Archive for the ‘teach’ Category
Reflections on my new school
I’ve not made any blog posts about teaching here in Saigon so I thought it about time to do so. My school here employs expat teachers mainly from the UK but with a smattering of other nationalities including Chinese, Spanish, French, Kiwi and Aussie. The teachers are all uni trained and professional. The head is an exceptionally experienced international educator. Local staff are all friendly and, at least in senior positions, well educated with good English language skills.
Students are predominantly expat Korean kids with quite a few wealthy and/or well connected Vietnamese. The other students range in nationalities with about 28 or so nationalities represented. The students are a respectful bunch but English language problems make for a teaching environment that often feels over simplified. The students are generally not lazy and work hard but their language skills make it difficult to deal with higher order type questioning and therefore their responses can often be ill formed and presented. Many a lesson is spent on glossary type excercises. Facts are generally easy for them and the senior kids make far more of an effort to learn basic facts than your average Aussie kid.
The school itself feels quite regimented to me and I’m not sure if this is because Australian schools are more laid back than your average overseas school. Students are given very little individual freedoms. This regimentation seems to me to breed an obedient but not a self regulating and mature student. I’m unsure why this school has this style – whether it is pressure from parents or the international style of schooling. Nonetheless it is a pleasant enough environment to work in and I’m sure the school will loosen up a bit as it gets older (it has grown at quite a strong pace and this has no doubt created some growing pains).
The physical environment is superb with well appointed classrooms, interactive whiteboards in each classroom, air-conditioning and a management team that is very supportive of the teaching staff. The school has real potential and for a school this young it has made massive strides in it’s quest to be a leading school in Saigon. This can be shown by the number of teachers and students who have moved to the school from other international schools in town. It’s an exciting place to be and makes for an environment that’s both challenging and a pleasure to teach in. I’m certainly happy with my choice and enjoy working here.
Vietnam loves a good photo (or 20)
Dropped in at school this morning and went to check on what paperwork I’d need to submit. I was calmly advised that along with the relevant bits of paper I would need about twenty passport photos. 20! It seems that every official form here needs an accompanying photo. Luckily down the street, and a fair bit of traffic dodging later, a fellow teacher and I found a new sim card for her and a photo shop that could do twenty photos without blinking. Most amusing for me was not the photo taking but that the photo shop was full of dresses. It took me awhile to figure out that the dresses weren’t for sale but for people to get dressed up in when they had their photos taken. Now I’m no dress expert but these were frilly numbers, some white that looked like wedding dresses and many bright pink, yellow and green dresses. Who knew you could play dress up at your local photo shop?
Traffic on the way to the photo shop and a picture of the local seafood place next to the photo shop.
First meal in Saigon: Goat’s Udder and Quail’s Egg (with embryo)
On my arrival in Saigon I was met by one of the Human Resource staff members and my boss. After working our way through Saigon traffic they dropped me off at my new apartment. There I met the owners who ran me through how everything worked (including the somewhat kitschy glowing multi-coloured wall clock that shows both the Vietnamese calendar and Western Calendar).
An hour or so later my boss picked me up on his scooter and we headed off to a local charcoal BBQ place near my apartment and just down the road from my new school. There we met his wife, who was kind enough to find me a new sim card for my phone, and then proceeded to move onto the good stuff. Beer. My first drop of Saigon Beer was pleasant. Served in a beer mug with a huge chunk of ice it was a fantastic way to ease myself into my new home. For snacks one of my dinner companions had brought some deep fried small bird (beak and all) … I grabbed a beakless portion of the bird and found it to be dark, duck like and quite tasty.
The restaurant was located street side and every now and again someone would come up to sell some trinket or another. Suddenly a loudish racket started up and I turned around to see some bloke on a bike with a portable karaoke machine. He played his songs for a few minutes from a boom box with that piercingly loud, tinny sound that seems ubiquitous in Asia and then went on his merry way. I’d forgotten how noisy Asia is. Noisy but never dull.
Not knowing what to eat I let the others order. What was set before us was a delicious looking meal of eggplant and other assorted veggies. In addition to that was beef to be grilled tableside and goat udder. The goat udder was surprisingly tasty. The texture reminded me of calamari with that slightly chewy al dente texture while the taste itself was more meaty. I was then offered a small egg, presumably a Quail’s egg ….I cracked it open to find the beginnings of an embryo forming. The egg was quite small so how bad can it be I thought. I dug into the slightly slimy egg with my fingers and ate away. It was actually ok. Nothing to write home about (…mmm..I do see to be blogging about it though …) but definitely not unpleasant.
So that was my first night and my first meal in Saigon. I loved it. I decided to walk home from there and made my way through the maze of little alleyways that surround my apartment block. I stopped a couple of times to ask the way but thoroughly enjoyed the insight into Saigonese life as I passed peoples houses that I could peer into and see what families were up to. So far I’m loving Saigon.
Season’s greetings (and seven days to go to Saigon)
Season’s greetings.
I’m just chillin’ after a great seafood barbie (that’s BBQ or Braai to those of you in other lands). I’ve enjoyed the day being with family and doing all the regular christmassy things.
Now I’m just watching the Vietnamese movie “Cyclo” … mmmm … great cinematography but the story’s a bit dull … does give me an idea of what Saigon was like back in ’95. Which if course is useless as much will have changed. It is making me excited to get there though … seven days and I’ll be in Vietnam. Woohoo 🙂
Micro-credit and why I donate to Kiva
I don’t know these ladies above from the proverbial bar of soap. I have however lent them some money.
I’ve only lent them a small amount, $25 to be precise but then again the five of them are only looking to raise just over $1,000. Note that I haven’t donated the money just merely loaned it out. When they pay it back I’ll loan the money out to someone else. Welcome to micro-credit a way of lending small amounts of money to people who will use it to pull themselves out of poverty and into self sufficiency.
Now normally small entrepreneurs such as these would be unable to lend money from banks because of the small sums involved. With the help of KIva people such as myself can now assist those who would like to make their lives better for themselves and their families. Micro-credit itself isn’t new and it’s modern day resurgence can be traced back to the Grameen bank in Bangladesh. What is new is the non-profit web based organisation Kiva and how it acts as a conduit between people who would like to help out and those who need the cash.
So far I’ve loaned money to four groups/individuals. No-one has defaulted and as the money comes back in I loan it out again. I don’t consider it charity but more a way of giving someone a leg up in this world.
This is why the group of ladies above have borrowed money from me and others like me.
Mrs. Vu Thi Hien (ID Number 23060006), born in 1971, would like to borrow 4,452,000VND to invest in rearing pigs. Even though she is a teacher, she still performs agricultural tasks with her husband. Besides teaching in school, she rears pigs to increase her family’s income and raise her two children who are still going to school. He family’s average monthly income is about 3,500,000VND (about 219USD). Her group also consists of:
Mrs. Dao Thi Mai (ID Number 23060007), born in 1966, borrows 4,452,000VND to invest in raising livestock. She is also a teacher. Her family’s average monthly income is about 2,500,000VND (about 156USD). Mrs. Le Thi Lien (ID Number 23060009), born in 1964, borrows 4,452,000VND to invest in rearing pigs and chickens. Mrs. Dao Thi Ly (ID Number 23060011), born in 1977, borrows 4,028,000VND to sell electrical goods. Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thao (ID Number 23060033), born in 1980, borrows 2,204,000VND to invest in rearing pigs. Translated from Vietnamese by Yen Thanh Pham, Kiva Volunteer
Vũ Thị Hiến, sinh năm 1971 (Ms 23060006), tham gia vay vốn ở mức: 4.452.000 vnđ để đầu tư chăn nuôi lợn. Là một giáo viên nhưng chị vẫn tăng ra sản xuất cùng chồng. Ngoài công việc giảng dậy, chị vẫn chịu khó chăn nuôi thêm lợn để tăng thu nhập và nuôi hai con còn nhỏ đang độ tuổi đi học. Thu nhập bình quân của gia đình chị khoảng 3.500.000 vnđ/ tháng. Cùng vay vốn với chị còn có: Đào Thị Mai, sinh năm 1966 (Ms 23060007), tham gia vay vốn ở mức: 4.452.000 vnđ để đầu tư chăn nuôi. Chị là giáo viên thu nhập bình quân của gia đình chị khoảng 2.500.000 vnđ / tháng. Lê Thị Liên, sinh năm 1964(Ms 23060009), tham gia vay vốn ở mức: 4.452.000 vnđ để đầu tư chăn nuôi lợn, gà. Đào Thị Lý, sinh năm 1977(Ms 23060011), tham gia vay vốn ở mức: 4.028.000 vnđ để đầu tư cửa hàng cơ khí. Nguyễn Thị Thảo, sinh năm 1980(Ms 23060033), tham gia vay vốn ở mức: 2.204.000 vnđ để đầu tư chăn nuôi lợn.
PS. Mrs. Vu Thie Hien and friends still need some help to reach their targeted loan amount. To lend to them go directly to http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=72087)
Here’s another lady I’ve loaned money out to. I don’t have a particular reason for who I lend out to except that I have a preference for countries I’ve lived in (Indonesia) or am going to (Vietnam).
Want to know more? Go to kiva.org
Ni Komang Rani owns a small food kiosk in her front yard. The earnings from the kiosk is used to supplement her husband’s income. Her husband, Nengah Jasa, works as a truck driver in the Javanese route. Since her husband’s income is barely enough to cover daily living expenses, Rani started a kiosk with starting capital of $110. Rani stocks her kiosk with merchandises like snacks, foods, drinks and others. Rani opens her kiosk at 6 am and closes at 6pm. Each morning, Rani goes tot he market to purchase goods to be sold. She goes to the market at 5 am every day. The market is not too far from her home. She earns about $55 each day. Rani saves her earnings for later days. All her children has been married. She will use the loan from Dinari to purchase more goods varieties to be sold and expand her offering.
Translated from Bahasa Indonesia by Kresna Hartandi, Kiva Volunteer
Hidup dikota membuat Komang Rani membuka usaha warung didepan rumahnya. Untuk membantu suaminya , Nengah Jasa, yang bekerja sebagai sopir truk ke Jawa . Karena Penghasilannya sebagai sopir tidak mencukupi untuk kebutuhan ekonominya. Maka Rani membantu dengan membuka warung di rumahnya.Dengan modal awal Rp.1.000.000,- Rani melengkapi isi warungnya dengan bermacam-macam barang dagangan seperti makanan, minuman,sembako ,snak,dan lain-lain. Rani membuka warungnya pada pagi hari jam 6 pagi sampai sore jam 6 sore. Setiap pagi Rani juga pergi ke pasar untuk membeli keperluan dagangannya,sekitar pukul 5 pagi,karena rumahnya dekat dengan pasar negara. Keuntungan yang diperoleh sebesar Rp.50.000,- perhari, Rani bisa mempergunakan untuk memenuhi kebutuhannya sehari-hari ,karena kebutuhan sembako harganya sangat mahal sekarang ini,maka Rani juga harus bisa menabung untuk masa depannya,karena anak-anaknya sudah semua menikah dan tinggal bersama suaminya. Pinjaman yang diperoleh dari Dinari dipakai untuk menambah modal usahanya agar dagangannya semakin banyak dan berkembang.
HSC Results out today
The HSC (the final secondary exams for the state of NSW in Australia) results came out today. As always I’m interested in how everybody in my class went.
This particular class was very special to me as many of these students were in the very first class I ever taught as a teacher. Many of them I had taught for the last three years and got to know well.
In the end everyone did well. These are the highest results in Business Studies at the school for quite some time. A number of students receive results in the top band (band 6) and we were above state average for students in Business Studies in this band and the band just below (band 5). This is a credit to those students who worked well to get into those bands. To perform at those levels you not only have to be naturally able but you have to have worked well on a continuous basis.
As a teacher I’m always unsure of how much of a hand I’ve had in the success of these students. A good friend of mine once likened it to not standing in the way of their learning. So I take pride in not having stood in their way and, occasionally, have pointed out the path should they have momentarily lost their way.
I was very happy with how everyone in my class performed. That includes those students not in the top bands. Most often those are the forgotten students – well guys I know how hard you worked. Congratulations to you all. You made me proud.
My new apartment in Saigon
My apartment in Saigon has just been confirmed and I thought I’d throw up a photo of it. It’s currently occupied but will be ready for me by Jan. It includes furnishings which I’m pretty happy with (except for that weird eagle thingy on the wall – what’s that about?). Looks like a great place – hope the surroundings are interesting and that there’s good food nearby.
The apartment is located in South Saigon in the Phu My Hung area. The school I’m working at is nearby.
Paperwork, DFAT, obscure signatures and pretty girls.
The paperwork, oh the paperwork. Just in case I find myself one day cursing the red tape of Vietnam let me describe some of the red tape I’ve had to go through here in Sydney.
In order to teach in Saigon I need a teaching degree and I need a police clearance. The teaching degree was no problem (I have one of those tucked away somewhere). The police clearance was a bit more problematic. All teachers in NSW are police cleared to work with children but I didn’t have any documentation for that. No worries – the police station was just around the corner. I go in, decide to go for the vanilla version ($55) of the police clearance rather than the fingerprint version and am assured that while it can take up to 10 days it’ll most probably just take 3 days.
11 Days later and no police clearance. I contact them to be told that it was sent out but they’d send me out another one anyway. 5 days later I have the police clearance. Seems I’m not a criminal. Well, at least not in their eyes.
Now that I have the required documents I am advised that I need to have them either notarised or authorised by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
As a general rule, countries that are party to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents require an Apostille on documents which qualify as Australian public documents. A full list of countries that are party to this convention can be found at the Hague Conference on Private International Law website.
I love this – this convention calls for the abolishing of legalisation of documents but has in itself some formal requirement for processing of paperwork which, incidentally costs you more than if you go to a country (which includes Vietnam) that hasn’t signed up to abolish “the requirement for legalisation” of documents – oh the irony.
Anyway back to the story …. Now last time I dealt with DFAT (in Indonesia) I was trying to figure out which of my drinking buddies were spooks while drinking the free beer they were plying me with. DFAT have only been good to me in the past – they used to put on Friday drinks in Jakarta for all expats so I have a bit of a soft spot for them.
So I toddle along to DFAT in Sydney. There I am told that the University degree has an unrecognised signature on it (despite the fact that it has both the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor’s signature on it!). I am advised that the only signatures from the university that DFAT recognised are some minor cogs in the wheel located at obscure campuses nowhere near me. I don’t get annoyed though for three reasons, the first is because DFAT used to give me free drinks, the second is that in my mind I’ve prepared myself for some paperwork hell in the next few months, the final reason is that the girl serving me is very friendly and quite a looker.
So I toddle off (again), take the bus back to my apartment. Jump in my car, drive halfway across town. Pay a small fortune to park and then attempt to locate some minor apparatchik of the University. Engage in some meaningless but friendly banter – wait half an hour for four bits of paper to be stamped. Then I drive back across town. Of course now it’s too late to go back to DFAT.
The next day I head off to DFAT. Another friendly lass but not quite the looker. Seems that the bits of paper I’m going to have signed, ribboned and waxed (that’s what authorisation translates as, it seems) will cost me $140. Ouch.
So …. next time I find myself in some bureaucratic nightmare of paperwork in Vietnam I’ll try to keep in mind my paperwork trail here in Oz.
The Thinking Stick » Interview Questions for Schools going 1:1
One of the more insightful educational blogs I subscribe to is Jeff Utecht’s Thinking Stick a technology focussed teaching blog from an International Teacher’s perspective. Last year or so he put together a series of interview questions for Principals and Business Managers who are seeking to recruit IT proficient staff for their schools.
This year Jeff has created an updated version of his interview questions along with Andy Torris from sentimentsoncommonsense and they can be seen here at The Thinking Stick » Interview Questions for Schools going 1:1.
They are an excellent start for potential teachers looking to join international schools especially in the upcoming recruitment season. Obviously the interview questions are purely focussed on the technology aspects of teaching and I must admit to personally scratching my head to figure out how I would answer each question. Luckily Jeff gives some ideas as to how candidates can answer each question.
That’s it – School’s out
I’m slightly hungover as I write this the day after our Christmas party. Yesterday was both an enjoyable party and a difficult time as I said goodbye to a lot of people whom I have come to care for deeply.
For the last few weeks I’ve been concentrating on all those things that you need to do at the end of the school year. Writing programmes for next year and finishing paperwork for this year. This gave me little time, or indeed inclination, to think about Vietnam. I would often get the question so how are you feeling about moving. The answer on my part was often that I wasn’t thinking about it much at all.
And then I began to say my farewells. This week I said farewell to my various classes, especially hard was saying farewell to my Business Studies class who have been a lot of fun to teach. Yesterday I said farewell to many fellow staff and friends at our end of year staff party. That was very hard but at the same time it made me appreciate how strong some of the friendships I made are.
And now .… as many farewells have been said and as my old school, pictured above, is no longer a reality but a memory, I can feel my excitement build. I cannot wait to be dropped into the maelstrom awaiting me in Saigon. There are times when I don’t know why I’m going to Vietnam – it seems so stupid to give up what I have. Right now though, I do, it’s because of what I feel now, this overwhelming feeling of uncertainty, fear, excitement – I have no idea of what awaits – life, for awhile, is going to be a big unknown. Will I succeed over there or come running home tail tucked between my legs?
I don’t know yet but I’m going to find out soon. I’m lovin’ this. Game on.
Farewell speeches – no fuss it’s time to move on
I attended a farewell function for the Deputy Principal of the school I am myself about to depart from. The Deputy in question is a very professional woman who takes her teaching and administration seriously and does a very good job of it. In an admirable fashion she is easily able to switch from this professional persona to a more relaxed and humorous persona when in less formal settings.
In any case this post is not so much about her but by something she said in her farewell speech which resonated with me. I’m paraphrasing here because I don’t recall her exact words but they went something like this “ I don”t want much fuss because I believe that we come here to do a job, try to do it well and then when the time comes we move on to be replaced by others”.
I like the simple, elegant professionalism displayed in that comment. That teaching is not so much about us but about what we do and that none of us are irreplaceable. I also like the no fuss bit. I am personally not looking forward to the time when I need to say farewell to my classes and to my colleagues. I want to quietly fade into the background – not be forgotten (my ego’s too big for that!) but just to quietly move on without fuss. It’s getting time for me to move on. Gibran, in one of his many bits of writing, described a person’s life being like clouds moving inexorably forward experiencing both joy and pain – “the life of clouds is a parting and a meeting. A tear and a smile”. Well it’s almost time to part and I don’t enjoy it so I just want to get it over with – without any fuss.
Photo used under creative commons licence. Original located at http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicholas_t/450835955/
Students win Business Studies Competition run by University of Newcastle
NSW Minister Jodi McKay was on hand at the Award Presentations for the Year 11 Business Studies Competition (2008), 14 November, conducted by the School of Business and Management, University of Newcastle. The final student presentations and the awards session were held at University House, City Campus.
Pictured with the winning team holding the $2,000 prize cheque is Clint Marquet, Kip McGrath Sales and Marketing Director, and The Hon. Jodi McKay, MP.
As a teacher I take pleasure in seeing the daily accomplishments of the students I teach. From the kid who suddenly sits up in class and gets involved in a new activity after appearing apathetic in previous lessons to the gradual improvement in another student’s writing ability, the real pleasure in teaching comes from these moments. It is a rare profession that lets you see, on daily basis, the growth and development of others. Sometimes I’m involved in a student’s growth and often I’m not but I still enjoy seeing students become informed young adults.
Occasionally however a more obvious moment of achievement arises. This can be students who excel at external examinations or are lauded by the school community for outstanding achievements. This week my Business Studies class had such a moment as we all celebrated the win, by three of our class, of the Business Studies Competition run by the University of Newcastle.
The three students involved had reached the final four in what was a hotly contested competition. Over 200 students had entered from schools all over the state. The competition involved preparing a Business Plan for an innovative product and their job was now to present that plan. Their presentation involved multiple facets including powerpoint, product demonstrations, display of prototypes and even a mock commercial. In my mind they completely outshined their more conventional opposition.
I won’t go into the details of their product as they are currently investigating how they might license their idea but suffice to say it was simple but innovative. As their teacher I couldn’t have been prouder. That pride doesn’t stem from anything I did. These three self motivated individuals would have won the competition with or without me. The pride stems from seeing three individuals whom I have spent the last year teaching conquer all before them. That’s what I like about teaching – seeing students that you teach, grasp the world and know that it is theirs if they want it.
The Hon. Jodi McKay, MP, presenting the finalists Certificates at the awards presentation for the Year 11 Business Studies Competition (2008).
For some background on the competition:
www.newcastle.edu.au/school/business-management/events/yr…
The photos are originally sourced from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pj_in_oz/3029162811/in/photostream/
HSC Marking: The good and the bad
I have just finished an exhausting two weeks of HSC marking. For those not in Australia, HSC stands for Higher School Certificate and is the final secondary examination in the state of NSW. The examination is the final, rather daunting conclusion to the last two years of secondary school. I often describe it to my students as their right of passage. It’s certainly the closest thing contemporary society in NSW recognises as the change from child to adult.
Marking is done en mass in a set location. It’s an interesting process to go through as all sorts of secrecy surround the actual exam papers. No comment on individual papers is, understandably, allowed.
In order to become an HSC marker you need to be currently teaching the subject. You apply through the Board of Studies Markers Online website. Your principal is normally required to verify and support your application. Markers generally comprises a mix of new markers (me) and those who have been marking for years.
The experience of marking was rewarding in many ways. I walked away realising that I do teach (or try to teach) my students the right information and, importantly, how to use that information in answering exam questions. I was also impressed by how well organised the marking system is, how many check and balances are put in place to ensure students are fairly treated and finally I was impressed by my fellow markers. They were professional and collegial. They felt for the nameless students we were marking and it was often that you’d hear the groan that meant a student who’d performed well in part of a question had misread, and therefore, bombed out on a latter part of the question.
What I wasn’t so much impressed by was how poorly some of the exam questions are worded. How often questions are worded or presented in such a way as to confuse students rather than to try to measure their level of knowledge. I wasn’t particularly impressed by the quality of many of the responses although, to be fair to the students studying this particular subject, it has more to do with the overwhelming amount of material they have to cover than their ability. Nonetheless it is surprising how many students spend two years at school preparing for exams such as these only to write half a page, a page or, in some cases nothing. I’m sure that says something about our system I’m just not sure what.
…and now I get my life back after having spent two weeks working all day, all night and all day Saturday. 🙂
The uncertainty that comes when you decide to live overseas
Over at ottsworld Sherry Ott is going through a dilemma. From her blog it’s clear that she’s given up a successful corporate life for a life of travel and adventure. An inspiration to us all. Now having run short of cash she’s decide, rather than to return home, to continue her adventure by teaching English in Vietnam.
The only thing is she’s going through this period of doubt over whether or not it’s the right decision. She’s even turned to the internet to see if you can help her make up her mind. So why not go to http://www.ottsworld.com/blogs/mccain-obama-and-i-cast-your-vote/ and vote for one of the three options ottsworld has posted. Or, better yet, perhaps some words of encouragement. Having made the decision before to live and work overseas and then again recently choosing to do so again I know how easy it is to second guess your decision. Perhaps ottsworld is just going through the negotiation stage of culture shock but she’s clearly an experienced traveller and would be well aware of this. Whatever the cause it would be a strange person indeed who didn’t question their decisions.
If, like me, you admire Sherry’s courage come join me in voting for her adventure to continue. Hell, who knows, perhaps in a few months I’ll be asking you if I should stay in Saigon 😉
Photo used under creative commons licence: http://www.flickr.com/photos/beekr/2560748485
Backpacking Teacher 