Being a teacher trainer, I feel it's important to take the back seat at the right time though people are probably aware that I still have my foot hovering over the brake and have the steering wheel within reach. I hope this doesn't mean that I'm an irritating backseat driver. What I'm hoping it means is that I can effectively pass on know-how to the next tier.

Actually, I depend on that next tier. I can mumble through something and he can articulate it clearly in his own words. I can map out a plan and he can put it into action. Sometimes I make notes for a debriefing and he can execute it to near perfection.

Maybe the best model is simply handing over the car keys, not as if I'd ever owned something from the beginning. My only advantage is that I think I see a road that can get us to where we want to go. I'll help map it out, point out the dangers and help with maneuvering skills, but at the end of the day, I don't think I should be driving.

Interviewing for the best

When given the task of training trainers to train teachers, my first reaction was to ask, "Where can you find some superstars?" Now I understand what an understar is. We have to look for what wants to shine, not what can already confidently outshine anyone else.

Almost everyone on the new team of trainers have had no experience teaching. Half have not gone beyond high school and almost everyone feels like they've been cheated out of a good education. They struggle very hard with the most basic of learning skills, but they have enough will to persist and I believe they'll get it.

What this means is they will be able to empathize with the majority of students who are struggling. They'll be better teachers because they'll remember what those first steps felt like. Those who have always been at the top of the class, on the other hand, too often dismiss students as ignorant, rural or unable to learn. It's not the students who are giving up, but the teachers. We don't need that.

deaf friends

Whenever I see people moving their hands while they're talking, I stop to check if they're deaf. Many times, they're just being expressive. I'm looking for deaf friends and the chance to learn more. Up until now, I've just been a scavenger of signs to use for English programs. It's hard to find people.

The other day, I learned that a cafe had hired a deaf woman so I introduced myself and after work she took me to meet her friends. Everyone of course knows each other, including networks of deaf people in Vientiane though the whole population in Laos is still tiny compared to other countries. 

In Luang Prabang, there doesn't seem to be a place to gather regularly, but we visited one of her friends in her little shack and had a jolly time. If we had been using our voices, we would have been screaming with laughter and shouting over each other. With signing, there's a lot of waving and slapping to get attention. It was a lot of fun.

Walking through the small neighborhood, I could hear people gossiping out loud. "The freak'n foreigner's deaf!" When you move into silent mode, it's kind of hard to step back into the speaking world so I just let them think what they wanted to think.