Luke Leads the Charge

Luke Teaching the Word of the Day

Have you ever wondered what 22 five and six-year-olds look like charging down a small hallway? I didn't, but now I know. They look terrifying. Let's be clear- the behavior of these children is closer to American expectations than most schools in our province (if not the country), but they still haven't mastered walking in lines or being quiet in the halls. I'm not convinced they ever will, and I'm not the one to lay down that particular law. I'm a terrible example. I love getting other classes riled up when they pass me. It's free entertainment!

By The Way, Class, We Are Going To Be
On T.V. Today

We implemented an intervention program a couple of weeks ago, hoping to provide struggling math students with the extra support they need in order to actually understand all the work they're expected to memorize. Once again we've launched into something unheard of. Nobody we've worked with so far had even the slightest clue as to what intervention was. "You mean tutoring?" No, we mean teaching effectively by helping students during school hours!

Across From The School
(local troops on a walk?)

Every year students are expected to pass this big state test to prove the school doesn't completely suck (in certain years it proves students are ready to move or not). We started our math intervention by designing a test that would assess our 6th grade students' knowledge of the previous year's concepts. Over half of them failed. In fact, we tested them twice, with similar tests of varying difficulty and length and had the same results. These children are moving through the grades with massive gaps in their learning. There's a similar problem in the Vietnamese language class (literature, grammar, etc.), and we've implemented a similar process.

Writing Class In The Library

To accommodate this program, we shortened nap time by an hour- and yes, I know how ridiculous that sounds in the first place- and launched our interventions in mid October. Because this was a grade-wide program, we had to find something for those students who didn't qualify for intervention. This is where I came in, teaching writing and reading. "Reading" essentially became allowing students access to the school library, and encouraging them to sit quietly and read, or perhaps read to a partner. Prior to this, the library was locked. Always. Now it's unlocked all day, every day. These different approaches send wildly opposite messages about reading, libraries, and books. In fact, sometimes I visit the library just because I can.

Our writing program is a bit more exciting. We've been able to tap into these students' creative sides and get them thinking and writing with a level of excitement and comfort that you don't see in most classes and activities. Consider this: our Vietnamese students won't draw something in art class unless you first draw it for them. They've learned to imitate  and they do it with amazing skill. See, failure to imitate can result in mistakes, which results in punishment. The critical thinking and creativity has been beaten out of these students (sometimes literally). So, the fact that we've been able to get them writing and that they are currently  working on a modified version of NaNoWriMo's  (National Novel Writing Month) young writers program is a tribute to our endurance and is exactly what this project is all about.

My Teacher's Day Gift: Laughing Cow Cheese

I always make an effort to keep my students on their toes by surprising them with the most preposterous statements or actions I can concoct, but these guys often get me right back, without even realizing it. November 20th is Vietnamese Teacher Day and it is a big deal. Students and their families try to find their teachers a really nice gift, and then show up at the teacher's house to give it to them and hang out for a bit. Yep- it was a bit difficult to process. It's like a home visit, but after school's already started and with the roles reversed.

Teacher Day fell on a Tuesday this year, and we got the day off. Students began to stop by to visit as early as Saturday, when half the 6th grade came by to wander around and stare at us and our stuff. We don't really have a lot of stuff, but apparently it's interesting because it belongs to us. We had a couple more visitors on Sunday and Monday, and then Tuesday we saw the last of them. Monday was the weirdest day, however, because the local television network decided they wanted to interview us and film a spot for the evening news. They also wanted to film my class. I refused all requests, and then submitted anyway. What can I say... I'm a team player. Also, in Vietnam, you don't get to say, "No."

I'm kind of tired of having people observe and film my class this year, but it has been nice to receive so much positive feedback. At least for this news piece all I really had to do was teach and eat some cake, unlike one of the other teachers who they asked to pretend to play piano so they could film her with some students, or my mother, who they asked to play guitar but promised not to record her singing then did so anyway.

And here you have it- your moment of Zen!

CLICK HERE (Our bit is from 1:53 to 5:11)

Please note that we are not wearing any shoes!

Birdy Misses Out

Birdy And The Vietnamese Staff

Without my lovely Birdy here to keep me distracted and entertained, I’ve had quite a bit of time to reflect on and contemplate the successes and struggles of my work here. It’s hard to measure success. I’ve found that actually sitting down and looking at a list of what we’ve done is much more revealing than trying to explain it or analyze it. There’s been so much going on that I’ve found it pays to put things in perspective. Following, then, is a list of the things I’ve done so far.

Our Hotel in Ho Chi Minh

Trained Vietnamese teachers in-

Multisensory Education

Lesson Planning

Whole Brain Learning

Classroom Management

Power Teaching

Learning Centers

Student Portfolios

Student Assessment

Traffic in Ho Chi Minh
(click to zoom)

Classroom Environment

Team Teaching

Professional Expectations

Trained foreign volunteer teachers in-

Multisensory Education

Classroom Management

Student Assessment

AIM (English Teaching Curriculum)

Guided creation of intervention programs for-

Birdy's Assistant

6^th grade Vietnamese (literature, grammar, etc.)

6^th grade Math

Created extended learning programs for-

6^th grade Reading

6^th grade Writing

Collaborated in the design and implementation of a school behavior policy

Taught English to two bilingual 1st grade classes of 22 students each

Flower Washed In By Storms

I’ve been a busy little beaver, yes I have! It doesn’t feel like it, even though I’m sure there are things I’ve forgotten to add to this list. Much of what I do is in a support capacity, providing teachers with as much feedback and as many suggestions as I can. Yet, I am also responsible for teaching English 12 times a week and running a 6^th grade reading/writing program every afternoon. That’s not to mention the behind-the scenes work required to keep things running. At the end of the day I often feel as if I haven’t gotten anything done, and that’s preposterous.

Vietnamese Soccer Mom
("Look, honey, no van!")

Luke and Birdy are Separated

I'll Eat You Up, I Love You So

I’m finally starting to feel a bit better. After being out for the count for the better part of two weeks, my fever seems to have left and the headaches aren’t as prominent as they were. We were in Ho Chi Minh through Monday, so I’ve officially missed a whole week of work. Luckily that doesn’t affect my pay! Unfortunately, my pay, which is enough to keep a person comfortable over here, doesn’t translate into very much in the States. Birdy is going to have to get herself working if she wants to stick to the lap of luxury. Hah.

Dance Party in Birdy's Class

It’s weird not having her here. I’ve grown so accustomed to having Birdy around, that being sick and grumpy on my own seems almost twice as awful as just being sick and grumpy would normally feel. I’m glad that she went back- it needed to happen. We have a lot of ground to cover over the next few years as we get ourselves financially upright. The sooner she gets through school, the sooner we can begin our next series of adventures! Still, it doesn’t mean I like being without her. I was reading recently about the chemical similarities between drug addiction and love. It wasn’t surprising.

Luke's Class
(he teaches, too, sometimes!)

Unfortunately, being as displeased with my body as I’ve been, there’s not much to report on. I spent the whole time in Ho Chi Minh locked up in my hotel room, trying to feel less awful. The hotel was really fancy, courtesy of our school’s director and friends. We spend a lot of time brushing shoulders with some very influential and wealthy people here. That’s the nature of this project. They’ve taken good care of us, even drove us around town trying to find me a doctor on Saturday/Sunday/Someday. The doctor took my blood, told me I had a fever that was now an infection, and gave me antibiotics. Golly! I haven’t had those in weeks! (Also, I found out I’ve lost 15 pounds since I arrived in Vietnam.)

Vietnam Recycles! In A Green Way!

Parent/Teacher conferences are this week, and we’re modeling these after the way they’re done in the US, or at least the way I’ve always seen them done. Typically parents spend all day calling teachers to talk about their students. Then they meet three or four times a year for “conferences” that consist mainly of an administrator or board member talking for a while, and then a whole group of parents sitting in the classroom while the teacher tells everyone about each student. Not a whole lot of privacy. We’re hoping that quarterly, scheduled, one-on-one conferences will help communicate student progress in a more efficient manner. The teachers are nervous because they’ve never heard of such a thing.

More Recycling!

Presents! One can’t return to one’s country from an exotic trip and not bring back something for the people dearest to you. Or, in Birdy’s case, everyone you’ve ever met. We spent about a week brainstorming, listing, and purchasing some sort of knickknack for everyone. It’s tricky, because we’re limited by space and weight, but also because it’s difficult to know what someone will appreciate. Do we get them a touristy “Made in Vietnam” thing, or do we get them something neat they might want to use or wear? I don’t know. Before Birdy I wouldn’t have even cared. Now I’m alone and I’ve got a bunch of junk to buy. Blah. Thanks, Bird.  *wink*

Birdy Is A Great Teacher
(she just doesn't realize it)

Birdy Flies Away

Sad Face
(Birdy teaching)

The Three Little Pigs
(as retouched by Luke)

Bad news! For me, anyway. Birdy is leaving Vietnam this week! I’m sad to lose my partner, but it’s for the best. Life here has been incredibly stressful lately, and it’s been harder and harder to stay focused. With Birdy in school, the kind of distractions that we’ve had can really get in the way. We talked about it for a long time, and decided it was the best thing to do. We’re really invested in this project, but we have our own future and our families to think of. I think that’s the hardest part of teaching- having life issues and events interfere with what we do in the classroom. All those things that make life fun and exciting and stressful and overwhelming leak into our work and make us less effective. I imagine it gets easier with time.

At the Beach Again!

Anyhow, we’ve been keeping busy. Our lives are totally wrapped up in the school right now. With the shift in weather, we’ve been having a hard time getting back out there to do stuff. Tuy Hoa is a very small town. It’s bigger than most small towns I’ve ever seen, but it’s kind of like the “Boring, Oregon” of Vietnam. Not much here, not much to see, even less to do. Getting away is hard, as well, as the nearest town of any measure is a 4 hour drive across mountains and freeways that aren’t for a little motorbike like ours. To get anywhere we’d have to take a bumpy train ride, fly, or hire a driver. Traveling sounds even more tiring than going to work right now. So we’re hiding at home, watching movies and eating noodles.

We’ve tried to take some videos of what a drive through town looks like, so I’m going to get one of those up here and let it do the talking for me this week. When I’m driving is when I most feel like I’m actually in a different part of the world, on a little adventure rather than just working. See for yourselves.

This video was taken by taping a camera to my helmet, so the angle is a bit high, 

but you essentially see what I see when I drive!

I recommend muting the video- the sound is fuzzy.

Also, it's bouncy, so if you get dizzy easily you've been warned.

Luke Pretends He Knows Everything

Just A Day At The Office

     There wasn’t an application process when we joined this project. It was more along the lines of us coming to fill a dire need, and being happy to do so. But if there had been an application process, I’m pretty sure my cover letter would have gone something like this: “Hi, I’m Luke, and I would really like to take on more work than I could ever possibly accomplish in the span of a year. Also, I’d like to do it in a language I can’t speak, with people who can’t understand me!” I would turn out to be the candidate of their dreams!

It Never Gets Old

     Our school is currently divided into two parts- the high school and the primary/middle school. Our project is the Primary/Middle school start-up. The board of directors has a vision of expanding to include a lot more, but we’re trying to get them to slow down. Our team is already stretched thin. We need more English-speakers to come teach and we need more qualified (licensed/experienced) teachers to help guide and support our fantastic volunteer staff).

The School Library Is Always Locked
(hours are listed)

     I think the real stretching occurred when we were asked/told to take over English classes for the high school. There are about 40 high school classes. There are six of us, already working in the six primary and middle school classes, each of which has about 10 English classes a week (including ESL, English art, English PE, and English math). That request/command was a bit much, and we worked it out so that our team covers one class a week for each of the tenth and twelfth grade classes, and one class a month for eleventh grade (high school is considered to be tenth grade and up).

Our Meager School Library
(we've worked hard to get
what we have)

      I mention all of this, because the high school is a bit of a nightmare. It looks and sounds like an inner city school without the motivational music/dance/art teacher that changes students lives. Rather, when teachers get angry- and they often do because there’s no discipline process or program- they hit students. Literally. With hands, sticks, rulers, whatever they’ve got. Yay!

My Mom Sits In On A High School
English Class

     The high school is a private school that promises students will pass state tests needed to graduate and apply to college. It was founded for that purpose, and it does a pretty decent job of following through. Their methods, however, are dreadful. Students are tracked into a class based on performance and behavior. Each class is a cohort. They stay in one room and take all subjects together. They are labeled according to grade and cohort. For example, “11 S2” is 11^th grade, 2^nd cohort. The higher your cohort number, the worse your class is. This is measurable. Our teachers dread the classes numbered higher than S5. I think they go as high as S12. The worse your class is, the more students there are in it. The poorest performing and poorest behaved classes have over 40 students packed into a small room, day after day, with teachers who show up after the bell, lecture for the entire period, and then run as soon as class is over.

The High School English Room
(before it got spruced up)

     Going over there to teach English means diving into their world. Fortunately we secured a room for our English classes, so students come over to meet our teachers in a designated space. Unfortunately, all the work we've done in the primary/middle school doesn't translate to the high school. It’s dreadful. All I can say is that I’m glad I’m too busy to take on any of those classes!

A Cute, Abandoned Puppy
(was being cared for by an acquaintance
who works at the resort outside of town)

Birdy and Luke Show You the Sights

Childcare

It's been quite a busy week. There are many new developments at school to share, but I figured it was time to dig into the old photo albums and give you some more visuals of what life here looks like day-to-day.

Mobile Clothing Store
(they pack it up each night and return the next day)

Snacks On The Beach
(dried squid and all the toppin's!)

Da Lat Waterfall

Our City From Above
(suburbia, believe it or not)

Local TV Films Our Grand Opening
(we're getting used to being on TV)

1st Grade Girls Perform a Darling Dance At Grand Opening
(it involved a lot of swaying and waving of pom-poms)

High School Class
(40 students packed in, wall-to-wall)

Their Birthday Cakes Here Are Ridiculous
(and about 60% is topping...
there's a tiny amount of cake beneath)

School Lawn

Driving To Work
(herds of cows invade our lawn every week...
the guard has to chase them out onto the street)

A Door
(we can do this, too, now)

Ancient Monument
(restored after the French colonizers decided
to blow it half to hell... with cannons)

Tuy Hoa

The Beach Here Now Reminds Us A Lot Of Oregon

Beautiful Sky At Dusk

The Stormy Beach And Debris

Sand Crab

The Most Interesting Thing I Can Say
About These Plants, Is That The Rats
Live In Them

Our Romantic Dinner In Our Rooms
(we try our best...)

Luke Runs the Place

We Go Barefoot In The Classroom- ALWAYS!

     Last weekend somebody walked into our house and stole Birdy's electric bike. They've been sizing up our house for a while, and had even walked in while we were eating lunch one day, making up some excuse about visiting the neighbor. The day before they struck, our neighbor spotted one of them outside our house, peering in through the fence. The guy looked up at our neighbor and then put his finger to his mouth in a 'shhh' fashion, and mimed tip-toeing. How ballsy is that?

Happy Feet

Well, they came in while we were upstairs watching a movie, grabbed the bike, and took off with it. The key wasn't in it, so he was peddling it down the street when my mom drove by- and realized that was our bike. She turned about, screamed at him, and ran him off the road. The thief jumped off the bike and hopped onto his accomplice's motorcycle, and off they went. We retrieved the bike and are on high alert now, but it feels really awkward being worried about somebody traipsing into your house in the middle of the day. The doors here aren't locked normally, either. They're big store-front type grates (on all the houses) and only lock with padlocks. The padlocks rust with the rain and, well, it's a recipe for some serious annoyance.

Bob And His Sweet Coat

During one of my English classes this week, I realized how much English my students were beginning to retain. We sit on little cushions on the floor during class. One of the boys- I'll call him Bob- stood up to come over and ask me if he could use the bathroom. A girl- I'll call her Sally- stood up at the same time, bumped him, and caused him to fall onto another student. She asked for the W.C. and then went off, leaving a very confounded little guy behind her. Bob stood up, screwed up his face, and with very active gesturing declared, "Sally, hit, hurt, me, I sit down on Jane! Bad! I down on Jane! Sorry, sorry!"

My Chair

It was adorable, surprising, and hilarious. We cleared up this issue as well as we could, learned the word 'bump' and went on with the class. A bit later we got up to do an activity and danced around the room, like you do. When we went to sit back down, Bob was very upset because somebody had taken his spot. He stomped over to me, the whole class watching in anticipation, and proclaimed, "I sit no! He sit my! I over there. He over there! No! No, no!" This time I couldn't take it and cracked up. We moved people to their original seats (which are cushions on the floor, if you recall) and the world was set right. You need to see a picture of him in his uniform and cold-weather coat to truly appreciate the scene. It looks like it was made out of the fabric on my chair.

Karaoke Room (with bathroom!)

Luke Sings "The ABCs"

Vietnam is obsessed with karaoke. It seems to be the bonafide national pastime. Every cafe, hotel, or corner has a karaoke machine or visiting DJ. There are more karaoke bars than there are restaurants. They even have mobile karaoke vender-dudes. They wander around and sing and try to get people to pay to sing a song. And they all sing HORRIBLY. And all the songs are love songs. And they always blast the music as loud as possible. Ugh. A couple months ago, we visited the karaoke house on the corner, and rented a room to hang out for an hour and sing in honor of a volunteer that stayed with us this summer. They had a bizarre selection of English songs, featuring several weird versions of children's music.
It wasn't enjoyable. No wonder the volunteer left.

Karaoke Ceiling (dear heavens...)