Last Saturday was Teachers Day in Vietnam. During the week best wishes, presents, flowers and money appeared on my desk. Here are some photos of the orchards one class gave me. And to think, I am wanting to give this up!
On Teachers Day the class tried teaching me!
The last half of each lesson lesson (for high schoolers) this week was used to decorate the class room and tree. They had fun (so did I) and did a good job. It looks good. It looks like xmas is here. 🙂 The only things I want to add are the lights. Electric products, sockets and high schoolers don’t mix. I will try and add a few photos for you see.
EFL Teaching in Vietnam. Xmas decorations are hung at the school.
If you like the decorations leave us a comment. The kids will love it.
Yesterday Christmas started at Sen’s cute little English school. I had two high school classes. I used We Wish You a Merry Christmas as a listening exercise. Initially the students wrote down any words they recognised, then any sounds they heard, then guessed the rest. It was a solid 45 minutes work and fun. Christmas carols are ideal for listening, because many of the lines are repeated. Many of the songs are also sung slowly and clearly. I’ve promised another carol tomorrow.
I am finalizing a deal to print and sell an IELTS book from a Hong Kong author, through the school. I will let you know how that goes.
Anyway, two adult classes tonight. A bit light on numbers in one class, while the other is full to over flowing.
As this blog is going to focus on and around Sen’s cute little English school, maybe a quick description is required.
EFL Teaching in Vietnam. A small school, but a good school.
It is a small EFL school located in a house. To be more exact, it is located in what was once my living room. The one classroom is at ground level, which means the sounds of motorbikes, motorbike horns, buses, bus horns, the piercing shrieks of vendors, dogs barking, and almost any other noise you can think of easily penetrates into the classroom space. Nobody seems to notice this, except me.
Sen’s English school is so humble, that I think it doesn’t even has an official name. Everyone in the neighbourhood just calls it “Sen’s school”. There are four afternoon/evening classes across ten time slots, from Monday to Friday. Occasionally, there might be a 30 minute one-to-one class earlier in the afternoon.
Even though Sen’s school is humble in the extreme, very little happens here by accident. I’ve been teaching for nearly 25 years now, and this school is set up in a very precise way. But more about the mechanics of running a one room school another day.
Anyway, Xmas is just around the corner. I’m happy to drag out the decorations and the carols asap. For a communist country Viet Nam celebrates Christmas well. I want our place to be first up with the decorations this year.
Paul Rowe
This blog is about how I do EFL teaching and the whole EFL teaching experience.
I’ve been teaching nearly 25 years now. I live in beautiful Vung Tau, Viet Nam. You will get to know alot about this part of the world, and the people who live here, via this blog.
Come back often and keep up to date with the happenings at Sen’s School. You’ll love it.
Paul Rowe
Teaching4fun 