Introduction
This week our kids volunteered for a special week of ESL hosted by our local church in conjunction with a short-term team from Southridge Fellowship Church in Langley, British Colombia.
The Canadian group, which consisted of 15 youth and four adults, worked in a foundation serving handicapped children during the day. In the evenings, from 7-9 pm, they taught English as part of the local church’s outreach to the community.
Emilio, Caroline and Natalie were each assigned their own table with a few members from the Canadian team and local Colombians. All three taught ESL, acted as translators for the table, and genuinely enjoyed themselves.
You’re a Winner
The evenings began with a drawing for prizes (to encourage people to show up early) and incorporated lots of games and conversational activities, making each session seem much shorter than a typical classroom environment.
Our kids interacted with the local community and members of our church, met a wonderful team of Canadians with whom they quickly bonded, and greatly enjoyed serving other people in their acquisition of a new language. To top it all, I think they might even have some innate teachings skills.
Indeed, Emilio was asked to teach in the weekly Wed-Fri English classes that the church offers. I didn’t think his head could swell any bigger after getting accepted to Phillips Exeter Academy! 🙂