Literacy Education for Thai Minority Community

These past three months for the Community Learning Center (CLC) have flown by! Our three separate language classes (two English and one Thai) have such promising students who have shown remarkable success. These scholars are hard workers and their teachers couldn’t be prouder.

As our International volunteer, Channing, starts to wind down her time teaching CLC, she observes how far her students have come from when she first started teaching.

“There pronunciation has come a really long way. Through the use of poetry and tongue twisters, each student is starting to get more and more used to the different sounds of the English language. It is no easy feat, either. The English way of spelling versus pronunciation is extremely difficult to get the hang of since there are so many rules and exceptions to the rules!”

Volunteer Channing sat down with a new regular, Pam, and Pam told her all about her aspirations.

“When I graduate high school, I want to go to Chiang Rai University to study English and Hotel Management! I want to live in a big city like Chiang Mai or Bangkok and work in a really nice Hotel, so I can meet people from all over the world. One day, I would like to work outside of Thailand, and travel, and meet more friends. I want to have a friend on every continent!...South Africa would be a really cool place to work, I think, but I also really want to go to New York and Miami. I want to go to New York because I want to see all of the lights and snow!…I think CLC is very helpful because it goes over what I learn in school, too, so I can remember things better.”

So, there you have it! CLC has had another successful term, and we look forward to checking back in in three months.

We would like to thank all of our donors who keep helping this amazing program happen and who help these wonderful kids achieve their dreams.

Links:

• DEPDC's Homepage
• DEPDC's Facebook

DEPDC/GMS would like to formally thank all of their supporters and wish to express the hope for continued support as we try to make a difference in the lives of children and the community!

In the past three months, the International Department, which is responsible for Community Learning Center’s (CLC) English as a Foreign Language class (EFL) has seen a turnover in volunteers. A relatively new volunteer has taken over all three CLC EFL classes since the last report was turned in. Over the past three months, Thai schools have had final exams and have begun a one-month vacation period.
The new volunteer is a native from the United States and has created a curriculum that revolves around three main aspects of the English language: pronunciation, creative writing, and grammar. She also takes into consideration the interests of her students, so with 15 minutes to spare at the end of every lesson, she hosts a culture-themed question and answer session. Topics that have been brought up include the difference between British English and American English, life at university, and questions about popular books and movies. The new volunteer will continue her commitment to CLC EFL until the end of her volunteer period. She will continue with her curriculum, and as many holidays on the horizon, looks forward to doing holiday-themed activities (i.e. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years).
Due to exams and vacations, attendance is greatly varied. During normal school time, the class averages about five students per class, and during exam-time and breaks, the class averages about two students per class. The general English-level of the class is pre-intermediate.

Interview with Seoul and Tommy:

What are your goals pertaining to learning English? Why do you want to learn English?

Seoul: “I would like to learn to speak English well. I want to learn English so I can travel and meet a lot of people and have foreign friends. I also want learn English so I have more range in job options and can get better jobs.”

Tommy: “I want to learn English so I can find a job that requires me to speak English well. I would like to study abroad in America and travel around there, too. I want to make friends who speak English.”

What is your favorite part of CLC?

Seoul: “I like the volunteer teachers. They are very nice and friendly. I like practicing my conversational skills with the teachers. I also like learning more about foreign cultures.”

Tommy: “I like getting to spend time with volunteer teachers. The teachers are nice and good at teaching. I like getting to meet all of the new volunteers and making friends with foreign people.”

How do you think learning English will help you with your future?

Seoul: “Many people speak English. English is the second language to learn, because it is most people’s second language. Learning a second language makes you more open-minded and culturally aware. Being closed-minded harms your ability to participate in a [globalized world].”

Tommy: “English is the only language in the world foreigners speak to other foreigners (Interviewer: I informed him that is not necessarily always the case). Speaking an international language is the best way to lead an international lifestyle!”

As always, our volunteer, Channing, welcomes suggestions on what could make her class better, more effective, and more fun! Please feel free to email her directly.

Links:

• DEPDC's Homepage
• DEPDC's Facebook