America = Indviduality

Dear Lyn,

It's about 4:30 a.m. right now, and I'm wide awake, just Skyped with my father, and was able to show him my beautiful room. It's amazing that I can travel half way around the world and still look at friends and family back home.
Obvisously jet lag is kicking my butt right now, we arrived at the hotel at about 10 a.m. yesterday after an adventrous overnight stay in the Delhi airport. The hotel kept the breakfast room open so we could eat then, we all headed up to our rooms for a much needed shower and refreshment, imagine what twenty-four hours in airports and on airplanes feels like.
My room is gorgeous (I promise to post pictures soon) and my every need looked after.
We had a brief intfroduction from the USIEF team that is coordinating our stay here in Kolkata and works with our host schools. Tomorrow we meet our mentor teachers and get some more insight into the Indian education system.
For now all I can share with you are some of my reflections about our American education system. First, how often do you tell parents how average their child is, or point out how much like the other kids Johnny seems to be acting. We don't do that at parent-teacher conferences, instead we tell parents how much their child shines in class, how unique they are, what special gifts and talents they have. At least that's what I do. I try to focus on the postitives right way, and I don't think it would be wise to start off a parent teacher conference with, "You daughter is completely average." In America, it seems that some of the highest complements we can pay people is to acknowledge the unique gifts each indvidual has. I remember marveling at the conference in Bozeman when one of the speakers said, "I tell my students, I promise to treat each and every one of you differently." Yeah, right on.
It's not that Americans are vain and need constant preening (maybe we do), it's sinmply that we value indviduality and diversity so much. Think of the times when kids get upset because someone chose the same topic as them to write about, or they are upsset because they wanted to write about a topic but someone else already picked it. We think we are special cases, and we expect certain exceptions for our talents, and for our weaknesses. It's what makes Special Ed. a unique concept to the rest of the world.
I'm not sure exactly what to think of our pursuit of individuality, except that it places a high burden on us as teachers to differentiate and to treat every student individualy. I am going to a school where class sizes will run around 40-45 students, and that is considered small. Some classes at schools here could be upwards of 70.
I hope you are having a realxing ad rich summer break. I look forward to the coming school year.