American volunteers teach English to students in Hanoi

Kayla and Taran taught pronunciation, listening and speaking skills to students in Hanoi for two years, under the US Government's Peace Program.

In October 2022, Kayla Kirby and Taran Anderson, both 24, and seven other volunteers arrived in Vietnam. Their mission was to teach English alongside Vietnamese teachers at nine public high schools in Hanoi.

After about 10 weeks of training, Kayla started working at a high school in Ba Vi district in January this year. The former student of the University of California, Santa Barbara, was arranged a room on campus, went to the local market to buy groceries every week and cooked her own meals.

The American girl said she was surprised by the welcome from teachers, students and locals. After 5 months, Kayla can speak simple Vietnamese sentences, know how to boil water spinach, peel squash, fry tofu or make spring rolls; know how to make banh troi to treat friends and enjoy seasonal fruits in Ba Vi such as jackfruit. Kayla also loves pho, bun cha and hotpot.

"People are no longer strangers to me. Now every time they see me, they usually say 'Hello'," Kayla said.

Kayla Kirby, an American volunteer English teacher. Photo: Binh Minh

Kayla was assigned to teach English to three 10th grade classes, 13 lessons per week. Although she had been carefully prepared by the teachers in the English department, she was still nervous when she first taught the class.

"I was shaking, worried that they would be scared and wouldn't understand what I was saying," Kayla said.

But on the contrary, the students stood up, smiled and waved to her. They asked many questions, curious to know more about the foreign teacher. Thanks to the support of the Vietnamese teachers, Kayla interacted with the students more easily.

Taran’s first days at a high school in Thach That district were also unforgettable memories. He taught 10th and 11th graders 16 lessons a week. Although he often used Google Translate, the language barrier still caused him to misunderstand many times.

One time, Taran explained the term “superstructure” to mean a giant structure or building. “But in fact, my teacher was talking about a theory. She was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ and the students didn’t understand what I was explaining,” Taran recalled.

Having traveled to 10 countries and taught English to native students, Taran brings his diverse experiences into his lessons and games, creating excitement for his students.

According to the two volunteers, they often start with games in the form of questions and answers about knowledge and vocabulary to increase interaction, helping students remember words and lessons faster.

The Vietnamese teachers will be responsible for teaching grammar, while Kayla and Taran will focus on teaching students listening, speaking and vocabulary skills. According to Kayla, the students are hard-working and love English, but most of them make pronunciation mistakes.

"When speaking, students often forget or pronounce the final sound unclearly, making it difficult for listeners to recognize what the word is. With listening skills, they confuse words," Kayla said.

To help students improve, Kayla focuses on pronunciation, trying to say each word slowly and then asking them to repeat it over and over again. Some students are shy about speaking, so Taran uses a few Vietnamese sentences to encourage them to overcome their shyness.

Kayla (right cover) makes banh troi and invites friends to enjoy it in her room. Photo: Character provided

After each lesson, volunteers and teachers meet to review the lessons. "We evaluate the effectiveness of the lesson by observing whether the students are interested; whether they want to add more games in future lessons," Kayla says.

Outside of school, Kayla and Taran participate in the school’s English club, which helps students develop their speaking and presentation skills. Kayla also practices yoga and plays volleyball with teachers and locals. Taran learns Vietnamese with an online tutor and practices at home. Occasionally, students teach him Vietnamese.

“But be careful with the words you teach,” Taran laughed.

Father Le and Taran on campus on June 2. Photo: Binh Minh

The schools that received the two volunteers appreciated their friendliness, sociability, and willingness to learn. Mr. Nguyen Le, the Vice Principal where Taran teaches, commented that he has a dignified demeanor and is cheerful when interacting with students. Taran is not afraid to learn teaching skills and methods after observing classes.

"We also learned from Taran's way of organizing games for students. He has rich experience and knowledge," said Mr. Le. According to Mr. Le, not only students, but teachers in the school are also happy to have international volunteers teaching.

Mr. Phan Lac Duong, the principal of the school that received Kayla, assessed her as dynamic and enthusiastic. Therefore, Kayla won the hearts of teachers and students in the school.

Nguyen Thi Thuy, a 12th grade student at the school, said she always looks forward to talking to Ms. Kayla at the English club every two weeks.

"She enthusiastically corrected our pronunciation and guided us in listening," the female student said.

In her spare time, Kayla takes the bus from Ba Vi to the city to visit friends. She is looking forward to welcoming her family to Vietnam for a trip. After completing her two years of volunteering, Kayla will return to the US and pursue her master's degree.

Meanwhile, Taran prepares to visit his parents. His dream is to become a diplomat.

"The experience of teaching English in Vietnam, in addition to giving me the opportunity to travel, also makes me proud to do meaningful work," Taran said.

Dawn

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