Teaching American Values By Ko Tha Dja January 2010 The American Center. It has a nice sound to it.

Especially as it sits, a small compound of whitewashed buildings in Rangoon, an exquisite place that represents the traditional American ideals and values of freedom and Democracy. Or so one would think. The American Center is primarily an U.S. Embassy English Language school but it also functions as a location for young Burmese students to meet, form clubs according to their interests, and practice a kind of freedom not found anywhere else in Rangoon. In such a setting one might find it hard to believe that practicing Democracy isnt always welcome if its a kind of Democracy that takes itself too seriously. Meaning, doing democracy isnt welcome. Its ok if students talk about Democracy and say all the polite things in their meetings and on their UGrad and study abroad applications. But if students actually organize and do things perceived as too political, such as try to educate their fellow students about the history of democratic movements in Burma, for example, then look out, your in for a rude awakening. The embassy and faculty staff want the appearance of working at the American Center on the side of Democracy in Burma but when the Burmese students try to use the American Center to work on Democracy theyre not welcome. Its what one could define as a genuine paradox. The truth is, the American Center faculty knows very little about Democracy. They talk the talk but when Burmese students take up activism, it drives a wedge of mistrust through the faculty and student body. Many of the faculty have no real teaching credentials and can barely string together enough thoughts with clarity and confidence to actually ever discuss anything more than their next trip, last nights party, or other inane things that are undoubtedly foreign to the Burmese students. As for the student body, there are deep divisions between the ethnic minorities who genuinely mistrust each other and openly agitate against one another. While most of the students are from well off families, by Burmas standards, the most well off are mainly the Chinese-Burmese and Indian-Burmese. The Indian-Burmese are frequently denied from holding parties or events because they tend to be the loudest and rowdiest and most fun in an aggressive sense. The rest of the ethnic student body makes up of Christian Chin, Kachin, Karen, Mon. Remaining are the Barmese, or Burman, students who comprise of about half of the student population. The Burmese students are mainly the ones closely aligned with the political factions like the National League for Democracy (Aung San Suu Kyi) and the 88 Generations (named after the 1988 student revolts).

Most of the Barma students are politically minded and get some kind of assistance from political groups to study English at the American Center. Christian ethnic groups also receive lots of assistance from the U.S. Embassy. The rest, the mainly well off Chinese and Indian students, openly resent the scholarship students (think Tea Party people at town-hall meeting) and they are at times discriminatory towards the politically minded students who also tend to be from lower economic status. Added to the mix of the student body are library patrons and recently released expolitical prisoners and students who take no classes but hold a library card, and it becomes a volatile mix of socially diverse students competing for the attention of the faculty, embassy personnel, rooms for meetings, study abroad opportunities, and on-campus status. While the faculty struggles to justify itself, English classes are freeform depending upon the teacher. Many teachers have only 30-day certificates added to some ESL teaching experience in places where credential matter less than having a pulse. Its not unusual for teachers to behave as menacing hungover disciplinarians locking out students who arrive to campus five minutes late, as was the typical case of a mammoth tattooed beeraholic male teacher. While some teachers have Masters degrees, most are fickle castaway expats who see Burma much as John Yettaw saw an opportunity to swim across Inya Lake to warn Aung San Suu Kyi of impending doom. In other words, some of the teachers at the American Center are flat out nuts. One female teacher who often cancelled classes in order to sit at her desk all day surfing the internet and gibber gabber thought that teaching a class on massage techniques somehow fit into an English Language program scheme. Its sad that that person is even considered a teacher, but its like that at the American Center. More than several local American Center patrons who visit for the monthly book club discussion at the library comment that the only problem with the American Center is the Americans. Why are the American teachers so strange? Some of them ask. Its not actually the fault of the embassy officers. They do their best, but mainstream backpacking American teachers in Burma are just off-centered and typically, well, average Americans. There are no easy answers for that question. In fact, the current Director of Courses who took the job no one else wanted, was last on the list for interviews and had no qualifications for such a job. Her husband lies down on the floor of her office for hours suffering form some unknown ailment (actually painkiller addiction) and the Director is almost always absent physically and minded. Yes, its a good cross sampling of American culture that is more demonstrated than taught. Thats all folks!