Being blind doesn't stop Kru Ice from teaching
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Read the following story by Yvonne Bohwongprasert from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
Kru Ice might be blind but that doesn't stop him teaching English to high school students at one of Bangkok's oldest public schools for girls.
FALLING FOR ENGLISH
An honour student from Chulalongkorn University, 26-year-old Damkerng Mungthanya became an overnight YouTube sensation recently when the story of his struggles to be accepted as a blind teacher was first shown in an ad to mark Teachers' Day. The clip has so far had 5.6 million views. Since then he has been invited by the media to share his story to motivate others.
In his three years at Satri Si Suriyothai School, Damkerng -- better known among his pupils as Kru Ice -- has gained the respect and admiration of both his colleagues and students for his dedication and passion for teaching. A navy officer's eldest son, Damkerng, blind from birth, has always been hard-working. Even so, the road to where he is today was far from smooth.
From 1st to 6th grade, Damkerng studied at the School for the Blind in Bangkok, after which he received a scholarship to complete high school at St Gabriel's College. There he formed a love for the English language.
TECH SUPPORT
Completing his high school with a top grade point average (GPA) of 3.85, Damkerng was accepted at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Education. He completed his Bachelor's degree with a GPA of 3.95, despite the obstacles from being blind.
"I was initially told that the faculty would provide a braille printer for me," he recalled. "However, when I actually began studying there it was always broken. I had to find more methods to get notes on the lectures I attended. I had to ask my professors for the Powerpoint file they used for the lessons, and then use screen-reading software to help me read. Thanks to technology I was able to understand my lessons."
But he wasn't always lucky. When just a hard copy was available, Damkerng had to scan each page of the text book and then use a reader programme. This process took him a couple of hours.
"While I am thankful for the helpful classmates and professors I had, the entire experience shed light on just how unprepared Thailand is in the ability to integrate their visually impaired citizens, or people with other disabilities, into society."
NO LIMITS
Damkerng credits his confidence and motivation to follow his purpose in life to supportive parents, teachers and colleagues who continue to drive him to reach greater heights.
When Damkerng first started his teaching career, no one thought he would be able to teach a class of sighted students. But it was the head teacher of the English department at Satri Si Suriyothai, Veena Ratanasumawong, who gave him the much-needed support, without which his teaching career would have been short-lived.
"Parents of the students were sceptical if their children would be able to learn from a blind teacher," he said. "I had to work doubly hard to prove my capabilities, but it was worth it because the students have been exceptionally accommodating by caring for me. One student has even volunteered to walk with me from the BTS station to the school each morning and back to the station in the afternoon."
"When I was at St Gabriel's, my teachers told me that I had the capability to do nearly everything an able-bodied person can do except, of course, to see. I always kept my grades up through devising a way to study cleverly, understanding how to practically use what I was being taught. I also read success stories that further motivated me to not allow hurdles in life to stop me from following my dreams."
Section 1: Read through the story and answer the following questions.
1. How old will Damkerng be on his next birthday? …………….
2. How many views has his YouTube ad had? …………….
3. Damkerng has an older brother. True or false? …………….
4. Which was higher – his high school GPA or his university GPA? …………….
5. All his professors had Powerpoint files for him. True or false? ………….....
6. Who believed in his teaching skills?
a. His students. b. His students’ parents. c. His head teacher.
7. How did Damkerng prove his teaching skills?
a. By working quite hard. b. By working twice as hard. c. By hardly working.
8. What motivates Damkerng?
a. Reading. b. Teaching. c. The story does not say.
Section 2: Specify whether each of the following words is used in the story as a verb, noun, adjective or adverb.
9. respect. ……………
10. love. ……………
11. thankful. ……………
12. doubly. ……………
13. cleverly. ……………
Section 3: Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given.
"I have ….14…. that some people judge others based on their disabilities ….15…. their abilities. I would like to use the ….16…. I have today to help change this mindset. I want people to see me as an example. Thanks to technology, I ..17.. a blind person can teach a class of able-bodied students. ….18…., if I did not get an opportunity to show my skills I would ….19…. be where I am today."
14. a. found b. find c. founded
15. a. plus b. rather than c. apart from
16. a. platform b. place c. space
17. a. am b. as c. be
18. a. And b. Yet c. However
19. a. still b. not c. only
Section 4: Find a word used in the story that matches the following definitions.
20. A hard fight in which people try to achieve something.
21. To make somebody want to do something.
22. A feeling of respect and liking for someone.
23. The hard work and effort that somebody does because they think it is important.
24. Happening without any problems.
Answers:
1. 27. 2. 5.6 million. 3. False. 4. His university GPA. 5. False. 6. c. 7. b. 8. a.
9. noun 10. noun 11. adjective 12. adverb 13. adverb
14. a. 15. b. 16. a. 17. b. 18. c. 19. b.
20. struggle. 21. motivate. 22. admiration. 23. dedication. 24. smooth.
SCORE
21-24: Excellent! 17-20: Good. 13-16: Fair. 12 or fewer: You'll do better next time!
