Believing that all schools in Bhutan were like Tashidingkha, visiting Druk School was a pleasant surprise for me. I didn't expect such a stark contrast between the rural Tashidingkha and the urban Druk School. Everything from the students, to policies differed between the two schools. The students at Tashidingkha showed us immense hospitality and gave us their absolute attention. The students insisted on tending to our every need. I often caught students watching me from classrooms, paying more attention to me than the teacher. In rural Bhutan, the students have no concept of what America is like. The students don't have access to the Internet or TV. Many students had no idea what New York City was like. It doesn't surprise me that these students were fascinated by the Americans visiting their school. The students at Tashidingkha were very shy, especially the girls. Many girls would simply laugh at me when I greeted them. I don't remember a single girl's name from that school because they mumbled when they spoke. Even when sitting in on classes most of the students would mumble their answers. When I taught my politics class, not a single girl spoke and only half of the boys spoke. In other classes, even less of the students would speak. Druk School was the complete opposite of Tashidingkha. Druk School students are younger than Tashidingkha. Despite the age of the Druk School students, many of the students introduced themselves to me in audible and confident voices. A kid that could have been no older than 7 years old high-fived me in the hallway saying, "Hey bro, what's up?" In class, the Druk School students would shout out answers and actively take notes in class. The students were far more engaged at Druk School than they were at Tashidingkha. Although I appreciate how adamant the Tashidingkha students were about keeping us comfortable, all of the attention they gave me made me feel really uncomfortable at times. The students at Druk School had access to the Internet. Most of the students knew quite a lot about American culture. I had students ask me about whether or not I liked the band One Direction. Clearly these students had already been exposed to Western culture. They weren't mesmerized by the sight of Americans nor did they have a thousand questions about what America is like. We didn't get any special attention at Druk School but the students were absolutely friendly nonetheless. Even the teachers at Druk School were amicable like the students. The 10th grade chemistry teacher I observed would tell jokes in class and laugh along with students. The teachers at Tashidingkha were very strict. Even the some of the teachers at Tashidingkha seemed uninterested in their work. I walked in on a class at Tashidingkha and the teacher left the room so I could teach. I had nothing to teach and had no idea what to do in that situation. As I mentioned previously, the students at Druk School are far more outgoing and engaged than the students at Tashidingkha. I believe this is a direct result of strict policy. The policies at Tashidingkha are very strict. Students wake up at 5 am to do maintenance of the campus. This includes digging, sweeping, cleaning, scrubbing, planting, etc. The students are only given 15 minutes to put on their matching ghos and kiras, their school uniform. Every day the students must attend a morning assembly and an afternoon prayer. Students are not allowed to go near the dorms of the opposite sex. Relationships are forbidden. The staff openly criticized students for misbehaving. Students can be beaten for misbehaving. The students told me that the principal once slapped a student during assembly. My host family told me that only a decade back, corporal punishment was worse. Teachers abused this power and that resulted in students not showing up for class fearing punishment. I believe the strict policies at Tashidingkha causes the students to be so quiet. The students don't speak after years of being conditioned into believing that their actions will be met with punishment. I asked the students at Tashidingkha if they like the strict policies of Tashidingkha. I was surprised to hear that most of the students thought they deserved to be beaten and punished for their misbehavior. The students seemed to blindly accept the judgment of their teachers. The students liked their uniforms saying that they made everyone equal; the rich and poor had to dress equally. The students liked doing labor around the campus because they thought it taught them physical discipline. Druk School did not have such harsh punishments. The students ran around the hallways freely. Despite what some might call a lack of discipline or order, the students at Druk School struck me as well behaved. The students had as much respect for their teachers and peers as the students from Tashidingkha. I think a change in policy might be beneficial for the teachers and the students of Tashidingkha.
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