Teacher/Volunteer's Experience in Nepal
By Laura R. and Amanda Summers From Laura: As a recently certified teacher of English as a foreign language, I had grandiose visions of how teaching in another country would be. I imagined putting all my newly learned skills to use; getting creative with lesson plans, having fun, and most importantly, making a difference in my students’ English comprehension. The reality, however, was much different. The students themselves are a dream come true for any teacher; very respectful and hardworking. The school system is another story entirely. First off, they have government-issued English books riddled with grammar and spelling mistakes. The teachers never deviate from these books, so there is no room for lesson plan creativity. The books themselves are organized well; they have separate lessons for grammar, listening, reading, and speaking. Unfortunately, instead of actually doing those lessons, the teachers force the kids to copy every single word directly from the book. The students h...