Volunteer Abroad Program - Changing Children's Lives

Thailand

Phuket:

Term: Academic Year, Fall, Spring, Summer, Throughout the year, Winter
Durations of Program: 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months, 7-12 months, 1-2 years and over 2 years
Typical Duration of Program: 3-6 months
Dates: November 2007 to March 2008

Description: We've tried to think of some of the questions you would probably ask. Please feel free to ask us additional ones or for more detailed information.

Teaching primary school children aged 6 to 12 years old in a small government school. Many parents with sufficient income send their children to private schools, the children in government schools will generally come from poor families. In the initial pilot school the May 2006 intake at year 1 had virtually no English language skills. Years 2 to 6 had undergone some English teaching but their speaking skills were very low.

The students are, in the main, bright, curious and learn very quickly. They are affectionate and generally well behaved. There is a reasonable level of discipline in the school and peer group pressure is usually the control mechanism that works best.

Volunteers are an essential part of the programme, they are important and valued team members. After training, volunteers will be teaching in the English classroom. There are model lesson plans to follow and also the opportunity to discuss progress and future plans for lessons. New voluntary teachers are not expected to jump in at the deep end, they are carefully trained, nurtured and supported until they feel confident to take charge of their own lessons.

Actual teaching hours in the pilot school are between 10 and 20 a week, teaching primary grades 1 to 6. Marking work takes around 5 hours a week and lesson preparation approximately 8 to 10 hours. A 34 hour week is typical and the bulk of the work can be done between 9 am and 4pm when school is open.

There is an hour lunch break from 12 noon to 1pm and lunch is available at the school and there are several street vendors a few yards away (next to the beach) selling a variety of local foods. Evening and weekends are free and both schools are situated next to superb beaches - out of the classroom into the ocean!

There is no air conditioning in Baan Kalim School or Kamala School, however, the clever design of the buildings encourage a flow thorough of fresh air from the sea on one side and the mountain of green trees on the other.

The students come to the dedicated English classroom so the environment is within our control. Small classes are desirable and the average number of students in each class is 20.

Teachers are expected to keep their own classroom clean (children do not wear shoes inside the classroom).

We have an excellent variety of teaching materials, flashcards for numbers, colours and shapes. The play kitchen and the fruit/general shop offers many opportunities for practical and creative teaching the children love games in these areas.

The expectation is that new teachers will work as part of a team. Depending on the number of teachers the class will be broken down into smaller groups, often in the same classroom but always in the same school. Smaller groups mean more opportunity for students to practice speaking. There is a full time teacher in attendance at both schools and warm, encouraging support is always available.

For continuity for the students we suggest at least one semester or term. Semesters run from May 15th to October 5th and November 5th to March 20th. However, we are very flexible and would rather you come for a shorter time than not come at all.

Training will be intensive and at least 1 week long. The training programme is designed to develop confidence and to assist with planning and organization skills.

There will be hands on support in the classroom with co-teaching until the new teacher feels ready to take over the reigns. Co- teaching involves dividing up the lesson into parts that can be taught individually one teacher after the other or dividing the class into two and teaching simultaneously.

There will be time to observe the experienced teacher and to discuss the methods and materials used. The teaching style is Total Physical Response (TPR) which uses the play shop and kitchen to encourage the students to 'play' daily activities in English. Students move around the classroom a lot and short periods of sitting at desks are used for book work - the older the students the more time can be spent sitting. Songs and games are used extensively and the tempo is set by the children. Changing from one activity to the next is generally directed by their attention span and their moods if there is no collective shout of 'One more time!' It's safe to move on. New ideas and suggestions are always welcomed and the development of new games and materials is an ongoing need.

The office base has computers and high speed reliable internet access and skype is available. With web cams you can actually see your relatives and friends. Internet cafes are very popular here and reasonably priced.

You should have extended travel insurance to cover you for any medical expenses you may incur.

Time for volunteers to talk, play and laugh with the students. Time to teach in a loving and generous atmosphere.

Phuket's economy is dependent on the tourist industry. There is an increasing problem for children who do not have good English speaking skills, they will not find jobs easily in the local area. Many students who attend government schools will not acquire the necessary skills to take a place in the local job market, this means a possible future of fragmented families as youngsters have to look further for jobs.

To stem the tide of social disintegration families need to be able to choose to stay close together.

In the immediate short term your efforts are the only alternative to build the skills and ability of the poorest of children. You will see the impact of your efforts in their progress and their triumphs every day. In the longer term your efforts move the children into a more hopeful future. Give freely there's no present like time.

Highlights: Phuket Island is known locally as 'paradise'. Nowhere is far from the outstanding beaches and surfing, scuba diving and snorkelling are available in dozens of places. The air is extremely clean and unpolluted, the waters clean and safe. Green hillsides and mountains are always in view. The cheap local fruits and vegetables are untainted from chemicals. Thai oil massage is popular and cheap, an ideal way to relax.

The life style is laid back and relaxed, quiet streets and friendly smiling locals. Patong is a lively place with bars and clubs. The lengh of the island can be travelled in an hour and the usual mode of transport is motorcycle. Care should be taken on the roads and some knowledge of the local 'rules' should be gained before getting on a bike. Local buses are cheap and fairly frequent.

Food is very cheap and available at stalls and resturants throughout the island, it seems that nobody cooks -even Thais seem to spend lots of time eating out. There are Indian, Turkish, Egyptian and Israeli restaurants as well as McDonald and Subway sandwich shops.

The temprature stays between 26 and 35c, it's never cold even when it rains. There are some big shopping plazas, the shops include Boots, Body Shop, Marks and Spencer, Tesco - everything you would find at home is available here.

Many people come from all over the world to vacation here, they see just a tiny slice of what can be experienced if you live here for a few months. It's a place never to be forgotten where everyone finds something they love.

Qualifications: Teaching experience is not necessary, warmth and a love of children combined with a sense of humour and great patience are essential. Some of the skills and attributes needed are transferable from many life experiences, in general these are:

- The desire to learn how to plan and organize the materials depending on the pace the children are learning at.
- Feel comfortable drawing stick figures and simple things on the board.
- Be confident (but not necessarily tuneful) to teach and sing along with games and songs.
- Be able to use facial expressions and body movements to explain simple meanings.
- Be scrupulously fair and treat every student accordingly.
- Have the ability to develop classroom management skills, instill respect for materials and discipline.
- Genuinely feel and demonstrate admiration for effort and be able to continuously praise and encourage.
- Work as a team member, support others and share the highs and lows with colleagues.
- Maintain good health and a robust system to cope with local virus infections.
- Be prepared to respond to hugs and loving gestures which happen every day.

Typical Volunteer: A typical volunteer would be enthusiastic and commited to change at a grass roots level. Someone who would like to experience other cultures and likes to travel. An individual who sees themselves as giving something back and gaining satisfaction from a job well done. A person who can work with children in a responsible and caring way.

This Program is open to World Wide Participants. This Program is also open to Couples and Individuals

Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation's Mission Statement: The Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation works with local educators to improve the economic opportunities and life chances of young people, by funding and implementing high quality, practical English language education in government schools at Phuket Island. The foundation focuses on primary and secondary school children. Our goal is to help Thai youth become capable and confident English speakers so that they can secure well-paying employment, remain close to their families in Phuket, and ultimately begin to assume the reigns of commerce and industry, as well as their rightful claim to the inheritance of Phuket Island itself.