Setting Sail
Xinjao!
It has now been two weeks since Scott and I finished the Global Playground school visits trip and arrived in Vietnam. Life here so far has been, to quote my Grandma Jobee, “quirky”. Our ‘on the ground’ partners live about an hour away from our school site in Khe Sanh and when we asked what the town of Khe Sanh would be like, they adamantly told us Khe Sanh is not a town, it’s a village. We came in not expecting much, so when we arrived in the city of Khe Sanh, it was quite a surprise. In Khe Sanh there are about 15 coffee shops, several motorcycle repair stores, and phở and bun restaurants on nearly every corner and....we live on a boat.
Ahoy
The father of our host family works in Laos as an architect (Laos is about 20 kilometers aways) and since he loves boats, he decided to design a house in the middle of a neighborhood that looks like a boat, complete with a moat. Never in a million years would I have thought I’d be living in a boat house in Khe Sanh, Vietnam!
While I appreciate this unique experience and our host family, I wish we had living arrangements a bit closer to the housing our students are used to. This house is not the norm in Khe Sanh, and if we were living in a place that would allow us to better understand the backgrounds of our students. I hope to find more reflective housing for the next fellow before I leave.
We were able to begin teaching this week at our schools: Khe Sanh Primary School, Pa Nho Satellite School, and Com Tam Satellite School. I teach 3rd grade with Mrs. Xuan Anh, Scott teaches 4th grade with Mrs. Ngoc, and we teach 5th grade together with Mr. Vu. There are stark differences between each of our schools. Khe Sanh Primary School is located in the city, a short seven minute walk away from our boat and students have coats, uniforms, and books. The other satellite schools are farther out in places I would identify as small towns, and it is evident the students do not have as many resources.
In a classroom of 18 students, there were only 8 math books, 16 science books, 10 Vietnamese books, 11 history/geography books, and 9 English books. The most expensive book, the English book, costs only 48,000 dong--about $2.15. The problems do not end with basic educational resources. Students at the satellite schools are from ethnic minority groups; primarily the Van Kieu and Pako. They speak local languages at home and when they enter primary school they must begin to learn Vietnamese as they begin their other courses in math, science, history/geography, art, music, I.T., etc. which are all taught in Vietnamese. All lessons in Vietnam are standardized, so class after class material is covered the same way for students, no matter their circumstances. It is devastatingly no surprise that each of the satellite schools are falling behind.
I'm only going to be here for two more months. We will hopefully have a fellow here for the rest of the foreseeable future; but we aren't the people that are going to be able to fix the deeply rooted issues here. One of Global Playground's objectives in building educational infrastructures across the world is that they become self-sustaining. Right now our students are not being supported. I am no expert on the education system in Vietnam, but I think the best thing Scott and I can do here as fellows is find ways to connect members of the larger community to help resolve these issues.
Initially, I really wanted to get funding from my organization for the books and supplies that are needed at Pa Nho. I realize now upon further reflection that the quicker solution is not the most sustainable for the community. Rather than seeking funding from an external source, I think we need to connect people and mobilize the community. We teach classes to students who are smart, caring, and devoted to Khe Sanh. We could do our best to introduce them to the students at Pa Nho and other satellite schools and help introduce them to the problems they face. The students working to help each other would be far more powerful than any efforts of Scott and I. I'm sure with support our city students will be able to organize a fundraiser to address the superficial problems faced at Pa Nho related to resources. The best thing we can do is serve as connectors.
Another powerful potential step could be leveraging our teacher contacts in Khe Sanh. We've begun volunteering at after school private classes for students. The teacher who organizes it is phenomenal. Mr. Thuat has a passion for teaching English and has indepently studied and learned the local languages of ethnic minority groups in the region. He wants to help, but does not have the time to teach children out in Pa Nho or Com Tam. Mr. Thuat works around the clock at the private school to support his family. Scott and I still need to work out the details, but perhaps we can cover Mr. Thuat's private classes and he can work to teach the students of Pa Nho Vietnamese.
Scott and I are just beginning to wrap our heads around Khe Sanh, Vietnam. As Amanda and I were in Mae La Noi, Thailand, we are babies; re-learning how to speak, eat, interact, and live. As I finish up my first week teaching, I have to remind myself that we are just beginning to set sail on our projects in Khe Sanh. There is so much more to learn.