Why the shiver, you ask?
I had ESL tutor training tonight. I'm going to be tutoring someone who just came from a refugee camp in Somalia. I've committed to this for the next 6 months. I don't know when my schedule will be. I don't know when I'll be doing the other things I have in my life, because I don't know what my schedule will be. I am wondering if my stated availability is actually untrue, based on other commitments I have made. My time is not my own. Which is a good reminder.
The training itself was exciting. I'm most excited about the most scary things: learning to plan lessons, to speak simply, to think on my feet, to interact with people from a very different culture. I'm afraid of failing--failing the child I will probably be working with, failing his family, failing the organization, failing life. Because that's what this is, now. Life. It isn't school anymore. There are no more top grades to be handed out. But there are no more failing grades, either.
I wonder what my life will look like in six months? I have this strange feeling that it could be much different than I expect right now.
Exciting, in a scary way.
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2 comments:
Wow, that's amazing, Suzanne. What brought on this decision?
Suzanne, here's a link to some fairly decent stuff on ESL etc. You may have been through some/all of this by now but it's a good site mostly. The bit about articles is one one of the best I've seen. I'm a writing consultant at GVSU and work with ESL/NNS students a fair bit. It's very rewarding. All best, ADR
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/esl/
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