In 1992, Vikki came across a job advert in a national newspaper in Sydney. It was an opportunity to teach English in Brunei. Vikki had been feeling unfulfilled with her current job and longed for an environment where she could thrive as a teacher. She had always been drawn to Southeast Asia, and Brunei was not unfamiliar to her as she had studied about it in school. After attending an information session in Sydney, where she could ask CfBT teachers directly before committing to an interview, she decided to take the chance when offered the job. Since then, she has built most of her entire life in Brunei.
“I remember arriving in Brunei and being given a CfBT suitcase – literally, a suitcase of resources – as we didn’t have internet, computers, and everything back then. We also had to write our lesson plans by hand from A to Z. Everything was much simpler”.
Now, in her 32nd year in Brunei, she has had extensive experience teaching ESL in several primary schools.
“I have worked in almost every type of primary school environment in Brunei – small rural schools, extremely large and overpopulated semi-urban schools, and everything in between”
“There have been years where I have been very involved in capacity building of local colleagues, co-writing the National Curriculum and a programme for year 2 that was published by MacMillan at the Ministry of Education’s request. I have also developed and delivered countless workshops for local teachers at both national and regional levels. Additionally, I have worked in various other ways, such as leading PLC groups and peer partnerships with local and CfBT colleagues. There have also been years where I have focused solely on trialling new programmes with my own students or developing programmes within my own school.”
It wasn’t just her job that thrived in Brunei, but her family as well. She met her husband through a vibrant expat community in the 90s. Both of her children were born and grew up in Brunei.
“My children attended international schools and now they are attending The University of Sydney – one of the top universities in Australia. Brunei was an excellent place for them to grow up. I could afford their swimming and dancing classes, which I would not have been able to afford back home. My son even participated in international swimming competitions. My daughter embraced the local cultures and made several local friends. She has been able to pursue her passion for dancing with the ‘Relentless’ community – they’re her people.”
As a teacher, Vikki has witnessed the evolution of the English language teaching landscape in Brunei.
“Teaching practices in the ESL classroom in Brunei have undergone significant changes over the past 32 years. In general, in-service training has been sufficient to ensure that teachers are adequately updated with new programs and methods. Approximately 14 years ago, a synthetic phonic approach to teaching literacy was adopted, which was a major shift for early years English Literacy teachers like us. I believe when using a primarily synthetic phonic approach with young ESL learners, we must marry that with keeping comprehension at the forefront in our teaching methods. Teachers must always be mindful that students rely on us to ensure their understanding of what they’re decoding.”
Out of all the programmes, she felt most connected and proud of her involvement in instilling a love for reading in children. Her involvement ranged from a national program organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Education to small-scale programs she conducted with her students at school.
“If you want to develop a reading culture, you need to provide children with appropriate books. And the evidence shows that the only indisputable link to success as a reader later in life is being read to as a child at home.”
Therefore, one of the keys to the success of this programme is parental involvement. This made her think of a parent she had encountered during her previous job in Sydney.
“I remember speaking to a parent in Sydney – I was teaching children from various economic backgrounds. This parent approached me, pleading for help with his children. He had two little girls who were struggling with their literacy. He confessed that he couldn’t help them because he himself was illiterate. He wanted to assist his children, but he was unable to.”
This experience drove her to involve parents in the process.
During her time at her first school, CfBT provided her with book boxes appealing children’s books. These books could be used by the teacher to read to the children and to create a class reading corner for students’ enjoyment.
She was also involved in The Brunei Reading and Language Acquisition Project (RELA) programme, a language approach adopted from Singapore. This involved reading big books with children at school, and then they would individually read small copies of the big book. The big book served as the foundation for various activities and language approaches. The programme continued for several years.
“Even the older teachers in Brunei still remember the RELA days. If I meet someone who has been here for a long time, they still appreciate and use some of the RELA strategies in their classrooms.”
Then in 1996, she moved to SUAS Muara where she taught younger students in year 1 and 2, who were still developing their ability to read. This is when her signature home reading programme began, which had the greatest impact on her students. Essentially, she would give specific books to her students to bring home, along with cards for the parents that provided suggestions on how they could support their children.
“Years later, I mean probably about 10 years later, I was at the airport checking in my bags when the RB check-in lady at the counter asked if I was Mrs. Vikki and if I had once taught at SUAS Muara.”
The mum said,
“Oh, you know, I just have to share with you one of those happiest times. It was when my son brought home his home reading book from school. We enjoyed reading those books together so much. It was a really special time in my son’s life when we read those books together.”
There was also a time where she gave a talk on the importance of reading, specifically geared to the children of SR Kapok.
“There are so many aspects of why reading at home is so important – it is a life skill. The point of the talk was to encourage them to read at home and that’s why I sent them books to bring home so they can read with their parents or ‘kakak’, ‘abang’ or ‘nenek’ as that would eventually help them to become better readers in the future.”
Immediately after the talk, one of the teachers approached her for opening her eyes. The teacher said,
“Thank you so much. I didn’t realise. I’ve not been reading to my child, but I am going to now.”
When asked how she felt, she paused and said,
“It made it all worthwhile.”
Since then, she has brought this programme to every school she has taught in Brunei. She left Brunei for 2 years from 2006 to 2008. However, she returned with the same spirit, bringing her home reading programme to the school where she has now been teaching for 16 years, SR Mentiri.
With the home reading programme, she continuously refines it to be more structured and precisely geared towards each child’s needs, personalised to their Lexile level.
“The success of the programme heavily relies on the children taking home a book that is appropriate to their individual needs. We can’t just give them any old book and expect to succeed from here. I ensure that the books that the children take home have regular sentence structure, regular vocabulary and a storyline that is universally appealing to children.”
Now, with technology, as well as providing home-link communication cards for children to take home to their parents, she can also send suggestions and encouraging messages to parents via WhatsApp. She has been doing this programme for over 20 years.
Despite the changes she has observed, one thing has remained the same: the essence of the students. Throughout decades of experience, she has never encountered extreme behavioural problems with her students that she couldn’t handle. She attributes this to the support she receives from her colleagues at school and many CfBT teachers.
“In my personal experience, the students I’ve taught are generally happy, willing, motivated, and eager to learn, just as they have always been. They’re the best part about the job. You just need to provide positive reinforcement,” Vikki expressed.
She believes that making a difference in children’s lives is the biggest reward for the profession she has chosen.
When asked where her passion came from, she said,
“I loved reading as a child. I have a lovely aunt (Aunty Crys), who was a children’s librarian. Every birthday and Christmas, she would give me about five books – fun, classic children’s books. I would spend a chunk of my time immersed in those books.”
Vikki feels fulfilled with her achievement so far. When asked what she hopes to achieve more, her answer was simple: she plans to continue teaching children in smaller groups, especially those who are struggling – wherever it may be.