Two years ago, I was tutoring 6th graders in my neighborhood in Khampat, a small town in Sagaing, when one of the students asked me: “Can I not use ‘၏’ instead of ‘သည်’?” She showed me her notebook, which I had just corrected. The two words are basically synonyms, like “therefore” and “thus,” but I had marked her answer wrong. Her question took me by surprise and made me think back to my own time in school.
I remembered my biology teacher asking us to recite the meaning of photosynthesis from memory. I was the loudest and fastest among the responders. The teacher scolded students who could not recite and blamed them for not studying hard enough. At the time, I believed that memorizing every word perfectly was learning. I soon realized that without real understanding, it was meaningless outside the classroom.
I complained to my friends, and we blamed the education system and our teachers for making us mimic like parrots. But now, standing in front of my own students, I saw that I had become just like those teachers, unintentionally placing my students in the same situation I had once been in. This realization was humbling and forced me to rethink my approach.
Although I made sure my students understood there could be other answers beyond their textbooks, they still had to follow rote-learning on their school exams, which showed how deep-rooted this problem was.
Leaving my comfort zone, I went to Yangon, Myanmar‘s largest city, and volunteered as a teaching facilitator at Practical English Club (PEC). Coming from Chin State, the least developed region in Myanmar, everything in the organization was new to me. I taught myself to use digital platforms like Microsoft Office and Google Workspace by watching tutorials online.
About Lois
- Age: 23
- Ethnicity: Chin
- Country: Myanmar
School & Program
- Hong Kong Baptist University
- Bachelor’s, Business Administration
- 2nd Year in Program
Goals & Dreams
- Start a business
- Travel to Europe
Loan Details
- Loan Amount: $2,950
- Amount Left To Fund: $2,850
- Contract Duration: 11 years
- Status: In School
The more I learned about technology as a teaching tool, the more clearly I saw the gap in education quality between urban and rural areas. Skills I had barely taught myself were basic knowledge for city students. Rural students like me lacked internet access, learning resources, infrastructure, and qualified teachers. This is part of why I had been teaching children in my neighborhood while still a student myself.
Rote learning was not confined to rural areas, however. Many teachers in urban schools also relied on traditional memorization methods, showing me how widespread the problem was across the country. In my volunteer work, I made it a point to put myself in my students’ shoes. I intended to assist them and be part of their learning process. Instead, they became my strength and motivated me to go further.
Volunteering helped me develop new skills and perspectives, but I believe the most effective way to address rote learning is to reform the entire education system. I cannot achieve this through volunteering alone. Higher education is key. By broadening my academic vision, I can gain the skills and insights needed to contribute to systemic change, educate beyond my neighborhood, and make sure that no student ever needs to ask, “Can I not use ‘၏’ instead of ‘သည်’?” again.
Written by Lois with editing assistance from Zomia’s volunteer editors.
Lois
“I intended to assist [my students] and be part of their learning process. Instead, they became my strength and motivated me to go further.”