After a roughly three-month delay due to bureaucracy, three teachers from various cities in India have arrived at Kermit Independent School District to teach math and science to Kermit Junior High School students.

The teachers, who are here on three-year J1 visas, arrived last week and are getting adjusted to a new country, new town and new school — Kermit Junior High School. Thursday was actually their second day at school and they are easing into their new assignments.

Bhawna Sharma of New Delhi is teaching fifth-grade science and Ghonasgi Vivek of Mumbai is instructing seventh-grade math. For Sharma, going to Kermit was a way of finding understanding between people in America and those in India, and for Vivek, it’s a chance to share his expertise.

Sharma taught in the Maldives, which uses the Cambridge International Curriculum, before coming to Kermit. The Cambridge International Curriculum spans both primary and secondary school and focuses on core subjects like English, math and science, according to the University of Cambridge International Examinations.

Vivek has previous experience teaching high school students in Bridgeport, Conn.

All three teachers said they have found Kermit a friendly spot. Sharma said the city makes a nice change from New Delhi, which is “so crowded and congested.”

“They have accepted us like family,” Sharma said. “This place is also peaceful and calm. All the people are really cooperative and supportive. We don’t feel like we are away from home.”

Sharma and Vivek had a chance to communicate with and instruct Kermit students via Skype before they arrived.

Administrators, including Superintendent Denise Shetter and Kermit Junior High School Principal Gabe Espino, have helped make things easier for the new teachers. The district arranged for housing before the teachers arrived and many of the necessities, such as work, grocery shopping and banking, are within walking distance.

Because of their online interaction, Sharma said the students recognized her when she got to school. “They were happy,” she said.

Espino said he is glad the teachers have arrived, but there is a learning curve with procedures.

“They’re adapting well. … Right now, they’re working with teachers we had in place to get to know schedules,” Espino said.

There are other adjustments to make as the educational systems in the United States and India are different, the teachers and Shetter said.

In India, the teachers said students are often scared to ask a teacher a question, but here, where students can be more open, it helps teachers build relationships with them.

As in the United States, there is a set lesson schedule in India, but Sharma said class sizes are larger in India. Sharma has had 35 to 40 youngsters in her classes, which gave her less time to interact with students.

Shetter said one of the biggest differences between here and India is that many people in that country live in poverty and one of the only ways to get out of poverty is through education.

“In America we take for granted the free, public education,” Shetter said. “We talk a lot about how to motivate kids here.

“It’s very important that we have a support structure for them (the teachers from India). The American education system is vastly different than even the European system. We’re here to support them” and to make sure the students get the best education they can, she added.

Still, the objective is to help students learn so they can become “fruitful citizens” in society, Sharma said.

“For the teacher, it doesn’t matter. We teach,” Vivek said. “It’s the interaction that goes on. It’s a passion for me.”

Vivek said the culture in India is such that parents encourage their children to get educated because it will help them grow as a person.

Shetter worked with Ravi Shakamuri of the Star Tech Group and Acclaim Global to recruit science and math teachers from India. The teachers were expected to arrive in October, but there were hitches in the visa process. Kermit ISD is still waiting for a fourth teacher’s visa to clear and that instructor is expected in about two weeks.

Shetter said the district wanted to obtain H1B visas for the teachers, which meant if they were here successfully for nine years they could apply for a green card. “That would have given us more continuity,” she said.

But with the mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., the process slowed down, so the district went with the J1 visas instead. Under the rules, Shetter said, the J1 visas can’t be turned into a green card.

All four instructors have master’s degrees and two have Ph.D.s in their fields, Shetter said.

She has said recruiting was conducted overseas because she couldn’t find high-quality applicants at home in the math and science teaching fields.

“I’ve got to try to come up with a way to replace math and science teachers we lose to industry or larger districts,” Shetter said.

With the J1 visas, Shetter said, it’s actually more expensive than the H1B type, which would have cost $4,000 per teacher.

“They’re actually more expensive and the cost is due to the teachers. Over three years, the cost is $9,000 and they were still willing to come,” Shetter said. “We want this to be great experience, not only for them but the kids. Everyone here has a big investment.”

Hiring bilingual teachers through Region 13 Education Service Center may be the next initiative, Shetter said.

Ector County Independent School District has been recruiting teachers from Spain for the past four years through Region 13 Education Service Center in Austin, which through the Texas Education Agency, has a memorandum of understanding with the Spanish consulate.