I had the opportunity to volunteer at Iqbal Masih Elementary School. It is the 126th school district in Rome. The philosophy and mission of this school is inspiring and encouraging. The school was named after Iqbal Masih, a 12 year old boy from Pakistan who was a child slave. Sold by his parents at a very young age to a crime organization. The cruel working conditions he endured made him seek for a means out. He was able to escape at the age of 10 and two years later, in hopes of contributing to the suppression of children slavery, Iqbal spoke against this inhumane act and testified in a United Nations Conference. He was assassinated shortly after. His message nonetheless survived and has taken root in many places around the world, including Italy. Iqbal Masih Elementary School, from my experience, has done what many schools are striving to achieve in the near future and that is to create global citizens.
At the orientation, I was impressed and struck by the school’s effort to create an impact not only on the students that attend the school, but also among children across the globe. Iqbal Masih participates in a few international programs, two of which are Young Kids Tribe and Pawodal Ba. Young Kids Tribe was created with the purpose of generating a space for dialogue where public schools from Spain, Italy, England, and Turkey discuss their successes and failures within their school in hopes of creating improvement in classroom settings and the school environment. Pawodal Ba is an elementary school in Pakistan that Iqbal Masih Elementary School helped fund and that continues to make contributions to. At the end of each month, each student is asked to donate one euro, the money is collected and sent to Pawodal Ba. Students from Iqbal Masih are introduced to globalization and cultural awareness in their preschool classrooms and taught throughout their attendance at the school. On a local scale, the elementary school also hosts community activities, a couple which include a kids and adult choir. Paula, an educator at the school and a coordinator of many of the organizations mentioned above, emphasized the importance of this group. The common thread among the diverse participants of the choirs is their music heritage, as she commented, “Music has no language.” Through the participation of many organizations dedicated to crossing borders, both physical and cultural, Iqbal Masih Elementary School is paving the way for multicultural schools. I am grateful for the opportunity to have volunteered at such a ‘power house’.
Iqbal Masih has two campuses on via Ferraironi and Balzani (the main office is located on via Ferraironi). I was assigned to a preschool classroom on via Balzani. There were seventeen students in the classroom between the ages of 3 and 5, with the exception of three 6 year olds. As an Early Childhood and Family Studies major, I walked in with the impression that the curriculum would be very similar to the type of curriculum implemented in the United States (at least from the two preschool classrooms that I observed in Seattle). I was wrong. The only similarities that exist between an Italian and American classroom are 1) the idea that the teacher plays an important role in the classroom (as to what kind of role is debatable), 2) children, in general are enthusiastic about their education and expect to be taught in the best and appropriate manner, and 3) the set up of the classrooms in terms of layout (furniture and open space), the basic materials for art, and games such as puzzles are common in both classroom settings.
There are many differences I would like to make note of.
The role of the teacher. Italy is home to the Montessori Method, a form of preschool education, where the role of the teacher is to guide her students to their self-directed development. In other words, teachers must refrain from taking an authoritative role in the classroom. Although the U.S applauds this form of education, it is ultimately put aside as teachers feel the pressure from public administration to implement a structured curriculum, one that is responsible for fostering academic success for students in the future. There are many teachers who disagree with the department of education and wish to incorporate a ‘kid-friendly’ curriculum, but are too scared to lose their jobs. In Italy, that is not the case. The role of the teacher (at least in the classroom that I observed) was that of a guide, attentive to the needs of her students. She was more than willing to provide hugs and kisses on the cheeks. I can recall many instances where the power of the classroom was shared among the students and the teacher (although she undoubtedly possesses all the power).
A daily activity that highlights the differences among American and Italian curriculums is believe it or not, snack and lunchtime. For snack time children are asked to form a circle with their chairs. The teacher begins preparing the snack for the day whether it is dicing apples, peeling oranges, or pouring olive oil on bread. She designates one student to pass out the tray with snacks. As the ‘little helper’ goes around the circle asking every student individually if they care for a snack, the teacher provides the students with many questions such as how they spent their weekends, their plan for the day, their favorite and least favorite part of the day.
The basis of this activity is social interaction. Children are encouraged to voice their opinion and to elaborate on the class discussion. This activity may not seem out of the ordinary, but for a preschool classroom it is. They are taught to express themselves, I smile at the image of their legs crossed and the movement of their hands in sync with what they’re trying to say, just like adults. They are respectful of adults, obedient and compliant (not much enforcement is needed nor repetition). Children are left to make decisions on their own when it comes to selecting from different activities during their free time and are provided with many options when participating in classroom activities. Options is the key word.
Preschool education is non-compulsory, the majority of the children in the classroom possess and exhibit the values and mannerisms of their parents. The role of the teacher in this particular classroom setting is due in large part to the role of the Italian culture. On the contrary, the role of the teacher in a US classroom setting is heavily influenced by administrative pressures. Holidays, a few including Christmas, Valentine’s and Easter, are not celebrated for fear of excluding another culture. In the process of remaining a neutral force, schools are losing the opportunity to educate the children about different cultures.
One of the admirable differences among the education system in Italy and the United States is the inclusion approach, the educative approach that commends the integration of students with disabilities, whether mental, emotional, physical or that pertain to learning, in the classroom with their ‘normal’ peers. In the United States, the inclusion approach is a teaching method seldom found in classrooms. This is due to many reasons such as the teacher and classroom might not provide the necessary care and assistance that the student needs to reach their full potential. In the attempt to maximize the productivity (as well as to increase the percentage of students with great academic standing) the US has developed a complicated system where the level of ‘capacity’ of a child, the type and severity of the disability will call for an individualized education plan which consists of different educative approaches, which range from going to a specialized school for the student to the teacher taking several precautions in the classroom to ensure that their student is learning to their full potential.
In Italy that is not the case. In the preschool classroom where I made my observations there was a student with autism. I am not an autism specialist and so I can’t label the ‘severity’ of his case. But just like the Italians, I say it doesn’t matter how ‘severe’ it is. Encouraging the child to interact with his peers, to speak his mind, and occasionally using an imaginary phone to call him and ensure that he was still with the class, the teacher did a phenomenal job in including the student within all the activities. I was both saddened and inspired by this approach. Saddened at the idea that many students with disabilities in the US will seldom have the opportunity to feel a part of a community as the teacher said in describing the children’s reaction to having a ‘special’ child in the classroom, “the children know that he is special but that does not make him an outsider.” I must agree with her. Not only was the teacher performing an exceptional job in including the student but so were his classmates. They would encourage him to participate and to perform tasks accordingly. Rather than the student adjusting to the classroom, the classroom made adjustments for him. The responsibility of the student’s learning was divided among the teacher, the student, and his peers.
I feel that I have barely put my thumb on the dynamics of the student-teacher relationship in the preschool classroom much less the Italian education system. I would still like to gather more information on the success rate of preschool education. Is there a significant difference among students who attended preschool than their peers who didn’t? If so, by how much? The first action I would take is to find an outstanding interpreter who is aware of the education system and can assist me as I unravel my curiosities. I would also like to observe other grade levels. Possibly conduct longitudinal studies and see how the education system has either assisted or failed their students.
In closing, I would like to end with the following quote that is embedded in the Iqbal Masih planner that was given to the UW volunteers,“I bambini hanno bisogno di una penna, non di uno strumento di lavoro.” From the faulty translation I was able to obtain through an internet source, I believe the quote says “The children need a pen, not a work instrument.” They need a pen, not a work instrument. They need education and the opportunity to express and discover who they are. They need to connect with the intellectual and capable being that is found within them. They need the chance to be kids and to learn about the many prospects that a pen can bring to their lives. J
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