This is not just teaching abroad. This is UNàREAL!
Education is the silver bullet. Education is everything. We
don’t need little changes, we need gigantic, monumental changes. Schools should
be palaces. Competition for the best teachers should be fierce; they should be
making six figures. Schools should be incredibly expensive for government and
absolutely free of charge to its citizens, just like national defense. –Sam
Seaborn, The West Wing.
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam 2017: Your average day at school:
Hundreds of families on motorbikes speeding in with their
children on the back, front, and in between, so not to be late to school. With
families of four to five: mom, dad, baby, the children, and sometimes grand mom
too. And no, the children aren’t wearing helmets. Let me guess what you’re
thinking? A parent’s worst nightmare! But months in, when you begin to get over
the motorbike scene, and look deeper, you start to see something totally
different and beautiful. You see parents kissing their kids goodbye, wiping
their noses, fixing their clothes, and sending their child off with Lion King
nurturing love, for a great day of school.
[In a choral toned elongated voice] “STAND UP! Good Morning
Ms. Katie, how are you today?” That is the introduction I receive from my
students every morning of every class from every student. Some parents moving
aside to let me go through in the hallway, like I am some sort of monk or
doctor. In passing about fifty children in a row “HELLO TEACHER” I wish I could
read it to you in their adorable- Vietnamese accent: “TeachAAHH – TeachAAHH…..
HellO TeachAAHH!!”
The bell rings.. “Stand UP! Goodbye Ms. Katie, see you
tomorrow” The teacher leaves the room first, and then the students run outside
for break time. Over the intercom outside,tThe school song “VAS BE THE BEST” comes
on and the little ones run to their spots to sing and dance to their spirited
school song. The older children kick soccer balls on the green football field,
play racket ball and run around giggling and playing tag. All while the teacher’s
break, and the children are watched by school nannies. Twenty minutes later, the children run back
to class, sit down and are ready to STAND UP for the next teacher.
Philadelphia, The United
States of America:
Poverty, violence, metal
detectors, sex in the auditorium, school police, gangs, fights. Children going without comfort, love and care.
Children being screamed at by their parents on their way to school, and being talked
down to. No hug goodbye, backwards shoes, dried up snot on their face, and
without a jacket. The hallways are
earsplitting, scary and intimidating to walk through as you may be trampled on,
at any second. Personally, I am just going to stop here. I don’t even want to
get started on lack of funding or the absence of a forthcoming future for these
schools, because it makes me so damn sad.
For the past four months I have been teaching eighty
remarkable fourth and fifth graders. These children are so obedient, innocent and
respectful. I can’t even count the number of full-faced smiles they put on my
face every single day. They give me so much purpose in life and the amount of
respect is just un-real. I literally feel like I have been dropped down into
heaven and in some sort of nirvana.
I don’t have to work a second or third job with this salary.
In fact, I have my laundry serviced, a cleaning lady once a week, two smart
meals a day delivered to my house every morning, a place to park my motorbike
where they valet it in and out for me everyday (mostly because they know I’m an
idiot at parking) and a personal trainer who comes to my home. My rent is
$250/month in a charming Vietnamese style expat house with a huge bedroom and
bathroom complete with a spiral staircase and a rooftop terrace. I am quickly
paying off all of my debt from back in the states. I am making more money here
then I was back home and as you can tell my cost of living is significantly
lower.
Today was International Women’s day. The international part,
throwing me off a bit because I definitely do not recall this holiday existing
back in the states. My students came running in with cards, gifts and warm
wishes of Happy Women’s day. I couldn’t even fit all of these gifts home with
me on my motorbike. Like, I cant even, with how good these Vietnamese children
are. All, Streaming down from centuries of: family bonds, values and doing
everything out of the welfare for your family.
The amount of respect from these children, parents, and other teachers
is just MAD!
I am getting to experience two worlds in one lifetime.
Nothing is the same as my first life in the states. Being uncomfortable is my
comfortable. Silence screams louder to me then noise. Motorbikes, sirens, dirty
feet, and children shouting “TEACHA- TEACHA” are my kinds of contentment. I
wish that every child in every zip code could be taught in paradise, as they
deserve it. I wish I could change the world and fix inner city schools back
home. If I could adopt them all and bring them here, believe me I would. I know
that my personal experience stems from two extremes. Of course there are nice
school in the suburbs of the states and I am working at the cream of the crop
in Vietnam, but this is my story. I am humbled to call myself their teacher, as
it is the students that truly deserve all of the admiration and pride. I am watching them grow and become so
creative. Creativity is so difficult for them, coming from a past of communism
where everything used to be copy and paste. I have to probe monumental amounts
of energy to have them come up with their own ideas. But, eventually when they
create their own fable or mythical characters, the reward is
indescribable. Being a teacher is not
easy. My vocal folds are fried and when I get home alive, I am purely exhausted.
I truly encourage everyone to teach abroad and experience
this. There is nothing more heartening then people I met on my travels who
reach back out to me for guidance in teaching in Ho Chi Minh. I will never tell
you it is easy, because its not. But this experience is not comparable to
anything you will ever get in a lifetime. Don’t wish it, DO IT!
NAMaste with me for any help you need along the way!
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| 4th grade girls |
