Wow, how has it been a month already?! Our time in Vietnam has been flying by– especially now that online classes and volunteering at the school are in full swing. All of us have been placed at the same primary school, each paired with our own partner teacher. I’m teaching grades 1, 3, and 5, and the experience so far has been challenging but rewarding!
From the moment we arrived, the school community has been so welcoming. We were greeted with signs, smiles, tea, and even plants– a lovely gift which has helped make our Airbnb feel more like home. We’ve been lucky enough to be part of both the school’s opening ceremony and their Mid-Autumn Festival celebration, complete with mooncakes, lantern-making competitions, and traditional dances. These events have been a wonderful way to experience Vietnamese culture!
School days are quite different here than back home, spanning from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with around a 3.5-hour lunch break in between. During this period, the whole school takes time to recharge, with students napping on boards placed over their desks, and teachers napping in the library. I’ve even joined in on the naps a time or two! It’s interesting to see how much importance is placed on rest in Vietnam, and I’m starting to wish that we had similar practices in Canada.
Another difference we’ve come to experience is that sometimes, schools close due to heavy rain—much like our snow days! Just this week, the students were sent home early on Wednesday and had the entire day off on Thursday because of the weather. With the monsoon season approaching, I’m sure there will be many more rainy days ahead.
However, the best part of our volunteer experience so far has been getting to interact with the students. Despite the language barrier, the students are always so excited to see us– they follow us down the halls, swarm us after lessons, and greet us with “Hello, Teacher!” or any other English words or phrases that they know. It’s been amazing to connect and begin to form relationships with them, showing that communication consists of much more than a common language.
While the curriculum and classroom content here is quite standardized, I’ve been surprised by the teachers’ creativity in making their English lessons more engaging. They incorporate a variety of games and activities—often featuring some friendly classroom competition— which the students absolutely love! Teaching English as a second language has certainly been difficult at times, but it’s an invaluable experience that will provide me with many insights that I can carry into my own future classroom. I’m really looking forward to spending more time in the classroom, and building my confidence as the days go by.
Natalia