"Itsy Bitsy Spider..."

We entered the school gate and found bunches of student were staring at us. Well, I wasn’t the one they were staring at, but a dear friend from USA. “Bule (white people)! Bule (white people)!” they all cried. All chattering, giggling and squeling with joy over having English speaker come to their school. Little did they know, but we were also going to learn a new song!

The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
and the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again

Thirty five students were excitedly moving their hands in animated motions and trying their best to also learn all the new words at the same time! Some of them were writing this new song franctically in their notebook.

It wasn't hard to teach the children, BUT it was challenging to manage all the children who wanted so desperately to be a part of the class. All the children wanted to follow the English speaker from class to class.....They kept standing in front of the door, they even sneaked to the back of the classroom. Their nice English teacher lady have no heart to prevent them from doing so. She understood everybody was excited and wanted to learn right from the native speaker.

English is one of the subjects students should take. Most of them even take an English course outside the school. In big cities is not hard to find English speakers to practice with or learn from. But in many places, remote areas, rural schools, access to fluent English speakers is limited.

One time, I took some English speakers to a local university here, in South Sumatera. One student who took major in English said “Being in a same room with native speakers, converse with them and even shake their hands is like a dream comes true!”

English speakers are needed. You might want to help them through teaching English on volunter vacation. Experience the different culture and make a big different in the young learners’ life..
"Good bye Mister!" they said proudly…