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| New sign for Sapna's School |
Sapna explained that India is not
progressive when it comes to professional development. Then, she stated “the change will come and
soon.” She went to Singapore to take a
Reggio Emilie briefing and a play therapy workshop. She has to pay to attend workshops, which
limits many people in India from attending.
My new friend was very hesitant to
answer questions about herself. However,
I was somewhat persuasive… I tried! She
has an undergraduate degree in psychology and her masters in educational
psychology. Her master degree is
considered “too high” for teachers.
Sapna needed a “bachelor’s education degree.” However, after doing her master’s, she chose
not to get the degree in education, and instead, she did a “one year diploma in
nursery teacher training and school administration.”
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| Homemade toys |
Upon receiving her diploma, she
started the school that she has been running for the last nine years. “I kept myself open to courses I could do in
and out of India to professionally develop my curriculum.” This is when she took the Reggio and play courses.
Although she has never attended a
conference in the USA, she is hoping, because she wants to do this. I definitely think she should attend a
Creative Beginning Steps workshop (that’s mine!)… or join me at a NAEYC
conference (that would be unreal!). Her
dream is attend “Making Math Read” with David Berg. Has anyone heard of David Berg? Of course, let’s not forget that she wants to
meet Oprah! This year, Oprah’s boyfriend
was the Keynote presenter at the National Head Start Conference!
Her ending paragraph in her last
e-mail was quite enticing… she said that “if we continue to study together
comparing samples in India and USA, maybe we could present a paper in one of
the conferences. Think about it.” Sapna, there is nothing to think about… if
you’re game, count me in!
Lois,
ReplyDeleteWhat a very informative and inspiration post. I love all the pictures on your blog too. I am so proud of our teachers getting professional degrees. I worked with a lot of teachers from India when I worked in the private sector and the school districts. They were having knowledgeable and extremely kind to the children and parents. It is unreal that Oprah's boyfriend, Stedman Graham spoke at the conference for Head Start, our profession is hitting close to home. The sky is not the limit for you and your international contact. Great Post! nancy
Lois,
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that a Master’s degree is thought of as “too high” for teachers. Compared to the United States where getting a bachelor is no longer competitive enough. Great insight into the situation in India! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Lois, I wish I could go to your workshop as well. That would be great. I am in Spokane, U.S. now with my family, and it is good for me to know something about your country for real. So far, I enjoy it pretty much. I will stay here for probably 6 weeks, so I hope I can get my homework done in a better sense with the help of the time zone. I think it is so important for people to communicate and build the connections with one another, so more and more good practices and experiences can be shared in a wider way in early childhood field. Thank you for sharing:)
ReplyDeleteLois,
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful relationship you have built with Sapna! I am so excited for you! It is interesting about a Master's being too much education, but I get it - even outside of the education field, there are so many people who are having a hard time finding work because they are "over qualified" but for us, it is more of an economic decision - it that the case in India as well?