We organized a volunteer tour to one of our rural schools for St. Paul American School students. This tour gave the students a chance to teach young underprivileged primary school students with conditions. Embraced by green scenery in a rural area, surrounded by kids with the brightest smiles and given the opportunity to take the responsibility of leading a class, St. Paul students had a fulfilling and enriching weekend.
Check out these sweet classroom pictures. Over the weekend, all the students in Grades 2- 4 received lessons from the volunteers. Kids threw fluffy dice, played with flashcards and shouted out loud English vocabulary. The enthusiasm of the kids fused together with a new teaching style taught by our trainer Morgan, creating a dynamic in the classroom which could be heard vividly outside. Ding ding ding, the bell rang, some students ran outside to the playground to start their own games; some students gathered around the volunteers, asking questions and demanding signatures. “When are you coming back?” “”We have more lessons, right?” …Suddenly, nationalities, ages and gender became irrelevant, what was relevant was the laughter, smiles and the inspiration bubbling up out of the differences. Today’s lesson would make a lifelong impact on these kids’ lives, give them a different perspective on English learning and open up their horizons.
Suddenly, I was reminded of the pre-departure training session for the high school students. Frankly, I was concerned, and even worried. “Would they get along with kids from a different culture?” “How would they feel about the accommodation, food etc.etc.” Though they were participating actively, I was not entirely convinced until the moment I saw them with the primary school kids. In the blink of an eye, they connected with the kids and were infected by the kids’ smiles. It just took a moment, and the contrast between them was gone. One kid asked me, “Will the foreign teachers give us more classes ?”, and when I nodded lightly, they celebrated and cheered as if it was a festival. I hope you can grasp that feeling from these pictures, something easy to take for granted, the simple joy of pure human interaction.
The Principal is a very charismatic lady. She told me about her vision about educating kids to be well-rounded and as prepared as possible for future development; she gave me examples such as training students to stand out from the masses at national KungFu competitions. She expressed gratitude towards our collaboration in letting students be exposed to different teaching techniques and cultures. After the two days, I am full of great home-grown food, peaceful scenery and the aspirations of all parties to work together for a brighter future of our younger generations. So why not take a chance to explore our rural volunteering opportunities to see it for yourself. Please click here for testimonials from others who have participated in our programs. Click here to directly register for Rural Group Volunteering, and here for all of our volunteering options.