3.06 PST Uz Schoolin'

---

So, everyone knows that what I am doing in Uz for two years is teaching English right? If not, now you do. Or at least that is my main project. That and to "promote world peace and friendship," right on. So now I'll will give you a little peak into what the educational system and what an average classroom is like here. NOTE: There will be plenty more of this once I get to site, Im sure, so I will try to keep this on the short side.
Right now the Uz school system is going through a change in structure. Between the old, yet still current, system, the Russian System and the New System that is to be fully implemented by 2007. Projected. Both systems are complicated, and there are lots of 'routes' kids can follow. Let me try and simplify and explain.

The Soviet based system
There are three components to Secondary School; elementary education (grades 1-4), basic education (5-9), and high education (10-11). There are both Uzbek and Russian speaking schools, meaning either Uzbek or Russian is the language of instruction. About 7,000 Uzbek, 1,000 Russian (and there are Tajik/Uzbek schools as well as about 250 Kazakh schools and 30 Kyrgyz schools). BTW, we have, across primary, secondary and university extensions, 8 volunteers learning Russian and 30 learning Uzbek. Russian is generally spoken more in regional capitols, and in the Tashkent region, although none of our group is going to be placed in the Tashkent region, the Russian speakers will probably be in the more urban areas.
Most schools do not have English taught at the elementary level, most start at the 5th grade, by English teachers that have only learned English at a Pedagogical Institute by Uzbek instructors. Only a few have learned English by a native English speakers at the University level. Mostly grammar translation and audio-Lingual methodologies are used. Students read out loud from their textbooks and translate sentence by sentence from English to Uzbek/Russian. Also, there are standardized tests at the basic education level but for the elementary level there is not.
At the end of 9th grade, there are serious tests given to evaluate the students and to set their path for the next 2 to 6 years of education (but really, this really effects the rest of their lives). They could pass tests that indicate that they could go on to University after 11th grade so they would remain in school for another 2 years and begin to take an increased number of hours in the subject that the wish to specialize. Or there is the option of Technical schools which can be started after 9th grade because formal education is no longer compulsory after 9th grade. The technical schools available to the student will depend on the region. For instance, if there is a tractor factory in the area, there would be a tech school in the region also that would train someone to work at this factory.
Just to confuse you a bit more, there were (and still are) a few other types of schools at the secondary level. There are gymnasiums that are specialty schools (this is very much a Soviet concept) and there are boarding schools for grades 6-9. There is always the issue of students coming from small villages into larger towns and boarding schools are one way of handling this problem. This is the basic structure. Written with great restraint, holding back my commentary. But don't fear, that's coming.

The New system
This system is to be more akin to the system seen in some western European countries. With two components to Secondary School; elementary education (grades 1-4) and basic school (grades 5-9). Then after grade 9, students will enter either an Academic Lycee or a Professional College (the word college is confusing, it is more of a tech school, similar to the former Regional Tech schools) for three years. There are planned to be 36 Academic Lyeccs across the country, which will serve 10% of the population. This is highly competitive "prep schools" for students who will go on for University Degrees. You must pass an exam to get into these schools. You get one chance. The rest of the students will go on to Professional Colleges to get training according to the needs of the Region. There are 13 regions and currently there is about one of each schools in each region. This will "school" the people through the 12th grade.
Concerning English classes, it is pretty much the same as above, in the Academic Lycees. With the exception of Specialized Foreign Language Schools. Here the children start learning english in the 1st grade and the hours of foreign language increases instead of decreases as they get to 9-12th grade. There is a aptitude test to get into these schools (how they test pre-first graders, I do not know.). The amount of these schools I do not know either. I do know that there were a lot more but there was a lack of English teachers, l teaching materials and the non existence of school curricula for this type of school so many of them shut down.
Then, students have the option of either Institute (4 year program) or University (4 year bachelors degree, there are masters programs, not too many though, compared to the US) for higher Education. Although going to an Academic Lycee greatly increases your chances of getting into a University, you still have to take an exam that is standardized (hum?) to get accepted and anyone can take this exam. But just like the Lycees, you have one chance. If you fail or opt to go to an Institute (a tech. institute for things such as accountant, or machine mechanic) you also have to take an entrance exam to get in but you may try numerous times.

Thats the basic skeleton of the these two systems. But there is a bunch of meat in between these bones. And a whole lota fat too, more than muscle, I say. But maybe thats why we and other organizations are here, to help build the muscle of these people. Lets hope because so far, Ive seen a lot of room for improvement and I'm not even a teacher in the states.

And let me just say before I go on, I personally do NOT feel that they way "we" do things in the states is right for everyone. Of corse, I mean, we can't even satisfy our own countries needs as diverse as it is, much less know exactly how to improve other countries systems (particularly education systems and the inter-workings of their schools) with all their cultural, historical and current event issues to take into consideration. And even if we did know it all, no one should come in and solve others problems. Nothing will ever resinate and be sustainable if problems aren't ultimately solved by the people that the problems are effecting. But I do believe that I come from a country, with all its ups and downs, is a country based on freedom and creativity and opportunities for expansion of the mind. And for this country and other 2nd world countries who are looking for reform, we can be a great resource. And this is by no means one sided. Just being a "1st" world country as the US is, the slimy power house that we are, comes along with a copious list of forgotten morals and values and in return for me, being exposed to a country that is not yet AS tainted with the sins of success could be just as, if not more, valuable (interestingly enough though, there are serious pros and cons that came with this countries independence in 1991 and its 2nd world status. One thing that changed is its isolation from seeing where the rest of the world is, is no longer. One word, TELEVISION. TV is the bane in this country, I seriously believe this man. Who thinks that what we watch on TV is really a representation of what the world really is, especially average America? TV condenses all that is greedy and dramatic and exciting, and explodes it all over the screen. And now the people here A., believe that this is reality and B., that it is worthy of envy and imitation. I can see the morality of these children just flying out the window... Needless to say, I don't watch TV here, maybe an hour or two of CNN or Animal Planet.) Another reason that I think, as long as we don't F*** it up and play into Uzbek TVs representation of us, it is a good thing we are here, to let these great people meet some real Americans. Black, white, grey, with across the spectrum personalities, flaws and accomplishments. That was a long tangent, I feel pretty strongly about it. That said, back to skool...

Regardless of what system we've encountered so far...
There is some pretty funky and very foreign stuff going on on the ground level. Heres a few...
First let me say that there is no organization in the transition. That would be impossible. Lack of equality in resources, needs of the students and goals of the community on top of the ministries lack of universal involvement and management in every region make it absolutely impossible. Some regions may be well on its way to the new system, some haven't even started this transition and are unclear on what that new system really entails.
Teachers, especially English teachers, are paid very poorly, if at all. Teachers may not get paid regularly, and not always the amount they should. Hence, for some of teachers, this is there second job. How motivated would you be if this was your second job? Or if you may or may not get paid this month? Yea, there's a problem. Why teach? Well, it is pretty well respected profession. And there are good people here who believe in the empowerment and importance of education. More than that, I dono.
From the 7-8 or so current volunteers that we have heard from, not one touches the grade books. They give the students daily grades (this is V. big in Uz. Daily grades are given and shown to parents, if a kid gets anything but a 5 or 4, this is bad news for the kid when he gets home. Kids are all about the Daily Grade.) and tests but never enters these in any books. I think I heard of one who gives her grades to her counterpart teacher to do what shed like with them but besides that, nothin'. So what do you think these grade, or record books have in it if the English teacher never enters a grade in it. Needless to say, generally, no one fails, a grade, no one gets mandatory extra help to catch the child up if the comprehension isn't there. This is all about appearances ya all. Sorta like Bush's "no child left behind." (thats a shout out to all you struggling US teachers out there, Tali, Kara, and Jenny) But really, its crazy. I mean, besides the entrance exams that some will take, there is no meaningful assessment for the average kid. That said, there is an official statistic (hum?) that says literacy is at 90%. And I actually do believe it, these kids can memorize and recite like its nothing. Our classes that are quite unique because we have a bit more leniency, were are after all, the crazy American, we can test and keep track of grades as we would like (not always the case, but generally) but its really just for us, for teachers who are interested in seeing ways of assessing what children actually are learning, and for the kids! And that is the cool thing The kids are still young enough that they will take your tests seriously, they will still get excited and energized and the thing is, they will hopefully learn! And when the Director and the other teachers see how these kids can actually comprehend and apply what they learn instead of just being able to pass a written test, maybe the way things are taught can make a turn for the high road. (...I say as I listen to Nina Simone's "O-O-Child, things are gonna get easer, gonna get brighter, RIGHT NOW." This is the voice of a naive in-training volunteer, Im sure of it. Gotta start somewhere. Ive said this before.)
The Cotton picking season is a phenomena in itself. Not that this will effect me to this extent but University students are heavily involved in the cotton picking campaigns from, get this, mid September to late November. Thats a month and a half and all students do it. They stay out in the fields. The older, secondary kids will be called to duty at about the beginning of November till they are done and then, for the last week or two my kids will be called. A few volunteers have gone along with their kids, say its a good time to 'bond' with the kids because in the classroom, in school, teachers are not "friendly" with the kids, more of an authority figure. Again us volunteers are an exception but its hard for the kids to accept you as anything but an authority figure. Same as in the states I'm sure, just a bit more serve. All of this by the way, is off the record. And the government doesn't recognize any of this. Ill get more into the cotton later, environment wise and how the soviets were involved. Crazy.
I don't have to tell you about lack of resources, you can probably guess. I guess I could have access, because of people sending me stuff from the states and the fact that I have more money to spend on materials (if they could be found) and the resources (like a copier machine in the PC office) but the whole point of me being here is to help the teachers that are going to be there long after I leave. Sustainability. So my goal is to teach using only what the teachers I am working with have available to them. What's one more challenge thrown in the stew ya know. No, but really, its true. And I think that most volunteers go that path, some do not, some go all out and make their class very exclusive and very American. I don't see the point in that, beyond what the local teachers can do. So, we are talking, chalk, chalkboard at least and once I get to my school, Ill let you know more on resources.
Speaking of resources, for the Secondary teachers, they will have a curricula to follow and probably books, old soviet books, really out of date, to work around. For me, as a primary level, there is no mandatory curricula to follow. And there is a serious shortage, at best, of books for students at this level. But the PC has actually, and this is very cool and is a great example of the cool stuff the PC can be capable of, they have created a curricula that was proposed and accepted by the Uz Ministry of Education. So we are able to use this curricula out in the field and introduce it to the other teachers and there is totally stability in this because it is available to all teachers (no workbook or book for the kids so its all based on using minimal supplies and again, resources beyond the circular lesson plans). Only, well not only, but problem is that it is one of about a dozen or so approved curricula. There's always a "thing is..". But its still a cool thing.
There is a real hierarchy within the schools. There is a Director, then a Zavuch (in charge of educational matters), a Deputy (in charge of ideology, events organizer) and the Administration (the board under the Director). Under the Zavuch is the teachers. Any new, crazy lesson plans, new unit plans have to be run by the Zavuch. Through you and your counterpart. The strictness of this structure will all depend on the individual school. More to come...
Kids get pulled out of schools, put into other schools, at anytime by parents either because of a better opportunity I.e.; an American teaching English at the school in the next town and dad knows the director. Ive heard it more often than not that PCV's have huge classes (35-50) because the director of the school has been advertising for months that their is an American teaching in the fall. Great, the parents care enough to get their kids into a good classroom. Great that the Director is into getting his community involved and excited about learning. Too bad there may be other motivations such as funding (the funding in this country is very odd and based on numbers. Very unfair.). But how much teaching and learning do you think is going to go on with 35-50 first graders to one teacher. Not much, but no one cares about this because, again funding, and hey, there's an American 'teaching'. Think multi-level as well. Teacher friends, all be hollering at you all come fall for some suggestions for sure.
Currently 40-45% of children attend some sort of preschool. I have know idea if that is high, low? What is it in the States?
As for control and conduct of the average classroom that Ive seen and experienced so far is a bit different than that of an average US classroom (I said average, remember). Ill tell you about my practicum. We are assigned to a school close to our village. We have a resource teacher, whose classes we are teaching twice a week. The first week we just observed. What we observed. Well, alot of what they told us we were going to see. Very much teacher based, not student based. Alot of reading out of the book, dictation, copying paragraphs into notebooks from books (books that only half the kids had and that were bought from the bazar by the parents.). Only the best students were called on, the misbehaving students were yelled at, then the teacher smiles at us. If they don't know the answer, either the other kids will tell him the answer (teacher doesn't care) or she will dismiss him and move on to a student that does. Again, all about appearances. A model classroom is obedient students who know their stuff. No activites, no real games or creativity but there were a few attempts to refocus the class with stretches. For homework one night she assigned them what sounded very cool, to draw a few of the animals they had learned in class that day (all of which they knew already, and was way below their level but was re-taught because we were there.) and the next day they all came in with these elaborate drawings of the animals. All traced. No creativity. But they looked darn good. All just very weird. The second day we were to observe, one of the teachers didn't want to teach in front of us, said she was nervous about us watching her, didn't feel confident. Wha? This is the same teacher who during our teaching time just randomly left the classroom and didn't come back and one day didn't even show up.
When it was our turn to teach, it took two meetings and twelve rounds to get the teachers to tell us what they wanted us to teach, mainly because they were telling us to teach them stuff that either they already knew or things that were way above their level but that the teachers didnt want to teach themselves. That and its just in their culture to be so indirect and passive. And I know it sounds like Im just bashing these teachers, but I'm not. This is the way that they were taught to teach. Theres are problem. And this is not across the board, this is my experiance, some were way worse and for some, it was fantastic. After being at the school for a few weeks, the teachers did warm up to us a little and did help us with translating when necessary, and the kids were great. They are so excited to learn, even the bad little boys were cute as hell and generally I could round them in and I learned alot about what works and what clearly does not. The teachers, there somebody has some work to do but if everything was close to perfect, why are we here.
So this obviously wasn't a short summary and there is still Im sure more to come, this being what I will be doing for the next two years but it really is fascinating to me and I hope ya got something out of it. Till next time ya'll, peacelove.

---