news.ycombinator.com• May 13, 2025• 1 min read
Shortest Pencils, First-Gen Students and English: Teaching in KathmanduEvery Friday for the last two years, I have been teaching English as a language rather than a subject that needs to be studied in a public school in Kathmandu.But if you were to ask me, “Can they speak English fluently now?”My answer would be, “Not really. But they are trying their best and so am I.”A majority of students in public schools are first-generation students. Globally, first-generation students are those whose parents didn’t complete a four-year college or university degree. In Nepal, first-generation students are those whose parents haven’t completed high school or even attended school at all.I am a first-generation student and so are my students.My students come from the lowest income families and their parents make a living for their entire households through daily wages: working at construction sites, driving rickshaws, and selling vegetables among others. The parents understand the importance of education and send their children to school.Sending children to school defi