Intensive work on Self-development and Counsellor education with teacher trainees of the
Bachelor of Elementary Education (B. El. Ed) course of Delhi University
During the past twelve years Oswald Summerton has conducted numerous programmes in educational methodology geared to self-empowerment and healing for young women completing their diploma course in teacher training, called the Bachelor of Elementary Education. He trained students from Vivekananda College, SPM College, Jesus and Mary College, Lady Sri Ram College, and Gargi College, all affiliated to Delhi University. As the students rarely had men teachers, Os was a great favourite and they report having received a lot of nurturing and support from him which helped to build up their sense of dignity and self-confidence.
Os focussed on the personal growth and trauma healing of these teacher trainees, giving them detailed sessions in handling children from slums and resettlement colonies, as well as educating them in special life skill techniques to help difficult children. Negative attitudes towards poor and shy students, superiority and inferiority complexes, misunderstandings in the classroom, breakdown of friendships and relationships in the school lead to emotional disturbances in both teachers and children. They learnt to understand the problems of all children and how to respond to them. Teacher trainees were taught to give attention to disadvantaged children so that their teaching in the classroom and their support to the families of these children would bring out their potential and lead them into the mainstream of education, ironing out injustices and handicaps. Many of them practiced with the poor students of MCD schools.
As a majority of the teacher trainees he taught come from village backgrounds and as several of them are first generation learners, the modules set up by Os Summerton are seen by them as important for cultural identity and building their leadership skills. They learn to make family interventions when their own students are being abused and to become adept in counseling skills that prevent suicide, depression and aggression among young people.
Summerton’s philosophy for these B. El. Ed. students is to give them space to grow and mature as human beings who are aware of their life experiences and can wade through difficulties and problems to emerge strong and secure, with a feeling of inner confidence as teachers and counselors of young children. The teacher trainees themselves need a lot of personal support and trauma counselling as the high expectations of their families and conservative control of their home situations are obstacles in their participation in college and study activities. The educational sessions conducted by Summerton were geared to healing these situations and giving skills to teachers and students to prevent the recurrence of such painful and life-threatening events in their lives. His courses have focussed on family advocacy, not only for their future primary school students, but also in building up family qualities within each class, seeing that they spend four years in close cooperation with one another.
Summerton trained more than sixty students every year, teaching them to understand the structure of personality, the nature of communication, the stepping-stones to building trust and co-operation, the dynamics of conflict resolution, the psychology of the teacher-student relationship, the effects of emotional deprivation on children’s intelligence and performance. By working on their own self-development they get direct learning of how relationship break-downs in the family affect mental health and social attitudes. They learn to make behavioural changes with regard to the inner Parent, Adult, Child with regard to feelings of rejection and hurt, with regard to depression and lack of motivation, with regard to flare-ups in the family, and with regard to social disasters and traumas. By increasing their articulation and expression of thoughts and feelings, as well as by reporting and journal writing, they learn to take new initiatives with family, friends, peers, teachers, authorities, students and servants. They learn to be conscious of responsibilities and faithful to their promises, balancing self-care and care for others, building unity in the family and in the classroom and creating healthy patterns of study and entertainment. They also learn applications of the programme to village life and rural education so that children are not alienated from their environment and do not get seduced to yearning for careers in the city that take them away from their land and heritage.
Os focussed on the personal growth and trauma healing of these teacher trainees, giving them detailed sessions in handling children from slums and resettlement colonies, as well as educating them in special life skill techniques to help difficult children. Negative attitudes towards poor and shy students, superiority and inferiority complexes, misunderstandings in the classroom, breakdown of friendships and relationships in the school lead to emotional disturbances in both teachers and children. They learnt to understand the problems of all children and how to respond to them. Teacher trainees were taught to give attention to disadvantaged children so that their teaching in the classroom and their support to the families of these children would bring out their potential and lead them into the mainstream of education, ironing out injustices and handicaps. Many of them practiced with the poor students of MCD schools.
As a majority of the teacher trainees he taught come from village backgrounds and as several of them are first generation learners, the modules set up by Os Summerton are seen by them as important for cultural identity and building their leadership skills. They learn to make family interventions when their own students are being abused and to become adept in counseling skills that prevent suicide, depression and aggression among young people.
Summerton’s philosophy for these B. El. Ed. students is to give them space to grow and mature as human beings who are aware of their life experiences and can wade through difficulties and problems to emerge strong and secure, with a feeling of inner confidence as teachers and counselors of young children. The teacher trainees themselves need a lot of personal support and trauma counselling as the high expectations of their families and conservative control of their home situations are obstacles in their participation in college and study activities. The educational sessions conducted by Summerton were geared to healing these situations and giving skills to teachers and students to prevent the recurrence of such painful and life-threatening events in their lives. His courses have focussed on family advocacy, not only for their future primary school students, but also in building up family qualities within each class, seeing that they spend four years in close cooperation with one another.
Summerton trained more than sixty students every year, teaching them to understand the structure of personality, the nature of communication, the stepping-stones to building trust and co-operation, the dynamics of conflict resolution, the psychology of the teacher-student relationship, the effects of emotional deprivation on children’s intelligence and performance. By working on their own self-development they get direct learning of how relationship break-downs in the family affect mental health and social attitudes. They learn to make behavioural changes with regard to the inner Parent, Adult, Child with regard to feelings of rejection and hurt, with regard to depression and lack of motivation, with regard to flare-ups in the family, and with regard to social disasters and traumas. By increasing their articulation and expression of thoughts and feelings, as well as by reporting and journal writing, they learn to take new initiatives with family, friends, peers, teachers, authorities, students and servants. They learn to be conscious of responsibilities and faithful to their promises, balancing self-care and care for others, building unity in the family and in the classroom and creating healthy patterns of study and entertainment. They also learn applications of the programme to village life and rural education so that children are not alienated from their environment and do not get seduced to yearning for careers in the city that take them away from their land and heritage.
A few excerpts are given from comments of students who have recorded their gains in writing. They implement their learnings in MCD schools where the children are very much in need of counselling.
Lady Shri Ram College for Women
“Today has been one of the most enlightening experiences ever. It was truly an eye opener and has penetrated deep with firm roots in my system.…” Shreya.
“I learnt with this session that we cannot change any person but can change our perception of the person in our mind…” M. G..
“I am glad I am back as it gave me enough space to again think about me, my inner self and feel relief from the unwanted things coming in my mind before coming here…” A. S. Tirkey.
“Coming to this place is an extremely good thing in my life. This is the only place I feel relaxed and trust you as your presence gives me positive energy.” G. Yadav.
“The process of building a family out of my class is going on and I must say, today was a very important day in adding up to the process.” G. S.
Shyam Prasad Mukherjee College
“Before the self-development workshop I was not very confident about myself. But after this class I really feel a very big change in my personality, my nature, and attitudes. I feel that I love me and my other friends Thanks to Father who encouraged me that I am special and all are special.” Urvashi.
“I really enjoyed these workshops but liked the first one very much because that day I realized that my body was filling with confidence and excitement. Others, my parents, sister, etc., felt some change in me that day. I knew me very well, I learnt that whenever I will be in any problem, I must go to my Mom, or any good friend. Now I have more love for my parents, students, friends, etc. Thanks – thanks very much for helping me realize all these things.” Babita.
“It’s been a roller coaster ride for my inner self…” Dilpreet.
“The whole experience of self development has been a hidden disguise from me. I used to carry a lot of burdens inside me… I went home and told my family and we have developed a very good bond between each other.” Mukti.
Gargi College
“Fr. Os, you have taught me a method to express anger and to love and not hurt myself. Thanks.” Neetu.
“Thank you Father for your precious words.” Monika.
“…thanks for increasing my positive behaviour, caring, protecting, loving nature.” Hemlata.
“I have never seen such a beautiful experience and I hope I will get I again.” Prabha.
A glimpse of the B. El. Ed. training
It was a few years a ago that I made my first trip to Bowana to conduct a workshop for the students of Aditi college. Driving through the streets of rustic townships and along the fields of ripening corn, past hamlets of brick and thatch, I felt I was traveling into another rural heartland. And indeed I was. The college was providing a radical opportunity for young women to get a higher education and they were a new generation of professionals and mothers who would add luster to an economically progressive yet academically impoverished society.
For me it was a chance to focus on how they could keep a balance between tradition and modernity, how not to sell their souls to the consumerist market with its lure of cosmetics, wealth and new intimacies for young people. Personal development and human relationships are being manipulated by the media to portray impossible dreams for a generation hoping to be rich and famous with rocket-like speed. The workshops were intended to bring the students face to face with their own realities at home and in college so as to help them melt emotional blocks so that they use their energies to learn and grow.
“I did not want to be a teacher, but I was forced to as my parents would not let me be an engineer,” sobbed one your B El Ed student in my class. “I feel very bad because my sister has not spoken to me for one week after we had a fight,” was the tearful outburst of another. “My pet dog is no more and our whole family is feeling lost,” said a shy looking student while her neighbour looked agonized as she said, “My father has to change his job and we are all very worried that he may not get one easily.” “My mother is always scolding me and telling me that I am no good because I do not have time for the dish-washing,” “My grandmother is my real mother and I feel very lonely now that I am back with my parents” were other woes that I heard that Saturday morning. But the one I remember the most is the sad face of a student who said that her village did not like her going to college and negative remarks were constantly passed about her education. This was the section of the self-development workshop syllabus that had to deal with feelings and childhood experiences.
Our young teacher trainees seemed so fresh and dynamic, so creative and robust, yet were so fragile and sensitive when it came to personal relationships and family life. For me it was a privilege to work with such young women who were braving all obstacles to find freedom and new paths to the future. After teaching them problem-solving strategies, personality development, communication skills, emotional healing and goal-setting I spent a few sessions on integrating their personal strengths with pedagogical techniques. I hoped to train them to be present to their students first with a trustful person to person connectivity, and then in a teacher to student relationship.
The general criteria used for assessing the assignments of the students of the B. El. Ed. provide an insight into the objectives of the TACET training. These criteria remove handicaps of those who do not speak English or have language expression difficulties.
- The student’s interest, participation and responsiveness during the sessions.
- The student’s understanding of the theories taught and demonstrated.
- The student’s reported awareness of inner thoughts and feelings and how to change them
- The number and quality of the student’s initiatives taken to bring healing within themselves.
- The student’s record of changes made in relationships to mother, father and siblings.
- The student’s ability to make positive interventions to reduce stress levels and increase self-awareness in others.
- The student’s growth in creating emotional trust, bonding and closeness.
- The student’s sensitivity to the needs of others.
- The student’s self-recognition of personal faults and limitations and ability to ask for help.
- The student’s overall development as a mature responsible adult, capable of handling tensions, and capable of giving generously to others.
N.C.E.R.T.’s International Diploma Course in Counselling Workshop on
Counselor Education and Teacher-Student Communication
On 10/12/06 twelve participants of the international diploma in counseling of NCERT attended a lecture by Os Summerton during the TACET Friday evening seminar. They wrote:
Dorji Tshering (Bhutan) –
“It’s been a good learning experience. In fact what I’ve learnt about the so called ‘strokes’ and family rituals in your lectures are now crystal clear to me. I’ve come to realize the importance of such sessions.”
Prerna Gautam (India) –
“Wonderful and amazing experience to have a real exposure.”
Raj Kumar Anya (India) –
“Yes, sharing is good and encouraging.”
Dechen Dama (Bhutan) –
“New enriching experience, I will like to implement it in my country.”
Deki Choden (Bhutan) –
“It is an enriching and revealing experience that I will cherish forever.”
Khandu Dorji (Bhutan) –
"It is an unforgetable experience which I will cherish forever. I felt wonderful and light, free for a while from my inner turmoil.”
Summerton’s criteria for assesment of B. El. Ed. (Bachelor of Elementary Education) students of
Delhi University in the Self-Development course:-
1. Growth in self-expression and autonomy
- regularity, sincerity of expression, growth in self-esteem & confidence
- awareness of inner feelings and motivations and ability to communicate these
- awareness of early childhood experiences and ability to talk about them
- understanding of personal needs and how to meet them
- giving case-studies of self and family experiences
- examples of changes made in self in feeling, thinking & action
- ability to monitor and assess self-development in self and others
2. Group participation
- enthusiasm for communication with others
- growth in listening skills and communication skills
- growth in spontaneity and expression in groups
- reports of improved communication in the family
- improved interaction with classmates
- moving from competition to collaboration
- sensitivity to the needs of others
3. Growth in cohesiveness in groups
- ability to bring fellow-feeling within peer groups
- ability to adjust and co-operate in small group activities
- warmth and engagement with others
- ability to give and receive feedback
- ability to stand up for justice and protection of others
- ability to apply humanitarian values to counseling situations
- competence in handling group conflicts
- growth in leadership and taking initiatives
4. Integration of theory and practice
- understanding origins of personality and application to self
- giving examples of application of theory
- application of communication and counseling skills to children
- understanding and application of support-giving
- ability to balance discipline with unconditional love
- ability to distinguish real needs and exaggerated needs
- ability to empower self and others with theory applications
- understanding of cultural and ethical issues in counselling
- application of theory to self, classroom, family and society
5. Quality of reports and records
Clarity, neatness, creativity, comprehension and completeness, fluency, crispness, examples given.