Every Tuesday during term time I volunteer to teach English to people whose first language is something else. I’m part of a team of six, although we sometimes have other helpers as well; there is one person who is, I suppose our co-ordinator . She is not a teacher, but a lovely, warm person, full of enthusiasm. Three of us have been teachers, one other person has also worked in a school, and the sixth member or the team has worked supporting people with various needs in different situations… and we also have a tea and coffee maker who joins in at the drop of a hat!
We plan our lessons to a certain extent, but we never know precisely who will be coming to our class, numbers can vary between five and fifteen, and in different combinations of people, and new people might join us, or just visit to see what our class is like… We have students from Poland, Thailand, China, the Baltic States, Spain, Hungary, Bangladesh… oh nd many more countries. Our ‘students’ might stop coming for various reasons, they get a job, they move somewhere else, they return to their own country, their circumstances might change in some way, but then new students arrive.
We have recently changed how we work, trying to meet the needs of our students better; some have children at nursery or school and have to drop them off, some might have a bus journey across town, so we have begun to start teaching later, from 10:00, although we are ‘open’ from 9 with things to look at, coffee and tea available, and we’re all around to chat and converse.
However, although we plan and prepare there always seems to be things which upset our plans… last week we had to change venue, this week we arrived and found the room full of unwanted furniture, then a reporter turned up because the local paper had heard what a good job we’re doing, then two new people arrived… it just seemed very muddly but we got into the swing and the morning flew past.
Afterwards, as we met to discuss the morning and plan for next week, we reflected on how chaotic it had been at the beginning… but then concluded that the students must like the friendly,welcoming atmosphere, they must enjoy the different things we do with them as well as teaching English (today I brought in a beef stew because one of the Chinese students wanted to know how to make it… so at eleven o’clock everyone was looking at a selection of vegetables and eating stew!)
We worry that things often seem in a muddle, but as we never know the numbers we’ll be teaching, or who they might be, or what level thy may be at, we just do our best! We welcome them all, enjoy their company, and hope to help them improve their conversational English and learn a little about our country and culture!
Lois Elsden 