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Alumni Profile Teaching
and learning in Vietnam
"My wife and I had long talked about taking part in a volunteer opportunity such as this," says Lee. "The experience was very fulfilling; we received such a warm and respectful reception from the students. It was a very relaxed and healthy relationship."
"The students were excited to use English for several reasons," says Lee. "Of course, it's an international business language and knowing it helps to find a good job. But they were also excited to be able to read good books written in English." The students had not heard of Minnesota—until the Lees mentioned the Mississippi River. "They remembered the river from Mark Twain's books," Lee says, chuckling. A retired ELCA pastor and stewardship specialist, Lee still does some stewardship work for the ELCA; he also works as an independent consultant for churches. Maryon is a retired elementary teacher.
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| Copyright 2007.
Augsburg College all rights reserved. |
For
three weeks earlier this year, the Rev. Harris Lee ’57 and his wife, Maryon,
traveled from Minneapolis to Vietnam to teach conversational English to Vietnamese
students. They traveled with a group of about 15 people and stayed at a hotel
in Cao Lanh, located in the southern half of Vietnam. The trip was arranged
through Global Volunteers, an organization based in Little Canada, Minn. 
The
students, all advanced college students studying to be teachers, doctors, and
computer professionals, already had a firm grasp of the English language, but
were eager to enhance their skills.