I never saw
the person who named my daughter Tenzin Euden and I heard his name quite often
from my spouse’s mouth until last night. I saw him teaching and giving speech
to RTC students, why RTC? I saw my former Lopen TS Powdyel seated in the front
row. That’s when my wife said, dear he is the person who named our daughter and
he is, pardon me if I got his name wrong, Drupwang Sangye Nyingma Rimpoche.
Thank you Rimpoche for naming her Tenzin Euden! I listened to all your talks on
what BBS had already recorded. I was taken aback when Rimpoche mentioned that
he learned to speak English all by himself and he completely forgot Dzongkha.
He was taken to study in a Tibetan monastery at the age of three.
Rimpoche’s
profound talks on youth matters made me rethink what path I chose hereafter…
His talks took me years back to the novel ‘Sense and Sensibility’. Rimpoche
talked on degeneration of Dzongkha and it is indeed an irony that I also feel comfortable
communicating in English. Dzongkha had been my weakness since my childhood. I
can hardly remember reading Dzongkha literature besides the texts that were
provided back then…
For this
year, it’s the national reading year and this initiative is commendable on the
MoE’s part. What I cannot understand is why only for a year? The readership among
the urbanites and educated people has taken a back seat, due to the obvious
technology. Technology must enhance reading but sadly it’s the other way
around.
I had this
opportunity to meet writers and bloggers in Thimphu and I was particularly
asked by one MP, Dasho SangayKhandu, why do you think is the trend that most
parents have no reading habits, although highly qualified. I felt dumbstruck
but my humble reply to him was, “Parents are bogged down with their own
profession”. I may be wrong but this is what I had to say. I am teacher for
those whom I don’t know and I teach English…
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My stand on
the reading ability and proficiency in any language is to do with the
linguistic background one belongs to. You see I am a born Sharchop, I learned
English in schools and Dzongkha as a national language. We belong to a multi-lingual
society and language acquisition theory is based solely on nurture-nature idea,
meaning what you acquire and what you learn! As an English teacher, I must say
English is not at all an easy language. English is the medium of instruction
all over the world and that’s why people find it comfortable. Going by the
complexities in any language, English is difficult. A Bhutanese speaking in
English has errors and I accept that because we learned English as a second
language and second language learners have this difficulty all over the world. But
at the same time, I was astonished to see and learn that most young people
prefer reading English over Dzongkha books. Great!
The reading
ability in a child is sparked not by intelligence by something called
‘modeling’. Psychology students must be aware of what modeling is. It is simply
modeling reading behaviors at home. We Bhutanese are so used to saying I tried
many a time but it failed. A child has to make connections on what he/she is
read to and what connections his/her brain make while reading. As adults it is
very easy to read children’s books to kids but kids will have difficulty
understanding your reading. So reading requires patience for the umpteenth time
until a child gets through what is being read. Gradually when a child is
interested in listening to reading, then his/her curiosity will emerge into
beginning reading. If this is done you have done your share in making a child
read on his/her interest.
As a
teacher, my suggestion for parents is to read to your kid over and over again.
Also to the system at large, please don’t make reading a national event only
for a year, follow through year after year because my former Lopen Jose KC once
remarked in a literature class, “If something is worth telling, it must
be told twice”.
Good day
folks!
