Rendezvous with Kerala

Updated on: Thursday, January 27, 2011

When Steve Sanborn reached the city last year, he knew little about the place or the people. A Fulbright scholar from the United States, Steve arrived in August, seeking adventure and a better understanding of India and the system of education in Kerala, the most literate State. A teacher of Biology for more than 25 years, he was assigned to teach the subject in the higher secondary section of Trivandrum International School.

Adjustment issues

“I read up as much as I could about India and Kerala but, naturally, I was a little apprehensive about the weather, food and so on….As my stay required relocation to a totally different place and adjusting with new people, Jenn, my wife, and I thought, we would give our family more time together but instead our children Mariana and Elena seem to have adjusted well to their classes,” says Steve.

However Steve was careful about how he went about teaching his students in the school. Aware that he was here for a short period only, Steve's attempt was to teach the students without disrupting the method the teenagers were used to.

“I began teaching them the way I thought the students were accustomed to, like teacher-based lecture plans and then slowly integrated some lab activities and class projects like the kind I do with my students back home. My main goal is to teach the students as well as I can but not to allow my presence to negatively affect their ability to perform well in their examinations.”

He also went to schools in the vicinity and in the district to get a feel of the teaching methods and the standard of education. While commending his students, their high aspirations and the support they receive from their parents and teachers, Steve candidly admits that he is not too enamoured about teaching for an examination/examinations. Choosing his words carefully, he says: “Much of the preparations in school seem to be geared towards getting the students ready for their board examination. The reforms that are being proposed by the Central Board of Secondary Education, I feel, would probably shift the emphasis from examinations.

“The students should be allowed to explore and experiment. I don't like the idea of having to rush through a chapter to finish it for the sake of the examination.”

During the vacation, Steve travelled to Rajasthan, Mumbai and Delhi and he hopes to visits the eastern States on his next visit.

“One thing that surprised me in India is that Indian people, at least in Kerala, which I think is true in other places in India too, do not really give the United States much thought. And Americans don't really give Indians much thought either. I think it will all change in the next decade or so and that there needs to be an opportunity for the two cultures to get together and understand each other. I am happy to be a part of that process.”

On the eve of his departure, Steve says: “I have learnt a great deal of India, travelled quite a bit and made some good friends. I plan to return to see more of India.”

Missing the sunshine

And what will he miss the most: “Oh! the sunshine. I just saw that it is minus 20 degree Celsius in Boston. Quite a drastic change from the warmth and sunshine we have been enjoying here,” says Steve.

Rendezvous with Kerala

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