upfront UpFront
Charles Martin
TCV teachers and administrators and the trainers from Georgia College and Newman University, (a partnering institution)
Georgia College partners with Tibetan Children’s Village A team led by Professor of Education and Director of the Center for Program Evaluation and Development Charles Martin returned to Dharmasala, India, in October to continue a partnership that started last March with the Tibetan Children’s Villages. “We were hooked from the beginning,” says Dr. Martin. “The children are so smart. They absorb everything and want to ask you questions about everything. The kids really care for each other too, and their teachers and school administrators are incredibly dedicated. From the beginning we knew collaborating with them would result in something that could make a difference.” The team returning to the children’s village will train a selective group of the teachers to become trainers themselves. The team also plans to meet with leaders of the new
6
Georgia College Connection • Fall 2009
BY ANNA BRYSON
Dalai Lama Institute for Higher Education to discuss how Georgia College might collaborate with their teacher education program and create exchange programs or international service learning opportunities for Georgia College students. When the project began the team identified three primary objectives: to redesign village teachers’ evaluation system, to develop democratic leadership skills and to implement a training program for middle grades’ math and science instructors. “We have grown and learned so much, and we want to give others at Georgia College the same experience,” says Dr. Martin. “These kids value their education. They don’t want to waste it, and they don’t want to lose it. Working with them has helped us remember what really is valuable - how much we have versus how much we need
and realizing how much we can give.” Last June the team leaders signed a joint resolution committing both the Tibetan Children’s Villages and Georgia College to a multi-year partnership to improve educational opportunities in the village schools. “The deal was sealed when we had an audience with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, and he stressed the importance of TCV Schools in preparing Tibetans to be leaders in math, science, politics and the arts,” Dr. Martin says. TCV was established following the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1950. The Dalai Lama commissioned a place to educate children. Since opening its doors in 1960, the schools have served more than 70,000 refugee children.