One Proud teacher!

Happy Vietnam-aversary to me!

 If you asked me four months ago what would have been happening when this was posted I would have happily said I was on a plane home, visiting friends and family for a month, however I am sitting in my room, looking like a cross between a fetus and and a thumb for the 30 something day in a row. 

Everythings still a little up in the air (which is kind of a bad saying as that is where I should be!) and im not too sure when I will be back in the homeland but thats okay. Im still safe, I have a house, and food and I am still working so I am very greatful. 

In saying that having spent a full 365 days in this wonderful country I do feel like its time to share the acomplishment im the most proud of. 

It hasnt always been easy being a teacher, and im sure everyone that is stuck at home with their kids right now can agree but there are moments that do make it all worth it, and I had mine in January before the lock down.

My achievement is called An.  You may remeber him from a few stories back, being the instaigtor of watching the football final in class but also telling me that he wasnt nice which is adorable on its own,but his story is so much more than that. Let me take you back to my very first class. The very FIRST class I had taught.

K9, Tuesday and Thursday evening. It was An’s class. It was a small class, seven kids, two girls, five boys. Both the girls were very quiet and the boys were all very rowdy, except for An. They were all great kids but they were also six so often needed to be reigned in at times. Throughout the weeks I could tell An was a little more reserved, he was hesitant to answer questions, he would colour quietly and wasnt too into playing with the other kids. Obviously there is nothing wrong with this, some kids are just quiet and he was one of them.

However as we moved through the course and he got to know me better he started to answer more, even if the answer was wrong (which is a huge acomplishement as there is a huge importance in Vietnamese culture to be correct).

He was one of my students that developed the most. He was such a sweetheart, He would always meet me at the door to help carry the supplies in. He was honestly my second TA, you could often hear him pulling the other kids into line, or yelling at the top of his lungs to be quiet. As we moved through the course levels and his english improved he even helped translate to the other kids in my class. I would always see him listening with intent when I was explaining the new rules of a game, he would say it back to me to make sure he understood and then he would scan the room for confused faces and whisper the instructions to the kids (in vietnamese) that were a little lost.

This isnt the achievement. When you have classes for a long time you do get to see the growth, you literally see kids grow up and that is amazing, but the moment of realisation came when An's mother came to collect him from class.

The whole time I had An it was always his dad that collected him after class, but this time his mum came. On this day we finished class a little early so we were just playing a review game that the kids love. We have little glass windows in the door that I could see his mum peering through. After I released the students I saw his mum talking to the TA with a purpose. At first I thought the worst, usually parents like to complain. That we arent giving their kid enough attention or they dont think the review games help or even that the disagree with their child's test score. She looked pretty emotional but left with a slight smile, so of course I had to find out what she said.

I asked my TA and the answer absolutely shook me.

My TA told me that the mum was shocked. When she was watching her son in my classroom she didnt realise she was looking at her child. At home he is so quiet. He hardly speaks vietnamese let alone English and he often plays quietly by himself. When she saw him in the classroom being loud and confident and playing with the other children she just couldnt believe it. She had asked him before if he liked going to class, and he had said yes, but that was all she got out if him. But to see it in person was unbelievable, she was beyond happy.

And that is my accomplishment. Even if he wasnt as good as English as he is. Even if he didnt help me in the classroom, even if he knew no english whatsoever, he learnt to be confident and happy. As a Teacher that is one of the best things I have been able to give my students. Obviously learning English is a huge bonus! But if they are happy, then genuinely I am happy.

I left the classroom in tears to be honest.

I havent seen An since the closure of our schools in February as he isnt participating in the online classes, but I do really miss him. He will just be one of those kids you remember forever.

But anyway that was my flex on one of my students. In other news still trying hard to get home, things change daily so it is hard to say when I will be back home. I'm happy with all the measures that New Zealand are taking to keep everyone safe and quiet honestly I'm looking forward to my time being quarantined when I return, cause all that means is I'm one step closer to being back with my loved ones!

Until next time!

S O C I A L D I S T A N C E