"How can the teacher teach a topic when she herself doesn't know much about it?"

VK has accompanied us on all our school visits and been part of our meetings with different NGOs as we explore our options for the community school in this rural area. A few trips ago, VK and I spent a three hour long ride from the airport to the hotel discussing the needs of this area-the schools, economy, politics...I liked her calm analysis of the facts and her ability to understand different perspectives without veering to either extreme.

My friend and I particularly like how VK joins us in our meetings. She pulls up a chair and takes in all the information-especially our talks on what we look for in our teachers, our methodology and of course our philosophy. 

Last week VK wanted us to visit her children's school and okay-ed it with the school officials. My friend and I were very impressed with the staff and students. The teachers were working under constraints because the management didn't really understand that schools have other necessities beyond textbooks and blackboards.. But they took pride in their work and obviously enjoyed it.

On our drive back VK and I fell into a discussion. "But Madam, I am not too sure about how well the teachers are prepared to teach. My older child's homework was to write the names of five vegetables in English. The teacher taught them four names but she herself didn't know the fifth. So she has taught the students to write dhoodhi (bottle gourd) in English. My child's learning is affected by the teacher's limited knowledge base. 


I am not that well educated and I want my children to have better opportunities. I eat less to be able to save money for their school fees and extras. But if we don't have access to proper training, our teachers can't really do their job properly. Even if my children go to an "English Medium" school they don't learn to read, speak and write fluently in English. I practice my English on the tourists who come here and then go home and speak in English. At least then they'll get used to hearing and understanding the language!"

How many of us realize that English as a medium of instruction doesn't necessarily improve the child's fluency in that language? Except for a very small percentage of our population, all of us start as English Language Learners. Are our teachers aware of this? Are they equipped to handle this aspect of their job? Do the educational departments in our states understand the concept of building up on English Language Skills by connecting it to the child's dominant language?

Ms. S