Teaching and Learning English As A Second Language

When we were kids we all learned to speak a language in a very natural way. We listened to our parents who spoke to us with very high voices, saying "oetsiekoetsie" and things like that. After a while we began to use our own voice, making different kind of sounds, and at the age of 1 most of us said their first real word. And then it goes fast! We learned one word after another and at the age of 5 we knew thousands of words and we were able to make sentences, using the right grammar (most of the time...). That all without following classes at such a young age! Isn't that amazing?

I think most of us have encountered that learning a second language is a different and way more difficult process. Remember the vocabulary lists in high school you had to repeat time after time? And when you didn't repeat them for a week you forgot most of the words... The innate ability to learn how to speak a language seems to disappear after the age of 7 years old. The older you are, the harder it gets.

Here at Thai Freedom House the students are learning English and Thai. "Shan" is their native language. You see it's hard for them and I really can imagine that. It took me more than a week just to say "Hello" and "Thank you" in Thai. Every new word I hear in Thai, I have to repeat more than a thousand times, and maybe if I continue to repeat the word again and again, I will remember the word (and the meaning) at the end of the week. But most of the time I fail... One of the first English lessons I did with the young adults group was about clothes. I taught them the names of different kind of clothes. We did some games with the words and the clothes, the students used the words a lot, so I was very disappointed that they didn't remember ANY of the words the week after.  I suppose I learned that they also need to repeat and review the words everyday before they can remember them.

Pronunciation is also very hard for them. When we are practicing pronunciation, I can't keep the smile off my face, it's so funny. For example: short and shirts. They couldn't make the different sounds. They both sounded like "short" and it took them a while to find the right sound. So we sat there making sounds like "oooooooooo" and "iiiiiiiiiiiii". Quite funny, but after a while they found the right sound! Or what about saying the word "scarf", I think that's impossible for them... And the other way around: I'm having a hard time to pronounce their names right. I'm lucky they use nicknames!

And that's just the speaking part... We also want them to learn how to read and write. If they know how to read and write in English, they have more chances to find a better job than now. That's why we do a lot of exercises with  ABC. But just to know how the letter sounds, doesn't make you able to read. That takes much more practice and phonics! Last week I had a new girl in my group, she didn't know anything of the ABC, but she was very eager (and shy), she copied the words I wrote on the whiteboard exactly. When you saw her notebook, you would really believe she could read and write. But when you asked her to read what she wrote, she couldn't.

It's a big challenge to teach them as much as possible and also make it enjoyable and fun to learn.  I'm here for 6 weeks, still 3 to go. That's a very short time to see some progress, but I hope I will!  Either way I am sure another eager volunteer will come along and follow the curriculum and they will all reach their goals!

-Judith

YOGA! with Mel

At Thai Freedom House we not only stretch our minds but our bodies with periodic yoga classes with visiting yoginis!  This time Mel Cambell who teaches yoga at Wild Rose Yoga Studio and Sauna in Chiang Mai (right around the corner from us) www.wildrosesauna.com came by with her daughter to give us a good stretch, a good laugh and the quietest moment I have ever seen at TFH with the meditation at the end of the session.  Check out the photos and if you are interested or know of another yogini in the area that would like to come by for a workshop, contact me at lisa@thaifreedomhouse.org or check out our website at www.thaifreedomhouse.org for more information.  Thank you!

Visiting Free Bird Cafe

Hi there--

I am sitting in my favorite and most colorful cafe's in all of Thailand, Free Bird Cafe.

I am spending time here Mentoring clients and Coaching an Interior Design Company in Bangkok. It's the perfect office with children's paintings every where, art work, toys and the dreams of hopes of children painted on the walls and I know that 100% of what I spend here goes to support Thai Freedom House.

Freedom House is a non-government, not-for-profit organization dedicated to assisting refugees in Thailand. Their work includes helping refugees from Burma who have come to Thailand as well as Indigenous Hill Tribe families. The Shan, Burmese and Hill Tribe families don't have the same rights as the Thai people and there is a real sense of joy from the staff and the community of volunteers that have come here to help from all around the world.

But unlike most cafe's there is some thing special going on here, the Burmese people working here are students of Freedom House and you can feel the heart felt service, because they know that this cafe is helping the school and their Shan brothers and sisters to get a free education and to me that sincerity makes a world of difference.

In this space I can feel the energy and excitement of what is happening here and as a result of this creative abundance I am able to open my mind and be in the right head space to understand and meet the needs of my clients. For me being in this colorful and magical environment I have realized how much of our humanity has lost its ability to work with each other, instead of competing with each other we need to co-operate and this is a fine example of a community in action.

So from my time here in this Extra-Ordinary Community I have made it my mission now to work more with people, to respect the friends that I have and to build on the Freedom Foundation for the next generation to come, as we are all part of one family and we all need to co-operate as one Universal Humanity and make the future bright for our children.

Andrew Morrissey.
www.iam-andrew.com

Recycling Workshop

 

Here at Freedom House we recycle a lot. Nothing will end in the trash can. For everything we'll find a next purpose.

Back at home, for us that's Holland, we wouldn't think about saving a broken parasol. Why save it if you don't use it anymore...? Just buy a new one! During our trip trough Thailand we already saw all the "trash" people keep under their houses. They save e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g, because it might be useful in the future. First we thought "why don't they just throw it away, it looks awful" especially at holiday bungalows. Now we know they really might use it again.
I, as a teacher primary school, do feel now a little bit ashamed as I think of all the papers and things I have thrown away back home, just because I didn't have a good place to keep it.

We see now that you can do a lot with a little bit of creative thinking. Another volunteer, Madz, for example, was ironing plastic bags. We'll use the hard plastic tonight for making earrings.
Or what about using colorful pages from magazines to pack presents from the shop?

If you save a lot, you need a lot space to keep it. Because there was almost no more space and we wanted to teach the students about recycling, we decided to have a workshop about it.  So last Tuesday, 10th of November there was a recycling workshop by CCT.  We showed the students what you can do with trash that you normally will throw away.  One of the volunteers explained what recycling is about and how it works.  Then the students had to write down why they think recycling is important and how you can use trash again.
There were many good ideas, like "putting all groceries in one bag at the market keeps our environment clean".

Before the student started to make things from empty bottles, cans, paper boxes and many other things we showed some examples because the student are not familiar with these kind of projects.

They enjoyed making things. There were many different and beautiful things made. 
Time went fast. Like they say "time flies if you're having fun".

We hope the students are now inspired to use things again and again...

Dorien and Judith, current volunteers (six weeks)

Putting Studies into Action

University is great. It educates us, it gives us the credentials to work good jobs and do great things with our lives, it looks good on our resume. But how long can you sit in a classroom in the middle of nowhere Ohio and actually learn about the conflict and strife in Africa, or Mecca and Israel, two of the holiest places in the world for Muslims and Jews, or about the horrible situation in Burma? How can you really learn about these things when you are so far removed from them and across the globe from them? Last year, sitting in my nice, heated dorm room as the snow fell outside of my window onto the beautiful Kenyon College campus, I had this realization. I am a history and religious studies double major learning about events that seem so distant to me. I had to get out, I had to study in a different country and experience and witness the religion and history of a country first hand.

I sent out my study abroad applications to Israel and Thailand - two places I had visited in the past, but only briefly and as a vacationer, but both places I loved. In Israel I could study my own religion and be engulfed in the incredible spirituality that makes Israel such a Holy land, for not only Jews, but many other religions and people as well. In Thailand I could study a religion different from my own, one I knew little about. I would also be exposed to more volunteer opportunities, really getting my hands dirty and having the experience I wanted. There is also such an interesting history of Thailand - not only is the culture so deeply rooted in past history and traditions, but I also find it fascinating how Thai history is so closely related to other countries close-by. Obviously, I ended up choosing Thailand and after telling my program I wanted to be placed somewhere teaching English, I was ecstatic when I learned I would not only be teaching English, but I would be teaching English at an educational center for Burmese Refugees. Embarrassingly, I knew little about the situation in Burma. I asked my dad, a history and politics bluff, for some information and together we did research on the issues there. Incredibly saddened after doing this research, I hoped that by taking a Burma/Myanmar politics class while studying here in Thailand, learning about the social and political issues in Thailand, and volunteering at Freedom House, I would not only learn about the situation through academics, but I would truly realize the situation through working first hand with those who had and who continued to suffer from the devastating problems in Burma. I also new that instead of merely gaining knowledge about the situation, I could actually effect someone's life, even if it was just on a small scale.

Since I have been here in Thailand, taking the class on Burma/Myanmar politics with a professor who is a political activist who has been exiled from Burma, taking another class on all the social and political issues in Thailand - which of course includes the situation in Burma - and volunteering here at Freedom House, I truly feel like I am gaining something much more valuable than had I been sitting in the library at my college in Ohio learning about things that I could never truly know, unless experiencing them first hand. So here I am, feeling like I can actually give something back to those who I have read books and articles about. Now I do not only know their history, I know them as real live people as well.

I have only been here for two months, but my time here at Freedom House has been truly amazing. I love working with the children - they are bright, beautiful, and above all else, they are children and what child should be denied an education and the chance to just be a kid? Why should their ethnicity or "mother- country" (if you can call Burma that) dictate their ability to receive a solid education? Freedom House is incredible because it does not only give these children access to an education, but it allows them to just goof around, to be children, to have fun. At home, they have to take on many responsibilites, responsibilites that I could never imagine having had when I was ten years old. At Freedom House, they can just be little kids. To me, this is so incredibly valuable.

I know that giving back isn't about making yourself feel good, but I cannot help but feel so lucky and privileged that I am able to have this experience -- incorporating my studies into actual experiences and hopefully touching someone's life.

Here are some photos I took of the children... just being kids!

Ting - bright, artistic and the only boy in class... in other words, the flirt and trouble-maker! He is a great kid.

 

This is Dow - Dow is shy but has so much love and effection for everyone. She is so beautiful and a quick learner

Mai - Mai is very intelligent and her English is really excelling. She is a leader and the other children look up to her. She is so sweet as well.

This is On - On is silly and fun and really enjoys learning. She always brings great energy and excitement to class and her passion for learning as well as art is amazing to watch.















Knowledge + experience = the best education!

-Rachel