"Teaching Dialogue" with my students

So many of my students have asked me this question:

How can I learn/study English very well?

I actually do not answer this question right away, but ask them a question myself instead...

Before I answer your question, I want to ask you this question...

"What is something you are very good at or something you can do very well...like playing a certain sport, cooking, doing laundry, playing the guitar, etc.?"

So, some students have chosen playing football (aka soccer), playing the guitar, and drawing just to name a few.  Once they've decided on the one thing they are very good at, then I ask them...

"The very first time you played football, guitar, or drew....were you very good, so so, or not very good?"

Most of the time my students would reply...

"So, so or not very good."

"Ok, now the second time you played football, guitar, or drew...a little bit better...yes or no (as I use my thumb from the down position and slightly go up a little bit)?"

My students nod their heads...yes.

"Yes? Ok, now the third time...a little bit better?"

"Yes, ok...now fourth, fifth, sixth, etc.?"

"Always a little bit better each time right?"

"Now, do you practice football, guitar, or draw every day?"

Most of my students replied...

"Yes, everyday"...while some said..."Sometimes a few times a week"...

"Ok, good...NOW...do practice English every day?"

My students sat quietly as their faces turned red, hit a moment of AWE/REALIZATION and laughed.

I smiled very big at them and responded...

“OH, you see...there...you need to practice English like you practice a sport/draw/etc....always trying to improve yourself.  If you put the same amount of time you do playing football into learning English...I'm pretty sure you will learn English very well.”

So then I tell them my 3 steps to learning/studying English very well:

Step #1

Practice

Step #2

Practice

Step #3

More practice

Then I SMILE. =)

But in order to practice well...you must overcome these 3 things that I see Lao students struggle with:

#1

Being shy, you cannot be shy when learning any kind of language especially if you want to improve your speaking ability...you cannot just sit there and be quiet...it doesn't work that way...

#2

Being afraid to make mistakes and asking questions...if you do not make mistakes or ask questions, it only means you already know the knowledge and understand it or you are not challenged enough....the GREATEST LEARNING COMES FROM MAKING MISTAKES and ASKING QUESTIONS...you learn best when you make mistakes because you remember them and know not to do the same mistakes again...I mean even Teacher John makes mistakes all the time...make "making mistakes" a learning opportunity...and by asking questions...you get to clarify your understanding and find insightful knowledge...

#3

Being confident in yourself...many Lao students do not believe in themselves and their true potential...you are your own Master of Will as I stated in one my poems...you have to believe in yourself to do anything...saying, "Yes, I can learn English" instead of saying, "Teacher, I cannot learn English very well" because negative thinking only leads you to negative results...you have to think positively...YES, I CAN...this is the MOST IMPORTANT challenge I believe Lao students must overcome to be a successful English speaker!

Once you've learned to overcome these challenges...I TRULY BELIEVE YOU will learn/study English better than before!

If you know you are not learning English very well, understand why you are not learning English very well...identify your problem, understand it, and make a change...the teacher cannot change it...only you, yourself can...it has to come from within you first...then the teacher teach and facilitate the learning process with you.  This is how the learning experience begins and your confidence will only increase with each and every learning experience you put yourself into.

My philosophy is not to tell the answers to my students right away, but to facilitate and cultivate their curiosity to make them own their learning experience.  Take them step by step...in this case through a series of questions to allow them to understand the meaning of learning English very well and how to learn English very well.

Black Hearted but a BIG HEART =)

Black Hearted Teacher

Let me tell you,

Not to be mistaken with a fool,

I am a black-hearted man,

Whipping out his teaching plan,

Giving out zeroes left and right,

To those students who are not so bright,

When in fact they are,

I believe they can go so far,

They just lack the study skills,

To be their own Master of Will,

Cause all they know is how to cheat,

Living in a system which they dare not beat,

Am I too hard on my students,

I only want to be teaching them a life lesson,

So many students have told me, “Teacher jai dahm,”

Man-Le-L, tell me something I don’t already know,

Like how I am jai dahm,

The black-hearted person that I am,

It may seem I have no sympathy,

But believe me, I care for you all truly,

This is my way of teaching,

Not just some systematic way of lecturing,

My way is showing my feeling of caring and loving,

This is the source of my teaching and your learning.

The "CHEAT" Lesson

The Cheat Lesson

So here I am,

Listening to what my fellow ETAs have to say,

About their experience with students cheating,

They said, It is nothing but a soul beating,

Or that...its quite amusing,

To see the students not direction following,

When in fact the teacher bluntly preached about the meaning of cheating,

That is..."cheating" equals= ZERO (0)...a big fat zero,

Now hear me out

Example #1=Looking at the next person's paper,

STOP! Can't you see I'm standing right in front of you...I have TWO eyes TOO!

YEAH! UH!

Example #2=Opening up your book to look at notes,

COME ON, do you think you're really slick,

NO! UH!

Example #3=Whispering to your classmate about a question you don't understand,

HEY! HELLO, I'm your teacher. I made the test...ask me to explain so you can understand,

With all of this said and DONE,

This is what happened which is not cool,

I gave 33 ZEROS out of 35 in one class,

Oh yeah, I'm a bad man,

My students even called me a black heart man,

Lao Version, Ajaan John ben kun jai-dam,

Man-le-L, yes I am!

What can I say,

This is the cheating lesson you all must face.

I'M TEACHING...REALLY....I AM!!??YEAH!!!

Feeling of a Teaching Moment

Wow, today was great,

Not that I found a date,

But I was well prepared,

Teaching my own fair share,

My body not physically exhausted,

My mind not head-a-exhausted,

Dang it feels good,

To not be teaching from the book,

But to be teaching so my students understand,

Just lending my right-hand,

This is how it feels to reach a breakthrough,

I’m finally not a fool,

Not just me here to be preaching,

Modeling my own teaching,

Allowing my student to sing,

Spreading his or her wings,

To reach places they've never seen,

Or just seeing the places in between,

Whatever the case,

Time is sure not a waste,

I'm sure at my happy place,

Just here giving you a taste,

My life of a Lao-ETA.

BLAH!!!

A Moment of REALIZATION...BING...from teaching...

I do not know everything, but I do know somethings.  That is why we need each other because we each know something different that may bring a different perspective or insight and teach one another and each other something new and different...

there are days I wish I was not a teacher, but a student because I hate having the answers or the person who suppose to know the answers...I keep telling myself I must be a good teacher to my students because to have good students...they must have a good teacher...I, the teacher teach what and WHO I AM to my students....and my students become WHO I AM in them because they are a mire-reflection of me.

This teaching role is not easy and I want to thank all of my informal and formal teachers all throughout my life because I carry a little piece of your teaching and who you are in me...

A Dose of being a Teacher in Laos...

Yo...it's been too long so I'm going to get to the point...I'm changing it up and will be bring to you all a different take on my experience here in Laos....I'm bring you all my lyrical/poetic skills to my blog...with that said...here is a short rap I wrote while I was waiting for my students, but none came because of the local festivity that went on in the city that today...enjoy...

Teacher John's Rap #1

Written on November 9, 2011

In the classroom,

Chillin with the dust pan and broom,

Waiting for my students to come,

Hoping for some excitement and fun,

Writing out what's on mind,

Feeling that I'm wasting time,

     Am I just trying to bust-a-rhyme,

     Or thinking about someone so fine,

     I'm at a stop,

     I really don't know what's going to pop,

     Today I don't think my students will come,

     They all went to give alms, oh sounds like fun,

          What do I do,

          Wait here and be a crazy fool,

          I'm in such a mood,

          Telling who knows who,

          I'm in Laos being super fly,

          Always telling my students not to be shy!! =)

John's Family...and MORE family...

Lak 52...
So 2 months being in Laos and I finally got the chance to visit my dad’s side of the family…relatives who I stayed with back in 2008 after my study abroad experience in Thailand…Mike and his family wanted to take a trip to Lak 52 which is the village my great-uncle, uncles, aunts, and cousins lived…approximately an hour and a half from Vientiane.  Mike and his family were very kind to ask if I wanted to go and visit my family there and of course I jumped on this opportunity because it has been 3 years since I last saw my relatives or even contacted them…it was so wonderful to see them all again…although my aunt was not there because she was at the farmland and my uncle had just came back the day before because I was coming to visit them.  Like always…my relatives welcomed us with open arms and we all had an exchange where I was the translator…we had a where we’re at…telling how I’m back teaching in Laos for a year and checked upon how my relatives were doing…we exchanged about many things…dialoguing about their farming life, education life for young Hmong children, and about which came first the egg or the chicken…it’s funny because my uncle asked that same question back in 2008 when I came to stay with them…OH, AScott…wish you were here buddy…anyways as always…they made lunch for us and the food was simple and delicious…vegetables, meat, rice, chili pepper paste, and water…Mike and Colin really liked the chili paste…Mike actually suggested to my uncle to make the paste and sell it in Vientiane.  So wonderful to have spent time with them again…Mike’s kids were definitely the main attraction to all the little Hmong kids in the neighborhood…none of the Hmong kids played with his kids, but just quietly observed his kids playing with umbrellas and dirt…well…I had to return that day and hope to go back and stay a night or more with them…=)

Group photo with my uncle who is next to me with 2 Hmong kids, Colin (the tall guy on the far right), and Mike's family (middle).

 My uncle and I...conversing...

 Great uncle, uncle, and I.

 Great uncle is strong as an ox...can never get tired of speaking. =)

More family…
So I received a phone call last month from my aunt in the states on my mom’s side…she was calling to check up on me and see if I contacted and visited her brother-in-law…my uncle…I hadn’t at that time, but in our conversation…she asked where I was staying and overhearing our talk…my uncle recognized the place I was staying…SEA Game Village…he spoke out and said oh…my nephew lives there too…so my aunt handed the cell phone to him and he clarified about where I was staying and sure enough it is same place his nephew is also staying…so my uncle said he will call his brother to give him my number and so that his nephew can contact me…after that phone call of his…my cousin called me a few days later and we finally met each other one day…he resembled my uncle so much just a younger version…anyways...we got to talk and he was much younger than I thought…he's studying at the Lao-American College and I forget what he was majoring…he is a nice fellow…it so crazy to believe that living in this area for 2 months and who would have thought that one of my cousins lived in the building next to mine…small world…small world…well after our meet…we were trying to set up a day where I could go and visit his dad and mom…and I did…actually stayed the night which wasn't the plan but it worked out extremely well…my uncle…my cousin’s dad is a RN…registered nurse and has his own clinic where he worked after hours from the hospital…surprisingly his clinic was right next to his house…right next to the front porch…I saw him helping with the community people with illnesses and provide meds….I met with my aunt as well as my great aunt….so funny…the first thing my great aunt asked me was…do you have a wife?  I said no and she responded…good…why don’t you find one here…there are many beautiful Hmong ladies here especially at New Year’s…you should go and see if there is a lady you like and talk with her…I giggled and nodded my head…sure, I’ll see if there are any ladies I'd like…smiling…oh OGs…she was quite precious…and my aunt was a small petite lady carry a little one…her youngest…so that night they celebrated my cousin’s b-day…I felt bad because I didn’t know and did not get him anything and I show up empty handed…I met with many other people that night…relatives (a cousin who studied in Australia who got his master’s…very talkative guy in a good way because he was curiously talkative about many things...he was very impressed about how I spoke Hmong quite well…he has a daughter who lived with him while he was studying in Australia so she learned English and can speak a good amount…he told me about a situation when he was speaking to his daughter in English…telling her to eat cat…pronouncing the word incorrectly his daughter corrected him…saying, “No dad…it’s eat cake”…I started laughing and he got a kick out of it telling me this story…very cute, also I met another cousin who has the same Hmong name as me…Huaj Vam…it is not every day you meet or find someone with that Hmong name…he is pretty cool…very mature and well respected by the parents as well as the younger generations)… and then I met my cousins gang who all play football (aka soccer) together…after a buffet style dinner and cake…my cousin and his gang had their own little gathering outside the house next to the clinic…Korean style BBQ…(in Lao=”Seen-dat” or something like that)…they were grilling, drinking, thumping music (Hmong, Lao, and Thai), and chatted the night away…it was so great for me to experience that moment with these Hmong guys and with my cousin…I had a good time…just chilling, talking, eating, drinking, more eating, and more drinking…this was how Hmong-Lao guys kick it together…so cozy and sebai sebai…chill chill…we stayed up til the drinks were done and that was around 2am…

Also…my uncle’s house is incomplete, but for the most part complete…they moved in already…they have a roof, bedrooms, kitchen, but the inside ceiling roof needed to be covered and he told me that Lao style houses you keep building and fixing as you go...when you have the money to pay for it…it’s not like America where the house is already completely built and then you move in...the duration of my visit everyone kept telling me how the house is bad and not clean and how it may not/is not like houses in America…and I responded…as long as you have a house with a roof over your head...that’s all what you really need…a place for your family to live together…