OlcottMemorialHighSchoolSiteVisitReportSiteVisitbetweenJuly9-July21

By:SundariBalanwithcontributionsfromAnanyaRadhakrishnanIhadtheopportunitytovisitOlcottMemorialHighSchoolintheBesantNagararealocatedoppositetheRajajiComplexinChennai.Ihadvisitedtheschoolabout5yearsagobutthiswastobeamoreextendedvisitasmydaughter,ahighschoolerinSt.LouishadtakenupaprojecttowriteanddirectasmallEnglishplayforupperelementarystudents.Duringthetwoweeksofpracticingandrehearsals,wegottomeetandchatwithvariousteachersandstudents.Basedontheseconversations,wehavesummarizedoursubjectiveassessmentoftheschool.Overall,wefoundthattheschoolwaschuggingalongquiteeffectivelytowardsprovidingfreeeducationinthelocalTamilmediumtothestudentsinthecommunity.Inaddition,thenewleadershipteam(includingdirectorMrs.SashikalaS.andprincipalMrs.Lalitha)continuestoworkpassionatelytobuilduponthestrongfoundationslaiddownbyitsformerdirector,thelateMrs.LakshmiS.throughinnovativeprogrammingandlocaloutreachefforts.Numberofstudents:378Gradeleveldivisionofgirlsandboys(+indicatesanewadmissionfor2017-18)Grade Boys Girls1 13 42 17+1 23 10 94 9 95 11+5 96 28+5 137 15 158A 10+1 98B 11 99A 10+1 109B 11+1 910A 13 1010B 13+1 1011A 1 511B1 10 211B2 4 511C 13 112A 3 312B1 9 512B2 8 312C 11 1Theschoolanditssurroundings

OlcottMemorialHighschoolislocated5minutesfromthepopularBesantNagarBeachandintheshadowoftheaffluentneighborhoodssurroundingthebeach.Theareaisapopularplaceforjoggingortakingarelaxingstrollandisalsofilledwithrestaurantsandshoppingdistricts.Withintherecessesofthebeachfrontandtheneighboringaffluentneighborhoods,thereexistssmallerandmorecongestedneighborhoods.Needlesstosay,theschool’sfreeeducationandmealsprimarilybenefitthesefamilies.Inaddition,somechildrenalsotravelsomedistanceastheirparentsorextendedfamilymembersarealumni.Theparents’workasfishermenorservethelocalcommunityaswatchmenguardingapartmentcomplexes,asmaids,orasdomestichelp.Onthelastdayofourvisit,wemetonegentlemanwhohadmovedtoleasinghisownautorickshaw!TheliteracylevelislowandfewparentshaveevenpassedHighSchool.Below:Parentdroppingoffkidatschool.

Narmada,aseventhgraderisapromisingstudentattheschool.WemetherduringthecourseoftheplayasNarmadawasassignedaprominentroleintheplaybyherteachers.Rightafterourfirstsession,wechattedbrieflywithNarmada.Whiletalkingwithheronedayafterrehearsal,shetoldusthatherfatherwasawatchmanandhermotherwasamaid.Duetothis,noonewouldbehomewhensheleftschool.WelearntthatNarmadaisaselfmotivatedgirlwhoaspirestobeadoctorwhenshegrowsup.OntheseconddayofpracticewefoundthatNarmadahadalsosigneduptobeinthemusic

programandwouldn’tbeabletoattendpracticeregularly.Thecoordinatorsre-assignedherroletoanotherchildwhodidn’thaveaspeakingpartintheprogrambutwishedto.WhenNarmadafoundoutshewasextremelyupset.She,alongwithtwootherswhowereinthesamesituationwereintearsbutdidn’tgiveup.Theyhungaroundoutsidetheclassroomduringseveralafternoonpracticesandtheirpersistencefinallywontheirteachers’hearts.So,wegavethemtherolesofintroducingtheplayandconcludingwhichwasoriginallytobedonebytheteachers.Soontheirexemplaryperformanceandmotivationcaughttheattentionofotherteachersandsoontheywereropedinforothercompering/announcingrolesthatevening!!AcademicsTheschoolfollowstheStateBoardSyllabusfromKindergartentotwelfthStandard.ThemediumofinstructionisTamil.DuringthecourseofourvisitwediscoveredthatparentsinthecommunitygenerallypreferEnglishmediuminstructionofferedinGovernmentSchoolsorinotherprivateschools.WetalkedtoacoupleofwomenwhoworkedasdomesticswhomentionedthatEnglishcertainlyhelpsthechildrenbemoremobileandbetterpreparedforcollege.WhenIdiscussedthisissuewithsometeachers,theyappearedtoagreebutswitchingtoEnglishmediumwasnoteasy.ThesalarylevelsstartingaroundRs.10,000onaveragearelowascomparedtoaGovernmentMediumSchool.Despitethistheschool’srichlegacycontinuestoattractandretainteacherswhotrulycareaboutmakingadifferencethrougheducation.WewerefortunatetoworkwithonesuchEnglishteacherMrs.Lakshmi,whohasbeenwiththeschoolfortwentyoneyears!!TheschoolisnowexperimentingwithEnglishmediuminKindergartenonly.Withoutfreshfundinghoweveritmaybedifficulttosustaintheeffortthroughuppergrades.EvenifEnglishmediumisintroducedinsubsequentgrades,thereisageneralconcernthatthechildrenmaybeunabletocopewiththegeneralcurriculumwithoutadditionalhelpafterschool/Englishcomprehension/readingandstudyskillsarea.WediscoveredthattheScienceandcomputercurriculumhavebenefittedfromadoptingEnglishintheeleventhandtwelfthstandard.However,therearesomepeculiarchallenges.ThestateexamsrequirethatstudentsuseTamilwordsonlyevenforcommonlyusedtermssuchas“computer,”“mouse”etc.,Thisneedtoteachintwolanguagesisproblematicasteachersneedtobewell-versedinbothlanguages!!GiventhatitishardtofindandretainadvancedSTEMteachersinthefirstplace,theneedtofindbilingualSTEMteacherspresentsadditionalburdens.TheSciencestream-EnglishmediumversusArtsstream-TamilMediumintheeleventhandtwelfthstandardisapragmaticdivisionbuthassomeunintendedconsequences.WemetKailashandhisfriendsallintenthgrade.Kailashseemedtohaveawayaroundsolvingtechnicalproblemswithmike,speakeretc.,Hewasveryinterestedhelpinguswithplayrehearsals.Kailashmentionedthathefoundschoolboringandwouldn’twanttogotocollegeatall.Hewouldratherworkandpickupanyjobthathecouldfind.WealsomethisfriendVadivel,whosaidhewouldstudyadvancedTamil.TheirtwootherfriendswhobothclaimedthatMathwastheirfavoritesubjectalsoplannedtodropoutaftertwelfthstandard.Thussuchdichotomies

(Science-EnglishMedium)mayreduceoptionsforstudents.Furthermore,theemphasisonEnglishmediumforscienceeducationdoesnotguaranteethatthestudentswillpickupsufficientcommunicationskillstodealwiththechallengesofcollege.IwasalsogiventounderstandthattheschoolhasexperimentedwithanEnglishlanguageteachertrainingprogramandfirstcohortofteacherstrainedthroughtheBritishCouncilhaveworkedhardtoinitiatechangesintheEnglishteachingcurriculum.However,onlytwoteachersfromthisinitialcohortnowremainwiththeschool.Inaddition,anEnglishlabhadtobeshutdownbecauseofpoorvolunteerengagement.TheschoolisalsoexperimentingwithotherEnglishProgramsintheareatoincreaseteacherpreparedness.Additionalfundingisneededtosustaintheseeffortseitherthroughimprovedteachersalariesorbetterteachertraining.Fromthestudentsperspective,afterschoolReadingcomprehensionandstudyskillsprogramswouldbeespeciallynecessaryasthestudentswouldnotbeabletogethelpfromthehomefront.Below:KindergartenkidslearningandperformingtheirwelcomesonginEnglish

Below:StudentsworkingmatchingsoundsandwordsinEnglish

Below:StudentsattheResourceRoom

ComputerLabWehadtheopportunitytostopbythecomputerlabtotakeprintoutsofanimalpictureswhichwereneededforthechildrenhelpingwithplay’sprops.Subsequentlywechattedwiththecomputereducationteacheraboutthechallengestheyfaced.AmongthemwastheneedtolearnboththeTamilandEnglishequivalentsforcommonlyusedterms(e.g.,computer!).Intermsofcomputereducation,theyoungerchildrenworkedingroupsdoingdigitalartetc.,Olderchildren’scurriculumwasmorerigorouswithclassroominstructionandlabtime.Internetaccessisrestrictedtooneortwocomputerstopreventanymisuse.Wechattedwiththeyoungerstudentswhosaidtheylovedcomputertime.ThecomputersweredonatedbylocalITcompanies.Inpreviousyears,aportionofthemaintenanceexpensesforthelabwereprovidedbyAshaSTL.ScienceLabWeweregiventounderstandthattheSciencelabwasbadlyaffectedbytherecentChennaifloods.WithsupportofAshaforEducationSTLandTamilSangamofMissouri,theScienceLabwasrecentlyrebuilt.TheSchoolisespeciallygratefultotheChellaswamifamilyandtheMissouriTamilSangamfortimelysupportthroughfundsforrebuildingthelab.

Below:StudentsworkingattheScienceLab

Below:Biologyclassinprogress

ExtracurricularactivitiesTheNewLeadershipteamispioneeringnewactivitiesincludingthejuniorandseniorannualdaycelebrations,Marchpastduringindependenceday,Sciencefairetc.,Theseactivitiesgivestudentsanopportunitytoshowcasetheirtalent.Parentsareusuallyinvitedtotheseeventsandexperienceasenseofenthusiasmandbelongingnesstotheschool.Localvolunteersareropedintohelpwiththeseefforts.Forexample,WiprovolunteersalongwithdedicatedteachersincludingMrs.Kanchanadesignedthesets.Musicteacherropedinformerstudenttoprovidetheinstrumentaccompanimentattheannualdayshow.

Below:TeacherspreparingtheperformancestagefortheJr.annualdaywithrecycledsareesascurtains

Below:CreativeuseofWelcomeBoardtoinformparentsandotherstakeholders

Below:ChildrencarryingcostumestoprepareforJr.AnnualDay

Below:EnglishPlay“OurWonderfulWorld”participantswithteachersandAnanyaRadhakrishnan

Below:ThirdtoSeventhgradersperforming“OurWonderfulWorld”

Below:ThirdtoSeventhgradersperformingthe“KavadiSong”

SportsTheschoolhasinitiatedanactiveKabaddiprogram.TheyrecentlyhiredacoachandsecuredfundingforafterschoolKabaddicoaching.TheschoolisnowlookingforadditionalsupportfornutritionfortheKabaddiplayers.Tenupperschoolstudentsrana10Kforthefirsttime.Inaddition,upperelementarystudentssecuredatopfivespotattheregionalchesstournament.Below:10KRunnerParthiban,studentofclass10atOMHS

OccupationalTherapyTwoTrainedoccupationaltherapistsareavailabletoworkoneononewiththechildren.

Below:OccupationalTherapyRoomandOTteachers

ConclusionandrecommendationsOveralltheschoolisdoingverywellandmovingalongitsmissiontoprovidefreebasiceducationtothechildreninthelocalcommunity.Additionaldirectedeffortsinthefollowingareascouldsignificantlybenefittheschool.

1) Family/homeenvironmentrelatedchallenges:Thisisachallengingpopulationgiventhechildren’sdifficulthomeenvironments.Unlikethedevelopedcountries,localgovernmentresources(e.g.,childadvocacy)arecompletelyunavailable.Amongotherincidents,Iwitnessedaconversationbetweentheprincipalandaparent,whowantedtopullhersonoutoftheschoolalmostthenextday.Ialsosawachildclutchingapackof“Crocin”whichheclaimedheneededtorelievehimselfofa“fever”thatheisexperiencing.Absenteismishighandthereasonsarenotalwaysknown.Theschoolistryingtosetupahostelfacilitynearbytoovercomethechallengesofadifficulthome

environmentforthechildren.Theprincipalanddirectorwiththehelpofteacherstriedaonemonthresidentialprogramatthetimeofstudents’boardexamswithpromisingresults.Additionalprogrammingforfamiliesincludingparentsabouthealth/nutritionmayalsobeneeded.Moresystematicassessments/recordkeepingaroundabsenteeismandinnovativeprogramstoinvolveatleastoneparent/guardianshouldbeexplored.Afterschoolacademicsupportcouldpotentiallybeexploredincludingprovidingreading/learningtoolsforchildrenwhichwillenablethemtoattaingreaterconfidencewiththeirstudyskillsandconsequentlypotentiallybetterexamresultsandhigherincentivestostudy.

2) Health/Exerciseprograms.Wesawalotofenthusiasmforsportsprograms.Kudostotheschoolforgettingresourcesforthemarathon,Kabaddiandotherprograms.Incaseresourcesbecomeavailable,theschoolcouldpotentiallydevelopadditionalsportsprogram/yoga/meditationprogramsthatareorientedtowardspsychologicalresilience/strengthbuilding.Also,thekabaddicoachrecentlysuggestedincludinganutritioncomponentfortheprogram.Someresourcesshouldpotentiallybedirectedtothiseffort.

Below:Recess

Below:MealPreparation

Below:Kidsgettingreadyformeals

Below:Thirdgradersenjoyingtheirlatemorningporridge

3) ParentEducation:TheschoolshouldlookintoparenteducationprogramsasawaytosupportchildrenandparentEnglishandotherprogramsaswellincaseparentsareinterested.Parentvolunteeringmayalsocreateagreatersenseofcommunity.

4) NewLeadershiphascreatedconsiderableinterestinthelocalcommunityandcorporates.Thiscouldbeleveragedfurther.

5) Organization/Sustainability:TheleadershipteamhasgarneredconsiderablelocalresourcesincludingvolunteersupportonSaturdays,eveningsetc.,Moresystematicandorganizationwidegoalsetting/prioritizationmaybenefittheorganizationinthelongrun.Systematicprogramevaluationwouldespeciallybehelpfulinreassessingprioritiesandtowardsmakingsuccessfulgrantapplications.