Summer 2006 - The member magazine of the Elementary Teachers

Peel workshopstackle culturalbarriersby Vitusha OberoiClassroom noise, chit chat with superiors,students working in groups – these areamong the challenges that teachers fromother countries face when they step into aNorth American school.“It basically boils down to the cultural differencesbetween where our internationally trained memberstaught originally and the transition to teachinghere,” says Shelly Jan, president of the PeelElementary Occasional Teacher Local (PEOT).The academic credentials of the teachers aregood: they have their certification from the OntarioCollege of Teachers, but they have been trainedfor the classrooms of their countries of origin andnot Ontario. “That’s where the breakdown is,” Jansays. “They are capable of doing the job academicallybut certain things need to be adjusted.”To help bridge this gap the PEOT Local haslaunched a pilot project to help its internationallytrained teacher members to adapt to Ontarioclassrooms.The local is conducting workshops for teacherswho are looking for guidance as they transfertheir skills from their country of origin to Canada.Members hold monthly meetings, and in thepresence of an experienced facilitator discuss theproblems they face. They keep journals and sharetheir experiences as they strive to come to gripswith the cultural differences that challenge themin their profession here.Jan decided to focus on the special needs ofthese teachers after she realized that their teachingcredentials were being questioned becauseVitusha Oberoi is a former ETFO staff member and is a freelance writer.of cultural issues. “I would get calls from principals about the classroommanagement abilities or communication skills of the teachers. I felt it wasnot fair to our members because what we needed to do was deal with thesecultural issues.“The board is not cutting enough slack for their adjustment and theteachers themselves don’t know what to expect when they come into theclassrooms in Canada,” Jan says.Veena Navgiri, a half-time ESL teacher, says that a crucial issue faced by internationallytrained teachers in the initial stages relates to the amount of freedomenjoyed by students in the class. Navgiri is from Gujarat, India and was a universityprofessor before migrating to Canada. Her class of 80 students used tobe focused, would never challenge her, and above all, was mostly quiet.“In India, we always want our students to keep quiet while we do theteaching. I never had to think about discipline or classroom management.When I started teaching here, I would get anxious if the noise levels in myclass rose,” she says.Navgiri says with experience and discussing the problem with her colleagues,she has learned to adjust to her new classrooms. “These workshops have helpedme realize that I am not alone and other teachers also face a similar problem.”“The concept of group work in the classroom was new to me,” saysCharulata Joshi, originally from Mumbai. “How do I know any learningis going on? How do you monitor that the children are on task? The issueof who controls the classroom also baffled her. “In India, the classes areteacher-oriented. Here, the classes are more interactive.”While the English language in itself was not a problem, nuances andphrases peculiar to Canada definitely were. “I usually come across a numberof Indian children in my classroom. I find that they do not always pronouncetheir names the Indian way and correct me on this,” Joshi said.The informality of North America is another stumbling block for theteachers, who have a culture of treating their superiors as authority figures– distant and aloof. They hesitate to be on first-name terms with theirprincipal, won’t approach her on discipline issues until and unless theyare pushed to the wall, and won’t exchange small talk. “I see other teachersdiscussing the weather with the principal. I want to do the same but I don’tknow how,” says one of the workshop members.The problems are many but Jan and facilitator Prem Pillay, a retired teacherwho taught in South Africa before moving to Canada, make sure that they donot overwhelm. They offer advice and encouragement. “It takes you wantingto learn and not isolate yourselves in your own little groups,” says Jan.10 etfo voice SUMMER 2006