Teaching and Learning a World Away
Valedictorian of Sharon Springs Central in 2011, Olivia Tomaszewski (know as Livy around SSCS) graduated from George Washington University in May of 2015 with a Bachelors of Science in Peace Studies . Throughout 2015 - 2016 school year, she worked in Washington, DC as a teacher, tutor, and nanny. In June of 2016, she was accepted into a program that would allow her the opportunity to teach in Thailand for 10 months. She is teaching English to her students, while contemplating a career in Secondary English Education in the United States. Below is an interview conducted online via email with Mr. Yorke.
Mr. Yorke: Generally, please give me an overview of your experiences teaching in Thailand.
Livy: I have settled into quite a nice routine here. I cannot believe how these last three months have passed. We are already planning for finals for this semester! To fill you in on my school: I am teaching at a Princess Chulabhorn's College in Phitsanulok. It is a boarding school for students in grades 7-12 that focuses on science and math. Most of the kids are here on scholarship so they are very willing to learn, which has been refreshing. I teach about 400 students per week and am just starting to get names down. I feel pretty guilty about not knowing the names of the students that I am working with or who approach me in the hall because I am usually really good with names. All Thais have nicknames because their first names are all way longer than my last name, but apparently when they are younger they can change their nicknames. As soon as I make a mental note where a student is sitting in class, he has changed his nickname.
Livy: I have settled into quite a nice routine here. I cannot believe how these last three months have passed. We are already planning for finals for this semester! To fill you in on my school: I am teaching at a Princess Chulabhorn's College in Phitsanulok. It is a boarding school for students in grades 7-12 that focuses on science and math. Most of the kids are here on scholarship so they are very willing to learn, which has been refreshing. I teach about 400 students per week and am just starting to get names down. I feel pretty guilty about not knowing the names of the students that I am working with or who approach me in the hall because I am usually really good with names. All Thais have nicknames because their first names are all way longer than my last name, but apparently when they are younger they can change their nicknames. As soon as I make a mental note where a student is sitting in class, he has changed his nickname.
Mr. Yorke: Can you tell me more about the joys and frustrations of your teaching experience?
Livy: Okay, I teach 8th, 10th and 12th grade. Their English is sometimes difficult for me to understand but they understand a large amount of what I say; they think my jokes are hilarious (because they are). I have been really enjoying my 12th grade writing class. It is probably the class that brings me the most joy and frustration. The kids (when they show up, which is a whole other issue that I could write a separate and equally as long email about) have such developed ideas. Unfortunately, the level of English drastically differs, from those who have studied abroad in the US for a year, to those who when I ask them how they are in the hall, freeze and cannot answer. I can feel their frustration when they want to participate but do not have the words.
Mr. Yorke: How would you compare, say, your 10th grade students with traditional SSCS students?
Livy: My 10th graders are also amazing...for the most part. They are pretty into saying inappropriate things in English, as any 16 year old boy is and I accidentally channeled you the other day when I threw a marker at one of my students although it was not nearly as aggressive as when you did it to Kaena [referring to an experience that happened when Mr. Yorke coached the girl’s varsity basketball team]. I guess I should be happy that they said it English, especially because his response was, "Teacher, we swear in Thai all the time, you just do not know it." But yeah, I am a pretty cool teacher.
Mr. Yorke: Do you have any creative ways that we at SSCS could team up with you to practice literacy skills?
Livy: I was hoping that you would be interested in collaborating on a pen pal project. We can nail down the details later, but I was thinking we could do a writing portion and then a video project (about the student's daily lives or about the schools). I have 125 10th graders so we would need split into groups but we can figure all of that out at a later date.
Mr. Yorke: Finally, outside of your work as a teacher, what do you do in Thailand?
Livy: On the weekends, I have been doing a lot of traveling. As you can imagine the views are breathtaking and my writing about them is a pathetic in comparison. We have been to Bangkok, Sukothai, which is one of the old capitals of Thailand, Chiang Mai and a bit around the south of Thailand on various islands. The city I live in is very nice so I enjoy weekends like these where we stay in Phitsanulok, relax, drive around on our motor bike, (named Vino), get massages and consume way more food than necessary. The food is amazing, of course... Life is pretty great and I am a walking cliche because I feel as though I have to pinch myself daily that I have this opportunity. We have a month vacation in October where we are planning to travel around Indonesia and Cambodia and next weekend we are going to Laos. I can’t wait to tell you about those experiences
Livy: Okay, I teach 8th, 10th and 12th grade. Their English is sometimes difficult for me to understand but they understand a large amount of what I say; they think my jokes are hilarious (because they are). I have been really enjoying my 12th grade writing class. It is probably the class that brings me the most joy and frustration. The kids (when they show up, which is a whole other issue that I could write a separate and equally as long email about) have such developed ideas. Unfortunately, the level of English drastically differs, from those who have studied abroad in the US for a year, to those who when I ask them how they are in the hall, freeze and cannot answer. I can feel their frustration when they want to participate but do not have the words.
Mr. Yorke: How would you compare, say, your 10th grade students with traditional SSCS students?
Livy: My 10th graders are also amazing...for the most part. They are pretty into saying inappropriate things in English, as any 16 year old boy is and I accidentally channeled you the other day when I threw a marker at one of my students although it was not nearly as aggressive as when you did it to Kaena [referring to an experience that happened when Mr. Yorke coached the girl’s varsity basketball team]. I guess I should be happy that they said it English, especially because his response was, "Teacher, we swear in Thai all the time, you just do not know it." But yeah, I am a pretty cool teacher.
Mr. Yorke: Do you have any creative ways that we at SSCS could team up with you to practice literacy skills?
Livy: I was hoping that you would be interested in collaborating on a pen pal project. We can nail down the details later, but I was thinking we could do a writing portion and then a video project (about the student's daily lives or about the schools). I have 125 10th graders so we would need split into groups but we can figure all of that out at a later date.
Mr. Yorke: Finally, outside of your work as a teacher, what do you do in Thailand?
Livy: On the weekends, I have been doing a lot of traveling. As you can imagine the views are breathtaking and my writing about them is a pathetic in comparison. We have been to Bangkok, Sukothai, which is one of the old capitals of Thailand, Chiang Mai and a bit around the south of Thailand on various islands. The city I live in is very nice so I enjoy weekends like these where we stay in Phitsanulok, relax, drive around on our motor bike, (named Vino), get massages and consume way more food than necessary. The food is amazing, of course... Life is pretty great and I am a walking cliche because I feel as though I have to pinch myself daily that I have this opportunity. We have a month vacation in October where we are planning to travel around Indonesia and Cambodia and next weekend we are going to Laos. I can’t wait to tell you about those experiences
Note: Stay tuned for updates regarding the "pen pal" project Mr. Yorke and Livy are in the midst of coordinating.