It’s Christmas weekend, everyone!  Merry Christmas! (ສຸກສັນວັນຄຣິສມາດ)

It’s been an exhausting week in some ways but in others, quite astounding, eye-opening, productive and blessed.

My goal this week was to visit the classes the Center offers. The GMFs (Global Mission Fellows, the young volunteers) have their own projects they are working on, as well as keeping office hours at the Center, but they are also assigned 3 English teaching hours a day to different levels at different times of the day. Current Director Angie has arranged this for them and also teaches herself 6 hours a week. These courses are fee-paying classes as the Center has little funding and needs to have an income of some kind.

The English classes currently offered are: 1) Beginning English for elementary school 2) An online class for a Laos student studying for her EFL (English as a Foreign Language) exams 3) A high school student wishing to improve his language skills 4) Four ladies (village chiefs) who want to communicate with foreigners living in their district 5) A private preschool/kindergarten wanting daily English classes for their students (ages 3 – 6).

My First Introduction to Laos Students

“Connie, be ready to go at 8:30 a.m.,” Modester told me last Tuesday. She’d be driving me across town on the back of the Center’s motorbike. The day before, I had purchased my helmet so I was good to go!  
Modester’s assigned classes are 5 days a week, 1 1/2 hours with preschool children at different levels.

These classes were arranged by Angie who had a friend that runs a Laos preschool. There are hundreds of such schools in Vientiane, with those running them trying to earn an income to sustain the family. This particular preschool had over 100 students, starting at age 2 and going to 7.

We had a 10 minute drive through traffic filled streets with many parents in cars or on motorscooters, ushering their kids to school. The principal knew I was coming so we had a quick chat upon my arrival while Modester went to set the equipment for her teaching stint. The principal’s English ability was enough for us to converse. Her daughter is in high school and wants to attend school in America but the cost is great. She also had been to America several times as she had relatives there. Angie connected the Center with her, as an outreach, because she had a more organized school than the last one Angie had chosen. That school was a disaster of sorts, with the poor GMF often times on her own. There was no teacher to assist her and there were several mentally challenged children present with no ability to talk or do much of anything but be disruptive. (There is no division of the two in Laos schools)

Public Teachers Not Really Qualified Teachers

I quickly learned why the school system here is struggling. Angie explained that anyone can be a teacher after 1 year of attending a teacher’s college. There is no instruction about classroom management or necessary psychology lessons. I am uncertain what exactly is taught but after completing that 1 year (with no practice teaching in the classroom), the person is certified to teach at any primary school level.

I need to ask about the upper grades.

For these preschool “teachers”, it’s basically a babysitting job and keeping the kids busy. Some classrooms were better organized than others. 

Connie’s Obsersvations

My goal was to be Modester’s helper in whatever way she needed me. And add when needed for a co-teaching experience. This is because I had a heads-up about the Laos teacher being present.

Mostly, when the Laos teacher knows Modester is coming for that 1 1/2 hour time slot, she (and all are women) just stand in the room looking bored or messing about on the cellphone. No assistance is given as the teacher speaks no English. Even if asked, she is rather reluctant to do much of anything. This is her break time. She has the entire day with the kids so having someone take over is a time to relax.

Modester, although not a professional teacher, was outstanding with the 4-5 year old class I attended. She had activities after activities: Songs, action movements, crayon coloring, whiteboard work to practice making “M”, alphabet review . . . All this in the midst of kids getting antsy, needing to use the toilet, running to get their water bottles, putting away their monkey drawings . . . .

I added my bit with a monkey puppet which fit into her lesson. I brought 6 with me from America as I knew they’d come in handy eventually.

They certainly did!

Working together, Modester and I entertained the children while our Laos teacher stood back. With the two of us, we managed a fairly organized class as I could follow-up with one half of the room while she did the other half. 

In all honesty, I have no idea how she manages all on her own, especially as we had one mentally challenged child running around the room, not able to sit still, with a constantly running nose. He was somewhat quiet but toward the end of that 1 1/2 hours, it was getting to become very disruptive.

The rather annoyed teacher also used a ruler on the hands of one student who wasn’t paying attention. That was hard for me to watch. 

As I said, at least for this particular teacher, she had little interest in teaching with us, learning from us, joining us (I tried) or have much love for the students.

Sad to say, Angie explained this is usually the case at all the schools here in Laos and at all levels.

Here are some pictures of my time with Modester:

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Countryside Villages

At least the city kids manage to get through to high school, graduating and being able to read and write, with ability to move on to higher education.

In the villages, it is a completely different story. Rarely do the parents get beyond primary school or even finish primary school. The villages are often far from the schools with kids walking 30 minutes or longer to attend. They need to be on the farms, helping with the parents as there is no or little income. Food is very basic, such as sticky rice and a soup broth with a few vegetables. Not much meat for protein, either.

See below my most recent visit to a distant village 5 hours to the north of Vientiane. I’ll save reports on that 2-day trip for another day but here are the conditions seen in these little house enclaves, located deep into mountains and jungle.

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More on the Classes offered in the Center

As mentioned before, the preschool is one outreach into the community with other courses held in the Center itself.  I have already visited Afijul’s class with the Vientiane communist party chiefs ( 4 women from 4 different districts of the city) and Angie’s primary school English class.  I will report on those a little later.  

In just a few hours, I will be participating in the Center’s Christmas Party arranged by the Center for the students.  We 4 foreign teachers and Laos staff are taking on different tasks of the party: A power point in Laos of the religious story of Christmas, explanation of the traditions of Christmas, games, a gift exchange (all are to  bring a wrapped gift for a fun distribution activity) and lots of snacks.

We were given a limit of 50,000 Kip ($2.50 US).  I know children and adults alike enjoy sweets so mine is a water bottle full of candies.  In this way, whoever receives my gift can take it home to share with the family.  I picked up all kinds of different candies, including individually wrapped peanut brittle.

 I have a feeling whoever gets mine will be squealing with joy.

Stay tuned for pictures from our party! And Merry Christmas! ສຸກສັນວັນຄຣິສມາດ!