My Fulbright Travel Blog Adventures:
The announcement
My Host city: Team Hyderabad
While in India, our cohort split up into different regions for a week's stay. Stationed in New Delhi, we had to venture off and meet our host cities and spend time with various school communities spread across India's terrains and landscapes. I had the most incredible time with my host teacher Ms. Deepa, who was also Fulbright alum to the US. In addition, I was partnered with certified baddie Marilyn Pryle, otherwise known as 2019 Pennsylvania State Teacher of the Year. Take a listen to my vlog and enjoy the magic of the images below. Oh dearest India, I pray for a swift return.
My guiding question reflection:
My guiding question that I took to India with me was: Is there presence of Culturally Responsive Practices and Civic Responsibility in India? My questions expanded to look something like this list below that I attempted to examine in my time with the India to US Fulbright Alum and my host city in Hyderabad.
- Is there evidence of disrupting the text?
- What does teacher diversity look like?
- Is there acknowledgement of the importance of Sustainable Development Goals?
- Is there evidence of civic responsibility and calls to action for students?
- Is India celebrating the heroes or what they called "Freedom Fighters" in their curriculum when it seems appropriate and even necessary?
And the quick answer is yes and no. In my host city, Hyderabad, we came during a time where there were multiple assemblies and school community sessions where students and staff gathered together as a whole unit. There I saw issues of mental health being brought forth and definite allegiance to the Indian flag and culture.
In addition, we were able to drop in on a science fair where the students were so innovative and were addressing issues like climate change, clean water, and fair access to nutritious foods. There I saw the presence of addressing SDG's like everyone's hair was on fire. I just loved it. There were so creative, willing to share their ideas and inventions, and there was just so much energy in the space for me and my colleague Marilyn to navigate.
In addition, in conversations with some of the teachers and school administrators, it was clear that they desire to continue to fuse in culturally responsive practices as much as they can and will continue to offer their students as many opportunities to do so in their studies and extra-curricular activities.
For example, we did go on a field trip with them where we visited the school for the deaf. This was such a powerful experience because you can tell the kids really were moved by the deaf students and their language of sign. It was such an opportunity for them to see that all students can learn, regardless of any set back or disability. This shed light on the social issues and challenges that the disabled community is facing in Hyderabad, and this was memorable for the students and myself.
As far as teacher diversity, there is strong representation of Indian educators, but interestingly NO other ethnicity is represented. This makes it so reverse than here in the states. There is little diversity in our teacher workforce even though our student population represents so many different cultures other than Caucasian. Locals kept wanting to take pictures with my cohort and I because we seemed so out of place and like celebrities because we came in different shades.
Though a quick examination, there is always so much more work to be done to make our classrooms, even international ones, more equitable, inclusive, and just. This was definitely an eye-opening experience for me, and it was an honor to engage this examination with them.