A lot of my ministry this month has been teaching English in different capacities. The first two weeks, we helped with English tutoring twice a week, and a few times during the week we had English lessons with our ministry contact. Last week, we started a new ministry teaching at an elementary school, and I am teaching English.
Before coming, I knew that teaching English would be a big part of ministry on the World Race. In El Salvador, I taught English to elementary students, along with two other members of my team. Before we started, I thought that it would be pretty easy. In my mind, we would tell the students English words and they would learn them; in my mind, it was that simple. (In all honesty, I’m not sure why I thought that, because that’s not at all how learning Spanish is for me.) I didn’t take into account how the human brain actually works, the energy level and attention span of young children, and how complicated some concepts can be to teach/learn. There were challenges that came along with teaching English last month, so I felt like it would be easier this month, if only because I had done it before.
Wrong!
First, English tutoring is very different from teaching an English lesson in a classroom. When you teach English in a school, you are able to prepare beforehand. Granted, things may not always go the way you planned, but at least you start with a plan. With English tutoring, you show up and you help them with what they need help with. There is no plan. Second, even teaching English in the Guatemalan school is different than in the school in El Salvador. Although the classes are smaller, the energy level has seemed higher. Also, not having a translator makes things veryyyyy difficult when trying to explain things or answer questions, and especially when you need to improvise. I am learning how very blessed I was last month in so many ways. I am also learning that, although flexibility is definitely something we all need to learn, being prepared is not a bad thing. I am learning that kids love competition and games and moving, as well. To sum it all up, I have learned that there is no exact science to teaching and that teaching English is HARD!
***The school has kids that range from Pre-K to 6th grade. This is most of the kids during worship time.
