East or West, schoolteachers are the best

What Indian schools can learn from the U.S. model is that creativity starts in the classroom.

August 25, 2015 01:20 am | Updated April 21, 2017 05:59 pm IST

Addressing high school students in India and the United States can shed valuable insights into the culture of the respective nations. In July 2015, I had the opportunity to address about 150 high school students (Class 12) in an Indian city, following a similar opportunity in April in the U.S. with about 150 Grade 12 students. It was fascinating to observe how 16-17 year-olds interacted with their teachers and principals. Both schools were in Tier-2 cities of democratic nations catering to middle and upper-middle income segments of the population. I spoke about “Career lessons for the millennial generation”.

In the Indian school, the moment I walked into the room I was transported to the time when I was a high school student more than three decades ago. The boys were all seated on one side and the girls on the other with a broad aisle in between. My one-hour presentation evoked no questions. Perhaps they felt intimidated by the Principal and the teachers, who were seated in the front row. Despite prodding from me and the Principal, there was no response. The good news was that they were paying rapt attention to what I was saying (or pretending to!), and none of them had cell phones. The Principal asked me what the teachers should do to promote classroom discussions. I suggested group exercises and calling upon students to respond to questions.

I have fond memories of my high school mathematics teacher. He did not spare any student when he put up those calculus or trigonometry problems on the blackboard. Every student was expected to call out the next step in the equation as he went around the room. That was the only class where we were not afraid of our peers making fun of us. As a result, all the 42 girls and boys from my high school class emerged with sound mathematics skills.

Now compare and contrast my India presentation with that to 150 students in the U.S. A large proportion of 12th graders suffer from a malady called “senioritis”. Since U.S. colleges evaluate a student’s performance only until the end of 11th grade, most students, however diligent and hardworking they may have been in the past, put very little effort in their final year. Since many also drive their own cars to school they come and go as they please. Although schools have a strict attendance policy, 12th graders are always one up on the administrators when it comes to excuses for being absent. Still, 80 per cent of the class attended my presentation.

I had barely spoken for a few minutes when one student raised his hand. He asked me, “May I be excused to go to the bathroom please?” He knew he did not have to seek permission to go but he got the response he wanted — when all his 149 peers laughed, a few even thumped the desk. The teachers and the Principal were seated towards the front and did not even turn back. Many students were also furtively texting on their cell phones although it was against school policy. In the U.S., students are allowed to bring their cell phones as long as they are switched off when classes are in session.

About 30 minutes into my presentation, students started asking me questions and some were even challenging me. The next 30 minutes were lively since students focus better when the presenter is put in a spot. After the presentation, a few came to talk to me while the rest dispersed, now all of them active on their cell phones. One of the students was sporting a lampshade on his head and I was told he was doing that as a mark of protest against some rule or the other.

I have concluded that east or west, we need to salute the schoolteachers for their patience and dedication to students. In both nations, teachers have to increasingly deal with helicopter parents, given the shrinking size of families in the middle-income segments of the population. Parents are constantly challenging teachers on issues including curriculum and college placements in both nations.

What U.S. schools can learn from Indian schools is that deference to authority and discipline does pay off. Students are more focussed in India and there is pressure to learn from teachers, families and peers. What Indian schools can learn from the U.S. model is that creativity starts in the classroom. Students should be encouraged to participate in classroom activities, and perhaps even challenge and question teachers without fear of retribution.

My biggest takeaway from this experience is that a good balance of creativity and structure, a willingness to challenge yet respect for authority, will produce a superior student.

The author is Professor of Strategy & Global Business, and keynote speaker and mentor, Williams College of Business, Xavier University, Cincinnati.krishnan@xavier.edu

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