The place I belong?
Miriam Adeney (whoever she may be) wrote
I certainly left part of my heart in Bhutan after my time there in 2015 and 2016. I left it with my closest friends, Zangmo and Phub; I left it with many of the students I taught; I left it with my "extended family" - those few young people who asked if I would be their mother or their sister; and I left part of it with that magical, beautiful place that is Bhutan.
Many of the students stay in contact, via messenger, and I was regularly asked if I would return to Bhutan. My home class student, Wangmo, said "Plz do come back to where u really belong", a delightful sentiment and one that struck me as having an element of truth. I've tried, without a lot of success, to analyse why Bhutan means so much to me; I'm not even prepared to go the distance with trying to work out why I had an apparently big impact on some of those students. I'm happy that I did.
I had a few ideas floating around my mind about how I might return to Bhutan - as a tourist is not the experience I really want. One of my acquaintances had made the offer of inviting me, and that was also an option sitting in my mind. I was aware of the Bhutan Canada Foundation reading program, but it is in July - the middle of the monsoon season. Not my favourite climate. A few weeks in pre-monsoonal India with a couple of weeks of the full works in 2017 reminded me of that! I toyed with the idea of the northern spring, 2018.
But when an email popped up in my inbox one day, with an additional Bhutan reading program for March, that was a whole new ball game. I started hatching plans about combining that with the promised invitation and being able to visit friends, visit ex students at their new school Tsenkharla CS, (possibly make myself useful during school time on these visits), visit a couple of places I had not been able to get to on my last trip, see the rhododendron forests in flower, contact the University about some professional development in gifted education that one teachers' college representative who visited Kheni LSS expressed an interest in, and maybe talk to some relevant people about my ideas for value adding to their fabulous textiles by creating well made fashion garments with appeal to western tourists.
I really should learn not to let my imagination get carried away too much with possibilities that might be hindered by bureaucratic processes. I would not be able to extend my visa, I would need to leave the country for a couple of weeks and come back on a different visa.
After the original downer that piece of news provided, I started to think a bit more laterally. Literally. Sikkim. But that might be another story.
My initial inquiry about the reading program was greeted with enthusiasm, and my application subsequently accepted and ratified by the Ministry of Education. Eventually the news came through that I was placed, along with Canadian BCF reading teacher, Joan, at Lobesa Lower Secondary School. At an altitude of less than 1400m, this would be a rather mild climate. Hopefully not too insect prone in March but the first aid kit will be well stocked just in case...
Lobesa is on the main road from Thimphu and the school has an enrolment of over 800; I was a little disappointed initially, as I had hoped for somewhere a little more rural (and smaller) but reading material provided by fellow Australian Joy, who had been there previously as a reading teacher, restored my enthusiasm.
I was grateful that my placement is Lobesa and not the school for the deaf or the school for the disabled - the two other placements for this small group of volunteers - which might have provided me with more challenges than I would really care for.
Now I just had to contend with my own perceptions of my skills. I would be expected to be an expert. I am not sure that I am prepared for that in the field of remedial reading. Many long nights in the company of my friend Mr Google would be in order. Along with discussions with friends who do teach primary reading more regularly! And scratching my brain to remember what it was we did when I was a beginning teacher at Campbell Town and we managed to lift the reading and numeracy ages by an average of 2 years over a term - with intense, 20 minute, specific activities to begin the day. Syllablisation, phonics, correct use of articles & prepositions would all make good mini lessons.
I tried an email communication to the principal, unsuccessfully, but Joan had more success with the head of English, who advised her (referring to her as "Sir" - presumably reading John rather than Joan) that "Our hearts are bouncing to have you both in our school" Most delightful!
My understanding of the program is that it is intended that the volunteers work with small groups of struggling readers in upper primary. Joy said that she and her colleague spent their first week just going to classrooms without a teacher and teaching class. Then she was timetabled onto classes, with their regular teacher, who was supposed to observe / work in partnership but generally disappeared after 5 minutes.
Once again I am reminded not to have clear expectations of my role and to take what comes. It is Bhutan! This was reinforced at our initial meeting and welcome dinner with Karma, BCF field director in Bhutan, Nancy - my previous BCF boss, and Meena, the previous BCF education officer. They shared what had been their visions for the reading program and gave the advice that while they were trying to discourage some practices, including using us in the role of relief teachers, we should definitely be offering weekly PD but otherwise go with whatever the principal wanted us to do.
It promises to be an interesting month.
“You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart always will be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.”
I certainly left part of my heart in Bhutan after my time there in 2015 and 2016. I left it with my closest friends, Zangmo and Phub; I left it with many of the students I taught; I left it with my "extended family" - those few young people who asked if I would be their mother or their sister; and I left part of it with that magical, beautiful place that is Bhutan.
Many of the students stay in contact, via messenger, and I was regularly asked if I would return to Bhutan. My home class student, Wangmo, said "Plz do come back to where u really belong", a delightful sentiment and one that struck me as having an element of truth. I've tried, without a lot of success, to analyse why Bhutan means so much to me; I'm not even prepared to go the distance with trying to work out why I had an apparently big impact on some of those students. I'm happy that I did.
I had a few ideas floating around my mind about how I might return to Bhutan - as a tourist is not the experience I really want. One of my acquaintances had made the offer of inviting me, and that was also an option sitting in my mind. I was aware of the Bhutan Canada Foundation reading program, but it is in July - the middle of the monsoon season. Not my favourite climate. A few weeks in pre-monsoonal India with a couple of weeks of the full works in 2017 reminded me of that! I toyed with the idea of the northern spring, 2018.
But when an email popped up in my inbox one day, with an additional Bhutan reading program for March, that was a whole new ball game. I started hatching plans about combining that with the promised invitation and being able to visit friends, visit ex students at their new school Tsenkharla CS, (possibly make myself useful during school time on these visits), visit a couple of places I had not been able to get to on my last trip, see the rhododendron forests in flower, contact the University about some professional development in gifted education that one teachers' college representative who visited Kheni LSS expressed an interest in, and maybe talk to some relevant people about my ideas for value adding to their fabulous textiles by creating well made fashion garments with appeal to western tourists.
I really should learn not to let my imagination get carried away too much with possibilities that might be hindered by bureaucratic processes. I would not be able to extend my visa, I would need to leave the country for a couple of weeks and come back on a different visa.
After the original downer that piece of news provided, I started to think a bit more laterally. Literally. Sikkim. But that might be another story.
My initial inquiry about the reading program was greeted with enthusiasm, and my application subsequently accepted and ratified by the Ministry of Education. Eventually the news came through that I was placed, along with Canadian BCF reading teacher, Joan, at Lobesa Lower Secondary School. At an altitude of less than 1400m, this would be a rather mild climate. Hopefully not too insect prone in March but the first aid kit will be well stocked just in case...
Lobesa is on the main road from Thimphu and the school has an enrolment of over 800; I was a little disappointed initially, as I had hoped for somewhere a little more rural (and smaller) but reading material provided by fellow Australian Joy, who had been there previously as a reading teacher, restored my enthusiasm.
I was grateful that my placement is Lobesa and not the school for the deaf or the school for the disabled - the two other placements for this small group of volunteers - which might have provided me with more challenges than I would really care for.
Now I just had to contend with my own perceptions of my skills. I would be expected to be an expert. I am not sure that I am prepared for that in the field of remedial reading. Many long nights in the company of my friend Mr Google would be in order. Along with discussions with friends who do teach primary reading more regularly! And scratching my brain to remember what it was we did when I was a beginning teacher at Campbell Town and we managed to lift the reading and numeracy ages by an average of 2 years over a term - with intense, 20 minute, specific activities to begin the day. Syllablisation, phonics, correct use of articles & prepositions would all make good mini lessons.
I tried an email communication to the principal, unsuccessfully, but Joan had more success with the head of English, who advised her (referring to her as "Sir" - presumably reading John rather than Joan) that "Our hearts are bouncing to have you both in our school" Most delightful!
My understanding of the program is that it is intended that the volunteers work with small groups of struggling readers in upper primary. Joy said that she and her colleague spent their first week just going to classrooms without a teacher and teaching class. Then she was timetabled onto classes, with their regular teacher, who was supposed to observe / work in partnership but generally disappeared after 5 minutes.
Once again I am reminded not to have clear expectations of my role and to take what comes. It is Bhutan! This was reinforced at our initial meeting and welcome dinner with Karma, BCF field director in Bhutan, Nancy - my previous BCF boss, and Meena, the previous BCF education officer. They shared what had been their visions for the reading program and gave the advice that while they were trying to discourage some practices, including using us in the role of relief teachers, we should definitely be offering weekly PD but otherwise go with whatever the principal wanted us to do.
It promises to be an interesting month.
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