Interview with a Teenager – Part I

In order from Left to Right: P., S., J. and O. The GANG!!

Over the next few weeks I will be posting a series of interviews I did with some former students of mine from LAMB. Last week I gave you a little introduction to LAMB school so you got a feel for the place. Today, I’ll introduce you a little to these young guys. You’ll get to know them better individually as I let them speak for themselves, but today you get to see them as a group.

I could choose from quite a large handful of ex-students from LAMB who I’ve taught over the last six years but these ones are particularly special to me. They are special because it was these guys I first taught when I ‘popped’ over to Bangladesh back in 2006 during my summer break in the UK. I did the same thing in 2007 and taught them again before we came over to live in 2008.

Yep, for three years I taught without a single summer break or holiday! Yep, it was exhausting! The LAMB school year starts in August just when the UK schools are all off so we literally finished school in Whitehaven, packed our bags, headed to Bangladesh and began teaching at LAMB a few days later!

If you feel any kind of sympathy for me with this, feel more for Thing I and Thing II (my kids) – They had to go three years without any break from school too!

Anyway, these four guys were my first students and I have special memories of teaching them. To preserve some sense of anonymity I will refer to them as S.,O., P., and J. These are the letters to their first names and I hope doing it this way doesn’t stop you from feeling you get to know them a little as the interviews progress. Despite the fact they are now ‘young adults’ though, I feel I want to give them a little protection (besides, I know all their parents so I don’t want them on my back!). But who knows? Maybe these four will choose to make comments on this blog for themselves? But if they do and reveal their names that will be their own choice.

For now, you’ve seen how they look now but here is how they looked back then.

No P. in this picture but J. is in front with O. behind him and S. next to him! Confused yet?

Between them they represent four countries, thousands of miles apart and over fifteen years of LAMB history.

They’re good kids; they’re nice kids. But for heaven’s sake don’t let them know I said that  – It’ll dash my reputation as a mean and uncaring teacher.

I hope you enjoy meeting them.

No S. here. P. at the front to the right. O. in the middle at the back. J. is covering his face. Getting a decent picture from him was always a problem…

…and it is still difficult even now! What is he like?!