Teachers' study tours reap tangible benefits

The move to send 1137 in-service English teachers to brush up their English proficiency in English-speaking countries over the summer break is commendable and long overdue. Because of the budget constraints and time away from school, these teachers have only one month to be trained while staying with host families, and pay their own airfares.

Critics say that it is impossible to improve your English in such a short time, and they expect that, at the end of the day, these teachers will get a paid vacation supported by taxpayers. In my opinion it is up to the teachers themselves to make the most of the opportunity and learn as much as they can, not only in English but the culture under which English is spoken.

In 1968 I joined the ESL programme at the University of Akron, in Ohio, for six weeks, the purpose of which was to prepare me for graduate studies in maths at the University of Cincinnati. With my broken English and no experience with American culture, I learned a lot in those six weeks, beginning with a daily newspaper reading assignment and reporting in class what interested me most that day. Since my background was in maths, my vocabulary was limited. I had to look up the meaning of most words in the newspaper. It was the first time I learned how to use an English dictionary and I bought my first Random House dictionary here. So, through the hands-on discussion approach I learned about American politics, education, sports, crime and entertainment. And imagine that [I was] in for a shock to observe American students kissing in public or sunbathing on rooftops.

I was also assigned a host family who took care of me at weekends. The husband worked at Goodyear, and he took me for a tour of the factory. They taught me how to play baseball by taking me to watch the Cleveland Indians. I found out that a favourite pastime for families in the summer was listening to music in the parks. I loved eating hamburgers and hot dogs in the backyard, with dogs running around and neighbours mingling and laughing. What a pleasure to be with them and the kind of American hospitality shown through their commitment to make my stay a memorable and rewarding one.

Believe it or not, in short six weeks I became Americanized and ready to face the challenges of the world. I wish the Ministry of Education would make this a yearly event so as to boost English teachers’ morale and commitment to their teaching.

Surapon Vatanavigkit

Bangkok