Before we’re allowed to teach anything, we have teacher training. School is closed at NIRMAN in the months of May and June for the summer, so teacher training is ideally situated in the end of June. Having come in a little late, everyone else has been trained on various issues that I have not discussed. Onto the main point of discussion: what are rules? According to our discussion, rules are things that “must be followed,” and, if not followed, will have consequences. One difference that arose between Indian and American schooling styles was discipline. While in American schools, we have detention for wrongdoers, NIRMAN teachers are expected to only lightly reprimand children, without even accusing them of doing anything wrong (in the style of “if you did something wrong, you should not do it again”).
Another difference that existed is probably just from the existence of NIRMAN, but is interesting nonetheless. At NIRMAN, they don’t use erasers. The reasoning: when children have access to erasers, they just erase, erase, erase. Not only does this make the eraser disappear quickly, but it also wastes time. Additionally, by not using erasers, children have to become more comfortable with the fact that they will make mistakes, and thus, instead of obsessing over their mistakes and wasting time, students don’t use erasers.
Other things accomplished today: bought 3 suits of fabric and went to the tailor. These will be done by next Monday probably. Two are going to look pretty standard, but one of them is pretty crazy. Just wait for some sweet pics.
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