Birthday Wishes

The last two weeks of teaching have been such a blur- I can hardly believe that we only have a week of teaching left!

On Wednesday we went on a field trip to the Museum of Ethnology. As we all loaded our 120ish students onto buses we set off for the morning.

Now let me just say, the trip was planned by the school so the American English teachers really had no idea what we were getting into. As our students poured out of buses we were quickly shuffled through the gates and into- not a building—but rather a garden like area with traditional house and exhibits from minority peoples of Viet Nam. 

As we neared one of the traditional huts students surged forward and in a frenzy all our students scurried up the ladders and dispersed. We found out at that moment we were not visiting a museum in the American sense but rather it was a more hands on than we had anticipated. 

We wandered through the outdoor exhibits and then inside. One of my quieter students who has a strange fascination with curtains (and curling inside them as I teach) became my tour guide for part of the morning. He proudly explained each room in the houses. In class he never speaks, usually he either draws on his desk with white out or curls in the curtains but on that trip he suddenly blossomed. Words poured from his little chubby cheeks like a waterfall.

Later that morning the girls from my class flocked around me and we meandered through the museum (indoors). Every three seconds I found myself in an awkward picture as my students proceeded to have me pose- alone. Standing on the stairs, looking in my purse, wiping sweat away, drinking water….apparently all these actions scream “TAKE MISS NATALIE’S PICTURE NOW!” 

It was a great day of simply spending time with our students and just getting to know them better.

On Thursday I asked my students to answer a journal question about what the most thoughtful thing someone had done for them or they have done for others. My students groaned and claimed nothing good ever happened in their lives and that they never did good things. However they quickly began to write out answers. As I walked by to check on my students I noticed my curtain twirler was simply staring at the chalkboard fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat. I leaned down and asked him quietly
“What is one of the nicest things someone has done for you ?” As he looked up at me through his giant glasses his lips pulled down at the corners and he shook his head as if to say no one had ever done something thoughtful for him.

“Ok well let’s think then….what’s something nice someone could do for you?”

At this he instantly sat up a bit straighter and told me that his birthday was tomorrow and that if all his classmates and his teacher (me) could come to his party.

Come Friday I walked in the classroom to find him eagerly awaiting my arrival. With him were two grocery bags filled with goodie bags he had made for class—each contained a small bottle of coke, cookies, and several pieces of candy. As the class sang Happy Birthday to him, he stood at the chalkboard twisting and turning uncomfortably and wringing his hand while a smile crept across his face. After passing around a birthday card which everyone signed with sweet birthday wishes (one read “Happy Birthday, grow taller this year” his is easily the shortest student in the class) he eagerly pulled another bag of goodies out and informed me that he had brought all the teachers Pepsi and cookies and candy as well. Because it was Friday we had a special cultural activity day and we talked about and taught activities having to do with love. We ended up watching the Disney film “Tangled” and as the kids watched the movie, we watched their faces glow with excitement.

As I wished my student a final happy birthday and said good bye for the weekend he told me that today was the birthday party he had so wanted.