I spent my first practicum teaching English to grade seven and eight students at the Sambhota Tibetan School in Chauntra, Himachal Pradesh, India. Teaching in a Tibetan classroom, I learned to be flexible and willing to adapt to the given circumstances, whatever they may be: I also developed a great appreciation for the teaching resources that we have in Canada. While the students I taught were fairly proficient English speakers, the teaching experience I gained is closely related to that of a Canadian ESL or ELL teacher.

Through this experience, we were provided with unique cultural insights as we connected with both Indian and Tibetan members of the community. The cultural experience was unmatched and I learned much about Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, and Muslim culture. This knowledge will prove useful as I begin teaching and am faced with students of varying cultural and religious backgrounds.