I am not a school teacher. As a nurse, I educate patients and families as they learn how to care for themselves at home, but then the leave and I try not to see them again for a progress report. For three days, we ran “English Camp” for secondary students at three different schools in Northern Thailand. At the second school in the mountains, a greater number of students seemed daunting, but the S2S alumn- now English conversations teacher- organized classroom helpers that made the day the best of all.
Audrey and I ran the Basic Conversation group, John and Jeannie ran the Creation Storytime group, Doug and MD (S2S uni student) ran the Math/problem solving/budgeting group, and Gary and Alison ran the Chinese Jump Rope/prepositions group. AJ, helping us while living at the YWAM base, helped with the last group and lead rojo games for break times to reenergize the students for the afternoon. Bill typically ran around making sure each group was succeeding in one way or another.
For he opening ceremony, the team performed a skit presenting a simple Gospel message of how your life can change with the hope of the Word of God. Jesus transforms lives from sorrow to Hope, greed to Generosity, fear to Faith, hate to Love, stress to Peace, and pride to humility by the cross. One of the school administrators has a big smile on her face during the presentation. Language barriers do not hinder the Gospel going forth.
Speaking for my group, we enjoyed teaching the students three parts to having a good conversation in English. Greeting – asking “How are you feeling?” with a response – asking/saying preferences – and parting. The students engaged well after the second half of the class, but they were shy to answer in the beginning. They enjoyed talking to each other and we facilitated the conversations in English. They liked having the freedom to make choices of the best food or sport. We supported them to explain why they preferred their choices. Some would say the preferred football because it was “funny,” but we instructed to use the adjective “fun” instead.
At all the schools, they provided snack breaks and delicious Thai food for lunch. The camps were a treat as much as an opportunity for the select students to practice and learn. Sometimes, their cell phones were a distraction in the classroom, and some people nodded off in the afternoon sessions. Other times, they used translating apps to help explain what they intended to say. At the end of the day, they used their phones to connect with us and take a bajillion selfies with Y2K ✌️, and mini-hearts 🫰.
I may not be a teacher, but I loved connecting with the students. They were brave to speak in full sentences and grew in confidence with each exercise. I am encouraged by their hearts for learning and dreams for the future. We saw God provide patience, energy and endurance across the three days. He is also raising up leaders in the schools. Let’s pray for the English department teachers and the students as they finish their studies next month.