2016 of Pyinnyar pankhin
Welcome to News and Events of Pyinnyar Pankhin in 2016
(1) On 22th April, 2016, the summer classes of Pyinnyar Pakhin English Training Center were open officially. First, opening Ceremony was held in Naychi High School in Myanaung. Officers from different departments in Myanaung including the city governor, city elders, teachers, committee members and students participated in the ceremony.
In the opening ceremony, the city governor, the vice president of Pyinnyar Pankhin English Training Center, and City Educational officer delivered welcome speech. The city governor said: “In the summer, there raise an opportunity for the children in Myanaung.
Surprisingly, that is English Classes. Children! Grab that chance. Thank you Pyinnyar Pankhin for helping children! I believe that this is a noble job.” The township educational officer asserted: “Please bear in the mind that in the knowledge age, English language plays a major role as long as you want to go abreast of the international communities.
That is because English is the only bridge connected between you and international communities.” The vice president of Pyinnyar Pankhin announced: “We started this center with rich dreams for the children in poor finical support.
We are still poor but when I see such great number of students you cannot imagine how much delighted I am, very happy. With English language skills, we want students to have big opportunities.”
Ven.Neminda gave motivation story to the students. “When I was in Sri Lanka, I visited my friend’s temple. While I was waiting for my friend, a poor man approached me for the money. I pretended that I didn’t see him because I didn’t want to give him money but he kept coming. He, first, greeted me in Sinhalese.
I shrugged my shoulders said that I didn’t understand your language. He realized that I was a foreigner and he needed to speak in English. So, he tried to tell me his life story in English and started speaking slowly;
“Mother …no,….. Father …..yes, ……Money, Money!” I understood what he wanted to say. He has no mother but has only father. So, please give me some money. I like him. I respect him. Actually he is respectable
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That is because (1) he didn’t give up asking money for language difficulty. (2) He tried his best with what available is. With five words; mother, father, no, yes, money, he told me his personal story.
My Students! I am sure you all know no less than five words. If you think you are poor in English and not able to speak, please remember this story or think about this poor man. Don’t think “I am not good” That will become true because mind is very powerful and can create everything. That’s why believe yourself that you are good.
The volunteer teacher, Daw Kyawt K Thwai told this to the students “Let’s study together willingly and gladly.” The donors offered students Pyinnyar Pankhin exercise books.
The assembly hall was full of the voice of happiness, enthusiasm, eagerness, new dreams, expectations, excitement, slight worry of what it will be too hard for me, conversation, refreshing friendship and making new friends. The weather was very hot but it could not stop students’ eagerness at al
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(2) There were three classes; elementary class, intermediate class and basic class for IELTS in Pyinnyar Pankhin Center. The classes and problems started as one. That was there was not enough space in the classroom for so many students.
We fixed this problem by removing all desks from the classrooms. There were only chairs in the classroom. The chair became sitting stuff when they sit and writing stuff as well when the students were seated on the ground and used it as a table to write something putting on
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However, this kind of solution was not helpful to the elementary class with over 180 students. The students were squashed together sardines in the classroom. So, they moved their class under the tree. The elementary class was in the open, no boundary like traveling freely of child’s mind.
(3) Pyinnyar Pankhin Center shared pure drinking water with students. In order to activate healthy habit and recycling wont, there was a compulsion to all students. It was every student must bring water bottle with them when they come to the class. Only drinking water was supplied all the time in the center, not drinking mug or cu
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That must be so because many communicable diseases can affect students in communal area and from communal use. Students had benefits of using own water bottle. They will be in the habit of thinking about their health and will be familiar with recycling habit which protects environmental pollution. It might be cheap but very valuable.
(4) Running our classes in Pyinnyar Pankhin is out of question- it was so hard for two teachers; Ven.Neminda and Daw Kyawt K Thwai with over three hundred students. We, Pyinnyar Pankhin has nevertheless been thinking to move backward.
People learn a language in various ways. Some learn a language best by seeing it written down, listening it spoken and participating in done activities. So we use verity of different techniques for teaching.
We, Payinnyar Pankhin, focused on the funny ways of learning like playing game, reciting poetry, playing music, watching learning videos, letting them create their own story and asking them to give presentation as one of classroom activities. Learning is very stressful and one of top ten stresses.
In order to have less strain in learning, I think we need to emphasize classroom activities as well. Those will help students to activate prior knowledge, ideas, and vocabulary with ease.
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No children hate playing and letting them play. So, before them know, they have already learned something from their activities. We have never done asking students to learn in parrot fashion and will not do so in the future.
An excursion to the toddy palm grove, Hnaw Gone temple, the pottery in O!Kone Village.
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(5) Pyinnyar Pankhin students made excursion to some places every two week. First trip was to toddy palm grove nearby Taigyi Gone village, Hnaw Gone Temple and a pottery O!Gone village. We do not believe that learning is only in the book but we do believe that it is everywhere we go, everything we see, every time we notice.
Arranging an excursion means we linked students’ knowledge in the book to the real life and that is done because no students will live in the classroom the whole life. Students were flushed with excitement. According to the students’ written assignment, every student felt happy for making group outing and even demanded the next trip.
Getting fresh air in new environment made the students active and they did their written assignment with pleasure. Unfortunately some children got car sickness when they were on the bus. Car sickness is a type of the travel (motion) sickness. When they sat down under shelter palm and breathed fresh air in, all the sickness went out at once.
Getting fresh air in new environment made the students active and they did their written assignment with pleasure. Unfortunately some children got car sickness when they were on the bus. Car sickness is a type of the travel (motion) sickness. When they sat down under shelter palm and breathed fresh air in, all the sickness went out at once.
(6) The teacher under the shelter of palm tree to the students in the shelter of palm trees explained: “I will explain toddy palm trees to you! They are everywhere and we all are quite familiar with these. So we need to know about them. They grow in tropical climate especially in Asia.
They are average 60-80 feet long but some are longer than that. There are male and female palm trees. There might have gay palm tree too. (Just kidding butsome children wrote in their assignment papers: there are three types of toddy palm trees: they are male, female and gay palm trees) Male toddy palm has its spadix but grows no fruit at all.
Female totty palm grows its fruits but has no spadix at all. Both types can be used for palm wine (spa) …all parts of palm trees, even the waste of them are useful” .
Surprisingly all students wrote down notes and did assignment with additional ideas and feelings. At Hnaw Gone Temple, students were offered Shweyin Aye Drink. A trustee of temple explained history of the temple and the statue of the Buddha.
In the compound, students were allowed to study free whatever they liked. And then students kept going to a pottery village, called O!gone to study how to make a pot. (7) The potter explained how to make pottery with all his heart. Students participated in pottery process themselves and the potter let them do so.
They had some experiences and the potter had broken pots. “That’s okay. Students didn’t break the pots on purpose. The value of pots is not much for me but experience and knowledge from this process are much for the students.” From that trip, students learned not only experience and knowledge but also a very positive attitude.
(8) Now many people know Pyinnyar Pankhin and about how Pyinnyar Pankhin helps students with education. Being able to help students is our achievement. It’s not a single person’s effort at all but all the people work together.
Different people helped Pyinnyar Pankhin in different ways and some did help as the volunteers, the donors, helpers, advisers, protectors, transporters, media men and drivers.
(9) Mostly “Safety first” is used in construction zone but actually it is important everywhere. Pyinnyar Pankhin’s primary concern about was safety of students. Police helped Pyinnyar Pankhin with this kind of aid.
(10) “Let’s watch the movie” is a part of Pyinnyar Pankhin’s teaching. We are supremely confident that students can learn a lot from learning videos. That is students would have proper vocabulary, better intonation, well pronunciation and the way of how to speak. Students are learning English by watching videos
(11) Giving presentation is a part of their learning in Pyinnyar Pankhin English Training Center. First it was rather hard to encourage students to deliver presentation in front of the class but later some students tasted it and asked “Sir, can I do it again?”
It is believed that students fell in love with the public speaking. It is an important part of the art of presentation.
(12) Long term motivations, self-confidence, courage, in fact, are momentous qualities. With it, every student can achieve their goals one day. Because of this, we want students to have inspiration and enthusiasm rather than language skills.
The second excursion to cement factory and “Mother” purified drinking water factory in Kyan Khin was arranged. At this time, students wore Pyinnyar Pankhin Center Uniforms and were extremely ready with young eager mind.
A nurse would stand by students whatever happened on the trip. Pyinnyar Pankhin Students from Kyan Khin joined this expedition. Both Pyinnyar Pankhins, Myanaung Pyinnyar Pankhin and Kyan Khin Pyinnyar Pankhin thought we are as one. This trip cemented relationship between two cities.
(13) In the cement factory, the factory director and factory staff welcomed Pyinnyar Pankhin students warmly and explained very details of why and when the factory was built and the process of how to make cement.
And then factory member staff showed the students different steps of making cement and explained each of them with very detail. “To make cement, 96 percent of limestone are needed and other things such as laterite, clay and sand are required too.”
(14) A library is absolutely vital to a school, college or university. Pyinnyar Pankhin has a lot of books and a few bamboo shelves but no book- case at all. So, most of books were kept on the table and some books were on the bamboo shelves.
There were no chairs or seats in the library. Students read the books by standing up, by sitting down on the ground and by squatting down by the book-table. Astonishingly, no students complained about uncomfortable reading.
They seemed to think that the key reason why we come into the library is to read, not to seek comfortable place. However, we were so sad. We believe that we can support seats and tables for their reading in the future.
(15) Pyinnyar Pankhin students rehearsed for the Student Show after or before their class. Some musicians helped Pyinnyar Pankhin with playing guitar and organ. Music made listeners and performers relaxed. We noticed that they learned their lessons with energetic heart after music.
Pyinnyar Pankhin song was composed and students practiced it well for the show. Pyinnyar Pankhin students shared their skills with other students for the Student Show.
What is more, Pyinnyar Pankhin students would perform Myanmar traditional dance and modern western dance in the show and had asked to do so with the expectation of having self-confidence, courage, corporate attitude and unity by doing together.
Therefore, at break time, students rehearsed for the show. In the life, we need a lot of skills. Zooming in only school lessons is not good enough for someone’ real life as life is long and has several parts of it which would deal with outside school lessons. We want the students have other expertise from the classes.
(16) We try to reach the goal. Our goal is not just outstanding students to be born from Pyinnyar Pankhin Center but also fulfill conscientious attitude in their heart because dutiful persons are more needed in society rather than superlative people.
That is why a part of their learning in Pyinnyar Pankhin is keeping the school and its surroundings clean. Teachers and students did it together.
(17) The Student Show of Pyinnyar Pankhin would be held on 21st May, 2016 in Myanaung. Pyinnyar Pankhin students from Kyain Khin joined Pyinnyar Pankhin Student Show in Myanaung. The music ensemble from Kyan Khin helped Pyinnyar Pankhin in Myanaung.
Both Pyinnyar Pankhins rehearsed hand in glove in Naychi High School in Myanaung. That was symbol of amicable relationship between two cities.
(19) There was Pyinnyar Pankhin’s debate on Saturday night. A debate is a type of long discussion on a particular subject. It always leads to support an idea strongly, no matter what and who. That helps students to think of the subject critically and to be familiar with the art of discussion. It is definitely not against others’ idea but strongly support one’s own idea.
The students debated on the motto of Myanmar school: Morale, Discipline, and Wisdom. Many questions arise;
(1) How the present school curriculum affects morale?
(2) School focuses on discipline. So does army. Should school and army have the same hope?
Is it good that students followed or obey whatever the school says?
Is it not important to nurture the critical thinking or inventive mind?
(3) What kind of wisdom students gain from the present curriculum?
Asking students to memorize facts or not letting them write their own ideas obtain no wisdom. How should we remedy this problem? One group was against the motto and another one was for it. Both groups participated in debate very actively.
(20) On 21st May, 2016, in the morning it was clear in the sky. It means the good weather welcome Pyinnyar Pankhin Student Show. In the afternoon, it started raining and at Show time, it was raining torrentially. But nothing could stop the show.
Both Pyinnyar Pankhins; Myanaung Pyinnyar Pankhin and Kyan Khin Pyinnyar Pankhin worked hand and hand against the heavily raining and many people attended the performance of Pyinnyar Pankhin show.
