E is for English

Today I just want to talk quickly about the fun opportunity I've had over the last couple of days teaching English to some children between the ages of 5 and 8... I think.  That's a rough guess.  There were four classes overall with some children being closer to 12 or 13 in the advanced class.  I was in the kindergarten class.  We divided off into pairs except that I was by myself since there are only seven of us.  It was really fun though because many of the students were eager to learn and improve their English and they love high fives and getting involved in anything.  We played a game where there were a bunch of words on the board that they had learned previously and two of them would race to be the first to point to the correct word.  Even those who were not the top of the class and confident in their English were excited to volunteer and participate.  We also got to enjoy story time and read the classic Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.  The kids really enjoyed it and asked me to read it a second time.  As I read they would repeat the phrases Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and coconut tree with me. Story time was always one of my favorite parts of the day so I'm glad I got to introduce them to share a little of that joy.

This school is a really great opportunity for these children.  About 90% of the kids at the school come from poorer families that cannot afford to send them to an English school because it is too expensive. This school is supported by some wonderful people in Singapore that have paid for the school building and also pay the salaries of the teachers.  No uniform is required so it is more accessible to children who would otherwise have no opportunity to learn English.  It was great to get involved a little and see how something like this is made possible.

The wonderful teacher

All the crazy kids I got to spend a couple of hours with!

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