End of Nor Tari

Well, let's start with the fact that I am doing a bit better then I was when I was sitting all lonely like in that overpriced airport cafe.

Yesterday I decided to reorganize my room while I was unpacking. We all know how much that helps me out when I am all discombobulated. Went to the store and bought them out of hangers, and came home for a few intense hours of getting my life back together-ish.

Today, my host mum came in to wake me up at 12:30. Give me a break, my times are all off again. I had to catch the bus at 1:30 to go to a last minute holiday party. Jack, my site mate, met me on the bus, and we got to the house around 2. The family is a Mum, Dad, 2 daughters, and a son. I have worked with one of the daughters many times, but this was my first time meeting the rest of the family. The daughter, thankfully, is pretty fluent in English, so she helped translate for me and Jack. Dinner was delicious, and the conversation was really interesting. Kind of a debate.

Some background. The mum is a doctor and the dad an engineer. The older daughter works as a medical representative, the younger daughter as an accountant, and the son is still at University. The mother asked about differences between American and Armenian students and education. I explained that there are 2 very different types of learning. Armenia, coming from a Soviet background, focuses on rote memorization of facts, while in America the focus is put more on critical thinking and problem solving. The discussion then went on to which method is more effective, learning English, and the problems that are seen in Armenian schools today. Boiling it down, it was agreed that there definitely needed to be more hands-on stuff and critical thinking in the classrooms here. It was also agreed that the education system was probably a little bit better under the Soviet system then it is now.

There was a big difference in opinion when it came to learning English and other languages though. Here, grammar is the focus of teaching. This means that while most Armenians probably know English grammar better then myself, they couldn't speak it to save their life. The family argued that grammar was focused on because speaking is easy and can be picked up whenever. Jack and I threw down the yellow flag on that and argued that while grammar is important, it is harder to learn to listen and to speak, and that grammar gives you nothing unless you can actively participate in a conversation. Pretty sure we never found middle ground on that one, and the debate was ended with a toast to the children.

The conversation about problems in the Education system today was a little less heated. It was agreed that something definitely needs to change, because education in Armenia now is not cutting the mustard. Before I go on, I want to say that what we talked about does not happen in every classroom in Armenia, and that there are some fantastic teachers out there that really and truly care for their children. I am just giving examples of practices that are widespread enough that they have been noticed by more then one volunteer. One problem that is seen is the way children are ridiculed or embarrassed in class when they don't know things, a throwback to Soviet times. Also, only a few of the brightest children are focused on while the rest of the children are left behind. Clearly, you can see where we would have a problem with either of those methods. I talked to the family about how in most classrooms in America (not all, teachers still have favorites) that does not happen and is not acceptable. Children are not ridiculed in class, and are encouraged when they do know an answer or correctly perform an activity.

Cutting to the chase, it was really interesting to hear the Armenian version of the problems of the Education System and their possible solutions. Normally, these subjects are discussed among volunteers, where we all come from the same educational background. It was enlightening to hear another point of view.

Oh, and all of these discussions were interspersed with toasts; to children, parents, health, the future, etc. Despite disagreement, the night ended on a cheerful note. As the Nor Tari (New Year) celebrations come to a close, tomorrow is the first work day since the 1st, everyone seems hopeful for good things in the year to come.