As I settle into the rhythm of life in Cambodia, I can’t help but love it a little more each day. The first two weeks of my TESL training consists of classes from 9am-5:30pm, Monday through Thursday. The other 30 trainees and I are learning the ins and outs of teaching English in South Asian cultures. In just the past few days we’ve learned everything from English grammar and phonetics, teaching new vocabulary, forming reading and writing lessons, and nuances of doing all these things in a culture very different from our own. For instance, certain hand gestures that seem second-nature to any American are insulting and disrespectful in countries like Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and China. At times, learning how to be an effective English teacher in only 30 days feels daunting. However, with each new day and each new lesson I feel more confident and empowered.
The second two weeks of our training will consist of student-teaching in orphanages in Cambodia where there may be upwards of 40 children per class and curriculum is completely unheard of. This will be the real test – but also the real fun!
I have also really enjoyed getting to know the people in my program. Two of those people will actually be teaching with me in Xiangyang, China. Our friendship grows daily and I feel truly blessed to be able to work with them this next year.
Thank you all for your prayers and support! Pictures will be coming soon! I appreciate your patience as the internet is slow and somewhat unreliable.
Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear them! baxtrj7@gmail.com.
Below is a sample reading exercise I've created to help my students learn new vocabulary pertaining to a police station and things that go along with it:
Reading Exercise: At the Police Station
Directions: After reading the story, try to define the underlined vocabulary at the bottom of the page.
There was an American boy named Ryan who loved to study Asian cultures. He decided to take a trip to Cambodia. Before he left home, he had to get his passport and plenty of money for his trip.
His parents warned him to be careful while he was there. They told him not to stay out late or walk alone at night. But Ryan did not listen to his parent’s advice.
After a very long flight, Ryan landed at the Phnom Penh airport. He checked in at his hotel, and then he decided to walk around the city. Ryan walked and walked and walked. He saw lots of really cool monuments, like Watt Phnom, the Independence Monument, and the Royal Palace.
It soon became very late and dark. Ryan looked at his watch and saw that it was about eleven pm. So he got on a Touk Touk and headed back to his hotel. But just after he got off the Touk Touk, a man with a knife approached him in the street in front of his hotel. The man with the knife stole Ryan’s passport and money! Then the man then ran away down the street.
Ryan was very upset, but the Touk Touk driver saw what had happened. He told Ryan, “I can take you to the police station and you can tell them what happened.”
Ryan said, “Thank you so much.”
At the police station, the policeman asked Ryan what happened, when and where it happened, and what had been stolen. Ryan told the policeman everything.
Ryan realized that his parents were wise and that their advice had been good. He decided to listen to them better next time.
Vocabulary:
- trip
- passport
- parents
- hotel
- monuments
- eleven pm
- police station
- wise
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