Reflection Four: Teaching an English Class written by volunteer John Choi
The friends that Dana and I taught in our Level 2 English class were Thaer, Sameh, Fadi, Mohammad, and Mahmoud. All of them are in their early or middle twenties and have a strong desire to improve their English proficiency. It was encouraging and inspiring to see these five young men want something so badly, and take steps to improve their lives. I want to help people who want to help themselves. I realized this is where I can make a difference. Help Thaer, Sameh, Fadi, Mohammad, and Mahmoud learn English in order to increase their opportunities for a better standard of living. But something that is even more invaluable than the English language proficiency is the relationship that I built with each of these young men. The friendship I developed with each of them is priceless and eternal.
Sameh in my English class was such a great and diligent student. I was really impressed by his punctuality and his eagerness to learn English. His eagerness and willingness to learn made me want to be a better teacher. He was always the first one to show up to class. He always had a smile on his face even if he was tired from working all day with construction and tiling. Sameh has a good heart, and he is so gentle and kind-hearted. He makes sure the class stays in line if they start talking a lot or if they get noisy and Dana and I need their attention.
Two weeks into our English class was the first time I felt that the some of the students did not want to be there or did not really see the value in the lessons we prepared. One way I discovered this was when the two absent students took the vocabulary quiz that they did not study for and still got a 100%. I could tell the students who studied were upset by the two absent students, and I felt that the two absent students did not feel they were really getting a lot out of the lessons I was teaching them. I realized at this point that I needed to spend more time on my lesson plans so that they are challenging, engaging, and relevant enough for the students.
Overall, I felt very accomplished after every English class. The English classes were the only consistent aspect of our work schedule. It was also one area where we had complete control over what was done and how it was done. This independence allowed for leadership to grow organically and the teamwork between Dana and I became even more crucial.
Even though I was a teacher I also learned so much. I learned how to manage my time well when I had to prepare lesson plans after summer camp with the kids and before English class at night. I learned that people get tired and unmotivated sometimes even if they are really passionate about what they are doing. I learned how to give and take. We taught them how to order food and repair a washing machine, but I have learned so much more that goes beyond the classroom from my five new friends— Thaer, Sameh, Fadi, Mohammad, and Mahmoud.
