A Pandora’s Box

By Shaina Hyder

Hi everyone! My name is Shaina Hyder, and I am a visiting English teacher at Nari Jibon this summer. I am working with the Spoken English 2 students, and I am really enjoying my time here. My students are already so eloquent and well spoken! We cover the basics, of course, such as interview skills, story telling, telling time, and giving descriptions and stating goals, but we also have discussions about the limitations that women face in Bangladeshi society and how to overcome them. The first couple days were certainly quite a challenge; though the students know English, adjusting to my accent (and me to theirs!) was a bigger barrier than I could have imagined. But we’re on our way now, with many gestures, a couple of pantomimes, and a lot of patience.

In the states, I am a Sociology major at Florida State University, and am most interested in gender and work. This summer, I hope to be studying the impact of industrialization and globalization on Bangladeshi women, and how the scope of women’s work has changed. More women are entering the Bangladeshi workforce than ever before. Most of the students in my classes are career minded women, while most of their mothers are housewives. I find this massive shift in a single generation to be very interesting.

I am having so much fun in Bangladesh this summer, and am so fortunate to have been given the opportunity to work with the Nari Jibon Project.

Some Pictures of my Teaching at Nari Jibon Project: