Archive for the ‘Thuan An volunteer’ Category
Monday, October 12th, 2009
It seemed fitting that on the 999th anniversary of Hanoi’s liberation from invading armies, I paid a visit to an old soldier. Viet Hong Lam Pham traded his gun for a paintbrush almost 40 years ago after being deafened during an American bombing raid during the Vietnam War, and is ...
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Saturday, October 3rd, 2009
One has to appreciate a culture that finds so much to be thankful for and celebrates it all with national holidays. When I came to Thuan An last year, we honored the teachers with wreaths, cards, and a big ceremony on Teacher Appreciation Day. This time, the focus has been ...
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Friday, October 2nd, 2009
School at Thuan An starts each week with a 7 am Monday morning flag ceremony. Students line up rank and file by age on the cement drive– bright-eyed and uniform in appearance with their pressed light blue and stark white-collared shirts and matching dark blue pants. The choice of footwear ...
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Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
During a recent volunteer assignment at the Thuan An school for hearing-impaired children in Vietnam, I learned about the significant need for more knowledge among Vietnam's teachers about how to effectively educate children with hearing loss. The executive director of Thuan An and I have collaborated on a proposal for a ...
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Sunday, November 30th, 2008
(This is the 7th of seven subsequent posts about my volunteer experience at the Thuan An Center)
I am in the Internet cafe (the better one of the two in that it doesn't have lizards scurrying around the floor or sticky keyboard that are precursors to carpel tunnel syndrome...), sitting here with ...
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Friday, November 28th, 2008
(This is the 6th of seven subsequent posts about my volunteer experience at the Thuan An Center)
Today was a big day. This morning, the school's driver took me to the Teachers University in Bien Hoa, about an hour's drive from the Thuan An school. It is here that a pilot program ...
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Tuesday, November 25th, 2008
(This is the 5th of seven subsequent posts about my volunteer experience at the Thuan An Center)
One of my favorite things to do on my travels is to go for early morning runs. Rambling off the beaten path or highway is a great way to explore an area and get the ...
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Friday, November 21st, 2008
(This is the 4h of seven subsequent posts about my volunteer experience at the Thuan An Center)
Today was my first experience teaching English to the 7th grade class! I was taken to an upstairs classroom where five students sat waiting for me on plastic chairs without any backs behind wooden desks. I was introduced ...
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Thursday, November 20th, 2008
(This is the 3rd of seven subsequent posts about my volunteer experience at the Thuan An Center)
Today was Teacher Appreciation Day, an event celebrated throughout Vietnam where families provide fruit baskets to the schools, students make gifts for the teachers, the schools honor teachers in ceremonies, and the teachers are given the afternoon ...
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Wednesday, November 19th, 2008
(This is the 2nd of seven subsequent posts about my volunteer experience at the Thuan An Center)
I spent the morning of my first full day at the Thuan An Center meeting with Executive Director Thuy for three hours to learn more about the school, its philosophy, and services, and to discuss the Vietnamese ...
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