Typical school day experiences of indian children in different contexts

Childhood Education, Winter 2002/2003 by Jaya, N, Malar, G

Interpersonal Interaction at School

Distinctly different from the urban context, a very private bond exists between teachers and students, and among the students themselves, in Sowbarani's rural school. Nevertheless, corporal punishment is an integral practice of schooling practice. Sowbarani does not express personal concern about the mode of punishment; she states that the penalties only reflect the teachers' eagerness to coax the best out of their students.

The modest student staff ratio of one teacher for every 10 to 15 students may be the primary reason for the optimal interpersonal climate, along with the traditional rural congeniality. Testimony to the close relationships can be found on any school day, as the students sit in an informal semicircle around the teacher under the shade trees lining the campus. The closeness is also reflected in the emotional and interpersonal interactions. Sowbarani touchingly recollects how all of her school teachers and classmates called upon her at home when she was critically ill during a summer vacation.

Back at Home With Parents and Family

Sowbarani's busy day does not end at school. At home, she immediately sets about helping her mother with the domestic chores, which involve cleaning the house and feeding the cattle. If time permits, Sowbarani also gets to play. All outdoor activities have to be completed before the sun sets. Later, Sowbarani sits near the kerosene lantern along with the other children of the household to do her homework. She sets aside most of her homework for the next morning, however, as she personally finds that the most opportune time for absorbing new information and ideas.

Sowbarani eagerly looks forward to dinnertime, when the family gathers around the lantern and shares their day's experiences. Sowbarani especially relishes the full moon evenings, when these family get-togethers take on added splendor as the dinner shifts to the open moonlit yard, and the children are allowed to play for longer after supper while the elders of the village gaily chat away. However, now that the village is on the power grid, families seem to spend more time watching television. Although Sowbarani is thrilled by the inexhaustible source of information available from television, at the same time she longs for her previous moonlit endeavors. The authors' conversations with Sowbarani also revealed that the popularity of television has brought about more consumerist attitudes and interest in popular entertainment among the children at the school, replacing interest in folk traditions. One could observe a competitive eagerness among children to show off their latest purchases from among the commodities advertised on television, and time-tested, meaningful folk recreation giving way to an obsession with popular entertainment like cinema and cricket. Both teachers and parents need to ensure that the informational boon of the modern day does not mar the cultural and traditional heritage of these rural children.