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!")