First Day of Classes




My first class started at 8:40am and because I was told that traffic was so bad, I had a car pick me up at 6:45am. I got to the campus at 7:15am. The driver told me that the traffic does not start until 8am. I was there super early and just sat in the classroom and completed some work while I waited. At 8:15am students started to arrive and by 8:30 most of the students had arrived. 10 minutes before class was supposed to start. Now I know where I get my time obsession from! My first class had about 50 students in it. I felt a little like a celebrity in both my classes today. I was introduced as a History teacher of 13 years in the U.S. Most of the students are just starting out so they really appreciated having an "expert" in the audience. 

I was energized to be back in the classroom and listen to young folks talk about education and education policy. It is a whole different world in India and I realized that every country has their unique problem sets that need solving. One example is that after 1990 education in developing countries was a priority for organizations such as WHO (World Health Organization) and funds were given to education programs to educate all children. 

I have so much to learn and I am grateful for the guidance of Dr. Paik and looking forward to this journey in the classroom and in the field. I may even get to visit some schools in the villages and government schools. I could not have asked for a better mentor. She is kind, generous, and intellectually stimulating. She and I share many similarities in terms of our teaching styles by creating a space for everyone to learn from each other and facilitating the process. Dr. Paik has also asked me to teach a class on NCLB (No Child Left Behind) and wants me to teach it through our workshop model. I am very thrilled to have an opportunity to be in front of a class again. Every time we meet, we say we will meet for 1 hour and it is usually for 2+ hours. I am so appreciative for this opportunity.

Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 17, 2019 at 5:49 AM


    Wow. So inspirational! I’m just getting ready to leave for India on Monday. It’s good to read what you write about Delhi and Agra! So looking forward to seeing you all in Cochin. We will definitely be there from 1-7 March....Monica

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brinda TahilianiJanuary 18, 2019 at 7:15 AM

    We definitely will need to meet up in Cochin. It may have to be on March 1st b/c we leave on March 2nd. We are there from Feb. 23 to March 2nd. It will be great to see you.

    ReplyDelete

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