The International Office
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Thoughts from our English teacher in Thailand...
Steve is studying an undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of Bath. He was selected by the International Office to travel to northern Thailand this summer to teach English to Burmese refugees and migrants as part of the Migrant Outreach Education Initiative (MOEI) Intensive English Camp 2008 ( a programme launched, organized and subsidized by the University of Hong Kong). Steve has received initial training and will be living and working in the camp for six weeks, together with other undergraduate students from Hong Kong and the UK. He has agreed to write a blog…here are his first reflections….
Week 1 - Week 2 - Week 3 - Week 4 - Week 5 - Week 6 - Week 7 - Week 8 - Week 9 - Week 10 - Week 11
Ok, so after a 5 hours lion car back to Mae Sot I decided to chill out in a hotel for the night and relax. Hot water and western style toilets again, heaven! Then it was down to my friends house near Hs Thoo Lei where I’m staying for the remaining four weeks. Yes again there is no hot water etc. She lives with between 3 and 12 Karen migrants, including a monk – so a packed house.
As much as I loved HS Thoo Lei previously, the feelings of sorrow at having to leave my second skill still remained for several days, I couldn’t find the enthusiasm to teach. I met with Paw Ray the school director on Saturday and discussed what classes I’d be taking, and then with Hsa Eh on Sunday to have a look at the timetable.
I was asked to teach Grade 9 and 10 science (equivalent to GCSE) AND THEN Grades 11 and 12 English. I took one look at the Grade 10 science text book and said no, I couldn’t teach that without spending several hours every night trying to figure out what the hell they were talking about. So instead I’ve taken out the Grade 9 Science class and Grades 10 – 12 English. When they said you can switch some of the timetable around to make the classes fit I thought they were using the wrong pronoun. No, YOU is exactly what they meant. I had to change 4 teacher’s timetables and the whole Grade 9 just so that I could take on the classes. It’s also left me teaching for 18 hours a week.
Grade 9 Science is hard, I’m teaching to people who have an English level below elementary, some complete starters and only two pre-intermediate students. How do you make them understand what the nervous system is? From stimulus to response along the different types of nervous pathways? Well I did somehow. Stimulus is a lighter (thanks to being a smoker!) the receptors are the skin and the volunteer was one of my old students Solo. “Come here” I said, “And close your eyes!” Ha, as I moved the lighter closer to his skin he twitched and tried to move away, the whole class laughed and suddenly understood that a stimulus was something in the environment and the body could sense it!
Grade 11 English too is hard, with a complete range of students from complete beginner (not understanding Where are you from?) to Intermediate. Pitching work to the whole class was impossible so I’ve split the class in three, two complete beginners who are reading a book and doing comprehensions and the rest of the class, half who need a translator (King, the intermediate student) and the others who don’t, all doing the same work. Even this isn’t really working.
Another good idea from me – why not have a remedial class on a night for the complete beginners in Grades 9 – 11. Yes a great idea but then I’m the only volunteer who’ll actually do it so add 5 more hours to my timetable. I’ve also been asked to write the school report to the donors for this quarter – i.e. ensure that find some more emergency funds to tide us by, and I’m the chief editor of the school newspaper, appointed for two years. GREAT I love this life, so much free time!
One final plus point, I was asked to stay in the dormitory a few nights a week so that I can help with the nightly homework sessions which run from 7:30 to 11:00. Ok I tried it and I have to say I love it, I’m staying in one of the boys dorms with the older students and it’s fantastic, I’m staying with the older students and enjoy just chatting to them, they can practise their English and I enjoy being with people of a similar age and similar interest!
Week 10 already, where has all the time gone? I’m just starting my last week at Nu Po, and what a change in my heart. From the day before I came, actually trying to think of excuses not to go, now I’m wondering if there is any possible ways of postponing university for a while, umm difficult!
Anita’s here until Friday morning and so we’ve got a party planned for her and the hopefully for me as well. John Gen, the school co-ordinator is a very persuasive man. Every night we have debates and arguments but one night in particular springs to mind. As a teacher I consider it my duty to teach facts and leave my personal view points and opinions outside the classroom. However this school is very pro democracy. Understandable when you consider that most people here have campaigned for, and I’m many cases been imprisoned for, democracy in Burma. But here is where my problem lies. I want to teach in an unbiased manner. Anyway, long story short I’m now giving a lecture on communism and democracy this week, the pros and cons of both.
The teaching is going great and thanks to Anita taking over the Elementary classes I’ve at last had time to work on the Romeo and Juliet English Module book which I’m writing for Curriculum Project, an organisation which develops course books and modules to be used in schools. At school, like most people I know, I hated Shakespeare, now I’m writing the module! Its going well, the draft version of the student book is finished, just need to work n the teacher’s guide now, although I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve read the same pages and watched the same scenes – my hatred of Shakespeare is quickly returning.
With my teacher training class this week I took more of a back seat, asking the students to each teach a 20 minute lesson which I observed and then gave feedback. Some of them were excellent and I know that they have the ability to go on and become great teachers in the future, others needed to prepare more and I think they learnt a lot from being in the embarrassing situation of being stood at the front of the class without a clue as to what to do!
Anita left on Friday morning and my leaving party was that night. Before the leaving party I taught for 6 hours with only a half hour break, I was knackered by the and I have to say that in the last class I was teaching with a glass of whisky in one hand and a cigarette in the other!
I was really overwhelmed at the student’s response and gits. Vinod, one of my pre-int students, sang and played Hotel California for me and was really excellent. I’ll never forget the performance; neither will I forget Ton’s who sang another version of the song, with actions, to Vinod’s accompaniment. Saturday morning was really hard. Not least because of the four hours sleep! I’m not bothered about admitting that I was nearly in tears as I left my students for the final time and watched as their smiling faces disappeared into the distance. If the reaction of the students and gratitude for taking the time to teach them is what is so satisfying, more so than anything else I’ve done in my life, then leaving them is the bitterest disappointment and most heart-breaking experience. I will return.
A fairly uneventful week, classes for 6 days, coffee in the many shops near by and drinking most nights. If this is the life of a teacher in camp I like it!
Although my new class is very challenging. Teacher training is hard and I’m not sure that I’m the most qualified person to be taking it! Thanks once again to Hugh Cory, without his expert leadership and training in the first week, I’d never have had the confidence to teacher the locals how to teach English.
Anita showed up at last, on Thursday, apparently it was a mix up with the office. At least I have a little bit of a rest. It’s nice to have another teacher staying here and certainly different. I love the English-Scottish banter!
Update on the school, thanks to a generous donation from the University of Bath and personal donations from myself and Ian Holliday, Dean of Faculty at HKU and MOEI program director, the school has sufficient funds to buy a computer. The newly formed student’s union are also building a coffee shop which should bring in a small income for the future and pay for the printing costs of the school newspaper!
OK, that’s all for now, I’m off to a coffee shop with a few of my students!
Saturday – a nice trip down to Hsa Thoo Lei to see a few friends and have a goodbye meal – frog curry! Surprisingly delicious, although I did have many reservations whilst I was watching the students chop up the live things, the ones waiting were trying to jump out of the pot, apparently they didn’t want to be the main course!
Sunday was a strange day, I had to say goodbye to Leo, my room mate for the last 7 weeks. Despite it only being 7 weeks, we had got to know each other very well and I’m sure we’ll be good friends for many years to come, he’s gone down to Bangkok and then onto Ko Phang Yang party island for a well deserved break, in many ways I’m jealous, he’s going to have a nice holiday, feeling fulfilled and knowing he’s done a great job, I on the other hand am preparing to go to Nu Po Refugee Camp, not quite the same.
A seven hour ride in the most uncomfortable, overcrowded sontou (or lion car) you can possible imagine. And the driving wasn’t great either. Believe me I was so glad to arrive and be able to move around again! The committee who greeted me must have been a little amused at the amount of luggage, I’ve got my personal teaching library, computer and speakers with me but it all got shipped down to the school.
ESC school in Nu Po, where I’m teaching is amazing! There are two classrooms, a library, two teacher living rooms and a teachers chill out room. It’s one of the few places in camp with 24hr electric, which is great for us living here as on a night we can chill out, watch films and have a party!
Within 5 minutes of arriving here I was thrust into the classroom to start teaching – nothing like an easy start. By 6 o’clock I had been in camp for 3 hours and taught two classes, this wasn’t part of the deal John! But this is what they need. Volunteers who don’t turn up are a course here, Anita from BVP should have arrived the day before me and as of now, 10 days later, we’ve not heard from her. Carl, another MOEI guy, has been down for a few days (again 3 days late! But he was fixing the school printer in Mae Sot). This is just the sort of place that you can never leave.
Carl and Rita, the teachers for weeks 4-6, managed to get 4 newspapers printed, start a student union and teach some excellent lessons. I’ve now taken over and am fully involved and supportive of the students’ union. When Carl goes, I will be back to teaching all 5 classes and the extra teacher training class to help the local teachers learn the skills to teach the students when there aren’t any volunteer foreign teachers available – which will be in two weeks when I go!
ONE FINAL PLEA FOR THIS WEEK – COMPUTERS ARE VERY RARE IN CAMP. THE STUDENTS’ UNION HERE ARE TRYING TO RAISE 11,500 BAHT FOR A COMPUTER (£200). THIS WILL ENABLE IT LESSONS FOR THOSE WHO ARE GOING TO A THIRD COUNTRY AND ALSO ALLOW THE NEWSPAPER TO BE PRINTED EVERY TIME AS WELL AS COUNTLESS OTHER ACTIVITIES TO BE ABLE TO HAPPEN – IF ANYONE COULD SPARE A FEW POUNDS THEN PLEASE GET IN CONTACT WITH ME ON SMG24@BATH.AC.UK. I HAVE PLEDGED HALF AND SO WE STILL NEED A LITTLE MORE PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU CAN HELP AND I WILL GIVE YOU THE BANK DETAILS! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
YEAH! The last week of MOEI, and the half way point for me personally. This in many ways has been the saddest week of my recent life, knowing that I would be leaving the students at the end was quite emotional, however luckily I was so busy until Friday that I didn’t have much chance to think about these things.
This week has seen the final edit for my classes contributions for the newspaper, pictures to illustrate the stories, the final test, marking of all essays which have fallen by the wayside during the newspaper drafting process, preparations for the final party and many, many other things which comes at the end of the teaching process.
It was really pleasing to look at the final exams, a 2 section paper I designed to look at their grammatical skills, range of vocabulary learnt and writing skills. The essay part was marked along the same lines as a university piece, with the same mark intervals and grading ideas. The lowest mark was 46%, which I bent the mark scheme slightly to turn into a C, many students scored between 50 and 60%, also graded as C and then there were a decent proportion who managed to get over 70% and were very pleased to be given an A.
Thursday night saw the final meal for MOEI, a rather sombre affair as many, including myself, were feeling under the weather with a bug happening to be going around. Friday morning trip to school was quite emotional and difficult, not least because of my big backpackers bag which was full of sweets, cakes, crisps and chocolate as a fair well gift to the students. Their faces lit up when they saw the haul and everyone wanted a picture before they attacked (and I do mean attacked!) the massive pile.
Friday afternoon saw the leaving ceremony for us, I was so proud of my students who opened the ceremony by singing and performing ‘Time of Your Life’ for me. I was given many presents during the afternoon, too many for people who have so little money, however this was a sign of how much they appreciated the work I had put in and this was so nice. Many of the students were in floods of tears, and I confess when I was giving my speech, it was hard not to join them.
During the ceremony we were fed by the students, Ian the program director was sat next to me and laughing at how many of my students were trying to feed me at the same time. He made a joke of pretending to throw his bowl of cake in my face at protest of the attention I was getting and he wasn’t, however the joke backfired when his cake fell all over the floor! Ha ha! That should teach Ian! After the ceremony finished, King got me to join in with the traditional Karen dance, with a couple of other MOEI colleagues, and I’ve never seen so many people laughing – we were pretty bad! But then the traditional Karen dance is very complicated – you tube it and see for yourself!
Of course there was also a leaving do at the clinic, and although this was a different, much happier affair, it was still very special and is a day that I will always remember. The saddest part happened not long after the clinic leaving do, when the HKU volunteers boarded their overnight bus for Bangkok and we all had to say goodbye for the last time. Guys I will remember all of you with fondness and affection for the rest of my life.
A rough start to the week, I had to take Monday off as I was too sick to move. I had an attack of diarrhoea and believe me out here that is not pleasant. I asked Diana to cover the lesson and sent her in prepared with the last chapter of Dracula, Blowing in the wind and instructions on the start f the newspaper.
So for the rest of the week, I haven’t been feeling great, maybe I tried to get back to teaching a little too quickly, but there really aren’t spare teachers here and so its imperative not to miss a day wherever possible. The week was sheer hell, trying to get the whole class to write articles for the newspaper, the drafting process squashed into just one week and still teaching the clinicclass on a night.
The paper was written though, and i managed to get a lot of marking done in Chiang Mai over the weekend whilst i was celebrating KT’s 40th birthday – this was a real joy and a messy party but we all need a break at times and it seemed as if half of Mae Sot had travelled up for the birthday celebration.
This week also saw me start a new type of music – modern with modern ideas. Some of the language was a little taboo, likewise the themes covered. Primal Scream’s ‘Rocks’ saw me teaching about the cocaine culture of the west, along with elements of prostitution and taboo language. Supergrass’ ‘Alright’ saw me teaching about ganja running. All these ideas might seem a little inappropriate for an English lesson but the discussions I’ve had with some volunteers here has lead me to the belief that these are all valid, and important, areas for teaching. If these children are to resettle in the west, these ideas will crop up and therefore i think that it is important to give them some background in these areas before they arrive. Rightly or wrongly this is something that others can decide, and if some feel uncomfortable teaching these sorts of things then they shouldn’t approach them, I however feel that I did a responsible job, reporting factually and allowing people to develop their own opinions on such matters – I am not here to make people think the same as me!
OK, so now the work gets even harder? Possible I was thinking? Yes, I now have an extra class at Dr Synthia’s clinic, 3 nights a week for 2 hours. Not much in the grand scheme of things but this is extra teaching time, on top of an already hectic schedule. This is less time to mark essays – of which I collect about 50 in a week. And this is less time to plan at the same time as being more teaching too plan.
Right, I forgot to say that this is my own fault, and my flat refusal to let anyone else teach my class. We have a real bond and I’ve seen a big improvement, I don’t want to lose this or let them slip back at all.
The teaching this week has gone really well, to plan and the students are having a great time whilst becoming quite capable at both speaking and writing, although their reading and listening skills still leave a little to be desired, although this will improve I’m sure by the end of the MOEI program, with a real focus next week on the listening aspect.
Friday night we decided to take the teachers out because they have been so good to us. They offer all the support you can want as well as buying dinner for us at cafes everyday and showing us round their dorms. Saturday was fantastic too. I went back to Hsa Thoo Lei for the day with Grace and was treated to a display of traditional Karen dancing, a semi final of the volleyball league – which we won! and a nice meal and drink with one of the teachers. Some of my students came and just chatted away for hours as though we’d been friends for years, yes not teacher/student but friends. I really do feel close to some of them and its more than clear that this is a mutual feeling.
OK to finish a quick word about the music this week, Hotel California and Papa Don’t Preach by Madonna went down well. Less successful was Falling Slowly (from Once) Money for Nothing and (surprisingly) Monster Mash was not greeted with the enthusiasm I was expecting! IO did do one activity during the week just for fun, in groups they had to discuss the differences between Paint it Black by The Rolling Stones and by Hayseed Dixie. This worked really well!
This has been the hardest week so far – even though it was the shortest! The week started OK, with 20 of my 22 students showing up for class, but after dinner a third of them had decided no to bother coming back. What do you do? I’d seen them minutes before playing games and now they were gone! I hate myself for the action I took but I went to find them! I hate myself for this because its exactly what one of my teachers used to do when I was in sixth form; and I remember the reason we used to bunk off his lessons was because he was a crap teacher!
That night was the first and only time that I’ve had doubts about what I’m doing and why I’m here. Monday I was ready to call it a day and change my flights as I kept thinking that if they don’t want to learn or even bother to show up why am I here spending so much money on them and working for free for the first time in my life.
Things could only get better I thought, however the next morning I got in and more than a quarter of my class were missing – great I thought. They want me to play hide and seek before every class. With the help of one of the local teachers most of the students were found and then talked to by the head teacher who was aware of how disappointed I was. I’m not sure what was said, or whether I was my own words I had with them but the next day all were there ready and willing to learn! (I asked them if they wanted to just not bother with lessons for the next 3 weeks or if they wanted a different teacher).
Well the week finished early on Wednesday and I must say that personally i was relieved – I need a break! Wednesday’s lesson went well, the class all asked me at different times to stay on and teach them and I was touched by how much I had affected some of them. The likes of Eh Poh and Robot I am indebted to as without them I could have left the program but I didn’t and now I’m looking forward to a break in Chiang Mai.
Blog Week 4.2
Wednesday night was fun but this morning isn’t. Last night Times bar was closing (it’s been my local for the last month and there’s barely a day gone by that I haven’t been in there!) Me and Grace won a competition and I now have a 10% discount card – I think they want to go bankrupt soon!
So Chaing Mai for the weekend! What an experience, I went with three of my colleagues from MOEI and on the bus I met a friend who has a house there – great! No hotel bill this weekend! After a brief sightseeing tour Friday afternoon (after a 6 hour coach ride) it was time to start partying and relaxing and boy did we all need it. I won’t go into too many details – those that know me use your imaginations. Although I will say that the locals eyed us funny when some people started doing an acrobatics show in the middle of a pub car park!
Suffice to say that I didn’t make the zoo Saturday morning, a home cooked fry up was just too tempting! I did however meet the gang later that day for a tour to an ancient city with 9 temple sights, toured round by bus.
Saturday night was also fun, especially meeting Meg again, we hadn’t seen each other since the first week of training. We went to the cinema and saw the new Batman film – awesome! Then went and saw the sights of Chiang Mai nightlife, riding home 4 on the back of a motorbike (we actually managed to get 6 in a 2 seater tuk tuk earlier in the day!)
Sunday morning was a bit more chaotic, with only 3 seats left on the direct bus we tried to find a quick connection, failed and then found out that the other direct bus 3 hours later also now had only 3 seats left, so we decided to send the girls on ahead and catch the late bus with a connection in Tak, getting into Mae Sot at gone 8 with a whole weeks lessons to plan. Fun!
This really isn’t getting any easier, however it is extremely rewarding. I now understand why Ian (the organiser) said he hoped it would be a very hard but rewarding 7 weeks. I’ve just been looking into extending my flights and think I might stay here until Uni resumes at the beginning of October.
It’s easy to see the difference in my students, even after just two weeks. They’re all so much more confident and are now happy to read in class, and their essays are improving so much. Currently I am setting two a week, which is very hard to mark, but necessary in my opinion to keep them improving. Many of the mistakes that they were making in every sentence are now occurring once or twice an essay! They also seem to enjoy reading Dracula and working together to answer questions.
I had to discipline two students this week for copying and found this hard, but then if they don’t want to learn they don’t have to, and a little warning seemed to do the trick. It’s a real pleasure to help many of these kids, and not just in their English. Many can play the guitar and I have printed many tabs off for them to learn.
This week the music ranged from Bon Jovi, to Green Day, The Beatles and even Guns’ n Roses. Many have asked for copies of the music we listen to in class and I was delighted to oblige all of them who requested a CD.
Next week is a Buddhist holiday and so there will only be 3 teaching days – happily – and so maybe I’ll get a bit of time for a rest and to explore the local area. On Thursday it would be nice to spend some time with the students though as many have written about this holiday in some of their essays – it would be lovely therefore to witness the celebrations first hand!
OK, so after a stressful weekend we were plunged into the deep end on Monday. 5 of us had 110 students to test and place into sets for the next 6 weeks – no easy task – and one that would have been near impossible without some help from the local experts. Even after spending the whole of Monday on this we still made some mistakes!
And then the teaching began – I can honestly say that I have never worked so hard in my life – respect to all teachers out there – the amount of work which goes into planning and preparing materials is unbelievable.
Every day has been a toil, with 5 hours teaching and the same again travelling, planning and preparing worksheets etc. The amount of exercise too is, at least for me, a shock. We have to bike too and from school every day. Grace, one of the students from HKU, was never taught how to ride and so sits on the back of mine every day, with a laptop, stereo, textbooks and worksheets in the little basket on the front. She’s great though, and even after I crashed into a parked car and tortured her with my singing she still smiles and thanks me. Bless!
The difference we are making in these kids life is shocking – their hopes and dreams are becoming slightly more within reach through their understanding and proficiency in the English language improves. Some of the stories they tell you about their pasts are heart breaking. Stories about pillage, burned villages, rape and torture. These are just kids and it is unthinkable that they should have had to suffer in such ways.
A quick word about the teaching – they love songs! I was shocked to hear smack that by Akon on one student’s phone – especially as I had just taught them jet plane by the carpenters and the YMCA! I’m also introducing them to classics such as Every You by Placebo and Good Riddance by Green Day. I am slightly nervous that on Thursday I’m planning to introduce them to the Macerena!
I arrived at Bangkok airport and, after a painfully slow immigration procedure, was ecstatic to see the luxury of my first nights accommodation (seriously this was better than any English 5*!!)
Next day was a long 7 hour road trip up to Mae Sot in preparation for the training to begin on the Monday morning. I have to say that Hugh Cory, the guy that taught us was excellent! Without his expertise I would never have felt ready to actually teach English as a foreign language. The modelling exercises he took us through were brilliant – more than that they were lessons ready to be taught and believe me when you’re teaching for 5 hours a day, a pre planned 45 min exercise is invaluable!
All of the other foreigners here were amazing. The local volunteer bar is a wealth of experience and tales. One night I and another volunteer were talking to a Burmese guy, having crossed over the border literally hours before. We were the first westerners he had ever met or spoken to. Although very shy and frightened at first, his friends forced him to speak to us by leaving him for half an hour. I felt really privileged that after only a few days here, they trusted us enough to leave their friend in our hands.
Some of the tales however are not so pleasant, for example stories of thousands of pounds of funding being returned to charities every year because, having been collected for one cause, they cannot then be transferred to other needs in the same clinic! Or the revelation that a leading brand, who I will not name here, has transferred their sweat shops into factories and houses in this area because of previous publicity.
This last week has been invaluable, and at times, a little embarrassing. I thought I would be the one teaching English, however the students from Hong Kong Institute have infact been leading the way in the grammar exercises and a big thank you goes out to all of them as without them, none of the British would have been able to complete the teaching course! With a hectic week of teaching to look forward to (and then up to 10 weeks more after that!) I know that many more hours are going to be spent here, at my laptop, trying to plan lessons – I sincerely respect all teachers for their dedication now. Planning goes a long way – as I found out when messing up one of my practise lessons!
Steve Gomersall