2 weeks in-10 to go!

So I have been in Luang Prabang for two weeks now! In some ways it feels like I've been here for ages because I have learned so much. But at the same time it's just flown by. 

In the beginning, I was very nervous about teaching. Not gonna lie, I really didn't want to do it! I was intimidated and terrified that my lesson plan wasn't sufficient. How was I going to get the hang of things?!

But now I can say that I throughly, honestly enjoy teaching more than I ever would have thought. The past two weeks have been a HUGE eye opener for me. I never have pictured myself as a teacher, and I can honestly say that this is now something I would consider for my future.  I have learned more than I imagined I ever would. Every single student here (and I have about 50 students in all) is eager to learn. When you arrive in class they are always excited to see you and you're greeted with "good morning teacherrrrr!!" "How are youuuu?" "What did you do today???" ️When class is finished, the students always stand up with their hands together in front of their chest and they thank you for teaching. It warms my heart every time. I adore my students and I really, really look forward to seeing them every day. 

I teach 3 classes a day. Two of the classes are year 2, and their english is very good. I teach them at Xayadeth college, which is on the same lane that our guesthouse is on so its very convienent. Xayadeth college is run by a Lao family. They live there and there are about 5 classrooms. We have year 1, 2, 3, and then the "Ban Ma children" who are young kids on a scholarship to come to Luang Prabang for better education. They live here in the city, away from their parents and their village because they are sponsored. I have a morning class of year 2, and then I teach the same lesson to a different, bigger group of students. In my evening class I also have 3 novice monk students. The novices do not have to pay for their education, because somehow it's taken care of through their temple. That's just how it works. Every other student has to pay 200 dollars a year for education at Xayadeth college. That is half of the average families yearly salary here in Laos. The classes tend to have way more boys than girls. Something I have noticed is that the girls in my classes are much less likely to speak up than the boys. The boys are very rowdy and always shouting "teacher teacher!!" to ask questions, they ask me to check their work, they are much more comfortable speaking in class etc. Lao culture in the past has been very oppressing to woman and still is. The girls will never ask me to check their work, and they hardly ever ask questions. This really bothers me because I want them to know thats completely okay. I go around to them individually and ask them if I can check their work, and if they have any questions. Even if it's one on one, just me and the student, they still seem to be really uncomfortable asking for help. I tell them it's okay, it's good to ask questions and in some of my female students that has made a difference and I can see their confidence rising. But it's an ongoing thing...males in laos have a way to escape poverty by becoming a novice, as early as the age of 10 they get to live in the temple and they get educated. Being a novice is hard work, no doubt that the days are long and you have to be very, very dedicated. Many of these novices will get their education, turn 20, and leave the temple for a university abroad and lead a normal life, never becoming a monk. But where is the way out for young girls? There isn't one, yet. 

Above are two photos, the first one is my evening class and the second one is my morning class which is a bit smaller. I try to make my lessons really interactive with lots of activities, because they are an hour and forty five minutes long and sometimes it can be tricky to hold everyone's attention. Most of the students are so interested in everything you're saying though so they do very well. We were trained with TEFL methods of teaching, which includes having writing, speaking, listening, and reading in every lesson , so I try and have my students read out load and write on their own every lesson. As well as listen and read. There are a few students in each class who are a bit behind, and that can be tough because I don't want to hold everyone else up, but I also need to spend time one on one with them in class to help them stay on track. I also have some very advanced students, mostly the novices because they've had education their whole lives.. So I try to bring extra things for them to do because they always finish work early. The novices are truly the most motivated students I've ever seen. Most of them are trying for a scholarship to go to university in Thailand or something like that, so they work incredibly hard. All the students do. It can be tricky to teach the novices as a female teacher because they have lots of rules that must be followed. They are as followed:

-they must be higher than you at all times, so when speaking directly to them you have to get down.

- they can't pass you anything, and vice versa. You cannot touch anything at the same time as them, so when checking their work they have to set their notebook away from them and then you can take it. They obviously can't touch you either, so you have to be really mindful about where your body is in relation to theirs. Even if you accidentally brush their shoulder or something it still counts. This goes for females only. 

- they can't do hand gestures, so no clapping or pointing or anything. 

- they can't play card games, this makes it difficult for playing games in class. If lots of female students play, they can't because they might accidentally brush into one.

- they can't sing or dance. 

Regardless, the 18-20 year old novices loveeeee trying to break these rules. The three I have in my class are quite naughty. They always try to get me to high five them, or shake their hand, and they do clap even though they shouldn't be. They also love talking about pretty girls and stuff like that, which they shouldn't be hahha.  What it comes down to is they really are just like any other teenage boy. The younger ones, 13-15 are much more shy and mindful than these older ones. 

In the middle of the day, I teach a lesson at the Mekong English Center (MEC). I teach beginner novices so it's just novice monks in my class and they are very beginner, aged 13-15. They are the sweetest. We just finished learning "can vs can not vs can't". These novices are younger than the other ones and as I previously said they're much more well behaved and quiet! I really LOVE teaching my two classes with the older students, they never fail to make me smile and we always have lots of fun. But I also love teaching at MEC because they're just so sweet and they try SO hard, it's just amazing. 

This is a photo of a few of the novices at MEC wth my teaching partner Karen who is leaving :( we only have about 4-7 students in this class. 

About the photo thing, those who are friends with me on Facebook see that I have posted pictures of novices. This is OKAY to do!!! I don't want anyone to think it's disrespectful, because if you do it right it's perfectly fine. Basically as long as you ask, it's not an issue. And as long as it's subtle, and a photo of them practicing religion, and not breaking any rules... or they are above you, and they are not too smiley but very professional looking. 

This is a photo of a student greeting us at his temple, we were going to watch their evening chanting.  And as you can see he is higher than me and he looks well composed and professional. They know the rules and will tell you if what you're doing is not okay. 

Over all my time here so far has been incredible. It's A LOT of work, lesson planning all the time to make sure the lessons are worthwhile. But so, so, so worth it! If anyone has any more questions on anything I wrote about feel free to contact me. Thanks for reading!!:)