April Showers

What Teaching in Bhutan means to me. (Dedicated to the students of 7A, 7B, 8A, and 8B)

What does teaching in Bhutan mean to me? Student’s who jump up to greet me in the morning with boundless energy shouting “good morning sir!” The same student’s that are the hardest working I’ve ever taught. There are brave students who walk two hours in the rain to arrive at school, before walking two more hours through the muddy forest home each afternoon. And boarding students who live far from their parents and the comforts of home, crammed together in tight spaces, but they never complain. They are woken up at 5 Am to exercise, study, and prey and work all day until 9 PM. On winter break they help their family’s work the fields. They ask for help from their teachers and each other. They are angels in class and always listen to the teacher and turn in all homework on time. My students are the hardest working students in the world.

It is a dream coming true for me to teach in Bhutan. I love watching all the Tsenkharla students singing the National Anthem each morning in their finest ghos and kiras. My heart swells with pride and joy and I wonder if they know how much Mr. Tim adores them. While it is true there are less resources here then in my home country. Our classrooms might have no lights or window panes but we always share what we have. My class shares colored pencils when they do an art project without protest. They support each other in the classroom and are all friends outside the classroom. I respect each of my students and hope they respect me too. I admire them for their hard work and ENTHUSIAM! They all want to read and never laugh when a classmate makes a mistake. They come from simple families and are the first generation to learn English. They speak up to five languages each. My students have a wonderful sense of humor. They love to sing and dance and they love His Majesty and their culture. They love nature and write wonderful poetry. When I am teaching I feel happy and when I’m not teaching I miss them so. Simply put my students at Tsenkharla are the best in the world.