When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.
Corrie ten BoomMonday, March 22, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
More than just English
Yes, I'm an ESL teacher. But I also find myself filling other roles at times - big sister, mentor, surrogate mother, etc. Here are some of the other things I have found myself doing for my students, other than helping with verb tenses and pronounciation and eradicating comma splices. :)
- finder - I've tracked down more than 1 lost binder this school year.
- caterer- I sometimes say that I'm "loving people with baked goods" - I enjoy baking, and I usually share what I've made with neighbors, coworkers, and students. I also have a seeming "fruit bowl" consistently on my desk (current status: 1 apple, 1 banana, and 4 oranges), and a stash of granola bars and chocolate in my desk drawer. If a student needs a snack (or forgot their lunch, as sometimes happens), I share my food. And my co-workers know about my chocolate stash, in case they're in need of a pick-me-up. :)
- dental hygienist- not really, but when my 7th grader lost his tooth brush in the fall, I bought him a new one.
- travel agent - I recently helped 2 of my students (a brother and sister) buy train tickets for spring break to visit a family friend who lives further north in Germany.
- storyteller - Sometimes I probably tell too many stories, but it's one way I can share life with my students and help connect what they are learning to real life.
- advocate/sleuth - Since my students and I are both new to BFA this year, sometimes they have questions that I don't know the answers to. And sometimes it is easier for me to track down the answers than to send my students on a wild goose chase around the school - it's easier for me to be sent to three different offices (not that that is always the case) than it is for them to be. Sometimes I have to help them understand this system and culture of schooling they are in; to advocate for them, as well as teach them how to be their own advocates.
There are probably other roles I fill, but I think this gives you a more specific idea of how I'm teaching and loving these students who are away from their own families, and most of them in a new culture. Thanks for your prayers and support that allow Mike and I to be here doing this!!
- finder - I've tracked down more than 1 lost binder this school year.
- caterer- I sometimes say that I'm "loving people with baked goods" - I enjoy baking, and I usually share what I've made with neighbors, coworkers, and students. I also have a seeming "fruit bowl" consistently on my desk (current status: 1 apple, 1 banana, and 4 oranges), and a stash of granola bars and chocolate in my desk drawer. If a student needs a snack (or forgot their lunch, as sometimes happens), I share my food. And my co-workers know about my chocolate stash, in case they're in need of a pick-me-up. :)
- dental hygienist- not really, but when my 7th grader lost his tooth brush in the fall, I bought him a new one.
- travel agent - I recently helped 2 of my students (a brother and sister) buy train tickets for spring break to visit a family friend who lives further north in Germany.
- storyteller - Sometimes I probably tell too many stories, but it's one way I can share life with my students and help connect what they are learning to real life.
- advocate/sleuth - Since my students and I are both new to BFA this year, sometimes they have questions that I don't know the answers to. And sometimes it is easier for me to track down the answers than to send my students on a wild goose chase around the school - it's easier for me to be sent to three different offices (not that that is always the case) than it is for them to be. Sometimes I have to help them understand this system and culture of schooling they are in; to advocate for them, as well as teach them how to be their own advocates.
There are probably other roles I fill, but I think this gives you a more specific idea of how I'm teaching and loving these students who are away from their own families, and most of them in a new culture. Thanks for your prayers and support that allow Mike and I to be here doing this!!
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