I was invited to attend day 2 of the 4-week long teacher training in Kim Dong Elementary School in Tay Ninh. It was a privilege to be able to observe and learn 16 teachers from the region absorb and ask questions from the small group of American teachers about "teaching as leadership".
Spending July 4th in Vietnam is poignant in its own way.
This being Vietnam, memorials are everywhere. From the life-sized bust of Ho Chi Minh in the meeting room we were in, to pictorial-memorials of fallen heroes -- everyday people whose lives were cut short by the curse of war -- adorning the hallways. It's a somber reminder of how war and conflict makes heroes out of everyone -- sometimes needlessly, often without solicitation.
May we learn from our own independence the burning desire of other peoples to be independent like us. Even people who once had to fight to be independent from us.
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
Monday, July 3, 2017
Tây Ninh
It took us the better part of 36 hours to get from Flossmoor, Illinois to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. An hour to get to O'Hare airport. A couple of hours waiting at the airport for our non-stop, 15+ hour AVE airlines flight to Taipei, Taiwan -- the Boeing triple-7 (extended range) can directly connect any two airports in the world. A couple of hours waiting there. A three hour flight to Ho Chi Minh City. A couple of hours in immigration at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport -- turns out, you do need separate visas for 8-year olds! An hour from the airport to the Nikko Hotel in Saigon's bustling "District 1".
Safa and I are indebted to Dr. Janelle Scharon for letting us string along on this trip. Dr. Scharon has the important work of coordinating a group of first-year teachers under the aegis of Teach For Vietnam. Safa and I are simply taking in the sights, sounds, aromas and tastes of what, for all of us, is a new country.
Safa and I are indebted to Dr. Janelle Scharon for letting us string along on this trip. Dr. Scharon has the important work of coordinating a group of first-year teachers under the aegis of Teach For Vietnam. Safa and I are simply taking in the sights, sounds, aromas and tastes of what, for all of us, is a new country.
Ho Chi Minh city is a vibrantly perfect conflation of motor-scooters, friendly people, and sumptuous food. In the first 24 hours, I had two kinds of chicken, pizza with shrimp, [1] iced tea, iced coffee, and sugar-cane juice from a street vendor (it was nicely sealed).
On the morning of Monday, July 3rd, we traveled from Ho Chi Minh City to Tây Ninh about 3 hours to the northwest. The landscape alternates between urban congestion and rural farmland -- often within the course of minutes.
I met the other coaches who have flown in from places like Houston and Beijing. I was happy to listen in on their conversation about how to help the 16 teachers in this program and offer a few suggestions (about feedback and retrospectives) when asked. I do not have formal training in childhood pedagogy; however, I'm planning to make myself useful with the skills I do have.
[1] I have recently transitioned from being a vegetarian to allowing chicken and seafood to infiltrate my diet.
On the morning of Monday, July 3rd, we traveled from Ho Chi Minh City to Tây Ninh about 3 hours to the northwest. The landscape alternates between urban congestion and rural farmland -- often within the course of minutes.
I met the other coaches who have flown in from places like Houston and Beijing. I was happy to listen in on their conversation about how to help the 16 teachers in this program and offer a few suggestions (about feedback and retrospectives) when asked. I do not have formal training in childhood pedagogy; however, I'm planning to make myself useful with the skills I do have.
[1] I have recently transitioned from being a vegetarian to allowing chicken and seafood to infiltrate my diet.
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