Day 5: Private School in Hosur (TVS Academy)

Tess Raley After seeing two completely different educational formats in Chennai, we were very open-minded about the private school we would observe in Hosur. Simply put: this school is phenomenal! The strength of their foundations and execution of their philosophies were clear to see even though class was not taking place!
On Saturday's, TVS does teacher workshops and training. This leaves older students to work on projects, art, or music with volunteers from this community. This incorporates one of the school's biggest beliefs: if the community and household are not sending the same message as the school, the child will not reach their full potential. These children are given so many more educational freedoms than at the other schools. The presence of questions was the first thing that caught my attention. The teacher may ask a student a direct question and expect a well thought out answer and vise versa! This compared to the listen-and-repeat method of the other schools was truly remarkable.

The presence of art in this school was absolutely breathtaking. Each grade (or standard) will do a piece of art to display on the walls of the school. This way of preserving their culture is also enhanced by their field trips to temples and historic sites which appears to give these children a better sense of community with their society. Many students at the first schools wanted to study in the U.S.A., while children here said that they would like to visit but India is their one true home.

The school started using aptitude tests for the students three years ago, and has since supported a variety of career aspirations. In addition to being doctors, teachers, and engineers, these children expressed desires to pursue archaeology, journalism, art, law, design, writing, athletics, etc. And even though these desires are simply baby steps toward more passionate educations, it is a step towards more balanced education.
These Children know up to 5 languages, are informed about world issues, and take extreme pride in their culture and education. Most of the questions they asked us were comparative and the fact that they knew and could describe the subjects of psychology and anthropology delighted Mikela and myself.

We will return to TVS on Monday to observe the everyday classrooms, and I cannot wait to return!