Headline: "Janifer Bradbry Dodges Tough Questions"

My host school is understandably excited about the exchange, and we are all keen to spread the word about the Fulbright program and its goals to increase mutual understanding across cultures. Today's paper has a goofy picture of my and spells my name a myriad of ways. The version above is my favorite. So as I endured another round of interviews with local media outlets today, I kept telling myself that this was for the good of the school and the program. But it didn't keep me from feeling very tired at the end of the day.

Part of my exhaustion stems from the fact that I spent so much energy pushing back the words the reporters seemed keen to put in my mouth. That may sound a bit extreme, but some of the journalists are in line with public sentiment that India puts too much pressure on its students to perform. I find it a little odd that they saw fit to ask me, a teacher whose experience in the system is built upon all of five days, but I suppose they're just doing their jobs. So without knowing what's going to come out in the paper tomorrow, I thought I'd try and speak my peace now.

To be fair, students here do face pressures that their counterparts in the US don't on a wide scale. At the end of Grade 10, these student take a National exam. Their performance on that exam dictates what career paths will then be open to them. In the two final years of high school, students are placed in a stream--much like a major in college--in preparation for the challenges they'll face at University. At the end of Grade 12, the students take another national exam, this one deciding which schools will be open to them. The kids do acknowledge that its stressful, and the teachers--because the exams are so important--must carefully follow the nationally mandated curriculum. Also, a school like the Bhavan attracts Chandigarh's best and brightest. (It's important to note, however, that the Bhavan admirably maintains a special cell for students with disablities and a school for students living in poverty).

So when my students here have the impression that American high schools are easier, they're partially right. But to understand why, you have to look even deeper. In the US, all students are mixed into a public school classroom. In my school in Washington, I have genius level IQ's, mixed in with students who speak little to no English to students with learning disabilities (sometimes all three combined in one child). That means US teachers are to a certain degree teaching to a standard somewhere in the middle. But I tell the kids here that that doesn't mean there's no stress on our students to perform. High stakes tests at various grade levels throughout the country have some kids seeking therapy as early as fourth grade. Seriously. And when students in the states are fortunate enough to be admitted to college, there is the problem of paying for it. Here in India, if they are admitted, its almost completely paid for.

Just as there are pressures in both places, there are also strengths. Its impossible to say that the one way is better because they're both so different in the costs they are willing to bear. The US may not have as deep an upper echelon of students and learners as India, but we've chosen to forgo that in favor of a greater number of the population with a basic education and the ability to learn. But when I look at the school in which I find myself now, the system is clearly working well for these students. They are as bright and articulate as any I've ever worked with at home.


So as the newspapers are looking for controversy, I'm starting to realize that the point of this exchange is more than building understanding. Its about creating a community of teachers committed to finding the best ways to educate students. I've found the teachers here to be very eager to hear about what we're doing in the US, and I'm learning so much from them and my students about how I can teach better now and when I return. As different as the two systems are, some things are clearly universal. We all know we've got room to grow. We all want to teach our students more effectively. We're passionate about our content areas. But most important, we all love students.

And that's the real scoop.