Paying It Forward-Sri Emas Style
Paying it forward. Probably a term most of us would be familiar with. And, like many other things in life, far easier said than done. Still, it’s probably not a stretch either to say that we can all do a little more. Just by being a little kinder or a little more selfless; there are exactly zero drawbacks to that kind of mindset.
Education is far more than learning your x’s and y’s in maths, or your p’s and q’s in general. Embracing the understanding that we’ll all be better off if we can help someone else take steps forward is a pivotal aspect of learning. So that when we get to wherever it is we want to be, turning around to see who’s the next person you can help will have become second nature.
This post is a little more close to the hearts of all of us here at school, because it’s about our students helping others get a little bit better. In this case, getting better in English. Arguably the most important language we have, and it’s pretty hard to imagine a situation where you’d be better off not knowing at least a little bit of it. Whether you’re in Saigon or Seville, English is probably your best shots at communicating.
One of our year 11’s decided to take it upon themselves to teach some basic English to our janitorial staff at school as part of their Social Skills classes. After checking with their Tr. Adeline, and getting the green light (duh!) they got in touch with the cleaning company to propose their project. A few emails back and forth and sorted it was. The plan was to use their Social Skills class to teach the cleaning staff English, and take over any necessary cleaning duties during that lesson. Armed with flash cards, Peter & Jane books and the like, this little project has been running for about three weeks now and well, what can say, we’re super proud and wanted to show a few shots here with everyone else.
The hallmark of a good Pay-it-forward (if you can even classify a selfless gesture as such) is that there can be some continuity to it. It’s our ambition to make these language lessons more than just a project by one Year 11 class. Hopefully we can turn it into something which has a little more staying power than one term. We’ll keep posting updates on this from time to time. As always, if you’d like to find out more about either our Social Skills classes or our secondary school curriculum please get in touch – We’d love to show you around for a firsthand experience of student life at Sri Emas International School!