le 3 novembre Just like my father says after we finally finish our trip prep and make it to the car for a vacation, “the toughest part is over.” The anxiety that comes with preparing for a vacation, for cleaning the house from top to bottom before we can leave (because yes, that is what our family does), remembering to pack everything and then getting it and us to the car? Absolutely the worst part of the trip, but it has to be done.
For the Cours d’Anglais I’ve been planning for in these last weeks, too, the same anxiety arises. In this situation, however, I’d never taught a day in my life which brought about a whole new level of butterflies.
When Sr. Gisele told me a few weeks ago about this project, I was immediately excited. These students, ranging from 17-24 years old, already have a basic knowledge of English. Some are better than others, but all of them do need practice. Why is it so important? Starting in January, all of their classes will be in English. ALL of them. They have had some professional courses in English, but never all. Without a solid grasp of the English language, the students won’t be able to perform well in any of his or her classes. And that is my task – I have six weeks, four hours daily, to ameliorate their English in order to have the confidence to take on an all-Anglophone course load next term.
Today was a trial run, in a way, as I wasn’t quite sure how the students would react to the lessons I’d prepared. Each task I’d chosen took a little bit longer and was a little bit more complicated than I’d imagined. Of course it was. I’d been going about my lesson plans as a native English speaker; this all comes naturally to me. Yes, I’ve been learning a whole lot about English grammar because I’ve never dissected it as much as I am now, but I have an innate ability to speak English and it’s hard to put myself in the students’ shoes.
The students responded well to the first day of class (which went by surprisingly quickly – for me, at least), and were very open and engaged. I was flattered that when one of the students had a question, he would raise his hand and ask. What good is sitting there and not understanding something but not doing anything about it? They’re learning to help themselves and one another, and I’m very pleased.
These next six weeks will be a great challenge for me, but one that I’m inspired by and ready for. I’m relieved, too, that a tangible part of my mission here in Rwanda is now underway.
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