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!!
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