backgrounds. On Wednesday, I started my first day at Delhi Public School- Bangalore North and got acclimated with the school environment. I am so impressed with the inclusive environment for both students and staff with disabilities at DPS-BN. I was able to spend time with different special educators in the department. The first few days, I spent time in the primary block with two special educators who teach in a resource similar to U.S where students are pulled out during class periods to get extra support from the special educators. I was impressed by the teacher’s ability to think on their feet and the relationships each teacher had formed with their students. I was impressed with the amount of respect that these students had for their teachers and their eagerness to learn. I had so much fun talking with the students and answering their questions about America.  Additionally, I was able to observe one of the extended curriculum classes which is offered for students who have minimal learning gaps and is taught in smaller settings. The teacher said that students from these classes after given remedial help are always brought back into mainstream classes. It was interesting to see how they adjust curriculum for students who are struggling to bring them back to grade level. Additionally, during the first few days I was able to observe the music class which is taught by Ritvik who is visually impaired and his mother. The students were so attentive and excited to learn from them. I learned so much by speaking to his mom about Ritvik’s life. Ritvik has been singing since the age of two and he has a magnificent voice. He doesn’t know how to read but he can sing in eight languages. I was so impressed by Ritvik’s extraordinary talent and his mother’s fierce love for him. Finally, we were able to visit and teach at a government school. I taught a group of fifth graders singing songs like head, shoulders and playing games like Pictionary. The students were so bright and so excited to learn. They were so excited to meet Americans and learn about us.  I had the best time laughing, playing and teaching them. It was humbling experience visiting the government school and seeing the amount of limited resources. However, I could tell the staff who taught and worked with them were very passionate about the students whom they served. I doubt that I will ever forget that experience and those students for the rest of my life.  Being in India, has broadened my perspective on the world and how other people live. I have already learned so much thus far from this experience and am so excited to begin week two. 

Well, we did it! We made it through our first week here in India! This week has been full of so many new experiences, emotions, realizations, and learnings. From the moment I landed in India, everything was different. The food, the people, the culture, the cars, the traffic!!!, everything! I immediately took note of the traffic here in Bangalore. First off, they drive on the opposite side of the road which has taken some getting used to. Looking over and seeing a child in the passenger seat is sometimes a little scary until I remember that the driver sits on the right hand side. It seems as though there is no strict structure to driving here. Some roads have lanes but cars, busses, and Rick Shaws (the small vehicles that look like video game cars) seem to just weave in and out of everybody. It has taken some getting used to but the first couple days I couldn’t watch because I thought we were going to crash! Somehow I haven’t seen any accidents yet so it must work for them! I can barely cross the street here so I wouldn’t last long as a driver!

Another thing that immediately stood out to me here is the people. Everybody has been so welcoming and helpful. Sometimes a little more than I am used to! At stores, the people working constantly try to help by picking items they think we will like and hand it to us. I am used to only having help if I ask for it! The students and teachers at my school, AECS Magnolia, have been amazing! I will talk more in depth about that a little bit later. My taxi driver, to and from school every day, holds the door for me and is always on time. The hotel workers always are so helpful while we try to navigate a new place. Everybody has been so friendly! But I must mention, a lot of people stare as they see us. I truly think they are genuinely curious as for many of them we might be the only white or American person they have ever seen. Sometimes it can be uncomfortable because I am not used to that. America is such a diverse country that seeing people of different races or ethnicities is completely normal, but that is not the case here. This is especially true in the schools.

I have had the best experience so far at AECS Magnolia! The first thing I noticed was the students staring as I walked the hallways. Although they stare, they also wave and smile which shows they are excited to see somebody who looks a little bit different than them. Many students have “pet” my hair because they have never seen somebody with blonde hair before. It doesn’t seem that the populations at the schools are very diverse so seeing me walk through the schools is a big change for them. The curriculum at AECS Magnolia is very rigorous and focuses heavily on STEM. For the first couple days, I mainly observed the classes but I felt like I was learning right along the students! The 4th grade science classes were learning things I learned in college! It is so interesting seeing the students learn from such a strict curriculum at such a young age. One thing that surprised me is that there does not seem to be a lot of classroom management. The teachers often yell over the students to get them to stop talking. In America, we have different techniques and strategies to quite the students down. That is something I would like to share with the teachers so we can implement it into their schools!

This week has truly been an experience I will carry with me forever. Being immersed in such a new and different culture is such an important thing for me to experience as a future educator. India is such a beautiful and unique country but I am also so grateful to be from such diverse country like America! I’m so excited for Week 2, let’s do this!