Tutor Ray Davis and Chanthoune Sinphavong
My student, Chanthoune (pronounced shan TOON) Sinphavong, is a hardworking young woman who is a delight to work with. She always makes an effort to speak English to the best of her ability and regularly scores “A plusses” on her homework–especially in tasks involving spelling and phonics. Chanthounealso enjoys discussing geography and history with me.
It turns out that like the rest of us she was deeply impacted by the events of September 11, 2001. As she wrote in an essay I assigned her: “I will never forget that day. I heard the sound of the airplane as it hit the Pentagon in Washington DC. About fifteen minutes later, a lady knocked on the door and told us to turn on our TV. The first thing I saw was unbelievable. Two airplanes hit big, tall buildings in New York City. I felt very upset to see so many people run from the explosions and fires. Some of the victims died because they were stuck in the buildings. I have never forgotten September 11th.”
Fifteen years later, Chanthoune is very interested in obtaining US citizenship.
It is a joy to help Chanthoune with her communication skills. She always thanks me for the lesson as she leaves.
