SEEDING G RAN TS
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MY MONTH IN HÀ GIANG HAS DEEPENED MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE VALUE OF SERVICE AND SPARKED A DESIRE TO DO MORE VOLUNTEER WORK.”
It was interesting working with different Vietnamese English teachers and comparing their pedagogical approaches. The teacher I taught with in the primary school used a lot of games, physical activities and rote learning. In the adult and teenage classes I was often working with the Head of the Highland Centre, who was a big fan of grammar exercises and written worksheets. Sometimes the vocabulary was outdated and overly formal, so I worked with her to create more relevant dialogue for the students. Visiting the orphanage While in Hà Giang, I also spent time at the local orphanage. Most of the children there were from ethnic minorities, but not all were orphans. Some had parents who were unable to care for them. Life in the mountains can be harsh and difficult. Families here are often large and face a range of social and economic problems.
REFLECTION My time in Hà Giang was of immense benefit to me, both professionally and personally. While studying for my Diploma in Applied Linguistics and TESOL is providing me with the academic framework behind teaching English as an Additional Language, being able to complement this pedagogical knowledge with extended hands-on experience has been invaluable. As Wenona forges closer links with schools in the Asia-Pacific region, we may expect to see increasing numbers of EAL students in our classrooms, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be better equipped to meet the needs of linguistically and culturally diverse students. Additionally, the experience of living in Hà Giang for a month and experiencing another culture first hand was fascinating. Getting to know the Vietnamese teachers I worked with, and the students I taught, working in a Vietnamese school, being invited into students’ homes, doing craft with children in the orphanage, exploring the backstreets of Hà Giang city, travelling into the mountains and to isolated valleys where people still wear traditional dress, meeting other volunteer teachers from all over the world - all these experiences were eye-opening and invigorating. Finally, volunteering my time and working to improve the lives of disadvantaged children and adults was personally rewarding. Speaking English is a way out of poverty for the ethnic minorities in this isolated area of Vietnam. My month in Hà Giang has deepened my understanding of the value of service and sparked a desire to do more volunteer work.
My intention was to teach the children some vocabulary, but I quickly discovered that they were not really interested in English lessons. Not that I could blame them. Sunday is their only day away from school, so they wanted to play, do craft or have stories read to them. Fortunately, I had brought along some picture books made by some of our Year 8 students at Wenona in their Design and Technology classes. They were a big hit with the children at the orphanage.
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